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When Carol and Willie Fowler learned that their daughter Tamara's wedding had been called off just 40 days before the big day, they were shocked. They also had an important decision to make — what to do about the deposit that had already been paid to the venue, Villa Christina, for the 200-guest reception. Instead of letting the money go to waste, Willie suggested they turn the wedding into an event for the homeless. The next day, Carol reached out to a local charity, Hosea Feed the Hungry, and asked if they could donate the dinner.

"At first, I thought it was a prank call because it was such an amazing offering," Elisabeth Omilami, CEO of Hosea Feed the Hungry, said in a radio interview. "And then she said she wanted to focus on women and families… 70 percent of the homeless in Atlanta are children."

Don’t deprive yourself during holiday celebrations.

For Yom Kippur last week, Rene and I fasted all day on Saturday. We broke the fast at my mother’s house with our families. There was so much food, it was crazy! I had one bagel — half of it with cream cheese and lox and the other half with egg salad. I also had a piece of bread and a slice of cheesecake. We decided we were not going to stick to a diet for this meal, and it was well worth it! We were so full that we stayed in and relaxed on Saturday night. 

Do arm yourself with quick healthy meals and snacks.

The easiest way to avoid temptations around you is to always have "safe" foods on hand. Because I'm so rushed in the morning and don't always have time to make breakfast, I decided to try Atkins protein drinks in the Mocha Latte flavor as a meal supplement. I wish I could make my own at home, but I leave too early and it just doesn’t work, so I figured I’d try these, as they only have 3 net grams of carbs. I also bought Atkins meal replacement bars to eat for lunch.

Monday morning, I woke up sore (as usual after my workouts with Bonne Marcus!). I drank a shake for breakfast, then had a few celery sticks dipped in hummus as a mid-morning snack. I was surprised I enjoyed it as much as I did.

When Jaysin decided to propose to his girlfriend, Andrea, he knew he wanted to incorporate her love of Harry Potter. "We had even talked about possibly having a Harry Potter wedding but always thought it was out of the cards," he wrote. (Check out two amazing Harry Potter-themed weddings here!).

Jaysin created an elaborate scavenger hunt, with clues and riddles to solve along the way, before leading her to the restaurant where he popped the question — with a bit of magic and an unbreakable vow, of course! 

Watch: 

"After All This Time... Always" - A Harry Potter Themed Engagement Proposal from NightOwls Media on Vimeo.

—Kristen O'Gorman Klein

This morning, Lacy Boland and John Kirk became the first to get married on the EdgeWalk at Toronto's CN Tower — the tallest structure in all of Canada.

Suspended over 1,100 feet above the ground, the couple was joined by their parents and four wedding party members as the wedding aired live on Breakfast Television. The couple's three children watched from inside (you have to be 13 to walk the EdgeWalk!).

Because they didn't want to risk dropping the wedding rings, they exchanged rope rings instead, swapping them out for the real deal once they were back on safe ground.

“We always wanted a memorable wedding and what could be more exciting than to have it on EdgeWalk,” said Boland and Kirk in a statement. “Our wedding seemed to be a distant dream as our three wonderful children have always come first. We feel truly blessed to be part of such a wonderful experience.”

Loverly is the heart of weddings: a visual inspiration search engine designed to help brides discover ideas, people to hire, and things to buy. Loverly makes finding beautiful wedding inspiration easier than ever! Their images are powered by the best wedding publishers and wedding shopping partners on the web. Find Bridal Guide on Loverly >>

While many couples feel strongly that their wedding should be a grownups-only kind of a party, plenty of others can’t imagine planning a wedding without all the little ones in their lives there. If you're inviting kids, here's how to keep the little ones happy and entertained at your wedding.

1. Have a morning or early-afternoon wedding.
Turns out, kids go to bed super-early. Having a brunch wedding will make life easier on parents and will mean you won’t have a bunch of cranky kids in need of nap at your reception. (And breakfast and lunch foods are very kid-friendly!)

One of my favorite things about fall is pumpkin-flavored everything (my husband and I just went through an entire box of Wawa Pumpkin Spice K-cups over the weekend... they're that good). If you're a getting married in the fall, consider a signature cocktail that incorporates pumpkin spice! 

Pumpkin Pie Delight

1 ounce aged rum, whiskey, or cognac
1 ounce Disaronno
1 heaping spoonful of pumpkin pie mix
1/2 ounce heavy cream
1 whole egg

Place all ingredients into a mixing glass. Dry shake (shake without ice to 'whip' the ingredients together). Then shake again with ice. Strain into a rocks glass without any ice. Top with freshly-grated cinnamon.

Not a crazy pumpkin fanatic like me? Consider using the other most popular flavor of the season — apple.

Apple Cobbler

2 parts Disaronno
1 part cranberry juice
1 part apple juice
1/4 part fresh lemon juice

In a rocks glass, mix ingredients over ice. Garnish with an apple slice.

Tell us: Which would you try?

—Kristen O'Gorman Klein

When it comes to finding your dream dress, planning the best wedding ever or deciding on just the right honeymoon spot for your getaway, our November/December 2013 issue has you covered!

You’ll find fashions that are ideal for your body type,

Chic, sophisticated gowns with a stylish, retro vibe:

...and the prettiest party-perfect looks for your attendants, from the littlest flower girl to your junior bridesmaids and BFFs:

Get a behind-the-scenes look at our fun shoot here — we asked the girls to decribe their dream weddings, and their answers are just precious:

We also feature some of the hottest new trends:

Our workout on Saturday morning with Bonne Marcus was tough! Since I had a busy day with only 45 minutes to exercise, I thought it would be easy — boy, was I wrong. She introduced a Tabata workout, and it killed us!

The workout was broken into seven sets of moves, focusing on different body parts. You do one exercise for 50 seconds, rest for 10 seconds, then do the next for 50 seconds, rest for another 10 seconds, and repeat each one another time. 

The first set consisted of kettle bell swings for 50 seconds. I liked doing this because it really got my heart rate up, so I knew it was helping burn calories. The second set consisted of 50 seconds of step-ups and then 50 seconds of knee-downs, one time through on each leg. The other sets were filled with bicep, triceps, shoulders, abs and more leg exercises. It went quickly, but it was not easy to get through! We were sore before we even left her house.

I spent the rest of the day running errands and hanging out at a friend’s house. It was beautiful out that evening, so Rene and I cooked Porterhouse steaks on the grill and hung out outside. I made roasted Parmesan cauliflower and green beans to go with dinner, and it was delicious. We also drank Oktoberfest beer, which was pretty delicious, too — I only had two, though! I love that fall is almost here. I even bought a new pumpkin spice candle today.

Sunday, we were both very sore. Rene was out watching football at his friend’s house, so I got a pedicure with my mom, went food shopping with my girlfriend, and spent the day preparing dinner and lunches for the week. All in all, a very relaxing weekend.

Monday, September 9

An incredibly moving story came across my desk recently that I’d like to share with you. Last December, San Jose, CA hairstylist, Jen Bulik, received the worst news possible and was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. She and her boyfriend of six years, Jeff Lang, a yoga instructor, decided to marry as soon as possible. Due to time constraints, her illness and limited finances, they planned to have a very low-key backyard barbecue.

That is, until Jen’s friend, Emily LeDeau, posted Jen’s story on a Facebook group page for wedding professionals. Enter wedding planner Erica Ota (right), who spotted the post and immediately responded. She offered her services, met with the couple and was so moved by their story that she decided to give them a wedding they could only dream about. “As a former social worker, I met countless people with terminal illnesses but was only able to offer emotional support. However, as a wedding planner, I now had the ability and resources to do a lot more for them,” says Erica.

As any bride-to-be will tell you, planning a wedding is no cakewalk! According to a recent survey of BG brides, 40% of couples spend between 13 and 18 months planning their wedding, and over 90% opt to create and organize their big day without the help of coordinators or planners.

Although couples are certainly devoting the time and energy to turn their dream days into realities, occasional planning fiascos are bound to occur. Between juggling countless vendors, appointments, and schedules — along with their everyday priorities — couples are spread paper-thin. We reached out to brides about the challenges they faced and how they powered through to have their perfect weddings.

1. Disappearing Baker

Theresa Roma searched for a local baker who could create her ideal wedding cake. She received quotes averaging $750 until she met a relatively new baker who offered to provide the cake for $400.

"She was young and just beginning," Roma says. "But her pictures were beautiful, she was willing to be flexible and do what we wanted, and she provided samples of her cake." She signed a contract that day (November 10) and put down a $200 deposit.

But when Roma's mother tried to contact the baker in April to order a cake for the bridal shower, all of the phone numbers they had were disconnected, and both the website and the storefront were gone. All emails to the vendor went unanswered.