Manolo for the Brides

I really, really, really wish I had a photo to go with this, but the only one I’ve seen is mucho tiny. But I had to share this anyway! According to a report published in Ynetnews, a 41-year-old millionaire from London recently married a 35-year-old dolphin in a traditional wedding ceremony. Um, as traditional as it could get, anyhow. Ynetnews reported:

The groom, a resident of the Eilat dolphin reef, met Tendler 15 years ago, when she first visited the resort. The British rock concert producer took a liking to the dolphin and has made a habit of traveling to Eilat two or three times a year and spending time with her underwater sweetheart.

And so on Wednesday afternoon, the thrilled bride, wearing a white dress, walked down the dock before hundreds of astounded visitors and kneeled down before her groom, who was waiting in the water.

Cindy, escorted by his fellow best-men dolphins, swam over to Tendler and she hugged him, whispered sweet nothings in his ear, and kissed him in front of the cheering crowd.

After the ceremony was sealed with some mackerels, Tendler was tossed into the water by her friends so that she could swim with her new husband.

Alrighty then…

If you’re not much of a cake fan, but want to have a little something sweet (and special) with which to conclude your wedding, the Cake Guys of Texas have come up with a compromise.

This fabu cake is surrounded by yummy chocolate covered strawberries. They say compromise is the key to any long lasting relationship and this cake reflects that. Those who like cake can eat cake and those who like fruit can eat fruit. If no one likes cake, a similar effect could be obtained by piling up those chocolate strawberries and making a fruity little topper, as shown:

This could also be a fun do-it-yourself project for the resourceful bride and groom.

Life isn’t as simple as it once was. The definition of family is no longer a mommy and a daddy who are married and their two-point-five offspring. A family can be just a woman and a man, joined in matrimony or not, with kids or not. Or it can be a lot of other things, as well. Some people, nowadays, choose to have their babies before tying the knot. Or, as it has happened throughout time, a baby may start a-brewin’ before or after an engagement has been announced.

Luckily, in the present, getting knocked up before marriage won’t get you stoned outside the borders of the city - at least not in most cultures. And that’s good news for dress designers and sellers because it means that there is a market for maternity wedding gowns! From what I can tell, maternity wedding gowns used to be rather blah affairs designed to hide a girl’s shame. Today, a bride with a bun in the oven has plenty of chic gowns to choose from, like the one above from Tekay Designs.

Matrimonial mommies are also free to wear something a little sexier if they wish. There are plenty of strapless, backless, and off the shoulder wedding gowns designed to flatter babes with a bump. Tiffany Rose Maternity’s wedding selection is unfortunately small, but their gowns, like the one pictured below are quite sassy. And, if you’re willing to wear a color instead of white, your range of choices grows.

I’ll admit it. This is a topic I like. I showed up at the wedding of a friend who I hadn’t seen in a quite a while only to discover that she was quite pregnant. I was the maid of honor, so kept my exclamations of surprise to a cool minimum. She simply chose a wedding gown she liked and had a good tailor put an extra panel of fabric in. I plan on touching on this topic again really soon because there is plenty to say!

I read a fabulous article in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette recently that discussed how today’s future brides and grooms aren’t filling their registries with pots and pans and cake servers. Nope. A good portion of today’s future husbands and wives already live on their own and have all the furniture, cookware, toasters, and so forth that they could want.

A generation ago, wedding gifts helped couples who were moving out of their parents’ homes and into a place of their own. But the average age of brides today is 27, and 29 for grooms. They have a much better sense than did earlier couples of where their lives will lead and what they’ll need along the way.

Of course, there are still plenty of people out there who wouldn’t mind a fancy new set of linens or high end steak knives. To that end, Modern Bride has a fairly comprehensive registry checklist, which includes items like iced beverage spoons and a wok. And it seems one can create a gift registry at just about any store in creation.

But more and more soon-to-be-married men and women are creating honeymoon fund registries, home-mortgage registries and investment registries. On The Knot, a betrothed couple can register for just about anything. Using their Create-a-Gift registry, one can ask for anything from a puggle to ballroom dancing lessons to a tree. At Just Give, you can create a charitable registry that lets wedding guests contribute a gift to charity in your name.

(That’s the registry option I like. I already have way too many plates and things like that.)

Since I’m always a little curious about what other people are doing and I love flash, I wanted to show you Elton John’s and his new hubby’s Chopard wedding bands. The unusual (and costly!) rings were designed by a long-time friend who also happens to be co-president of the haute jeweler. The rings are set with a grid of emerald cut diamonds and feature each husband’s name spelled out in yet even more diamonds on the inner surface.

I say, “Snazzy!”….if you’re Elton, of course.

A good cake tastes as good on the inside as it looks on the outside. Period. End of story. Unfortunately, I think a lot of folks don’t care about the cake. That’s okay, of course. I am an advocate of splurging on what you care about and scrimping on the things that don’t matter to you. However, guests are presented with cake slices whether they want them or not and the cake is often the last ‘hurrah’ of the reception. So, if you want a memorable wedding, consider a good cake.

A giant, six-tiered cake from your country’s most sought after cake decorator is going to set you back. Luckily, there are other ways to come by a beautiful and tasty wedding cake. Perhaps you know someone with mad icing skillz. Or, you can try following the step-by-step instructions in wedding cake expert Dede Wilson’s guide, Wedding Cakes You Can Make: Designing, Baking, and Decorating the Perfect Wedding Cake.

Of course, you can also dare to be different. There is no rule stating that wedding cakes must be white, tiered, flowery, and bland. There are some pretty interesting recipes out there. Since who knows when I’ll get to have a wedding, I’m going to try out a few of these to give out as New Year’s gifts!

Fruity, cinnamon wedding cake

Caribbean wedding cake with jam

Old fashioned country wedding cake

Rosewater flavored wedding cake

Almond wedding cake

Champagne wedding cake

I want to wish all of the past and future brides out there (as well as the past and future grooms and the happily single) a very happy holiday - whatever your preferred holiday may be.

As for me, another Christmas has come and gone without my finding a jewelry box under the tree or in my stocking so I am still…

-Never teh Bride

Ah, the winter/holiday wedding. Pros: It’s much easier to remember your anniversary when your wedding date corresponds with Christmas, the first day of Hanukah, New Year’s Day, or the onset of winter. Cons: Your loved ones are far more likely to combine your anniversary and its corresponding holiday when giving gifts.

But how to decorate without becoming too dependent on holiday decor? How to wear one’s gown without freezing to death? How to cope with a wedding while also stressing over holiday gifts?

The first step is to ask yourself why you wanted a themed wedding in the first place. Do you love snowflakes falling or building snowmen? Do you have fond memories of leaving cookies for Santa as a young child? Does the sparkle of the Hanukah lights make you teary eyed each year? Consider your treasured memories when choosing your decor, invitations, favors, and so forth. BellaOnline recommends:

Send invitations of winter scenes (snowflakes, snowmen, a snow lodge, sleigh rides, snowy mountains). Decorate using pine, ice, snow and seasonal flowers…Wedding favors can include a snowflake or icicle ornament, snow globes with winter scenes, personalized tins of hot cocoa or cookies, a personalized bottle of apple cider or egg nog, maybe even tins of your favorite cookie mix or holiday tea or coffee blend….icicle candy, sugar cookies, a gift certificate for a linen store (white sales are abundant in January!), tea lights, and a camera to capture New Year’s Eve memories they spend with you.

As for preventing frostbite on one’s bare arms, consider the oft forgotten wedding cloak. If you want to feel like a princess on your special day, this garment can really do the trick. Plus, it’ll keep you toasty as you dash between the car and the church or the car and the hall or the car or the office of the justice of the peace!

Finally, the holiday season can be stressful enough without having to deal with wedding woes on top of it all! American Bridal offers some great winter/holiday wedding tips, including:

Let someone else deck the halls for you. Take advantage of venues already decorated for the holidays. If you’re going for a Christmas décor, you’ll save big on flowers and decorations. Some couples were able to get by with just bouquets for the wedding party. Also look for reception halls with fireplaces and other cozy features.

Take advantage of foods, desserts, decorations and music that come around only at this time of year. Serve festive cocktails like spiced cider, spiked eggnog and hot chocolate with Bailey’s. From turkey and ham with cranberry sauce to roast goose and Yorkshire pudding, go the whole nine yards with your reception feast. Instead of a wedding cake, consider the traditional wedding cake: an iced fruit cake. Ask your musicians to add some romantic holiday songs, such as “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” and “Let It Snow,” to their repertoire. For a New Year’s Eve wedding, give guests top hats and tiaras, and pass out flutes of champagne for the big countdown.

All in all, a holiday or winter wedding can be great fun…however, in planning one, remember that your guests may be out of town visiting family or simply want to spend the holidays sitting in front of a cozy fire.

I know this is a day late, but I wanted to wish my man Elton John and his new hubby David Furnish all the best. The pair have been beaus for 12 years! Of course, unlike The Beard and myself, they had a good reason for not tying the knot - it having been illegal and all.

The reception cost an estimated $1.75 million, and featured pink champagne and lamb for roughly 600 guests inside two white tents erected at John’s Windsor mansion. Elton was dressed in a black silk suit with a long jacket, whilst David wore a black morning suit and sported a freshly-snipped hairdo.

Good luck, guys!