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Gabrielle Union is Engaged — See Her Ring!

gabrielle union and dwyane wade

Actress Gabrielle Union is engaged to Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade! The couple, who have been together since 2009, shared the happy news on Instagram.

"Sooooo this happened... #Yessss @dwyanewade," Union wrote, along with a picture of her stunning ring. Wade also posted, "She said YES!!!"

gabrielle union engagement ring

Friends and family of the couple may have seen the engagement coming; the pair recently sent out Christmas cards from the "Wade-Union Family."

This will be the second marriage for each. "We both kind of rushed into marriage [the first time around] and neither one of us was successful at that, so we're both kind of like, let's take our time. If the goal is forever, what are we rushing for?" Union has said about their relationship.

"She makes my eyes sparkle," Wade told Oprah Winfrey last summer on Oprah's Next Chapter. "The biggest time she makes my eyes sparkle is when [my son] Zaire comes home and homework is a little hard that day, so he's stressing, and she goes to the table with him and she sits down until he gets it. And at that time, my heart is smiling a little bigger that day because I know her love is deeper than just me." 

What to Know Before Getting a Custom Wedding Dress

I found "The One" — my wedding gown that is (I found my fiancé six years ago!).

In my last post, I described falling in love with three completely different dresses. I left the bridal salon empty-handed that day because I couldn’t decide between something elegant and traditional or modern and trendy. Recently, I found the perfect style that embodies all of those elements at Birnbaum & Bullocks flagship store in NYC (stay tuned to see a photo of "her").

Birnbaum & Bullock has four different lines — my wedding dress is from the Couture collection. The brand's in-house designers, Steven Birnbaum and Robert Bullock, custom-design all of the styles from this collection, and the process has been so interesting that I wanted to share it with you all.

After taking my measurements, the designers told me to come back in a month for my "muslin fitting." I had no clue what to expect, so when I arrived on the day of my appointment, I was shocked to find a gorgeous little cotton dress waiting for me. When I put it on, it fit like a glove — the boning in the corset felt amazing. My mom joked that the dress was so pretty, I should wear it to my rehearsal dinner!

muslin fitting

Steven made a few alterations. The sweetheart neckline was sitting a little high on me, so he lowered it, and nipped and tucked the corset so it fit a little tighter.  

Comfortable (and Fashionable!) Shoes for Your Big Day

Comfort and fashion don’t often mix, especially when it comes to being the bride. We all want to look fashionable in our heels, yet wearing our favorite shoes sometimes means taking a hit to our feet. If you're on the quest to find the perfect shoe, here's a run-down of fab shoes for the big day!

Scoop by Something Bleu

scoop by something bleu wedding shoe

Scoop’s beautiful ¾-inch heel is high enough to feel like you’re not walking around barefoot. The shoe may seem simple, but it's customizable — so you can feel free to decorate it any way you want ($165, myglassslipper.com).

Valentina Mirror Metallic D’Orsay Pump by J.Crew

valentina mirror metallic dorsay pump by jcrew

This wear-all-day heel is great if you’re looking to be chic yet comfortable under your dress. Bonus: You can also rewear this simple shoe on your honeymoon and beyond, since it'll go with almost everything in your closet! The low heel makes it easy to walk around in, so you’ll skip that nagging foot pain ($248, jcrew.com).

Jada by Benjamin Adams

Deck the Halls: Holiday Décor from Preston Bailey

‘Tis the season for fun, parties, love and laughter, and for those of you who may be planning a winter wedding next year or a gathering of all your loved ones this year, you’re sure to be inspired by these amazing ideas from celebrity event designer Preston Bailey. Preston is known for his fabulous flair and jaw-dropping décor. He’s designed the weddings for Sean Parker, LeBron James and George Soros. And his clients include the Trumps (both father and daughter, Ivanka) Oprah Winfrey, Jennifer Hudson and Joan Rivers. It’s no wonder these top celebs call upon Preston to work his magic! 

Winter Wonderland

Here, Preston created a snowy-white forest accented with sparkling silver. It’s every snow queen’s fantasy!

preston bailey winter wonderland holiday party decor

The master himself:

preston bailey winter wonderland holiday party decor

Ornaments of shimmering silver and frosted white grace a white floral tree and nestle amidst a bevy of blooms on a silver table. Can’t you just picture a glistening snowfall?

Top 10 Most-Searched Celebrity Weddings of 2013

2013 was filled with celebrity weddings, from super-secret elopements to elaborate, star-studded Hollywood events. Google just revealed the top 10 weddings that blew up their search engine this year. Take a look back at what made these weddings memorable!

10. Shenae Grimes and Josh Beech

The former 90210 star made a splash when she walked down the aisle (to house music!) in a black Vera Wang gown back in May. She and her model/musician husband exchanged vows in an intimate ceremony outside of London. 

shenae grimes josh beech wedding
Photo courtesy of Shenae Grimes via Twitter

9. Sean Parker and Alexandra Lenas

The Facebook/Napster billionaire spared no expense on his lavish Lord of the Rings-inspired wedding to singer/songwriter Alexandra Lenos in June. The bride worn a stunning gown by Elie Saab, while the groom called upon Lord of the Rings costume designer Ngila Dickson to outfit himself, the couple's infant daughter, and their 300+ guests, which included Emma Watson, Olivia Munn, Sting, Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich, Sean Lennon, Allison Williams, Twitter inventor Jack Dorsey, MTV founder Bob Pittman, Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales, and Facebook co-founders Dustin Moskovitz and Chris Hughes (Mark Zuckerberg was invited but sent his regrets).

How Justin Timberlake Helped One Fan Propose

After performing "That Girl" at his concert on Sunday in Louisville, KY, Justin Timberlake paused the show to invite two lucky fans, Josh and Kim, on stage.

Unbeknownst to Kim, Josh contacted the singer's management team last month asking if he could propose on stage at the concert, and Timberlake happily agreed. Watch the sweet video:

Timberlake could barely contain his excitement for the newly-engaged couple:

—Kristen Klein

How to Overcome Pinterest Wedding Overload

I love Pinterest just as much as the next bride — I currently have 9,255 pins (and counting) to prove it! This borderline obsession of mine isn't going anywhere anytime soon. According to Splendid Insights, a wedding lifestyle market research firm, 78% of U.S. couples that got married in 2012 used Pinterest to help plan their wedding.

Here's how to use Pinterest throughout the course of your wedding planning:

pinterest wedding tips
Photo Credit: Jose Villa

1. After you first get engaged, pin anything (and everything) you like with no limitations.

When you first start planning your wedding, Pinterest can open your eyes to a ton of inspiration you might not have seen otherwise. It exposes you to different wedding styles, color palettes, and ideas, and hopefully, it'll help you gravitate towards a specific vision. As a wedding planner, I’ve found that it can be an extremely valuable tool when planning.  

2. Look for similarities in your inspirational wedding images.

Wedding Weight-Loss: Staying on Track During Holiday Celebrations

It's been a crazy two weeks for me, and I'm sure it's been the same for all of you. But I have good news to share: I reached my 10 pound weight-loss goal for November! And now, I have my sights set on losing another 10 by January 1.

jen and rene

In the past few weeks since Thanksgiving, there have definitely been some challenges and hardships with staying on track, but I've managed to get through them and keep on keeping on.

Things I've learned:

1. One bad night of eating won't kill you, but it does curb the weight loss and make it tougher to go back to making good decisions.

I went to Atlantic City two weekends ago with three of my sorority sisters and had a blast! We don't all live in New York, so once a year we get together — and this year, we sure did it right. I messed up as soon as I got there with my lunch, where I ate nachos and French fries. We went to Buddhakan for dinner and had some tapas (I highly recommend the restaurant), then proceeded to Royal Jelly, the burlesque club at Revel, where we had a VIP table. I drank vodka and Red Bull, which I know is so unhealthy on so many levels. After we went out, I ate a half of a turkey burger and French fries at like four in the morning. I was eating like I weigh 100 pounds, which I totally don't.

atlantic city

Christmas-Themed Engagement Parties

What could be better than to celebrate your engagement and the holidays at the same time? These two parties struck the perfect balance between incorporating Christmas themes and reflecting the couples' personalities. 

Theme: Tacky Christmas Party

Lauren and Drew first met at a Tacky Christmas Party, so when the couple got engaged four years later, the bride-to-be's best friend, event planner Katie from Kate & Company, knew it'd be the perfect theme for the couple's engagement party — made even more amusing because the party took place in July! Katie incorporated some of the couples' family holiday traditions — like a "find the pickle" game and Grandma's famous potato salad — as well as favorite quotes from Christmas movies, a beer can Christmas tree, milk and cookies for Santa, a Charlie Brown Christmas tree centerpiece, and so much more.

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