Flashback Friday - TV Weddings Edition

Weddings with an unlimited guest list - our faves tie the knot on the small screen!
Via brides.com

I can remember clearly the first three weddings I'd ever been a part of, almost like it was yesterday. Ok, ok, only a few years ago!  The first one was my dad's cousin's wedding, a huuuuge Guyanese-Italian event that was filled with gooooood food, lots of dancing and I made out like a bandit by the end of the night, scoring quite a few bonbonniere of confetti (candied almonds in a tulle pouch secured to the neck of a delicate vase) from random guests and assorted family members.  My first foray into the world of weddings was a raging success - and I had the spoils to prove it!

Via fandbnews.com

The second wedding was one that my grandmother and I had been looking forward to for weeks;  we were so excited because the lead up to the wedding had been crazy, the happy couple were everywhere and the atmosphere was charged with anticipation and electricity. Then when the big day arrived, we were up super-early at the crack of dawn and stayed glued to the TV as Prince Charles made a princess out of Diana Spencer. The pomp and circumstance, the carriage, the dress' train that went on for aaaaages, the balcony kiss - this was the stuff of fairy tales!  Who would have thought that the woman who would become the People's Princess would find her fairy tale go horribly off-course, and years later we'd be waking up at the crack of dawn to say goodbye? But that's another story for another day.....

Princess Di, lovely yet tragic
Via themirror.co.uk

The third wedding was just a few months after the Royal wedding, and it was another pop culture event.  Again, my grandma and I had front row seats as daytime television royalty Luke and Laura from 'General Hospital' got married over the course of not one,  but two days. This was a couple with a pretty shady backstory but for some reason, they overcame some heinous stuff to eventually tie the knot and of course, live dramatically ever after!

Via usmagazine.com

Weddings in real life are a big deal, but weddings from our favourite small-screen couples are a whole other story.  There's always a requisite hurdle leading up to the wedding and more often than not, there's enough drama that threatens to shut down the big day completely.

An outdoor wedding... In a snowstorm. Only on TV!

Via tumbler

We even remember the weddings that weren't to be...

RIP Carrie + Aiden
Via harpersbazaar.com

And despite all that, we love every minute of these walks down the aisle! That's why when Flare magazine compiled a list of the sweetest, prettiest and most memorable television weddings, I had to share it.

*~TV couples say 'I Do!' and we were invited to the big events!~*

From Monica and Chandler, to Charlotte and Harry, this list has cozy backyard weddings, all the way to upscale NYC chic events.  It seemed fitting as we headed into 'peak' wedding season, that we take a look back for a little nostalgia and a lot of inspiration ...... Enjoy!

Wishing you a day as limitless as you are~
Lisa and April

Your Wedding Rules! Or More Like 'Man, Your Wedding RULES!'

Via eliascresh.wordpress.com

It's hard to keep track of what's acceptable, traditional, mandatory and non-negotiable when it comes to all things wedding.  I mean, we no longer have people stationed outside the honeymoon suite to provide bloody bed linens as proof of consumation and virginity (thank god!)  Nor do we throw rice at newlyweds  anymore (birds everywhere offer a hearty THANK YOU! as their stomachs remain un-burst and intact!)  But there's still so much up in the air.... Or is there? Maybe not!

They took the road less-travelled... And have a damn cool photograph to prove it!
Vis learncorel.com

Buzzfeed compiled the definitive list of wedding must-haves and definite-do's so, presented without comment, we present....

*~71 Totally Cool Things To Do At Your Wedding (aka March To The Beat Of  Your Own Drum~*

Via offbeatbride.com

Tongue-in-cheek and poking a little fun at the concept of wedding rules!  I had a laugh over these 'suggestions' and realized that we do put a lot of pressure on ourselves when planning our weddings and sometimes, you just have to step back and throw 'the rules' out the window and Start.Doing.You.

Rules, shmules - your wedding, your way, right?

Wishing you a day as limitless as you are~
Lisa and April

#TBT - Kelly Ripa + Mark Consuelos Edition

Via celebitchy.com

This week had been a rough week for Kelly Ripa; she found out mere minutes before the world did, that her co-host Michael Strahan was leaving "Live! With Kelly and Michael" to join 'Good Morning America'.  Being taken completely by surprise by the news, Ripa was noticeably absent from the show yesterday and today and while the last two days off were bough to raise eyebrows, she will be a no-show tomorrow and this time, no drama - she s celebrating her 20th wedding anniversary!

Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos met back in 1995 when he joined the cast of "All My Children" as Kelly's new onscreen love interest and she was, in her words, 'thunderstruck" by him; he was sure that he didn't stand a chance with her but they became a couple and the following year they eloped to Vegas and got hitched. They skipped the engagement, realized they had a gap in their shooting schedules and decided to take the plunge! Ripa posted a picture from their 1996 wedding on their 17th anniversary, the only picture we've seen of their real-life nuptials:

Via nbclatino.com

Their onscreen couple's wedding portrait is equally adorable...

Via yourtango.com

And after 20 years, television work and three kids, they don't seemed to have aged at all and are still adorably loved up!

Via celebitchy.com

Via guestofaguest.com

Via growingyourbaby.com

Via celebritybabyscoop.com

Via celebitchy.com

Via foodworldnews.com

So, here's a big CONGRATULATIONS! to Kelly and Mark on their 20th anniversary and we wish them another 20 years and adorableness!

Wishing you a day as limitless as you are~
Lisa and April

A Walk Down The Plank?

With this ring-atoni, I thee wed
Via stripes.com

There's always have been -and always will be - wedding firsts.  To name just a few:

The first white wedding dress (widely credited to Queen Victoria when she married Prince Albert but in reality, the ancient Greeks were the original source of the 'white wedding'; they wore white, carried white flowers and even painted their skin white!)

The first bouquet toss (it wasn't initially a tradition meant to make single ladies fight - as far back as the 14th century in Europe, weddings guests would CHASE THE BRIDE AND TEAR BITS OF HER DRESS OFF TO KEEP AS GOOD LUCK TALISMANS! So the bouquet toss was the bride getting ahead of the stampede and staving off the masses and figuratively throwing them a bone)

The first bridal shower (now a rite-of-wedding-passage, it can be traced back to Holland where if a bride's father did not approve of her husband-to-be and withheld dowry, her friends would get together to bestow enough gifts as dowry and her marriage could take place!)

And just this past weekend, we saw another nuptial first - behold, the first Pastafarian Wedding!

The Captain and his First Mate
Via stripes.com

*~Ahoy, there be love plunder in these here waters!*~

*Plunder = treasure

There was a bride and groom, decked out in their high-seas finery, exchanging rigatonis (aka rings) and sealing their vows with a kiss straight out of 'Lady and the Tramp' - they shared a single strand of pasta, meeting in the middle to seal the deal with their first kiss as Mr. and Mrs.

Via ohmy.disney.com

No judgement whatsoever from us -  we love an original wedding that plays out exactly how the happy couple want it to! - and there's no question that this wedding is definitely one of a kind! So, if you're imagining what your wedding will look like, take note me hearties: the sky's the limit. Now go forth and make your day what you want!

Wishing you a day as limitless as you are~
Lisa and April

...And a Dress That Weighs More Than Can Be Measured!

Via whatsthefuzzabout.wordpress.com

So, remember the dress we showed on Monday that worked its way down the family tree? Here's another special dress to behold... It is intricate...

Via whatsthefuzzabout.wordpress.com

....it is embellished.....

Via whatsthefuzzabout.wordpress.com

....it is edible.

Via whatsthefuzzabout.wordpress.com

Completely edible, from top to bottom!

Via whatsthefuzzabout.wordpress.com

This wedding cake dress is the brainchild and labour of love by an artist, a wedding cake sculptor and a cake shop owner, and weighs in at over 150 pounds (this is the ONLY time it's ever been acceptable to know how much the contents of a wedding dress weigh!!) and features edible cake lace and wafer sheets for the ruffles and flowers, as well as silver dragees to add delicate metallic embellishments (these little silver Devils are one of April's favourite part of a cookie or cake; it's almost ALL about dragees!)  The main structure of the cake is made entirely of fondant, so on the downside, there's no fluffy, buttery cake hidden under this dress but it is nonetheless a stunning creation (and a sugar fiend's dream!)

*~All about that cake, 'bout that cake - NO PASTRY!~*

Now, on the upside, there have been edible wedding cakes WITH ACTUAL CAKE INSIDE! created for real-life wedding and dessert enjoyment and it's only right that we end on a delicious note....

Via littlepinkbook.co.za

Via newportweddings.blogspot.com

Via theweddingsecrets.net

Via dadmakescakes.com

Wishing you a day as limitless as you are~
Lisa and April

A Dress Worth More Than Can Be Measured!

One dress, three unforgettable days!
Via weddingjournalonline.com

The wedding industry is constantly looking for the next big thing, even as it's enjoying the current big thing.  Sometimes it feels like no sooner have we fallen in love with a colour theme, a dress style, or a food trend, than we're having our head spun by a brand new, exciting -MUST-HAVE!- wedding detail. But then, out of the blue, we hear or see something that reminds us that ever so often, what's old is new - and heartwarming!

This is the story of a dress that found itself a star not once, not twice, but THREE times, by three generations of women in the same family.  We wanted to share it with you all because it's A) a sentiment that's so touching!; B) an idea that's so snag-worthy!; and C) a timely reminder of how you can create a beautiful and memorable wedding tradition!

*~One Wedding Dress, Three Beautiful Brides!~*

I don't know what part makes my eyes well up more, the fact that the three ladies - a mother, her daughter and her granddaughter - have this lovely wedding-day bond between them or the fact that one very lucky fellow got to escort three beautiful brides down the aisle in the same dress.  No matter which is it, I have a serious case of the feels right now!

Wishing you a day as limitless as you are~
Lisa and April

#TBT - James McAvoy + Anne Marie Duff

Via celebitchy.com

Celebrity weddings are a pretty big deal.  They make HUGE splashes dress-wise (we'll never forget   Gwen Stefani's ombré pink dress) style-wise (think of the fashion p0rn that Amal Alamuddin unleashed before she married George Clooney) or are unforgettable for the sheer extravagance (Kimye's wedding in Florence, Italy was rumoured to have cost almost $3 million and included a decadent week of celebrations in Paris)  The funny thing is, the one star couple who I love both individually and together are celebrating their tenth wedding anniversary this year (on October 18th to be exact) and not only did they keep their wedding private, but they continue to keep what they've got going on as a married couple separate from their work on screen and stage.  Nope, no conveniently-timed sound bites or slices of their lives offered up for public consumption when promoting projects and they don't have the paps on speed-dial to capture those oh-so-natural staged-photos to build their brand. Maybe this is the key to one of the most private - and subsequently strongest marriages in entertainment and today's Throwback couple - James McAvoy and Anne-Marie Duff!

Via laineygossip.com

We all know McAvoy, from his first big role as Mr. Tumnus in the first film in 'The Chronicles of Narnia' series and he's carved out an impressive resume in movies like 'The Last King of Scotland', 'Penelope' and the heartbreaking 'Atonement', and of course the 'X-Men' series. Duff is no lightweight herself, she is a young veteran of the stage and screen, performing in productions of Shakespeare's 'Macbeth'' and 'King Lear', Ibsen's 'A Doll House' and as Wendy in 'Peter Pan'. She was amazing in 'The Magdalene Sisters' and portrayed Queen Victoria to critical acclaim. And in probably her favourite project, she did a series in the UK called 'Shameless' where she met her future husband!

Via singendelehrerin.wordpress.com

 

Via commeaucinema.com

The pair work steadily and still manage to keep a low profile but when the are spotted together, they always make celebrity marriage without a whiff of machinations look pretty damn good!

Via laineygossip.com

Here's a little glimpse of the happy couple over the years!

Vis metro co.uk

Via laineygossip.com

Via celebitchy.com

Ten years in the entertainment world is a lifetime so here's wishing them many more lifetimes together!

Wishing you a day as limitless as you are~
Lisa and April

(Toast) Talk of the Town!

Here's to a speech for the ages!
Via bluebirdaspen.com

I am NOT comfortable at all speaking publicly. Standing in front of a room full of people to deliver a speech, whether it was back in school or for work would make my scalp burn, my mouth feel as dry as a bucket of sand, and my already quick speaking-pattern speed up to match an auctioneer! I remember giving my Maid of Honour speech at April's wedding, but what I actually said? It's a blur because my heart was racing and I was pretty sure I would drown in my sweat. In my head I sounded like a babbling fool, and for that, I'm eternally grateful that no one recorded it.

If I was smarter, I'd have brought in a speech-ringer... Like Will Ferrell
Via chicagonow.com

So, it's no surprise that during speeches at weddings, I am all ears and at full attention. I love hearing the heartfelt esentiments family member and friends share, and even though I hold my breath, when each speech is done, I applaud wildly partly because who can resist all those great anecdotes and all that love? But other part comes from feeling relief that the toastmaster pulled it off and did such a great job.  This begs the question: we know what makes one good, but what makes a speech, well, not to put too fine a point on it, a bad speech?   Glamour magazine has got the wrong, the bad and the ugly covered, in all their cringe-worthy glory!

*~They said WHAT??! Wedding speeches that don't make the cut!~*

Somehow, after reading these examples of what NOT to say during a wedding speech EVER, I think I might have a slightly more positive recollection of mine!

But wait, there's more! More bad speeches we love (to use as cautionary tales!)

*~More bad speeches than you can shake a stick at!~*

Via thebijoubride.com

But, because it can't be all deliciously bad speeches, here are some tricks of the toastmaster's trade, a quick guide to making the most of your mic-time!

*~Out with the bad and in with the good!~*

Wishing you a day as limitless as you are~
Lisa and April