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Hallmark Rolls Out Gay Wedding Greetings: Tasteful or Tacky?

CitizenSugar — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 07:51:12 -0700

Though just a scootch late for the famous nuptials of Ellen and Portia, Hallmark has rolled out a new line of greetings, created for just such an occasion. In response to California ruling gay marriage legal, Hallmark saw a fancy card niche to be filled — one that doesn't involve shiny embossed images of a traditional bride and groom. Despite the fact that most states don't recognize gay marriage (CA and MA are the only two) several others recognize civil commitments, and when there's a ceremony, there's a cause for card.Hallmarks says the decision to offer the greetings was not politically motivated, but rather a response to consumer demand. Their spokeswoman says, "it's our goal to be as relevant as possible to as many people as we can." Indeed they started offering "coming out" cards last year (an event that strikes me as more interesting? I did not know one gave a card for such an occasion!) The new cards contain neutral language, speaking to love rather than a specific event so they're useful for weddings or commitments. Four designs in all will be released this summer.As 85,000 same-sex couples have become legal in one way or another since 1997 and estimates peg nearly 120,000 more will join Ellen, spelling millions in new business for wedding industries. Is this just smart marketing? Hallmark has already expanded to include cards for "sorry you can't get pregnant," and "good luck in rehab," as well as interfaith marriages — because in greetings, it's the specificity that counts?Source

Hallmark Rolls Out Gay Wedding Greetings: Tasteful or Tacky?

Tasteful. It's smart business, savvy etiquette, and a sign of mainstream acceptance.

Tacky! By hyping them as gay greetings, they're taking advantage to make a buck.

I suppose there's no harm in making them available, but it does seem opportunistic.

Other. I'll greet you in the comments.

Charity Helps 50 Couples Get Married in Afghanistan

LibertySugar — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 12:15:06 -0700

Afghanistan witnessed the country's first mass marriage, yesterday. Thanks to the Islamic charity Comfort Aid International, 50 couples got hitched in the city of Herat.

The charity of love covered the big cost of weddings in Afghanistan, which includes dowries and lavish parties with hundreds of guests. The marriages 50 cost $30,000 total, and each set of newly weds walked out with a $600 gift. About 1,500 guests attended, and the brides and grooms were separated for the ceremonies, according to the conservative tradition.

While the disadvantaged turn to charity, affluent Afghan couples increasingly enjoy Vegas-style weddings on their own dime, which some signaled as a sign of changing times. Popular Hindi music and neon lights come from wedding halls with names like Kabul-Paris Wedding Hall or Wedding Hall of the Evening Star. Limousines fill their parking lots. During its rule, the Taliban forbid lavish weddings and music. But the industry of lovebirds has made a comeback — there are more than 80 wedding halls in Kabul, compared to four in 2001.

Would you give to a charity that helps disadvantaged couples tie the knot? Can a Vegas-style wedding be a sign that better times have come?

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Marriage Maverick Mayor Weds Mad Men Actress Siebel

CitizenSugar — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 00:00:49 -0700

San Francisco's marriage-equality lightening rod, Gavin Newsom tied the knot himself over the weekend. In a Montana ranch ceremony he married actress Jennifer Siebel. If you watched last night's Mad Men premiere, you'll know her as Betty's old roommate and pricey prostitute, Juanita.

Guests of honor included Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and former Mayor Willie Brown. The golden and beautiful affair was the second set of "I dos" for Newsom. He and former wife Kimberly Guilfoyle (of Fox News fame) split shortly after he began issuing maverick same-sex wedding certificates in 2004.

On top of her one-time Mad Men performance (or not!, she does have Don's business card), the bride has appeared recently on the NBC show, Life. The groom just filed exploratory papers to run against Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for the office in 2011. The couple will honeymoon in Africa.

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No Trouble in Paradise: Stay Safe Tips For Honeymoon Cities

CitizenSugar — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 03:00:40 -0700

While there are some exotic vacation and honeymoon spots with a dangerous rep that are softening to tourism now, some popular and seemingly harmless getaway locales require a little extra vigilance. Here are some tips, straight from the local police, to make sure your next getaway is as romantic and trouble-free as you'd like.

Heading Abroad?

Barcelona:
Watch out for the kindness of strangers — If someone asks how you like Barcelona or tries to hug you, hold on to your valuables tightly.
Cancun:
Beach jewelry isn't such a bargain. It's almost always made from inferior metal. A police spokeswoman says, "They might get a cheaper price [on the beach], but the jewelry is definitely not of the highest quality."
London:
Take the city-licensed black cabs, and not the amateur "minicabs" that wait outside of tourist spots — in 2006 ten people per month were assaulted by minicab drivers.
Montreal:
Lock your car, and move any valuables to the trunk — leaving your ride unlocked might even earn you a $30 ticket.

Heading for some fun in the sun, or to take in some historical sights? To see tips for more cities,

It's True! Benjamin Franklin to Marry Betsy Ross on July 3

CitizenSugar — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 07:00:19 -0700

No, you're not misremembering US history, this is actually happening next month. Two actors well known for their portrayals of Benjamin Franklin and Betsy Ross are engaged and are planning a very public, very patriotic ceremony on the steps of Independence Hall on July 3. The entire wedding party will be in costume — I want an invitation to this one!

The couple met after she hired him for a friend's wedding toast. "Ben Franklin" had initially declined, saying he doesn't "do weddings," but she begged and he relented and they announced their engagement this Spring.

Considering the famous Franklin quote "Marriage is the most natural state of man, and . . . the state in which you will find solid happiness," the couple will be in for many happy years.

No official word, but the chances of Betsy Ross donning the award-winning wedding dress constructed completely out of toilet paper (being displayed now in Times Square) are slim. The nuptials may just be a red, white, and blue extravaganza for the history books.

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California's First Gay Marriages Set For June 17

CitizenSugar — Thu, 29 May 2008 00:00:49 -0700

I don't know if there's still time to hire a caterer or book a band, but state authorities have just announced that June 17 is the first day same-sex marriages will be officiated in California. The announcement comes two weeks after the state Supreme Court rejected a ban on gay marriage.

How will it work? The authorities say the terms husband and wife will be replaced by "party A" and "party B." No other details distinguish the ceremony from any other marriage officiated by state authorities.

After the 4-3 ruling California becomes only the second US state after Massachusetts to legalize unions between homosexuals. Since Supreme Court rulings typically apply 30 days after publication, state authorities set June 17 as the date for the first weddings, clearing the safety zone since the ruling can be appealed up to June 16.

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Jenna's Big as Texas Wedding Album!

CitizenSugar — Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:57 -0700

The dress! The vows! The cake! Laura's MOB dress! It's all here folks! Here's what the wedding that President Bush called "spectacular" looked like. Enjoy!

Quiz Nation! Know About White House Weddings?

CitizenSugar — Sat, 10 May 2008 09:00:40 -0700

Jenna Bush is getting married today, and while our invitation may have been lost in the mail, that will not stop us from getting in the White House wedding spirit! The Associated Press agrees with me — even though no media get to cover the event, they've put together a something old, new, blue White House quiz that I've borrowed from here. . . . see if you catch the bouquet or wind up holding back the maid of honor's hair.

Lynda Bird Johnson's spectacular 1967 wedding pictured here.

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Jenna Bush Is Getting Married Today! White House Weddings Old and New

CitizenSugar — Sat, 10 May 2008 07:00:23 -0700

Jenna Bush is tying the knot, getting hitched, and making it legal at a gorgeous, intimate family ceremony in Crawford, TX, this very day! It's so intimate that they've made it very clear there will be no media coverage. That will not stop us in our pursuit of White House romance and bridal veils! Check out these adorable pictures of White House love, and Jenna, the bride herself, in my favorite snaps. Here comes the bride!

Would You Be a Patriotic Bride?

CitizenSugar — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 07:00:00 -0700

I hear picking a dress is a kind of big part of the whole wedding phenomenon — and hey, the 4^th of July is coming up. . . . I'll cut to the chase. Would you be a patriotic bride and don a flag gown like this? A wedding is a kind of pledge, after all!If the dress is more. . . overt than you'd wear, how about keeping a flash of old glory under your dress, garter style?

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For all of our network wedding coverage, be sure to check out I Do Sugar!Source

Would You Be a Patriotic Bride?

Yes! Why not? Flag dress at wedding, fireworks later . . .

Um, I owe it to my country not to wear a dress like this. Red, white, and ew.

Would I? I've done it and have the pictures to prove it!

Smart Women More Likely to Tie the Knot

CitizenSugar — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:00:54 -0700

Think it seems like the whole world is full of smart-and-savvy women skipping the altar to stay single? Not so according to recent research. Following a brief slowing trend among degree-qualified women reluctant to settle down, the tide has turned.

Though educated girls in their twenties do have a series of entertaining and short-lived relationships, by the time their 30s roll around they're marching down the aisle in record numbers. According to the study, the numbers of women with degrees who are married by the time they are 30 to 35 is higher than those without. By about 30, 61 percent of the women with a degree were married, compared with only 53 percent of women with no higher education qualifications.

One of the researchers said,

"There's something new going on, particularly among women. It's long been assumed that more educated women are less traditional and more financially independent and are therefore less likely to need to or want to marry. And indeed, this assumption has been borne out in the data for a long time. But now. . . we can see that in fact the pattern has reversed so that women with post-school qualifications, especially those with degrees, are now in fact more likely to be married than their counterparts with less education."

Does this surprise you? Do you know tons of smart women getting hitched?

For all of our network wedding coverage, be sure to check out I Do Sugar!

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Wedding Tourism Coming to English Churches?

LibertySugar — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 14:30:20 -0700

The Anglican Church wants to make it easier for couples to get married in their church of choice.

Under the proposed rules, couples can marry anywhere they have lived for six months or where their parents or grandparents married. Currently, only regular church attendees or those who live within the parish can be married in the parish church.

Since the Anglican Church is England's official state church, the changes must be approved by Parliament and given Royal Assent. Church leaders favor the new rules, which they say reflect a modern and mobile society. Others fear "wedding tourism" — they think people committed to religious communities (with pretty churches) will have to compete with the nonfaithful out-of-towners.

Do you think the relaxed rules will bring more weddings, and thus more worshipers? Can couples celebrate the tradition of getting married in a church without faith? Should church weddings be reserved only for church goers?

To see all of our wedding coverage, check out IDoSugar.com

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Jenna Bush Dishes Wedding Details, and Why She Said No to the White House

CitizenSugar — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 00:00:11 -0700

Jenna Bush was on the Today show with her mom yesterday discussing plans for her upcoming wedding and finally clearing up why it will not take place at the White House. The Pennsylvania Avenue option was of course available to Jenna, but she turned it down saying, “Texas is home to me. . . I did live in Washington, but I never lived in the White House."

The celebration is to take place at sunset on the Crawford, Texas ranch with a guest list of about 200 people. For you detail junkies, Jenna sets the scene:

I guess it maybe says we’re crazy. I wanted to be at home, and I wanted it to feel natural and I wanted it to be a private thing. It’s the one day of my life — it happens once — that I want to have a private time with Henry and my family. Plus, I’m not that glamorous. I’m more an outdoor type.

See? Maybe I wasn't so far off with my cowboy boot comment! To see what everyone will be wearing, and what's in store for the couple post-nuptials,

Here Comes the White House Bride!

CitizenSugar — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 00:00:40 -0700

When the wedding march rings out in Crawford, TX on May 10, Jenna Bush will be wearing Oscar de la Renta. The designer just confirmed he's designing the first daughter's gown, saying, "Yes, I am doing her dress. We've already started and we're going to make it very special."

Jenna will be 27 when she marries Henry Hager at her family's ranch. Thank goodness she's getting hitched because it made me find this great web site, WhiteHouseWeddings.com. Did you know:

There have been twenty-one White House weddings, including nine presidential children and one president, Grover Cleveland. Two other presidents were married outside the White House during their time in office, John Tyler and Woodrow Wilson.

I do not know why Jenna's not having her ceremony at the ol' White House — I would do that in a heartbeat! She'll be the best-dressed bride in Texas. I wonder if she's getting white cowboy boots designed to go with?

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Introducing Wedding Season on IDoSugar!

PopSugar — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 06:00:00 -0700

Wedding bells are here again! Today we're kicking off our second-annual wedding season bonanza on the Sugar Network! Over the next few months, the Sugar sites will be sharing all sorts of wedding ideas and tips, from fashion and beauty secrets to registry picks and party plans to advice on getting in shape for the big day. Together with our sponsor, Macy’s, we've also created a new site called IDoSugar.com, where you'll be able to find all of our great wedding content in one place.

We're kicking things off with Engagement Week, which will cover everything you need to know from the wedding proposal to budget-planning. Stay tuned all Spring for more wedding coverage, including showers, parties, wedding trends, honeymoons, and more.