Shots Photography

Wedding Ideas From Emerging Stars

Engaged on TV Well, that's what we'll find out by watching the marriage of Susie Castillo, an MTV VJ and 2004 Miss USA winner, to Matthew Leslie. The couple had been dating since 1999 when they met at college and became engaged in a very celebrity-like way: on television. After being crowned Miss USA, Susie appeared on On-Air With Ryan Seacrest and during her interview, Matthew appeared on the stage and asked her to marry him.

Just two years after he popped the question, the couple's intimate ceremony took place in October 2006 in Massachusetts. Even though Susie's engagement was televised, her ceremony was anti-celebrity in almost every detail.

Let's start with her dress. While celebrity brides usually spend thousands on designer gowns which are custom made for their big event, Susie didn't need that. Instead, she chose a Domo Adami gown off-the-rack at a bridal sample sale. Of course, that didn't stop the dress from being beautiful.

But Diamonds are Forever Susie may not have had a custom-made dress, but the couple didn't skimp when it came to their weddings rings which were designed for the couple from white gold and diamonds.

The couple also worked together to custom another important part of the marriage: the wedding cake. Each one was able to design one tier of the cake and these tiers illustrated definite taste differences between Susie and Matthew. While Susie wanted chocolate, Matthew chose a spice cake. The wedding cake topped off a dinner for the 22 guests which included some tasty dishes, including lobster bisque.

A Couple Engaged in the Marriage Although Susie may not be the biggest celebrity (at least, not yet), her wedding can teach the rest of us a great deal about how to get married in style without having a celebrity budget. For one thing, Susie and Matthew worked together to make the wedding a success. He didn't just turn everything over to her as some men do. That's important because a wedding isn't all about the bride; it's all about announcing and celebrating a couple's love ? the key word there is ?couple? and that means both people should be involved in the planning.

Next, let's talk about Susie's dress. Brides want to feel like princesses but most don't have the budgets of royalty. Susie bought her dress during a bridal sample sale. Basically what that means is the wedding boutique has a number of sample dresses available so women can try them on and look at what's available, but these samples aren't sold. At the end of the season when new dresses coming in, those old samples are sold. Those samples are the same designer dresses other women are buying, but they can cost between 30 to 70% less. If you have your heart set on a designer dress, but you can't afford one then start watching for sample sales in your area. You might just get lucky!

The custom made wedding rings are another great idea. Sure, you could go out alone or as a couple to choose a set from a jewelry store. But imagine how much more special those rings are going to be if they've been custom-made just for you. This might cost a little more, but if it's important to you, then you can always adjust your budget so you pay less for something that's not as important.

Cake Ideas Too Another beautiful idea is the wedding cake. Today, cake makers have tons of flavors, icings, and fillings you can choose from. Typically, it's the bride and her family who go taste-testing and who make the choices about the tiers. As a couple, you should go together and each of you should select a flavoring for at least one tier. If you have more than two tiers, you might want to make one more simplistic to meet the tastes of some guests who won't be attracted to fancy fillings. If one or both of you have children, you might also let them choose a flavor for one of the layers ? it's a nice way to make them feel as if they are part of the big day.

In the end, you need to remember that the day is all about the two of you ? whether you're ordinary people or celebrities ? and it's up to both of you to make it a special day that you'll both want to remember forever.

Chris Morton ran hotels and restaurants for 17 years - catering for 100's of weddings. His wife Sue is a wedding planner with 10 year's experience. Together they have established http://www.TheWeddingWizards.com to provide unbiased help for brides and grooms.

MORE ARTICLES:

Keeping Your Wedding Safe & Stress Free
Ever heard of wedding insurance? Most brides and grooms have probably never heard of it, or they scoff at the idea of insuring their wedding. However, purchasing some short-term wedding insurance can be a way of saving yourself a lot of grief if your wedding is cancelled or someone gets injured at your reception.

Top 5 Reasons for Hiring a Wedding Planner
One of the most joyous occasions in life is a wedding, a time when two people in love exchange those powerful words, "I Do", which binds them legally as husband and wife. Although an exciting time of life, planning a wedding is also a very stressful time.

When Things Go Wrong At Weddings
Usually at most weddings, something in the plans goes wrong. At our wedding, the limousine didn?t show up.

Wedding Invitations-How to Select, Create and Assemble
Valuable Information on Designing, Selecting and Assembling Your Wedding Invitations or Announcements

Wedding Day Hair Styles - A Top Ten Checklist
The big day is fast approaching, and the energy of the moment sweeps you up. But does it carry your hair along too? Use the following checklist to ensure your wedding day hair is everything you dream it will be:1.

Exciting New Unity Sand & Tribute Kit Now Available For Weddings, Commitment Ceremonies and Special Events
Introducing a new and unique product for the Wedding and Special Event Market - Memory Sands? is a multi color scheme tribute set for Wedding Unity Sand Ceremonies or other distinctive gatherings, complete with Hand Blown Glass Vase, an assortment of vibrant sands, and more. Make a speech, pour the sand, and bring home a lasting keepsake.

Rockland: Maines BestKept Secret for A Wedding Destination
In 2004' Rockland Maine celebrated its 150th anniversary, yet very few in the past would have ever considered it to be a place for a vacation, let alone a romantic getaway experience or wedding destination. Perhaps, this is a draw back to the time when visitors would experience the unpleasant whiffs emanating from the SeaPro fish-rendering plant.

A Wedding Theme Can Rescue Your Wedding from Being Another Ho-Hum-Boring Disaster
Are you a Bride-to-Be? Wonderful! Congratulations! But what's that enormous cloud hanging over you? Of course! It's that insurmountable task you're thinking about all the time: "How am I going to create a beautiful and memorable Wedding Day out of thin air?"You have to create a unique day that everyone will admire and enjoy, and you've not got a clue, not a smidgen of an idea how you're going to achieve this enormous task.If you're nervous about getting your wedding perfect, if you're feeling stressed, are more than a little anxious, are worried about how to please everyone and still really-imploringly-desperately want to end up with a day that's all about the Love that You and Your Only Man have for each other, rest assured that you are...

What You Should Look For In A Professional Wedding DJ
When planning your event you should go with the most qualified individual or company to produce the results your looking for, it's as simple as that. In this illustration we list the skills we feel should be of high importance to you to achieve those results.

Buying A Wedding Ring? Avoid Classic Diamond Scams
As you walk along on your quest for the perfect diamond for your mate, you hear, ?Pssst! Hey mister, I hear you?re looking for some good rocks. I?ve got some great stones, really reasonably priced. I?ll even throw in the ring for free!?

Las Vegas Casino Weddings
If you are at all familiar with Las Vegas, you know that the number one item on everybody's list there is gambling. You can find anything to gamble on and someone to gamble with somewhere in Las Vegas.

Helping You Find The Perfect Ivory Wedding Dress Ever
Just when it?s time for your big wedding day there is one very important consideration particularly for the bride. That?s her wedding dress. Every bride desires a wedding dress that not only reflects her persona but looks gorgeous on her. In spite of the different styles and colors of wedding dresses that are available, the perfect choice for a majority of women is an ivory wedding dress. It not only complements every skin tone but irrespective of its length, it fits in perfectly with any wedding ceremony.

Wedding Favor Ideas 101 For Your Reception
Are you having a wedding and you are at a loss in regards to what ideas you could use for your wedding favors? If so, then you should absolutely read on and learn about some of the most creative and popular ideas in regards to wedding reception favor ideas; after reading this, you are sure to come up with an idea that you love.

Saving Money on Your Wedding Reception Using Reception Themes
Just like weddings, receptions are often theme based as well. Reception themes are often more relaxed than wedding themes because they are meant to be provided in a party atmosphere.