YouTube To Offer Live Streaming

Steve Chen, co-founder of the Google owned internet behemoth YouTube announced that viewers will now be able to log onto live television streams. "We've never had the resources to do it correctly," he said, as reported by Guardian, "but now, with Google, we hope to actually do it this year". What that means is that users will be able to perform music, report on breaking events, or even broadcast their own birthday parties, weddings, and holiday gatherings.

Candace and Terrance

Candace and Terrance pride themselves on a simple relationship. One founded on the principles of honesty, openness and God, but they love to have fun. "We often joke around an say, he's 3, and I'm 5!" She works in the financial district, but wants to go into teaching, and Terrence is a secular minister in New Hyde Park. The two met online, and had great email chemistry, and hit it off right away. "I'd never met anyone on Myspace before but we had such great email conversations that we decided to make it into phone conversations within a few days -ah, sweet technology!"

For their honeymoon, they're planning a trip to Italy. Candace has always wanted to see Venice, and Terrance knows Italian food, and according to Candace, "he's very good at cooking it. He calls himself Italian. So he wants to visit his 'hometown'"

She says that if there was one piece of advice she would give to couples it would be "to make sure that you heed the wisdom of those older than you, but don't let it consume you. At the end of the day, the old adage of "too many cooks spoils the pot" is so true; if you let too many people tell you
and your mate how to make your relationship work instead of actually
talking things through with each other, you're not going to have an
easy time making it." Ooh, great advice Candace! Don't listen to too much advice!

The Wedding Salon of New York

If you're going to be in New York this April, and are planning a wedding for fall, you should check out The Wedding Salon of New York. Hailed as the world's first luxury wedding showcase, the Wedding Salon, in New York City features upscalse products for sophistaced coules.



With cakes, gowns, jewelers, floral arrangements and much more, this expo has attracted the likes of Oprah planner Colin Cowie, as well as Martha Stewart, and cake designer Silvia Weinstock. Produced by 4pm events' Tatiana Byron, mark your calendars for this once a year extravaganza.





Date: Monday April 21, 2008
Show Hours: From 3 to 8pm
Venue: Gotham Hall
Address: 1356 Broadway, New York, NY 10018

Brides Opt For Sexy Gowns

The International Herald tribune reports that a growing number of brides are rejecting traditional ceremonial wedding gown motifs and choosing sexier styles that flaunt their curves this year. New designs, from houses such as Sarah Danielle in New York, and Monique Lhuiller of Hollywood feature gowns with an Empire bodice, with lace straps and provocative wispy skirts more common on nightgowns.

Another trend is for brides to wear shawls during the ceremony, then with a nod to the 'cutting loose' nature of the reception, removing them to reveal off the shoulder gowns and plunging necklines.



Mara Urshel, owner of Kleinfeld's in Manhattan acknowledged that, in recent months, there's been a spike in demand for 'negligee looks'. Millie Maritni Bratten, editor and chief of Brides magazine says "young women increasingly took to the red carpet for style ideas". Adding that "They diet, they work out. And when they marry , they want to be the celebrity of their own event"

Cruise To Your Nuptials

How's this? A wedding aboard a cruise? Or in some exotic cruise destination? Susan Breslow-Sardone, author of "Destination Weddings for Dummies" says that a cruise-ship ceremony may be the most convenient destination wedding you can have. And since you're on your way to an exotic locale, you don't have to worry about travel time between your ceremony and your honeymoon. According to Tripso.com, a travel website, hiring a cruise wedding service provider, such as The Wedding Experience may be essential in some cases, largely because jurisdictional requirements at port, often, the cruise lines wedding planners and crew can do all of the legwork for you.
And cruise lines generally offer several packages which can range from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand, and just in case you have family members that cannot attend, many offer streaming video, so relatives can view from anywhere. Tilley Williams, a Kansas City, Mo resident was delighted with the simplicity, "We filled out a few forms, chose our vows, music, cake, and flowers and Princess did the rest".

St. Pucchi

A Vegan Wedding Surprise

Veganism is more than a choice of what foods to eat or not eat. It's a way of life. So when Jessica Humphries, and Alvaro Tomaz planned their wedding, they decided to share philosophy with their guests. Which meant their wouldn't be any dairy, meat or even honey.

But the menu was full of surprises: mung bean cakes with sweet and sour sauce, mushrooms in phyllo purses and char-grilled vegetables with garlic pesto humus. Artichoke bruschetta were served with and assortment of new potatoes hollowed out and stuffed with smoked tempeh relish, mushroom bruschetta and cipollini relish.

"For us, veganism is a way of life that does not use animal products -- no leather, fur, products that were tested on animals, cosmetics and body products containing animal proteins," said Jessica. Who met Mr. Tomaz in Brazil, where the two noticed one another at one of the country's famous plazas, (this is a great place for a destination wedding by the way, -check out our feature).

For a list of recipes, click here.

Britney Sparks Wedding Rumors

British photographer Adnan Ghalib revealed Wednesday that Britney 'wants to marry him and have his baby.' And the pop icon fanned the rumors by showing off what appeared to be an engagement ring last night. Meanwhile, she was denied any change in the custody status with her two children. After showing up to court in a cocktail dress, she made it as far as the security gate before announcing, 'I want to leave'.




"It's unfortunate and I hate to say it, but people don't like happy in Hollywood' Adnan said. " I don't think anybody wants her to be happy." He insisted however that rumours that she had suicidal thoughts were completely wrong. "No. Not even for a second. You've got to understand the love she has for her kids outweighs everything else."

Trashing the Dress

A new phenomenon has been gaining traction among wedding trends in the last few years known as TTD, or Trashing the Dress. For those who haven't heard, a bride wears the dress to a location where it's bound to get dirty. Sometimes, even filthy. Other times, though rarely, destroyed.

There are any number of ways to express one's devotion, and this, to a growing number of newlyweds is one of them. "It is just taking it in a place that you wouldn't normally go. Not worrying about it too much," said photographer Adam Hudson of Ridgeland, Mississippi. In fact he'd recently completed a trash the dress shoot in a mud pool.

Rebecca Zoumberos, owner of Limelight Photography in Tampa, Florida says "For the brides, it is really liberating,". David Baxter a photographer out of San Diego writes on his blog that it's "about letting a bride express her beauty in the dress she has dreamt of wearing for so long, but will put away all too quickly."

There are any number of ways to express one's devotion, and this, to a growing number of newlyweds is one of them. "It is just taking it in a place that you wouldn't normally go. Not worrying about it too much," said photographer Adam Hudson of Ridgeland, Mississippi. In fact he'd recently completed a trash the dress shoot in a mud pool.

Rebecca Zoumberos, owner of Limelight Photography in Tampa, Florida says "For the brides, it is really liberating,". David Baxter a photographer out of San Diego writes on his blog that it's "about lettign a bride express her beauty in the dress she has dreamt of wearing for so long, but will put away all too quickly."

French President Sarkozy Marries Carla Bruni

French president Nicolas Sarkozy and Bruni make a beautiful couple, and there are reports that the two were secretly wed after barely three months of courtship. A good man doesn't marry too easily, but there are exceptions and Italian model/singer Carla Bruni certainly seems to be an exception. French sources close to Belacour have indicated that the two tied the knot at Elysee Palace Thursday, in a ceremony so secret her mother may not have been privy. "I don't know, I am not aware of anything," Marisa Bruni, Carla's mother, told Reuters Monday. "I have just seen Carla and she didn't mention anything." Bruni, also an heiress to a tire company has dated Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton, Donald Trump and actor Vincent Perez. She also has a son, Aurelien, with philosophy professor Raphael Enthoven. Sarkozy 52, mentioned at a news conference last week that he planned to marry the lovely Italian, 40, but wouldn't give details as to when, only saying, "There is a strong chance that you will learn about it once it's already been done,". Some speculated that

Weddings In Other Cultures

Interested in finding out different approaches to weddings in other cultures? Check out "Ties that Bind:  Wedding Customs from Around the World,”, A new exhibit from Wake Forest's University Museum of Anthropology. The exhibit, developed by Lydia Dorsey, an anthropology major at the university, explores the role of weddings in different socieities, and featres traditional outfits and other itmes from the Hmong of Thailand, and Maasai of Kenya, as well as many other cultures. For more information on this and other exhibits, go to www.wfu.moa.edu

August 8, 2008 is a hot date!

As many of you may remember, last year's tri-numeric wedding date, July 7 2007 (07/07/07), was almost impossible to reserve wedding services. This year promises to be the same, especially among Chinese couples, who consider the number 8 to be the most fortuitous of numbers. August 8, 2008 won't be coming around for another century, and couples have been booking the date since August of last year. In fact, the Chinese government believes in the power of the date so much that they will opent the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing on that very date this summer, -at 8:00pm! So if you're planning on getting married on this date, better get all of your services in order!