A Japanese paint firm is hoping to make wedding receptions a little more exciting by combining guns and bears. It’s become trendy for Japanese brides to throw teddy bears instead of bouquets. A group of enterprising developers has created a teddy gun that allows brides to shoot a small stuffed bear at their guests. Or, one can imagine, allows guests to shoot bears at brides and grooms.

Sunamiya, a paint firm based in Imabari, Ehime Prefecture, announced the development of the device, which blasts a teddy bear equipped with a parachute into the air. The teddy bear parachutes down afterwards.

“We’re hoping to capture the hearts of couples,” a company representative said, commenting on the new device.

I think these would make cool, albeit dangerous, table favors. We’ve all seen the matchbooks and candles. What are some unusual wedding favors you’ve given or received?

Nowadays, when more brides and grooms than ever have plenty of china, kitchen gadgets, and linens, it has become increasingly difficult to find wedding gifts that stand out. While a nice fat check is always appreciated, some people loathe giving monetary gifts for their simple impersonality.

XperienceDays (also known as XD) offers a unique solution to your gift-giving quandaries. They sell gift certificates that will have the bride- and groom-to-befloating in zero grav over Florida, learning to tango in California, staying in the Mandarin Oriental in New York, driving Formula One race cars in Nevada, or learning to pilot a helicopter in Pennsylvania.

While XD may not have the perfect gift for your timid cousin Sally and her vanilla beau, you’ll find plenty of gifts great for extreme brides and grooms* who make a habit of living on the edge. When I get married, I hope someone buys me the Dogfight for two. Nothing says true love like an intense airborne battle!

*Or moms! Mother’s Day is approaching fast!

When the weather is grey and dreary (like it is today where I live), I like to put on one of The Beard’s old ratty sweaters and my comfy slippers, and spend the afternoon watching movies. And not just any movies. I’m talking about looooooove stories. Tear-jerkers, movies that make me laugh, and movies that make me cry.

I like to get the most love story bang for my love story buck. So I bought Love Tickles – a four disc set that includes My Best Friend’s Wedding, Sleepless in Seattle, The Wedding Planner, and As Good as It Gets. The last one is my favorite, just because it’s so bizarre.

I love this movie! If you think all of the Windex references in My Big Fat Greek Wedding are pure fiction, you need to meet my family. At my parents’ house, Windex is used as a weapon as well as for wiping down counters. Plus it’s nice to watch a movie full of normal looking people every once in a while!

So I Married an Axe Murderer is full of awesome, silly fun and says a lot about the dangers of being too suspicious.

I hope those of you who are having a grey day like mine or are just in a plain old grey mood will see fit to join me in hunkering down on the couch, watching some flicks, and dreaming about love!

Pearls are pretty. To me, they say class. They speak of a time when people dressed for dinner and jeans were something you wore to work in the garden (and then only when you were sure no one was going to drop by). I know, I know, they’re not so wonderful in rings because rings tend to get bumped around more than other jewelry. But I don’t care. I keep telling myself that if I had a lovely pearl engagement ring (like the one above from Jewelry Central) I’d be ever so careful with it!

But how does one choose the perfect pearl? Pearls present a difficulty in that you have natural pearls and cultured pearls. According to Love to Know, cultured pearls are made when “shell beads or other irritants are placed inside a small cut in an oyster or mussel, triggering the mollusks to begin covering the offending intruder with nacre. The thicker the nacre becomes, the more lustrous the pearl will be.”

Though pearls are traditionally white or cream colored, pearls come in a range of colors from black to blue to green to pink to gold. Colors influence price, and a white pearl with pink overtones will be the most expensive.

Shape and size also influence price. “A perfectly round pearl is considered the most valuable shape. However, other beautiful pearls may be tear-dropped in shape, which is a common choice for pendants and earrings. Uniquely shaped pearls are commonly referred to as baroque pearls.”

When choosing a pearl, it’s important to consider a number of factors:

• Do look for cracks in the surface of the pearl, which could indicate problems in the future.
• Do look for good, uniform luster in a pearl. The pearl should appear iridescent under a fluorescent light.
• Do ask the jeweler about the thickness of the nacre.
• Do perform the tooth test on a pearl to determine if it is real. Cultured and natural pearls will feel rough against a tooth, while imitation pearls will feel smooth because it is actually a type of manufactured bead.
• If you think you are purchasing a natural pearl, ask to see the x-ray results for verification. A cultured pearl will show the bead or other artificial irritant in the center.

It’s interesting to note that the world of pearl-dom is populated by more than oysters. Conch, scallops, abalone, and some snails are also skilled pearl producers!

Remember Georgia runaway bride Jennifer Wilbanks? A year after she faked her own kidnapping to escape the rigors of wedding planning, she has sold her story for a whopping $500,000! Of the wedding, she said:

“It was stressful because I am a perfectionist, and I want everything perfect. And that was the hard part for me.”

In the past year, she has paid Duluth $13,249, to compensate the city for the overtime paid to the police officers who searched for her and $2,650 in restitution to the state.

That leaves her with plenty of money to put up an ad on Match.com.