Friday, October 31, 2008

Horror Movie Brides

Labels: brides

posted by Myrna Mackenzie @ 1:13 AM  6 Comments

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

The Vandiver Wedding

Some of you who have read the first few books have asked why the Vandiver wedding was canceled and what happened to the bride, Liz Vandiver, so…projecting into the future, here's the background and the rest of the story:

Liz Vandiver, child of extreme wealth, had grown up being told that Vandivers were perfect, they were entitled, they were different from everyone else, and she deserved the very best in life. So, when she decided to get married, she steered away from the wedding planners her friends had chosen and opted for The Wedding Belles (our heroines in the series).

This was, of course, a coup for the Belles, a chance to make their mark in the world and expand their business, but…Liz Vandiver proved to be a very difficult customer. She (the perfect, entitled one) became a total Bridezilla. She wanted what she wanted, and what she wanted changed on a daily, sometimes an hourly basis. Eventually, she grew bored with her decision to choose a local wedding planner and canceled out on the Belles. She didn't even bother telling them why she was canceling. She just dropped them. After all, money was no object to the Vandivers. Unlike more ordinary people, they could easily afford to lose a deposit, and who cared if the world wondered what the Belles had done wrong? Who cared if the Belles lost business because Liz Vandiver had dropped them? Certainly not Liz. She was too important to worry about mere mortals.

In the weeks and months that followed, the story of the Belles went on in The Wedding Planners series, but…what happened to Liz once she had dropped out of the story?

She becomes more Bridezilla-like. She wants more. She demands more. Her special day has to be perfect. She has to be the center of her guests' attention. Then she decides she has to be the center of the public's attention (why not? She's a Vandiver).

Liz looks for a more prestigious wedding planner and pushes the wedding back six months. But…some of her friends and colleagues end up signing with that wedding planner, making her day less special. So, she cancels again. She decides that the wedding has to be in Paris. She pushes the ceremony back another six months in order to effect the change. Her obsession with having the wedding of the century leads her to mistreat every wedding planner she encounters along the way.

Unfortunately, for Liz, all of this delaying and abuse begins to take its toll. Her fiancé takes a long, hard look at his bride-to-be and realizes that he is just a player in the Liz Vandiver wedding show. While he waits for Liz to make up her mind, he meets someone, a woman who cares about him not for his ability to accessorize the bride, but who loves him for himself. And then…he cancels on Liz. He drops her just as quickly as she had dropped the Belles.

Suddenly, Liz doesn't have to think about planning a wedding. She has no wedding to plan. Except…she does. In her fear and confusion and loss, she immediately gets caught up with another man, falls hard, marries him and almost just as quickly discovers that her new husband married her for her ability to accessorize him. He wants her money and her social standing, but he really isn't all that interested in Liz. A divorce follows.

Liz's world collapses. Suddenly, she's a laughing stock. She isn't perfect. She isn't sought after. Circumstances force her to face herself and what she sees isn't pretty. With nothing else to take up her time, she can't run away from her own shortcomings. She realizes that her ex-husband may have broken her heart and her trust, but he treated her no differently than she had been treating others all her life.

Thereafter, becoming a better person becomes the driving force in her life. She distances herself from the poisonous attitudes of her family and is disinherited.


Then, one day, five years after having treated the Belles so callously, she wanders into The Wedding Belles shop, intent on apologizing profusely. By now, she's visibly down on her luck, and the Belles take pity on her and agree to hire her as an assistant (because their business has grown so much). At first it's a painful experience for Liz, because some of the customers are former friends, and she has to dance attendance on the people she used to socialize with, but she digs in and does what has to be done. She's determined to be a credit to the Belles…and she is.

Eventually, she meets Stephen Chase, a nice and very ordinary man. She tries to resist falling for him, because she knows he must have heard lots of bad things about her (and she worries that he might still be looking for money she no longer has). But Stephen persists. He's interested in who Liz is now, not who she used to be, and he loves the woman she's become. They end up married with three children and very little money, but they are deliriously happy. The Belles, of course, plan the wedding (and foot the bill for a lot of it). Only this time they're planning a wedding for a friend.

And that's what (eventually) happens to Liz Vandiver.
Of course, none of this is in the Wedding Planner books (this is a bit futuristic, since I've written us five years into the days-yet-to-come), so it isn't written in stone. What do you think? Do you envision a different future for Liz? What would it be

Labels: brides

posted by Myrna Mackenzie @ 3:00 AM  10 Comments

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Famous Celebrity Weddings of the Past

It seems as if every day we're reading about a celebrity getting married or getting engaged, and that's a lot of fun. But we all know who the current crop of newly married or almost married couples are.

How about...Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward?

Or Jacqueline Lee Bouvier and John F. Kennedy?

Of course, we all remember Lady Diana and Prince Charles. There have been posts about that gorgeous dress on this very blog. But what about Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier?


Other weddings we've watched (or read about) with interest include Tiny Tim and Miss Vicki and Elvis Presley and Priscilla Beaulieu:

Of course, back when I was teaching (a long time ago), I remember the other teachers all wanted to see the wedding of Luke and Laura (from General Hospital). And yes, I know they weren't real, but I swear that people talked about them as if they really existed.

What are some other famous celebrity weddings you can think of?

Labels: brides, celebrity weddings, groom

posted by Myrna Mackenzie @ 3:00 AM  14 Comments

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Newly Engaged!

Over the past thirteen years, I've watched Elizabeth Wiggs grow up. Not in person, but over the Internet thanks to her mother, Susan, who shared some really great stories about her beautiful and remarkable daughter. In March, Elizabeth accepted her beau's romantic proposal! As soon as I heard about Elizabeth's engagement, I asked if she would mind answering a few questions about her wedding planning experiences and, fortunately for all of us, she agreed.

Grab your favorite beverage of choice, sit back and read what newly-engaged Elizabeth Wiggs has to say about her journey to the altar so far. I think you'll enjoy this!

1. Did you decide to go with a big wedding or a smaller one? Why?

One thing that I've begun to realize about weddings is that everyone has a different opinion about what constitutes an over-the-top event. According to the more neutral Internet sources, my guest list (which, right now, should yield about 150-200 people) is in the mid-range…but some have heard that number and gasped in horror at the "HUGE" wedding I'm planning, and others have commented on how "simple and intimate" the day will be. So, rather than thinking too concretely about numbers, I simply want to invite everyone who is important to me, to Dave, and to our families.

2. What has been the most difficult part of planning a wedding?

The most difficult part – this early in the game, anyway – has been realizing that planning a wedding isn't all fairytales and rainbows. Sure, I've seen reality shows about monstrous brides, bridesmaids, and family members, but I suppose that I've always thought of stressful wedding planning as a phenomenon specific to spoiled divas and their emotionally imbalanced mothers.

This is why it was a shock to me when I had my first wedding-related tussle with my mom. I thought to myself, "This shouldn't happen to me! I'm not a bridezilla! My wedding should be a breeze to plan! Everyone should be on the exact same page as me and be super-duper thankful that I'm not crazy or demanding!" The truth is, you can be the mellowest bride of them all, with the most laid-back family in the world (no, I'm not suggesting that the Wiggs clan fits the description), and you're still going to face some, ahem, challenges. Look at it this way: you're planning an event that is more than likely going to involve a slew of out-of-town guests, a large chunk of money, and, oh yeah, it's also a genuinely important, emotional day for you. Even a Zen-master yogi trained in conflict resolution and transcendent meditation isn't gonna avoid getting a little frazzled during the planning process.

So here's how I've been dealing with the less sparkly, giddy parts of planning my wedding: Dave's aunt told me, when she heard about our engagement, that our wedding should reflect who Dave and I are as a couple. I've made that my mantra. When I get stressed, I remind myself that the details – the food we serve, the color-scheme, where we have the event – will melt away over time, and what remains will be the memory of a celebration with loved ones. Over the years, when our marriage hits rough patches (and it will), we can look back on the day and remember exactly why we decided to be partners in crime.

That's not to say that I'm going to be level-headed for the rest of the engagement. Sometimes I'll sweat the small stuff, and there will be hectic moments along the way to our marriage. But I'm realizing that the most important part of planning this wedding isn't keeping the road smooth – it's learning to address the challenges with grace and compassion. It's remembering to honor the love and support that Dave and my family give me. As soon as I remember that it's not all about me, I return to my newly engaged bliss (sometimes let loose a couple of banshee screeches before I get there, though).

3. What has been your favorite part of planning your wedding?

My favorite part so far has been sharing my excitement with Dave. In the last couple of weeks, I have watched both of us settle happily into the idea of spending forever together. Just before he proposed to me, Dave whispered, "We've been married for a long time now." Of course, we aren't married in the literal sense of the world, and that's not what he meant; he was simply saying to me that our wedding isn't going to change the course of our relationship. Our marriage has been formed over the past couple of years, and our partnership will continue to deepen for the rest of our lives. The wedding, on the other hand, is a blessing, an opportunity to invite everyone who cares for us to share our love for one another. And that's where the joy is for me: planning a day, with Dave, that will bring together our families, friends, and relationship.

Some of the best ideas for the wedding have actually been Dave's. Nothing puts a smile on my face more than getting an email from him in the middle of the day with a link to a quirky, cool venue or a touching thought about an officiator. I'm continually reminded that, more than ever before, we are each other's support, and everything we do for our wedding is a combined effort.

4. How did you make this wedding celebration uniquely yours? (And unusual or interesting touches you chose to go with)?

Growing up in the Northwest, Dave and I both deeply value the pristine landscape that we once took for granted. Before attending college in Los Angeles, neither of us realized what a gift it is to live in a community that hasn't leeched away the health of our land. That's why I'm committed to making choices for the wedding that don't unnecessarily damage our environment. And no, I'm not saying that I'm going to serve my guests organically harvested tree bark, wear moss in my hair, and replace the reception venue's toilet paper with fallen leaves – I'm just going to approach each element of the wedding by asking myself whether there's a (plausible) way that I could be less demanding on the environment.

For instance: I've never seen flowers as a vital, defining part of a wedding. In fact, they don't much matter to me either way. So, aside from my bouquet, which I will pick from my parents' back yard the day before, I'm not going to have any floral arrangements. Instead, for table centerpieces, I'll use simple, beautiful pieces that don't drain the landscape, like smooth beach rocks, soy candles, and painted driftwood.

5. How many attendants do you have? Describe the dresses you've chosen (or would like to choose).

In the interest of keeping my girls comfortable, I'll have them wear tea-length, A-line dresses, hopefully with a number of options regarding the neckline and sleeves. For colors, I'm considering a universally flattering shade of soft gray or creamy aqua. Most importantly, I'll keep the cost per frock under 200 bucks, since I don't want to force any of my ladies to go broke over my wedding.

Here's what I'm not doing: I'm not kidding myself that my gals will re-wear their bridesmaid dresses. Sure, if I do end up finding a dress that all of them love and would wear outside of my wedding, fabulous. And I want each maid to feel beautiful. But if I'm going to pick what they wear, then I need to be clear-eyed about the fact that they might not be as in love with the design as I am.

6. Any favorite songs you'd like the wedding band to play?

Here's what I do *not* want the band to play: YMCA, We Are Family, Celebration, Macarena, Locomotion, The Joker, Electric Slide, Freebird, I Will Always Love You, Shout, Who Let the Dogs Out, or the chicken dance.

Actually, we're not going to have a wedding band – just an iPod and a playlist that guests will vote on via our website (mind you, I say this only weeks into the planning process, with no knowledge whatsoever of how complicated this can and will be). We're keeping our "first dance" song secret because we want our guests to have an "AWWWWWWWWWW" moment when they first hear the melody.

7. If you could go anywhere you wanted to, describe your perfect honeymoon location.

When Dave proposed to me, he had already been thinking about this and suggested Thailand. I also immediately looked into Iceland honeymoon packages.

In reality, though, we're not going to have a month to spend on our honeymoon. Realistically, we'll have a week or two. So I'd rather not lose two days of that time to travelling to our destination, and two more days getting over jet-lag. We're going to find somewhere exotic and fun near our own time-zone, like Alaska or South America, so that we can maximize our time cuddling and practicing the terms "husband" and "wife."

8. Have you received or requested any unique wedding gifts? What are they?

Because we've lived together for almost two years, we have acquired a lot of extremely nice items for our home – so we can be a little less traditional with our registry. The "big ticket" item that we're considering putting on the list is a large, flat computer monitor that we can hook our laptops up to. To be honest, it seems unnatural and a bit uncomfortable to have a registry at all, and I've been wrestling a little with my conscience over it. But every couple that I've spoken to has given me two pieces of advice that I keep repeating to myself whenever I start fretting that it's presumptuous for me to create an in-depth list of the feathers I want for my nest:

a) Your guests are going to get you gifts no matter what, so make it easy for them – and avoid getting ten toasters that you have to run around and return.
b) Don't go cheap out of guilt. Register for what you want – and trust that your guests will spend what they feel comfortable with on your gift. Plus, many places give you a discount on items that you register for but don't receive, so this is a great way to save money on something that you would end up buying anyway.

9. If a millionaire dropped by and offered to pay for the wedding of your dreams, what additions/changes would you make?

I would have much more extravagant décor, with lush fabrics draped from the walls and stunning centerpieces that fill the reception venue with twinkling light. I would consider holding the ceremony and reception at a well-known venue, like the art museum lobby or the aquarium. And I would spend more money on my guests and wedding party, giving them unique gifts that represent how grateful I am for their support and love.

As it is, my guests are getting signed copies of my mother's books, we're leaving the walls bare, and I'm making my own centerpieces. And I still think it's going to be beautiful, personal, and memorable.

10. Have you chosen any interesting/different places for wedding photos?

At the moment, we're considering splitting the ceremony and the reception between Bainbridge Island, where my parents live, and Seattle. Because of this, there will be a ferry ride in the middle of the day, and I'm looking forward to taking over the boat with my wedding party and new husband, reenacting the "I'm flying!" scene from Titanic, and having a true Seattle experience that will forever remind us of the vibrant city where Dave and I set out on our life together.

11. A wedding is a bride's opportunity to act out a fairy tale for a day. What stands out as the most special part of your wedding?

The most special part of the wedding will be the ceremony. When I imagine the day, every other element seems in shadow compared to the moment when Dave and I meet at the end of the aisle and promise, in front of everyone we love, to spend forever with each other.

Elizabeth Wiggs is the daughter of writer Susan Wiggs, so she knows a thing or two about romance. She now works in marketing at a sustainable design firm in Seattle.

Elizabeth attended Pomona College outside of Los Angeles, California, from where she brought home more than a B.A.: when she moved back to Seattle in 2006, she was joined by a 6'4", olive-skinned Canadian with a mane of flowing blond hair who looks like he stepped off the cover of one of her mother's novels. His name is Dave.

On a random Friday last March, Dave surprised Elizabeth at home with flowers duct taped to the wall, a diamond ring, and a weekend "Engageymoon" trip to one of Seattle's nicest hotels. They are moving to Chicago this summer, where Dave will begin law school and Elizabeth will apply to business school. The pair plans to return to Seattle for their wedding on July 25, 2009.

All of us at The Wedding Planners wish Elizabeth and Dave our best for stress-free planning over the thirteen months and a beautiful wedding next year. May the love that brought you together today, only grow stronger and deeper over the years!

Labels: brides, guest blogging, wedding planning

posted by Melissa McClone @ 3:00 AM  16 Comments

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

When a Romance Editor Gets Engaged...

I was excited to hear about my editor, Joanne Carr, getting engaged. She'd mentioned her boyfriend before and he sounded very nice, but her engagement meant I could ask her to blog! Seriously, I want to thank Joanne for taking time out of her busy day to answer a few questions for us about her wedding planning experience thus far. Here's what she had to say:

Did you decide to go with a big wedding or a smaller one? Why?
We decided to go for a quite small wedding. We will have 60 guests for the whole event - from the actual ceremony through to the evening do. We are aiming for a generally informal, intimate feel to our wedding and felt that this would be the ideal amount of guests.

What has been the most difficult part of planning a wedding?
I still have a lot of planning to go and I am having so much fun at the moment – ask me again in a couple of months ☺

What has been your favorite part of planning your wedding?
So far, I have to say just the general chatting over ideas with my hubby-to-be and getting excited about the big day! We have come up with some crazy ideas and although we may not be following through with them (my groom will not be arriving in The A-Team van ☺) it is great that we are both involved and excited about the planning.

How will you make this wedding celebration uniquely yours? (And unusual or interesting touches you chose to go with)?
Hmm, well that would be giving the game away! What I can say is that we are having a hog roast and a barbeque as our ‘wedding breakfast’ – we want our guests to be wandering around, chatting with each other, enjoying the food and company, and a barbeque lends itself to that kind of informality. Plus, (much to my mum’s horror!) I get to have a burger on my wedding day - we joke and refer to it as ‘the bridal burger’!

We are not having a traditional wedding cake either, instead it is a cake made of cheese! We will tuck into it much later in the evening with bread and pickles – I just love cheese so this is my idea of heaven!

How many attendants do you have? Describe the dresses you've chosen (or would like to choose).
I am having one bridesmaid – my best, best friend who is like a sister to me and we’re yet to choose a dress. My groom is having two best men which should be fun as they are quite the double act!

Any favorite songs you’d like the wedding band to play?
We are having a DJ later in the evening and I haven’t decided on a play list yet, but I am banning YMCA by The Village People - it just makes me cringe!

If you could go anywhere you wanted to, describe your perfect honeymoon location.
There are so many beautiful places in the world I have yet been to so it is hard to pick one. In fact, we just cannot decide on where to go! I would one day love to visit the Australian outback though.

Have you received or requested any unique wedding gifts? What are they?
Not yet!

If a millionaire dropped by and offered to pay for the wedding of your dreams, what additions/changes would you make?
The only change I would make would be to pay for all the accommodation and travel for my guests, oh and to make it a free bar!

Have you chosen any interesting/different places for wedding photos?
There are some medieval stocks in the market place near to where we are getting married, so that could make for some interesting pictures!

A wedding is a bride's opportunity to act out a fairy tale for a day. What stands out as the most special part of your wedding?
I just cannot wait to be stood next to the man of my dreams and declare my love and commitment to him in front of everyone who matter most – you don’t get much more romantic than that!

Editor Joanne Carr has worked at Harlequin Mills & Boon for just over five years. She joined the company shortly after completing her MA in American Literature and as an avid reader of Mills & Boon romances it was like a dream come true! Joanne is currently managing the Modern Heat series, but like all of the UK editors, she acquires across every series.

In October this year, Joanne is getting married to her boyfriend of more than seven years. It is only fitting that he is pure hero material - he is a police officer for the Metropolitan Police! They live together, just a few miles from the Mills & Boon offices, along with their adorable, yet rather large, ginger and white tom cat.

All of us here at The Wedding Planners blog wish Joanne and her fiance the best with their wedding planning, ceremony and marriage! The Wedding Belles definitely see a happily ever after in their future!

Labels: brides, editor, guest blogging, HMB, planning

posted by Melissa McClone @ 3:00 AM  18 Comments

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Wedding Trends...

People are always trying to predict trends, and weddings are no different. I don't know about predicting what tomorrow will bring, but here are some of the things I found that brides and grooms are doing now:

Green Weddings - recycling gold wedding bands, serving locally grown food, wearing bio-friendly all silk or cotton dresses, honeymooning at eco-resorts or having charitable event showers at soup kitchens.

Two wedding dresses - one for the ceremony and one for the reception

Black orchids for table decor - if you have the money, that is...

Tasting stations for the reception - wine and cheese stations, sushi bars, a champagne bar with mixers such as cranberry or pineapple juices included

A sweetheart table - where the bride and groom can sit alone

Having guests make crucial decisions - I've seen this one several places. The bride and groom ask their guests to vote on...anything from what kind of music should be played to whether the balding groom should shave his head or leave some hair up there.

Lots of red (including red wedding dresses)

Or black, with the bride wearing black and her bridesmaids dressed in white

It's all very interesting (and especially fun if you're not the person having to make the decision)!

Labels: brides, receptions, trends, wedding dresses

posted by Myrna Mackenzie @ 3:00 AM  9 Comments

Thursday, May 22, 2008

On the Way to a Wedding Dress – Part 3

And the next is from Denise Swanson, bestselling author of the Scumble River mysteries:


I was engaged for just under two years so I had a long time to think about my wedding dress. I was a big Scarlett O'Hara fan (in more ways than one) and wanted a dress that would look as if I was walking down the grand staircase at Tara. On the positive side, I had the money. When my grandfather passed away he left me $500 for a wedding dress. On the not so positive side, Scarlett was probably a size 4--I was not. I was also a fan of hats back in those days (1980) so instead of the traditional veil, I chose a hat. I now look back at the pictures and think, Oh, my heavens! I ended up looking as if Scarlett had gained fifty pounds, put on her best dress, and decided to go for a horseback ride. Which only proves that I was way too young and stupid to get married. Luckily, at least I picked the right man. We celebrated our 28th anniversary this January.

Denise Swanson http://www.deniseswanson.com/
MURDER OF A CHOCOLATE-COVERED CHERRY

Thank you, Christina and Denise for sharing your stories with us.

Labels: brides, wedding dresses

posted by Myrna Mackenzie @ 3:00 AM  4 Comments

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Princess Brides

We've talked about a lot of things having to do with weddings, but one type of wedding we haven't mentioned much (if at all) is...

A Royal Wedding

I remember waking up in the middle of the night on July 29, 1981 so I could watch Lady Diana Spencer marry Prince Charles. I was sixteen and wanted to see everything as it happened. Live. Not taped delayed. I was exhausted by the time it was all over, but I didn't care. Staying up was so worth it. I know I wasn't alone that day.

How popular are royal romances and the resulting nuptials? Just check out the number of royally inspired romance novels, movies and television shows out there.  It comes as no surprise that my top selling book, If The Ring Fits..., featured a prince hero who needed to find a bride.

With the Internet, you can follow all the royal romantic happenings. There's a Royal Weddings topic at The Royal Forums as well as a blog that follows the relationships of the young royals in Britain. And if you want some hands-on fun, check out this site where you can dress a royal bride in different styles of wedding gowns. The Wedding Belles' dress designer Serena James would love that!

And just in case you wanted to see a real princess bride, here are four Cinderella brides who married their Prince Charmings. Check out the trains on a couple of those dresses!



Did you ever dream about marrying a prince and becoming a princess?

Labels: brides, maui weddings, melissa m, royal weddings

posted by Melissa McClone @ 3:00 AM  9 Comments

Thursday, April 10, 2008

What Kind of Bride?

All this talk about weddings, the dresses and flowers, has me on pins and needles waiting for Rupert to propose. I really thought it might happen the other night when he'd taken me to L'Espalier, a French restaurant in Boston's Back Bay. Talk about a romantic place! But it didn't happen. Hmmm...I wonder what he's got up his sleeve.

Anyway, I decided to take this quiz since it's only a matter of time until I'm a bride myself.

You Will Be a Traditional Bride!

You're the type of girl who is feminine, old fashioned, and totally traditional. You've been dreaming of your wedding day since you were young And you can't wait to be a princess in your big white gown. It's likely that you'll have a big family wedding and take your husband's name While a huge affair will be fun, just don't go all Bridezilla about the color of your napkins!

What Kind of Bride Will You Be?

Oh, this is so me! Though I will not go all Bridezilla. With The Wedding Belles to help me, I won't have to!

It's your turn to play! What kind of bride will you be?

Serena, the dress designer

Labels: brides, melissa m, serena

posted by Melissa McClone @ 11:57 AM  10 Comments