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Hallmark Rolls Out Gay Wedding Greetings: Tasteful or Tacky?

CitizenSugar — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 07:51:12 -0700

Though just a scootch late for the famous nuptials of Ellen and Portia, Hallmark has rolled out a new line of greetings, created for just such an occasion. In response to California ruling gay marriage legal, Hallmark saw a fancy card niche to be filled - one that doesn't involve shiny embossed images of a traditional bride and groom. Despite the fact that most states don't recognize gay marriage (CA and MA are the only two) several others recognize civil commitments, and when there's a ceremony, there's a cause for card.

Hallmarks says the decision to offer the greetings was not politically motivated, but rather a response to consumer demand. Their spokeswoman says, "it's our goal to be as relevant as possible to as many people as we can." Indeed they started offering "coming out" cards last year (an event that strikes me as more interesting? I did not know one gave a card for such an occasion!) The new cards contain neutral language, speaking to love rather than a specific event so they're useful for weddings or commitments. Four designs in all will be released this summer.

As 85,000 same-sex couples have become legal in one way or another since 1997 and estimates peg nearly 120,000 more will join Ellen, spelling millions in new business for wedding industries. Is this just smart marketing? Hallmark has already expanded to include cards for "sorry you can't get pregnant," and "good luck in rehab," as well as interfaith marriages - because in greetings, it's the specificity that counts?

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What to Do If Your Boss Calls With a Work Emergency on Your Wedding Day

SavvySugar — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 09:32:24 -0700

It's finally the big day and you've had a tight grip on your BlackBerry all morning in case of a wedding emergency. You're about to meet up with your bridal party for brunch so you can give them their gifts, and when your phone rings you expect it to be the florist saying all of your flowers are dead, or your mom asking for a lunch-spot recommendation. As you greet your Maid of Honor with a smile, you tell her you have a call and peek down at who is trying to get your attention on your wedding day. She sees your smile turn into open-mouthed astonishment paired with an appropriate eye-roll because that phone call is from your boss. Your MOH tells you not to even think about picking up the phone but you hesitate. Find out how I would handle this situation when you read more.

Even if you've tied up all of your loose ends before your wedding, emergencies do happen. Instead of ignoring the phone call and having to face your boss when you return from your honeymoon, go ahead and answer the call. You don't want to have the thought of a confrontation lingering while you're on your stress-free vacation with your new husband, and you definitely don't want her to have the impression that you don't respect her enough to answer her calls.

Your boss may simply have a question that she forgot to ask before your vacation time started and didn't want to bother you while you're on your honeymoon. But she may be calling with a legitimate emergency and want you to pop in to the office or handle an issue from home. If it is an issue that requires immediate attention, ask your boss to call one of your co-workers that you know will be able to handle it as well as you would.

As much as you may want to lash out at the audacity of asking you to do work on your wedding day, bite your tongue. Politely tell her you're sorry, but you've planned every minute of your day and won't be able to help her this time. Reassure her when you say that you've planned in advance for every controllable situation and remind her that you've arranged for colleagues to cover your responsibilities. Although you probably ran through the details before you left, let her know again exactly who she should contact in case of specific problems so she's not tempted to dial your number during your honeymoon bliss.

To see all of our wedding coverage check out IDoSugar.

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Pop Watch: Brothers & Sisters, Ep 9 "Holy Matrimony!"

PopSugarUK — Mon, 26 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Kitty's big day arrived at last on yesterday's episode of Brothers & Sisters, but as you would expect from the Walkers the wedding day wasn't all plain sailing. A couple of secrets were revealed to even more people, with Robert and Tommy set to face some serious challenges in upcoming episodes, and there was intrigue involving Holly.

Sarah was dateless at the ceremony (and amusingly annoyed at the lack of eligible bachelors!) but the other single Walkers each encountered problems with their dates. Kevin and Scotty bickered over Jason, Justin learnt the truth about Lena, and Nora was dumped by Stan at the reception following his incarceration alongside Tommy, Justin and Kevin! But more of that later...

To read more of my thoughts and leave your own comments just read more

Kitty's troubles started right in the opening scene - it's the night before the big day and Robert suddenly asks her to write her own vows, as he's already written his! Things only get worse when Nora has "the talk" with Kitty. Sarah had prepared her for a "gushy speech" but what she gets is a rant from her mother about the need to "protect the woman she is" and not lose her identity in marriage and parenthood like Nora did. This is definitely not what Kitty needs to hear and she cuts Nora off before she gets even colder feet. Top this off with a phone call from Isaac (Danny Glover) to say that the truth about Robert's service in the Gulf is threatening to come out again and poor Kitty is a wreck.
While the female Walkers are preparing for the ceremony the males of the clan are discussing the bets they placed on Kitty's marriage situation - much to the Saul's shock, Tommy had bet Kitty would marry between the ages of 30 and 40, Justin had bet 50+, and Kevin had bet never! Tommy reacts badly when he discovers Justin has invited Lena to the wedding - he is so bad at covering up the affair, it's so obviously going to get back to Julia at some point.

The wedding ceremony is held at the vineyard and as the guests start to arrive Kevin and Scotty are telling Tommy about their new relationship status, with Kevin saying they're "in the process of becoming a 'we', depending on what your definition of 'we' is" to which Scotty adds "he's such a romantic". Aww poor old Scotty.
The awkwardness increases ten-fold when Justin and Lena arrive, with Julia joining them just seconds later. We also see Saul greet Stan "the hippy" and watch as Rebecca realises Tommy is Lena's married man. Uh-oh. Kevin and Robert get into a spat too about Jason. All the fun and games one would expect of a Walker gathering.
Having been slightly de-stressed by Isaac's arrival and promise that he will sort out the Robert-in-the-Gulf problem, Kitty finally gets ready and I have to say wow, her dress is gorgeous, as are Paige and Cooper - so cute!
Kitty, like Justin earlier, is missing William and has been avoiding her mother since "the talk", but as they walk down the aisle together Nora says some lovely things to Kitty about how she would never lose her identity like Nora did and they share a touching (and long!) hug as they arrive at the altar. The whole setting for the ceremony is just gorgeous, and Kitty's bridesmaids look great in their dresses too.

All is going well and Robert says his vows but then Kitty tells him they need to talk and they leave mid-ceremony. Eek! She tells him about how her and Kevin blackmailed Daniel Cole so that he wouldn't reveal the truth about Robert's service in the Gulf (you know, how he only appeared to be heroic by accident and he actually wanted to turn back) but luckily there's no sign of Mean Robert and he's really sweet to Kitty. They get married, finally, and have a quick meeting with Isaac, deciding that they'll let the news outlets know that Cole is a perjurer and a blackmailer so that no-one will run his story.
As you would expect, the reception doesn't go without a hitch either. Kevin is really annoyed that the entire McCallister clan are giving him the cold shoulder because of his break-up with Jason, which understandably upsets Scotty. Kevin is so annoyed, in fact, that he says he could kill Robert, and is quickly and mysteriously escorted away by the Secret Service!
Meanwhile, Rebecca watches Justin and Lena and decides she has to tell him about Tommy. Next thing we know, Justin is confronting Tommy and they're getting into a fight and they're escorted away too, ending up in a room with Kevin and Stan, who had been caught smoking pot - looks like the Secret Service had been taking tips from Supernanny Jo Frost, sending the naughty kids to the naughty corner! Fortunately Robert comes to their rescue and frees them all and Kevin and Robert make nice, with Kevin saying that although he won't stop blaming Robert for the fact that he wouldn't be able to get married in the US, "I will stop threatening your life" to which Robert responds "Sounds like we're making some progress". Heh.
Meanwhile Rebecca has it out with Lena, who accuses Rebecca of being jealous (hmm I'm still uncomfortable about this whole Justin/Rebecca thing) and then Lena leaves. And so does Stan, who walks out on Nora when she tells him off for smoking pot. But Nora has a glass of champagne and Isaac to keep her company. Ooo!
Kitty and Nora share a touching moment before Kitty and Robert sneak off early to start their (36 hour) honeymoon, which gets going straight away on the private jet! Kevin and Scotty return home and have a heart-to-heart about their relationship, with Kevin admitting that he's not completely over Jason. Uh-oh. Rebecca helps Sarah take the kids home and they have a sisterly bonding moment as they discuss why each of them did the things they did to each other. Rebecca also tells Sarah about Tommy and Lena.
Isaac and Nora are still up, chatting away about politics and the like, when Isaac's phone rings with bad news. Daniel Cole's story has been picked up by the Drudge Report, so Robert and Kitty will have some serious campaign-saving to do come the morning. Nora asks Isaac not to tell them 'til the following day, as they should at least have their wedding night before discovering that the proverbial has hit the fan.
The most intriguing part of the whole episode comes right at the end and involves Holly (Patricia Wettig), who has been largely absent from the episode other than her and Saul's little chat at the reception where they muse on their relationship and the fact that they're both single and lonely, with Holly saying "You can't help who you love" which is very true for Saul too of course. But back to the interesting scene... Holly receives a visit from an old friend called David (played by series executive producer and Patricia Wettig's real life husband Ken Olin). It's all a bit mysterious and he sees a picture of Rebecca, but Holly is quick to change the subject and wants to know what he's doing there. Could this be some new twist in the whole Rebecca-paternity storyline? Ohmygoodness.

So there are my opinions on this week's episode, but I'd love to hear your views. Share your thoughts with us, whether you've just watched it or you're reliving it all over again.

How to Make Photo Seed Packet Wedding Favors With Your Printer

GeekSugar — Fri, 09 May 2008 13:10:04 -0700

Not that it should be thought of as a trend, but it's clear that this is the year that people are finally paying attention to how they can green their weddings and cut down on the event's impact on the environment. And if it is a trend, let's hope that it stays "in" forever!

So today's wedding geek tip succeeds in being green, geeky, and creative: seed packets with you and your fiancé's face on them! With my DIY skills below, adapted from Kodak's website, you'll be able to make seed packets for other stuff too - invitations, announcements, greeting cards . . . there's no end to creativity when you have an inkjet printer and a little brainpower.

To see how to make the packets, just read more.

Download the Kodak-provided PDF for the seed packet template. I find that the one they provide is a little too chintzy, so you could use the dimensions from their template and design a packet that's more you.
If you have Photoshop, add your picture, names, and date to the design. Otherwise, you can glue the picture of the two of you to the template after you print it out.
Print out the paper with the template on and cut it out. If you didn't Photoshop your face on the packet, glue it on now and write or stamp in your names.
Fold the seed packet and glue the side flaps down.
Add the seed of your choosing to the packets (about a handful) and glue it shut.
Your seed packets are now ready for wedding favoring!

To see more of our wedding coverage, be sure to check out IDoSugar!

Maker Faire: Interactive Wedding And Birthday Cakes

GeekSugar — Mon, 21 May 2007 08:30:02 -0700

JiSun Lee's booth at this weekend's Maker Faire featured my favorite "science faire meets real life" art pieces. Lee pulled my boyfriend and I out of the crowd, pinned a white wedding veil on my head and put a bow tie on my boyfriend in record time (he didn't even have time to panic!) then led us to her interactive wedding cake. We were then instructed to push the buttons on the outside of the three-layer cake until the small bride and groom figures on the top of the cake got close enough to one another to kiss. It took us a few tries, but each try was filled with romantic geekiness. When we finally found the right buttons, the cake, which was made of plastic and all wired up, lit up and sang the traditional wedding song.

JiSun Lee created the interactive wedding cake and a more simple birthday cake with YouJeong Paik with the idea that they could increase the enjoyment of significant moments in people's lives. "I designed this cake with my baby and friend in mind," says Lee. "The birthday and wedding cakes need the user's input to turn on and blow out the LED candles. At the end of the user's experience, he or she will hear the greeting messages accompanied by music."

For a gallery of photos of the wedding and birthday cake, as well as a video of the cakes in action, read more

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Instead of pushing buttons like the wedding cake, the birthday cake is a sort of building blocks game for children. When a child completes assembling the birthday cake blocks, he or she can light the LED candles and listen to the traditional "Happy Birthday" song and applause.

The Next Food Network Star - 3.1 Recap

YumSugar — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 09:57:18 -0700

I never got into the first two seasons of "The Next Food Network Star." However, when I heard that the producers were "stepping up their game" this season, I decided to give it another try. Last night's two-hour premiere introduced us to 11 hopeful stars and you know what? It wasn't that bad. As the promos say, it's an all new season, all new rules. And from the look of things, it looks like the producers have taken a page out of Top Chef's rule book. There's more behind the scenes, at the dorms and in the kitchen, as well as faster-paced editing. To see what I thought of last night's premiere, read more

The show starts off immediately with Bobby Flay (each week a new Food Network personality will be the guest judge and host) telling them that they have one hour to create a dish for a potluck. The most successful dish ended up being from Colombe, a yoga instructor who wants an organic cooking show.

Next they're told they have 90 minutes to decorate a three-tiered wedding cake, which will be judged by none-other than Duff from Food Network's Ace of Cakes. At this point I was pretty surprised that they'd have a wedding challenge so soon in the game. However, it must be a quick way to sort out the folks that get it, from those that don't (what was with some of those cakes?!?). The winning cake was a simple white cake with blue dots, created by Amy, who also happened to be the only person who had ever worked with fondant before.

After the wedding cakes were rated, they're then greeted by Robert Irvine from Dinner Impossible. If you thought the 90 minute wedding cake was a zinger, he's there to raise the bar. Try a complete semi-vegetarian wedding for 100 people in just 6 hours. That's right 6 hours. The winners of the two previous challenges become team captains, and Amy (in a stroke of genius) purposely chooses the folks who are caterers. Also one team has 6 folks and the other has 5, but gets an extra $500 to make up for it. Surprisingly, the team that has $2300 to spend, only spends $800. Whaaat? I could spend more than $800 cooking for 30, let alone 100.

The show gets pretty interesting around this point as the orange team seems to do everything wrong. They don't buy enough food, they put chicken stock in the vegetarian dish, they run out of food, and my favorite part, they leave their table and Bobby Flay ends up covering for them! I could not believe that, I understand running back to get something real quick, but what went through the last person to leave's head? Oh yah I'll just leave the station alone, no one's going to notice.

At this point there are still too many faces and personalities for me too chose from. No one is standing out and since both "Top Chef" and "Hell's Kitchen" begin this week, I hope my brain can keep all these food hopefuls sorted out. Only time will tell, but until then, discuss:

How many times did Amy say the word Paris?
How about Salmon and "like the fish?"
What was with some of those wedding cakes? Were they channeling 3rd graders?

What would you do if you spilled dessert all over Bobby Flay?
If Colombe ends up winning, would Food Network actually air an all organic, all natural food show? I'd love it if they would, but I thought they were getting away from that.
Did Robert Irvine seem a bit rude to anyone else?
Berry skewers for a dessert? Seriously?
Anyone else notice the lovely fresh lemon wall during the interview portions? So refreshing!

So, did you watch? If so, what did you think?

Pop Watch: Brothers & Sisters, Ep 12 "Compromises"

PopSugarUK — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Wow, lots happened in last night's episode of Brothers & Sisters. We didn't get any Justin or Tommy news but the rest of the Walkers were busy busy busy. Sarah and Kevin went out drinking while Kitty was playing step-mum to Robert's kids in Michigan and Rebecca was learning more about her mother and maybe-father David.

The karaoke bar scenes with Sarah and Kevin are great fun and a big highlight of the episode for me, but I also really enjoyed watching Kitty figure out how to be a step-mum to Robert's kids. There's also a couple of interesting kissy-kissies going on, but more of that later ...

To read more of my thoughts and leave your own comments just read more

The episode began with Rebecca cooking with Nora and Justin. Nora starts talking about possible career paths for Rebecca, like cooking or photography, and she goes ahead and meets up with David to have herself a little photography lesson. They do some nice bonding and look through old pictures of Holly. Rebecca and Holly chat about David later on, with Rebecca telling her mum "he’s seriously in love with you". Still feeling a bit suspicious about her paternity Rebecca checks whether William and David ever overlapped, but Holly says no, she broke it off with William, started seeing David, broke that off in 1985 and went back to William. Hmmm.
Robert and Kitty head to Michigan ahead of Super Tuesday as Congressman Taylor is creeping up. Robert's stressing as he hasn’t seen Jason yet, or his kids since his wedding, so Kitty organises a surprise for him in Detroit and turns up with his family. Awww. They spend some time at a fairground and Robert relaxes but the kids have flu so Kitty takes them back to the hotel. Kitty's happy to begin with but then she gets sick and calls Nora for advice, who says “sometimes motherhood means sucking it up”. Heh. Things get worse with the kids squabbling, Jack destroying the bathroom and Sophie acting up, saying "my Mum has a dress just like this, except it’s bigger on top". Heh. So Kitty becomes, in her own words, the “evil step-mum”.

Nora and Saul have lunch – he’s feeling neglected and teases her about what their mum would think about her dating Isaac, but Nora wants Saul to talk to her. He doesn't. He does, however, go round to Milo's place to be greeted by Evan. He’s staying there while Milo is in Italy, and invites Saul in to give him Milo's hotel number. Evan’s broken up with his boyfriend, and says that Saul broke Milo’s heart a little bit.
Kevin and Scotty are at bar with Scotty's friends, who think Kevin's "uptight". Annoyed by this slight on his character, Kevin asks Sarah if he’s uptight. And the answer is yes! Sarah's annoyed too - not only has she got divorce papers to sign, but Joe’s taking Paula to Paris for her birthday. So Sarah wants to go out and commiserate with Kevin, “get savage” and “do what Walkers do best”: get drunk.
They end up at the same bar as Scotty and Sarah realises Kevin chose it because it's “one of those ‘prove him wrong’ nights”. Scotty looks over so Kevin says “quick have fun” - so funny. Drunk Kevin proves he's not uptight by singing some songs - Scotty's friends say he’s not uptight (when he’s drunk) and they don’t hate him so Scotty puts Justin out of his misery and brings him off stage.
Sarah sings herself some Cher at the karaoke and Scotty’s friends love her. Love them! With them telling her to get the divorce papers sent over right away to sign Sarah calls the office and Graham brings the papers over for her to sign. Ooh she goes in for the kiss and Graham says no as she’s drunk, but he goes for it anyways! The morning after we see Sarah tiptoeing around trying to leave unnoticed but Graham catches her and thinks it's highly amusing she has to do the walk of shame! Sarah, however, says there’s no shame here - she’s going to drive home with pride. And her bra, which Graham finds under the duvet!
Meanwhile Robert tries to get the Governer to endorse his campaign but he won't do it as Taylor is a man who holds a grudge. Robert is getting increasingly upset about the whole game-playing and speaks to Jason about it, who's annoyed himself as Travis reveals that it was Isaac who outed Jason and tells him to lay low. Uh-oh. Jason confronts Robert and they have it out, but make up later with Robert saying he wishes he was more like Jason and Jason says they’re both “making compromises for a greater purpose” and thinks they were both called to serve.
Things take a big turn for the better in Michigan as Kitty and Sophie make nice and then Robert and Jack play Uno with them. It's all going great and gets even better when Travis comes in to tell them Robert took Michigan. Big happiness all round. This extends to California too, as Isaac and Nora speak on the phone and he tells her he wants to see her and he misses her. Awww.
The big kiss and make up of the night goes to David and Holly. She visits him to thank him for everything he's doing with Rebecca, who is now thinking of enrolling in some college courses in photography. They reminisce about the past and David leans in and kisses her. Oh my!

So there are my opinions on this week's episode, but I'd love to hear your views. Share your thoughts with us, whether you've just watched it or you're reliving it all over again.

Come Party With Me: Wedding - The Look

partysugar — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 07:55:19 -0700

So I know I already said that the food and drinks at a wedding are extremely important but the look (like invite) is what sets the entire mood and atmosphere of the event. How can you have magic or love in the air without a beautiful look? Bright colors are an excellent way to add an element of surprise as guests typically expect pastels and when paired with plain white linens the colors can really pop. Remember centerpieces don't always have to be floral: experiment with unconventional centerpieces such as shallow bowls filled with live fish, hollowed out tree trunks filled with fruit, or nests/wreaths overflowing with berries. Integrate elements of nature into the decor by using coral branches for a sunset beach or green moss to blanket bare soil of a potted centerpiece. Instead of having floral centerpieces wrap wedding favors in pretty paper and stack decoratively in the middle of the table. For the look of Julie's wedding (in black, white, and light blue with art deco accents), read more

My number one piece of advice to brides is to create a look that is original to you and your needs. You don't have to follow traditions, you can imagine a look that is unique to you and your groom to achieve the wedding of your dreams. With that said here are my suggestions for Julie:

Wrap vases in white silk and dangle various sized chiffon ribbons from chairs.
Use votives in different sizes and shapes and top the tablecloths with beaded runners.
Fill fountains or any bodies of water with rose petals, floating flowers, or little candles.

Add height by hanging things from the ceiling, glass crystals or chandeliers.
Top each table with a different floral arrangement relating to the overall color scheme.
Create angles by using square plates and rectangular napkins.
For a stunning art deco inspired display that can greet guests upon arrival to the dining room, hang crystals as garlands from a silver tree.

Chair covers are a must and black satin is chic and formal.
Mirrors add depth and balance.

Got an idea for how Julie should decorate her wedding? Tell her below!

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Kate Schools Jamie in Her Jet-Setting Ways

PopSugar — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 16:30:07 -0700

After a few weeks playing with Lila stateside, Kate Moss was greeted at Heathrow yesterday by her very happy boyfriend Jamie Hince, and they headed right out for a typically raucous night with their friends. Just a few hours later the couple was back to the airport for a short flight to Edinburgh, Scotland, where Jamie's band will play this evening. Hopefully between all of her flying and partying, Kate will be able to plan for her rumored wedding - and now that she's the face of a bridal range, she must be getting all sorts of inspiration.

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I Need Your Help... Adjusting to a Suburban to Urban Move

PetSugar — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 08:00:10 -0700

Thanks so much for helping out – and sharing stories – about mysteriously stinky doggies! When SofyasDad asked me about moving to the city with his pooch, Sofya (duh), I thought we'd try another team effort here. After all, North and I have been city dwellers from the start and Sofya has never made it out of the suburbs. This country gal is used to going potty in her own backyard or on her own patio – and, while she can walk on a leash, she prefers to meander and frolic on her wee doxie paws. After all, cities have noisy cars, more people, and other pooches to meet-n-greet – even going potty on the sidewalk is a change for this lil diva.

Have any of you made a move that caused a change of environment like this? Please, let's help out and offer some words of advice and encouragement in your comments below!