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!