Mother of bride dresses

Wedding planner Josh Gurvitz of Indianapolis talks about the top wedding trends of 2011:

Cake/desserts. “Blame it on the popularity of ‘Top Chef: Just Desserts,’ ‘Amazing Cakes’ and ‘Cake Boss,’ but cake bakers and pastry chefs are churning out incredible desserts and wedding cakes with gourmet flavors and haute style.”

Food. “One of the most fun parts of developing a theme wedding is deciding the menu.

“From a traditional New England clambake to a spicy Southern barbecue, theme-wedding menus create a fun, exciting and memorable event.”

Eco-friendly weddings. “First, consider your wedding stationery. Use recycled paper, or even electronic save-the-dates and rehearsal dinner invitations.”

Entertainment. “Go with what you know and love. Don’t try to be something that you aren’t.” (more…)

If you’ve ever wondered how important it is to get the planning right for your big day, the movies provide a wealth of examples of just how disastrously wrong an ill-prepared wedding can go. These are the top ten most disastrous wedding ceremonies that the cinema has ever provided us with.

10.Bride Wars(2009)

While an element of competition between friends is fairly normal when trying to plan the perfect big day, Bride Wars takes this potentially explosive element to the extreme, as best friends Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson do everything possible to make each other’s big day a living nightmare. (more…)

Karina Smirnoff, the Dancing With the Stars pro, has dished the dirt on her upcoming wedding and her plans to become a mom!

KARINA Smirnoff has opened up about her upcoming wedding!

The Dancing With the Stars pro is set to marry MLB pitcher Brad Penny.

“It’s a destination wedding,” Smirnoff said.

It’s perfect. I think we found the perfect place but I can’t reveal it just yet because it’s like, we want to confirm it.”

Smirnoff says she’ll be rocking a “big fairy-tale [dress]. I want that train to be as long as long Hollywood Boulevard because it’s like, you only get to wear it once. I want it to be memorable. Like a princess.”

“I can’t wait to become a mom,” said Smirnoff. “I love kids. My manager has a beautiful boy who’s my godson. He’s in the terrible twos right now. The wonderful twos I must say. But I do want my own kids.”

One of the biggest spring 2011 trends wedding planner Lori VanMeter from Springfield, Ill., sees is brides refusing to be limited to one or two colors.

“They’re breaking away from that,” said VanMeter, who co-owns Magical Events with Maggie Sanderfield. “Bridesmaids are all wearing a different color. It’s easier; you don’t have to settle on one color. You’ll have bridesmaids of different coloring, and they get to pick their own (dress) colors.”

Gloria Stauffer, wedding planner and owner of Affordable Weddings in Clinton, Ill., said she is seeing bright colors on the plate for her spring weddings. Charcoal paired with yellow, fuscia or bright oranges, along with peacock and peacock colors, are popular this spring, she said.

Black bridesmaid gowns are continuing to be popular, too, along with typical spring colors, said Rae Roberts-Griffith, owner of True Colors Floral Artistry in Springfield, Ill.

“We’re seeing a lot of fresh greens and melon colors, like a melon-y pink that is lighter than watermelon,” she said. “It’s a very pretty color. I’ve been reading in trade magazines that this is going to be the year of pink.” (more…)

Not even a heavy rainstorm could put a damper on Kelsey Grammer’s wedding to Kayte Walsh in New York City on Friday.

Inside the Longacre Theater, where the couple tied the knot, the space was still decorated with props from La Cage aux Folles, as well as huge bouquets of pink and red flowers in gold urns.

During the emotional ceremony, performed by Terry Lavell who was Grammer’s costar in the Broadway hit musical, attendants read poems that the bride and groom had written for one another. As the couple listened, they appeared to be holding back tears, according to one guest.

After Walsh’s brother, Stuart, sang “Feels Like Home” by Randy Newman, Grammer, 55, and Walsh, 29, recited traditional vows.

“They looked very happy,” a wedding guest told PEOPLE after the ceremony, “really, really happy.”

In addition to Lavell, the couple was attended by Grammer’s two eldest daughters, Spencer and Greer, Walsh’s sister, Sophie, and friend Angela Copeland. The women wore matching black dresses and Christian Louboutin pumps. The bride wore a silk sheath gown with beaded straps and bodice – a custom design by Peter Langner for Mark Ingram, according to Access Hollywood. Grammer’s son Jude, joined Walsh’s brothers as groomsmen, and the best man was friend Carl DeGersdorff. (more…)

Playboy founder Hugh Hefner and his fiancee Crystal Harris have set a date to tie the knot.

UsMagazine.com is quoting a Playboy rep who has confirmed that the couple will wed on June 18 at the Playboy Mansion.

Hefner, 84, is reported saying, “It will be intimate with a close number of friends here at the mansion. No big blowout affair. Something very personal.”

Harris, 24, is still hunting for the perfect wedding gown and is said to be eyeing a strapless dress by designer Romona Keveza.

Hefner proposed to Harris on Christmas Eve last year, and the bride-to-be posted a picture of her impressive round-diamond engagement ring on Twitter.

An insider has also mentioned that the couple has set the guest list at less than 300 people.

One person who will not be attending the wedding would be Hefner’s ex-girlfriend Holly Madison. She told PopEater’s own Naughty but Nice Rob Shuter that even if she was invited she would not be going. (more…)

Inspiration for your perfect wedding day is more abundant than ever. Blogs are everywhere showing brides examples of do-it-yourself weddings, brides telling of their ceremonies and photographers showing what they can do to capture your special day.

A trend now is “save the date” cards notifying family and friends of the date of the weddings. Some are even emailing them as a “green” alternative. Ask your photographer if he or she provides them as an add-on to your package. Otherwise, there are “self-serve” sites to create the perfect save the date cards. Today, they are referring guests to the bride and grooms wedding website. Some websites are free, while with others you pay for customization. They give the guests directions to the wedding and reception site(s). They tell the story of how the couple met. They provide images of the couple and all the major players in the wedding party and “staff” including the photographer, videographer, caterer, wedding planner, etc.

After you have decided on the budget, you can begin the shopping for sites, caterers, photographers and more. If you cannot afford a wedding planner, designate a person to be in control. Arm them with the schedule of the day according to you. They can serve as an “ambassador” for you. It is a terrible thing if you lose time with the photographer because you had to check yourselves into a hotel. Do not be afraid to delegate to friends and family before your big day. (more…)

Wedding season is right around the corner, and you know what that means — brides (and grooms) everywhere will be hitting the gym to make sure they look and feel their best on the Big Day.

“Shedding for the Wedding,” premiering on the CW Feb. 23 at 9 p.m. EST, is a weight loss competition/wedding-planning show from the executive producers of “The Biggest Loser.” Hosted by newly slender Sara Rue, the show features couples trying to lose weight in order to win their dream wedding. Each challenge can earn them one item, like a dress or cake.

There to help them on this weight loss journey is Jennifer Cohen, one of the show’s trainers and founder of No Gym Required. To Cohen, the fact that you can’t get to the gym is no excuse to not be fit, so with that mantra in mind, she’s given us four exercises that will shape you up for that walk down the aisle.

One-handed tricep dips with one leg
How to: This is one of my favorites for toning and leaning out the triceps. Also, it automatically works your core because you need to balance and use your stabilizing muscle groups. (more…)

The big day is rapidly approaching and invitations have been sent! Well, except for one very important one. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle have not been invited to Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding. Considering the Obamas did not receive a royal fax to save the date, it’s now official: Invitations have been mailed but one will not arrive at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

According to The Daily Mail, the Queen invited 40 heads of state via gold-embossed invitations for the April 29 wedding at Westminster Abbey. Leaders from countries such as Australia, Canada and New Zealand were invited, along with Kings and Queens across Europe such as Spain, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Greece. (more…)

When St. Louis women get engaged, they can turn to many resources for planning weddings: bridal shows, wedding planners, the Internet and, of course, books. A new book by two sisters is dedicated to all things wedding in St. Louis.

Two sisters self published their book The St. Louis Wedding Book.

Emily Ayala of O’Fallon, Mo., and Allison Hockett of Eureka self-published their book “The St. Louis Wedding Book: Two Sisters’ Guide to Your Ultimate Wedding.” The book, which offers tips and tricks specific to the St. Louis area, can be purchased online at stlweddingbook.com, amazon.com and booksonstlouis.com. It’s also available at Borders Books, Barnes & Noble bookstores and in most Dierbergs stores.

We talked to Ayala about the book and her inspiration.

Tell us about yourself.

We’re sisters who were raised in St. Louis and attended Lindbergh High School. After high school, Allison enrolled at Truman State University, graduating with a degree in psychology, where she met her husband, Brian. I attended Missouri State University, graduating with a degree in finance, where I met my husband, Paulo. Allison resides in Eureka, with her husband and three children, Grace, 7; Claire, 4; and Adam, 2. I live in O’Fallon, Mo., with my husband and little boy, Sam, 2 years old. (more…)