Blogs

Our March/April '14 issue is now available on newsstands! Get a sneak peek at our cover shoot here:

Love the Val Stefani gown (style D8053) on our latest cover? We chatted with the sister design team behind the dress, Valerie and Stephanie Chin, to get the inside scoop on their inspiration, what it's like working together, their best style tips for brides, and more.

Valerie and Stephanie Chin

Q. What was your inspiration for this collection?

Valerie: We were inspired by the 2000 sculpture featured in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art this season. It's this 200-foot white geometric installation, and even though it's all precisely-placed blocks, as you're walking by, everything looks so different. It changes while you move, and that's what we were inspired by for this season.

They're both (potentially) once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. They're also both incredibly expensive and, in this case, equally important to both the bride and the groom. 

Marni Vincent and Josh Armijo are die-hard Denver Broncos fans — they got engaged at a Broncos game in December, and they're even planning on getting Broncos tattoos together to commemorate this year's Super Bowl appearance. They were beyond thrilled when their favorite team won the AFC Championship, but now they're faced with a dilemma: "We always said if the Broncos go to the Super Bowl, we'd go," Armijo told HLN. But going to the Super Bowl will cost the couple at least $10,000 — the same as their wedding budget.

The bride-to-be added, "Sometimes I wish we weren’t so crazy about the Broncos, because then it wouldn’t be such a big deal to us. If we weren’t about to get married, it would be totally different. They’re two things that we both want."

The couple considered having a quick wedding the Saturday before the game, then flying out to New Jersey for the Super Bowl and making it their honeymoon, but too many of their friends and family members can't make it on that date. 

"It would be awesome for the journey that we’ve gone through," Vincent said. "[Going to the game] would be a little extra story to put on there. But, we don’t want to go into debt, and we don’t want to start a future with stress."

It may be a cold January, but our March/April 2014 issue — filled with the year’s most beautiful bridal gowns, along with planning advice and inspiring reception ideas — will have you thinking spring in no time!

Get a behind-the-scenes look at our cover shoot: 

Let’s start with all of the fabulous fashion: Many of you are probably on the hunt for the perfect gown, and in this issue, you’ll discover some of the hottest trends from the latest runway shows that are sure to suit your style.

We also have fabulous accessories to pair with your dress...

and dazzling ballgowns to wow the crowd:

If we could eat any food every day for the rest of our lives, it would be pizza. But even we were shocked to read about newlyweds Kieran and Natasha Morris' wacky wedding request: They asked Domino's to recreate their faces on pizzas!

"We order Domino's pizza all the time — so it felt right to incorporate them into the most special day of our lives," the groom tells The Daily Mail. (Mr. and Mrs. Morris aren't the only newlyweds to ask their favorite brand for a wedding favor — check out the amazing surprise that Honda gave to this couple.) 

The company was happy to oblige, commissioning celebrity portrait artist Nathan Wyburn to do the honors.  It took him three hours to create two 13-inch pies in their likeness using a variety of toppings (including tomato puree, sweetcorn and ham). Wedding guests were more than happy to dig into the masterpieces at the wedding reception, which was held in Lancashire, England. 

Photo Credit: The Daily Mail

Guest blogger: Bonne Marcus
A fitness industry expert for 27 years, Marcus holds numerous certifications from the Aerobic Fitness Association of America (AFAA), including Step, Spin, Bosu™, Pre/Post Natal, Youth Fitness, Aqua, and Personal Training. She has taught for New York City’s top health clubs, including Crunch, New York Health and Racquet, and Reebok Sports Club. A recognized name on Long Island, Bonne has taught at Dany Holdstein’s Two Worlds, North Shore Health Club, LA Fitness, Sport time, Equinox and currently teaches at the Sid Jacobsen JCC in Roslyn. Learn more at getfitwithbonne.com.

Photo Credit: iStockPhoto

I pride myself in not just training brides, but educating them in a way that ensures good health and fitness for a lifetime. It's important to me that I give you everything you need to be successful — with a little help from me, you will encounter a relationship with exercise as rewarding as with the love of your life. Here, learn the most common fitness mistakes that can easily be avoided. 

Not only did 25-year-old Morgan Welge win nearly $36,000 worth of prizes in her Showcase Showdown — including a Jeep Patriot SUV and a trip to Bora Bora — but she also gained a fiancé! After spinning the wheel to earn her place in the showcase, her groom-to-be, Nick Parker, rushed up to the stage and popped the question:

That trip to Bora Bora will certainly come in handy for the honeymoon!

—Kristen Klein

What can you do if you fall in love with a venue that'll only fit half of your preliminary guest list? If you take real-life couple Laura Gray and Jordan Klepper's approach in their new Upright Citizens Brigade video, you'll find some pretty hilarious reasons to eliminate people from the list — including being too cute (sorry, babies), having no black friends, giving a bad Secret Santa gift, not calling after saving your life, crying too much (bye, Mom), and having weird bangs.

OK, you probably shouldn't actually use these reasons to cut people from your guest list, but anyone who's ever tried to trim a guest list can certainly relate to this video!

—Kristen Klein

When a couple who's madly in love realizes they want to get married and spend the rest of their lives together, naturally, they may wonder what their own version of forever will be like. "Will we be happily married in the future?" "Do we ever have kids in the future?" "Do we retire at a decent age?"

At Ben Nissen's wedding to his wife Katie Clementz, all of these questions and more were answered when the couple video-chatted with some very special guests — the future versions of themselves, 50 years from now! The best part is that they even had Jetsons-like cars zooming past them in the distance (whew, it was about time those were invented).

These happy newlyweds come from a creative background: The groom is the senior video editor at Groupon and the founder of his own video company, and the bride is a graphic designer. We tip our hats off to them (do they still have those in the future?) for finding such a unique way to incorporate their passions into the wedding reception.

You'll just have to watch this hilarious video for yourself to see how their relationship turns out over time:

Congrats to the happy newlyweds!

— Stefania Sainato