Here, the "Celebrate" page of Westchester/Hudson Valley Weddings, which is meant to provide fun, little bits of wedding inspiration. I am the executive editor of this annual publication.
'Love, Wedding, Marriage': We Recommend Therapy
"Yet it’s not the premise to Love, Wedding, Marriage—and its strict romantic view that equates divorce with failure—that is the movie’s biggest flaw. Instead, it’s the way the film uses its premise to indulge the worst romantic-comedy tropes, scenes featuring zany speed-dating, bad karaoke, soap-opera-style revelations, a fake suicide attempt, schmaltzy third-act toasts, multiple uses of the phrase 'once upon a time', dramatic revelations, and wacky marriage therapies, plural. Did I mention that Ava has a three-week deadline to save her parents marriage before their big, surprise 30th anniversary party that she refuses to cancel?
Love, Wedding, Marriage goes for broad, just-shy-of-slapstick humor. Only Mulroney doesn’t have a feel for the right tone, rhythm, or look of a romantic comedy. In one scene, the marriage therapist that Ava sends her parents to—played by Christopher Lloyd in the most disappointing cameo of his ever put to film—has them run through some pre-therapy exercises that includes them hopping around and snorting air through their noses. Surely, this was supposed to be played for comedy.
In reality, there’s nothing really all that funny about watching Jane Seymour and James Brolin flopping around on screen. It’s almost more sad than funny. When Mulroney tries for some more directorial flourishes, he favors the more dramatic series of extreme close-ups, lingering ponderously on Mandy Moore’s face.
Then again, there isn’t much in the material to elevate with better direction. Much of the dialogue, written by Anouska Chydzik and Caprice Crane of the recent 90210 and Melrose Place reboots, is therapy-speak. People often say exactly what they feel. They talk about fulfillment, prioritizing, and validation. If there is a single least-funny word in the English language, it just might be 'prioritizing'."
Click through to read the full review at PopMatters.
Afterward, festivities moved on to Rye Brook’s Doral Arrowwood. Upon arriving in the ballroom, guests were wowed with soaring centerpieces topped with cherry-blossom branches. 'I originally wanted low centerpieces, because I thought of tall centerpieces as being these big candelabras and over-the-top things. But the ceiling at Arrowwood is so high that you really need tall centerpieces; otherwise, the room looks kind of empty. Lauren Sozmen of Loli Events came up with the idea of branches with cherry blossoms, and we went from there. We got the height that we needed without interfering with conversation around the table.
Click through to read the rest of the article, or download the PDF.
I interviewed local vendors in all aspects of the wedding industry--cake bakers, caterers, musicians, DJs, florists, stationers, photographers, and planners--and solicited their reports on recent wedding trends. The result is a massive survey--spanning 26 pages in the magazine--that's packed with good ideas for those planning a wedding. You can read it online here or download the PDF above.
The couple snuck off to the Manor’s library after they’d released their bridal party to the reception. "At this point, things settled down, and it became oddly calm," says Lisa, who posed in a very full, customized gown by Ines DiSanto. "It was just my husband and me, and our photo and video crew. The whole experience was serene and romantic."
Click through to read the rest of the article online, or download the PDF above.
To a bride and groom, what goes into a great wedding photo is pure magic—an inexplicable mix of mood, lighting, setting, and photographer mojo. Wedding photographers, on the other hand, know that it takes just a little bit more than hoping for something great to happen when you hit the shutter button. Here, our photographers share some of their favorite images from the past year and why they were so taken by them.
Click through to read the rest of the article online, or download the PDF above.
For some brides, the hunt for wedding inspiration takes place on a daily basis. There's no shortage of unique ideas, perfect details, and amazing wedding photos out in the world. Nor is there a shortage of wedding blogs devoted to sifting through all of them and bringing the best ones to light every day. Here are our favorites.
Click through to read the rest of the article online, or download the PDF above.
White is traditional, but not required.
Time was, brides had only one color choice: white. White dresses, white diamond engagement rings. Now, bolder brides are ditching the standard wedding white and incorporating more color into their nuptials.
Click through to read the rest of the article online, or download the PDF above.
Our annual, stand-alone weddings issue just arrived—one of my favorites of the year. (This year, I've been promoted to senior editor.) Here are some of the front-of-book items (in full) I wrote for this issue. You can see them online here and here.
Band of Bold
Simple, unadorned wedding band may work for some brides, but you might be on the hunt for something more unique. You wear your wedding ring every day, after all. Consider these two rings, which give you more than just a symbolic reminder of your spouse. The first, made by Fabuluster and available on Etsy, uses a patented process to reproduce an actual fingerprint on the inside or outside of a silver, gold, platinum, or palladium wedding band. (Talk about one-of-a-kind.) You might not be able to hold hands all day, but you can walk around with his fingerprint around your finger (prices start at $210; etsy.com/shop/fabuluster). Or, if you want to stealthily steal glances at your affianced's face, there's the Cameo by Rux. On first glance, it looks like a normal wedding band with a few stylish ridges. But, if you look at it straight on from the side, the ridges actually form the silhouette of you're beloved's face, with a cameo-style outline of the forehead, nose, lips, and chin. Yes, the rings are really made using a photograph of your side profile (prices start at $1,700; cameobyrux.com). Colorful resin bangle bracelets can be ordered to match ($350).
Just Your Cup of Cake
Sometimes, a cupcake just can't cut it. To achieve the single-size portion and portability of a cupcake, you have to sacrifice the crunchy, fruity, fluffy, and otherwise structurally unstable layers that traditional cakes can provide. Never fear: The Brooklyn-based Bee's Knees Baking Company, which delivers to Westchester, has developed a way for couples to have their moist and sticky cakes and eat them neatly, too. Their cake-cups take single-serve portions of delicious layer cakes and puts them in either Champagne flutes or heavy-bottomed whiskey glasses (which can be customized for favors). Made from locally sourced ingredients, flavors include gingerbread layered with eggnog frosting and roasted walnuts, yellow cake with strawberry cayenne jam and peanut butter mousse ("PB&J"), chocolate cake infused with salted caramel and topped with a English-pecan-toffee crumble, and southern pecan pie infused with bourbon and chocolate, among others. For more information, call (718) 316-3092 or visit beeskneesbakingco.com.
Takes the Cake (Topper)
When you imagine a wedding cake, you inevitably think of the cake topper—the shining couple smiling down from the uppermost tier. Who are those people? Chances are, the out-of-the-box cake-topping couple bears no resemblance to you or the kind of wedding you're trying to create. No longer. Milk Tea cake toppers, available on Etsy, are fully customizable, matching (if you choose) the bride's and groom's attire, hairstyle and accessories, wedding color scheme—you can even add additional family members and pets. (Yes, there are finally cake toppers for brides with glasses and grooms with beards!) "I literally fell into making cake toppers," says Milk Tea founder/creator Brandi Thanaritiroj. "I had made one for my friend's wedding back in May of last year and just liked creating them. I come from a heavy fashion background, and when the economy hit our original business started to slow down so I thought, why not give the wedding toppers a try on Etsy? It seemed to really take off." Cake toppers start at $170 and can be found at etsy.com/shop/bthanari.
Be Prepared
You practice your vows. You've tried and re-tried on the dress. How else can you make sure you're totally prepared for the wedding? By picking up one of Ms. and Mrs.'s Wedding Day Survival Kit. The metal suitcase comes with everything you might need but would overlook otherwise: clear nail polish, extra deodorant, a sewing kit, stain remover, super glue, double-sided hem tape, extra earring backs, corsage pins, and even backup wedding bands. Or, be the best bride ever and get the chic mini versions as bridesmaids gifts, which come in cool metallic colors that'll probably match their dresses ($49 for full kit, $16 for minis, msandmrs.com).
Summer Fun
For the June cover, I produced a feature package on the best ways to enjoy summer in Westchester County, from driving race cars to seeing Shakespeare outdoors to heading to one of a million local beaches. You can read an excerpt below and follow the link to read the rest of the article, or you can download the PDF.
"Wear Your Favorite Eye Patch
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate’s life for…you. Forget the Pirates of the Caribbean—the Pirates of the Hudson have arrived and have laid siege to Philipsburg Manor. If you dare, you can put on your finest bandana, hook hand, peg leg, or shoulder parrot, and mingle among them. There, you’ll see belly dancers gyrating to the sounds of pirate musicians, shop for fenced booty from the Thieves Market, marvel at the Museum of Oddities, feast on foods prepared by Tastefully Yours, and imbibe grog from the Captain Lawrence Brewery. (Just keep an eye on your own wallet—these scalawags have sticky fingers.) Pirates-in-training can take part in a treasure hunt and climb on a shipwreck—or be forced to walk its plank. Pirates of the Hudson: The Siege of Sleepy Hollow comes to us from the same people who brought us the Horseman’s Hollow event on Halloween. The event takes place from July 2 to July 4 and, as with the Horseman’s Hollow, you must have a timed ticket to enter. For more information, call (914) 631-8200 or visit hudsonvalley.org."
Click here to read the full article online.
Two Man Gentleman Band photo by Putnam Bean; Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival ten photo by William Marsh; Pirates photo by Bryan Haeffele.
