Flower Power!

“Like wow man…those are some nice flowers”. I’m sure those are the words you want to hear as your younger brother’s stoner friend comes by the house the morning of the wedding. Always look to impress people like this FIRST! Seriously though, flowers are a BIG freakin’ deal nowadays. Gone are the days of silly silk and a goldfish in a bowl. Nina Callaway tells us the ins and outs of shopping for flowers here. I can remember like it was yesterday the joy that overcame me when my Joann told me we were spending $4000+ on flowers! Oh yeah, and we were getting a “deal”. With friends like that I don’t need enemies.

Gentlemen, prepare yourselves.

Shortest Celeb Weddings…

Nothing I love more than some ridiculous celebrity stories…like what the shortest marriages were. So we had our Gossip Division (Silverfox is now soooo big we have our own gossip division!) look into the ultimate in mis-matches. And here’s what they came up with:

8 months - Jennifer Lopez and Cris Judd
wed October 2001, split July 2002.
(see also Jennifer Lopez and Ojani Noa wed February 1997, split March 1998. 13 months. Click here to read wedding details about Jennifer Lopez’s latest marriage to Marc Anthony. Bookmakers are giving the marriage 3-1 odds of falling apart before the end of the year, which would bump her up on this list.)

8 months - Elizabeth Taylor and Nicky Hilton
May 1950, split January 1951.
Famed bride Elizabeth Taylor got a jump on her string of weddings with her first marriage to hotelier (and grandfather to sisters Nicky and Paris Hilton) Nicky Hilton.
19 year-old Elizabeth reportedly said about the wedding, “I have a woman’s body and a child’s emotions.”

7 months - Courtney Thorne-Smith and Andrew Conrad
wed June 2000, split January 2001.
They couldn’t even make it to when their wedding pictures were infamously published by Instyle Magazine in February/March 2001.

5 months - Shannen Doherty and Ashley Hamilton
wed September 1993, split February 1994.
(See also Shannen Doherty and Rick Salomon wed February 2002, split November 2002. 9 months. Yes, this is the same Rick Salomon of the Paris Hilton sex tape fame.)

5 months -Carmen Electra and Dennis Rodman
wed November 1998, split March 1999.
Like Britney and Jason, these two were wed in a quickie Vegas wedding. Rodman initially tried to get an annullment after nine days of wedded bliss, but the two managed to stick it out another four and a half months.

4 months, 24 days - Charlie Sheen and Donna Peele
wed September 1995, split February 1996.

3 months, 15 days - Lisa Marie Presley and Nicolas Cage
wed August 2002, split November 2002.
(See also Lisa Marie Presley and Michael Jackson wed May 1994, split December 1995. 20 months.)

32 days - Ernest Borgnine and Ethel Merman
wed June 1964, split July 1964. 32 days

30 days - Drew Barrymore and Jeremy Thomas
wed March 1994, split April 1994.
(see also Drew Barrymore and Tom Green wed July 2001, split December 2001. Five months.)

9 days - Cher and Gregg Allman
wed July 1975, split July 1975.
Kids, another example of why you’ve got to watch out for those Vegas weddings. Just three days after divorcing Sonny Bono, Cher and musician Gregg Allman spontaneously flew to Vegas in his Lear Jet to wed. However, she reportedly soon discovered that his drug and alcohol problems were too much for her, and filed for divorce after only nine days.

8 days - Dennis Hopper and Michelle Phillips
wed October 1970, split November 1970.

6 hours - Rudolph Valentino & Jean Acker
wed and split November 1919.
After just six hours, the bride locked Valentino out of the honeymoon suite! He soon gave up and headed home. However, they didn’t finalize a divorce until 1922.

But the winners for shortest of ALL TIME?!?!? Britney Spears and Jason Allen Alexander take the prize for shortest celebrity marriage! Just hours after tying the knot, they were filing for an annullment.

And you thought Britney just made news when she shaves her head!

The party BEFORE the party…

You’ve just gotten engaged, and you feel like celebrating! Why not have an engagement party? Such an event is a great way to tell a lot of people about your planned wedding, get togehter with family and friends, and is also a great way to spend a lot more money! Here are the pros and cons of the “party BEFORE the party”:
Pros:
Engagement parties allow you to announce your engagement to your nearest and dearest friends and family in a fun way.
They’re a great way for your families and friends to get to know each other
Hey, any excuse to have a party with people you love, right?
Cons:
Having an engagement party forces you to have a sense of your wedding guest list early, as you shouldn’t invite anyone who won’t be invited to the wedding.
It is an extra event to plan for and PAY for, or to have someone else plan and pay for
If you don’t have a particularly long engagement (6 months or less) it may seem awkward to have another party so close to your wedding.
So what are you waiting for? Get out the invites and let’s party!

Top 5 Wedding Gifts…

So you’re going to a wedding soon and are having a hard time thinking of what to give. Well let me be the first to tell you (if you are THIS clueless) MONEY is what everyone wants! No need to second guess or even think of another idea. However, if you think I’m out of touch (or just plain stupid) then maybe you’d like to see what our resident wedding guru Nina Callaway (about.com) has to say about wedding gifts. Here’s her list (note: please check out #1!).

Writing Thank you cards…

When the last dance has been danced, the guests have gone home, and the presents have all been unwrapped, your job is still not over. You still have the often-dreaded task of writing thank you notes. But it can be a lot easier than you think it will be. No one is asking you to suddenly turn into Emily Post or William Shakespeare. A timely, polite, and cheerful note is all that is required - not paragraphs of original prose for each thank you card. Or you could order one of our cards that allows for a custom printed message inside and just sign your name (but you know there’s no way your parents are letting you get away with not writing SOMETHING). And make sure you have the list with everyone’s name and how much they gave so you know when to write “generous” or just “lovely”. Either way, it’s a task that will take several hours over several evenings…and it’s never really much fun. Not like opening your gifts was. For some examples of what to write click here.

The Organized Bride…

You know who you are. You have a big binder with every scrap of vendor and wedding related info neatly tucked in it. You know the exact percentage of your budget that is being spent on stamps for your invites. And finally, you have a spreadsheet. You’re what we call the “Organized Bride”. Well have we found something for you. And it’s FREE (at least for 30 days!). The Smart Wedding software suite is just what you’re looking for. We promise we have no affiliation (in fact we’re kinda pissed it doesn’t run on our Macs). Download it and try it out!

Just another in the long line of weddiing related tips we offer up here from Worldwide Headquarters.

Meet-N-Greet us!

So we’ve got something going on here you should ALL know about: one of the most important things to us as a studio is for you to meet w/your photographer. It’s a chance for you to chat about your day, get to know them a bit and…well you know…bond! Our next Meet-N-Greet (MnG) is Thursday June 5th. These MnG’s are held on the first Thursday of every month and are from 6-8pm at our studio in Massapequa. Drinks, hors d’oeuvres and great music make it an hour worth spending…plus, you get to meet the person you’ll be spending 10+ hours with on your big day! So mark the calender and make it your business to come see us! Please RSVP @ 516-798-6699 as it is first come, first serve each month.

Looking forward to seeing you soon!

Wedding Trivia Quiz…

So you think you’ve done your research. You know every major dress maker, all the reception places are programmed in your cell, and every celeb wedding detail is floating around in that bridal brain of yours. Well then let’s see what you’ve got. The Wedding Trivia Quiz is going to test your mettle. Have you got what it takes?

A new book…for Grooms?!?!

A recent press release:

“Once upon a time a groom’s only responsibility was to show up and have a ring. His mother, the bride’s mother, and the bride took care of everything else. These days, with couples getting married at later ages, and most women working outside of the home, a groom needs to pull his share of the weight. Fortunately, grooms are doing so - there’s even a great new book coming out soon called “The Engaged Groom” by Doug Gordon that is specifically advice for the groom.”

OK, Doug…so what’s the deal with you writing this “great” new book for grooms? First of all, most of the guys I know aren’t going to be using the adjective “great” when it comes to a bridal book. Secondly, today’s groom has the responsibilty of buying not just “a ring”, but a REALLY nice BIG ring! Which means MAJOR cash! Which, in turn, means more time at the job. Which means less free time. Which means NO free time on Sunday afternoons w/frineds enjoying a cocktail watching the Giants play the Eagles! Which means no free time to read some freakin’ bridal book made for a guy! Actually, that last part there was difficult to type (”bridal book made for a guy”). So here’s my advice to you Doug: change the title of the book and make it “For the Engaged Groom…Ideas on How to Spend Your Last Single Days in Vegas”. And make sure it has lots of pictures. THAT, my friends would buy.

Of course, for those guys who might actually want Doug’s book as it is now click here

Top 5 Wedding Gifts…

So you’re going to a wedding soon and are having a hard time thinking of what to give. Well let me be the first to tell you (if you are THIS clueless) MONEY is what everyone wants! No need to second guess or even think of another idea. However, if you think I’m out of touch (or just plain stupid) then maybe you’d like to see what our resident wedding guru Nina Callaway (about.com) has to say about wedding gifts. Here’s her list (note: please check out #1!).