Fascinating Celebrity Weddings – The Unique Touches

In case you missed it last night, the E! channel aired a one hour special entitled “Fascinating Celebrity Weddings”. Aside from fascinating, it was spectacular,  extremely informative, inspirational and at times quite romantic. This was way better than your typical ‘end of year’ re-cap, it looked at really high profile weddings over the past few years and the intimate details you may have missed in the headlines. The event planners were interviewed and discussed the things that each couple wanted to make their day personal and special, the little touches that personalized their wedding for them.

 Petra Ecclestone, daughter of Formula One billionaire Bernie Ecclestone, spent over $5 million on their wedding, including a $130, 000 Vera Wang bridal gown. The reception featured performances by Eric Clapton, the Black Eyed Peas, acrobats and fireworks. But, what made their wedding stand out was their humble approach to their massive combined wealth. The couple refused gifts, asking their guests to donate money to charity. There is no amount of money that can buy that much class.

Dylan Lauren, daughter of style icon Ralph Lauren had a really ‘sweet ‘ wedding.  As the owner of Dylan’s Candy Bar, a chain of boutique candy shops featuring over 7,000 candies from around the world her reception featured waiters dressed in candy-colored vests and white top hats, brimmed in candy dots  serving candy cocktails. The sweet table was the centerpiece of her lavish wedding and reinforced her personal goal to “merge fashion, art and pop candy culture”.

When Black Eyed Peas singer Fergie married actor Josh Duhamel in an ‘enchanted garden’ themed wedding, she searched specifically with a location that had a pond so her husband could enjoy his favorite hobby (fishing). The pond was stocked with fish so Josh and their guests could fish during cocktail hour.

Nicole Richie wanted Elephant at her wedding. Why? They supposedly bring good blessing and fertility. Her “Versailles” themed wedding took place at her father’s estate where he sang for the newlyweds.  Another nice touch was having their names elegantly embroidered on the sleeve of her gown.

In a related elephant story, Russell Brand and Katy Perry rode elephants on the way to take their vows in India probably for the same reason. The elephants turned out to be a pair who had never been seperated so they walked side by side the entire way.

Molly Sims had her heart set on rose petals covering the entire walkway and the wedding planner obliged. It took  over 6,000 roses to cover the 10x 120 ft area. It was a nice touch which she recalls it as being the highlight of the decor.

Some of my other favorite  personal touches:

-Same sex couple Chely Wright and Lauren Blitzer opting for a casual country wedding and serving ‘pigs in a blanket’ at the reception because it is her dad’s favorite. Sweet.

Nick Lachey and Vanessa Minnillo pulled a fireworks permit for their Virgin Island wedding so there would be a no-fly zone for paparazzi helicopters. Smart.

Sheri Shepherd’s only wish for her big day was to have a ‘choreographed’ bridal party dance. The end result was adorable and heartwarming. Stunning.

Whether you spend a million dollars or much less on your wedding, it is of the utmost importance to always put your individual stamp on it. Make it your own unique celebration of love with your future spouse and don’t be afraid to express your own personality. Those unique touches are the things you will remember fro years to come.

-Penny Frulla for Bridal Expo Chicago


Civil Unions vs. Same Sex Marriage

Civil Unions became legal in Illinois this past week allowing many couples of the same sex to make a legal, binding commitment to one another. Sounds like same sex marriage to me. Actually it just sounds like  marriage, so whats the big deal? Why does it have to be called anything other than what it is?

I have been a part of the wedding/bridal industry for 28 years. I have seen a lot of weddings, I have personally attended hundreds of weddings and I have had the honor of being a bridesmaid half a dozen times most recently at the ‘union’ of my close friends in 2009. The quotation marks indicate that the ceremony was not legal at that time but no different than any other wedding or ceremony I have attended, with the exception of  being way more fabulous.

Usually  I have facts and interesting tidbits to share about trivia and funny pictures of things like  the Queen of England’s hat. Today I just have a lot of opinions…. and some seemingly stupid questions.

 How does a Civil Union differ from a Same-Sex Marriage?  Is it the same thing? If so, why is it not defined as such? Why does the language have to change because of your sexual orientation? Is the word for LOVE different? Is the word for COMMITMENT different? In fact, why would it even be defined as anything other than marriage? No one refers to my marriage as an opposite sex marriage, even though it clearly is and many times in our union we have been less than civil!

The same people who are enraged about political correctness, who are enraged about having to say  ‘Happy Holidays’ in December are the same people changing the language of how we express our love. The last time I checked, love is supposed to be inclusive  not exclusive.

In case you haven’t guessed, this is all designed to make sure that ‘those’ people aren’t allowed to use the word marriage to define their commitment.  It is reserved for us, the heterosexual people of the world who have done such a great job of defining marriage. We have defined it as a reason to have pre-marital contracts, multiple divorces and  drive-thru wedding chapels. That sounds pretty sacred to me.

I fel in love with my husband (the love of my life) because he has a great sense of humor and a compassionate soul. I married him because he had a great insurance policy.  We might have gotten around to it eventually but we were kind of busy that summer so we just ran to City Hall to seal the deal before my next doctor’s appointment.  The point is that our marriage does not define our relationship. The words on a piece of paper do not make our commitment any stronger, they just allow us to become a legal family. So why do those same words instill fear in the hearts and minds of so many when they are used to allow people of the same sex to become a legal family?

If you are lucky enough to find someone who loves you and the two of you want to spend your life together- go for it! Call it civil union, call it same sex marriage, call it whatever you want, we all know what it is. Grab that person and hold on for dear life because it is a scary world out there filled with hate and fear.

Congratulations to all the couples who were able to enjoy their ceremony at Millenium Park this week. Kudos to Governor Quinn for passing this legislation and Mazel tov to Mayor Emmanuel for starting his day by officiating the ceremony for one of his top aides, David Spielfogel  and his partner, now husband.