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Awww! The Cutest Save-the-Date We've Seen

Finally decided on the big date? Next it's time to share the happy news with your closest friends and family members by sending them a save-the-date that reflects who you both are as a couple. If Amy DeChristopher and Hunter Cain's creative video is any indication, then we have no doubt that their May 30, 2014 wedding will be awesome!

The couple had two children reenact their love story — with some seriously sweet motivation, of course (they were promised ice cream). From Hunter's guitar wooing to Amy's memorable gift, we feel like we know them now. Watch this awww-worthy save-the-date for yourself and try not to crack up:

Save The Date - Amy & Hunter from Dozenaire on Vimeo.

—Stefania Sainato

 

Must-Read Advice for All You Newly Engaged Couples

Did you receive an extra-sparkly gift under the Christmas tree or while ringing in The New Year? If so, congrats! One of my best friends just got engaged (hey Stella!) and I’m looking forward to sharing in her joy as a bridesmaid in the coming year.

Since she relocated to Jacksonville from New York a couple of months ago, I couldn’t celebrate with her in person and I was really bummed out about it. So, I did the next best thing I could think of: I mailed her a huge stack of my old bridal magazines and used Post-It notes to tag all of the things that reminded me of her, whether it be a dress, reception detail or bouquet. Stella loved it and she said my inspo package arrived at just the right time — the engagement euphoria was settling down and she was gearing up for planning.

engagement gift
Learn how to make this cute engagement gift on Ruffled.
Photo Credit: Anniemade

Someone asked me recently how I still get so excited about weddings after marrying my husband Jason just four months ago. Shouldn't I be swearing off taffeta and color palettes forever and just indulge in all of this free time that I have, now that I'm not painstakingly coordinating a 300-person event?

Planning an Out-of-State Wedding

I've been fortunate to visit many different places around the world through my work as a news anchor. I currently live in Reno, but I grew up in Los Angeles, San Diego and Texas (Go Longhorns!). I also lived in both Spain and Costa Rica. Needless to say, my fiancé Chris and I have many friends from different area codes, so throwing a destination wedding is the best choice for us. 

Ideally, we want to spend a few days with our guests to have more time to catch up and create special memories together. The thought of having just one night with friends who we haven't seen in years sounds heartbreaking! However, we also understand that not everyone can afford a full-blown vacation to a far-away place, so we'd like to choose an affordable destination located in the United States.

san diego wedding
Photo by: Jessica Hannon Photography on Jessica Hannon Photography via Lover.ly

Peter Pan Proposes On Stage to Wendy

Well, that certainly wasn't in the script! During a performance of "Peter Pan" at SSE Hydro in Glasgow, the lead actor, Sandor Sturbl, broke character right before a scene where Peter gives Wendy a kiss to pop the question to the love of his life — the actress playing Wendy, Jane Mary Sullivan.

Watch the adorable video: 

“Only a few people knew about my plan but I had to tell some of the production crew so that they knew to cut the music on time,” Sturbl told Daily Record. “I was really nervous and just hoped she would say, ‘Yes’ – otherwise it could have been pretty embarrassing.”

“It was a magical moment, and one I’ll never forget,” the bride-to-be, whose stage name is Lilly-Jane Young, added.

—Kristen Klein

Wedding Countdown: 300 Days to Go!

We are just about halfway through the month of January, and so far, I am sticking to my resolutions! I was weighed at my training session with Bonne Marcus yesterday, and I'm down four pounds since my last weigh-in two weeks ago. Next week, we will take my measurements and see how I am looking there, which I am feeling confident about — my clothes are getting bigger and bigger. How is everyone doing with their own resolutions?

Last week I had a very successful week with my workouts and diet. Here is a recap:

I kept up with the “no starch” diet throughout the week. For breakfast, I ate hard-boiled eggs or just hard-boiled egg whites, snacked on unsalted almonds and fruit when hungry, drank only water and coffee, ate my veggie burgers and vegetables for lunch, and made lots of healthy dinners. We had plenty of grilled chicken and vegetables, split pea soup, and salads. At the beginning of the week, I found myself craving carbs, but by Thursday, I didn’t even want them, which was awesome.

Yesterday, I went food shopping and stocked up on healthy dinners: Mahi Mahi to cook tonight with asparagus and spinach, ground turkey to make turkey meatballs, and some more chicken and tons of vegetables to grill. I didn’t have time to make my own veggie burgers this weekend to eat for lunch, so I bought Boca veggie burgers to test them out. I cooked them on my George Foreman grill last night, then added steamed sugar snap peas and a cut-up apple to complete the lunch. I’ll let you know how I like them next week.

How to Handle the Most Common Guest Dilemmas

In The Emily Post Institute's latest book, Emily Post’s Wedding Etiquette: 6th Edition, Emily's great-great-granddaughters Anna and Lizzie Post tackle modern-day wedding questions that the original etiquette expert never could've dreamed about, from how to use (wisely) use technology, the rules for same-sex weddings, and much more. Here, the fourth generation of Posts tackle your biggest wedding guest problems.

Ashlee Simpson is Engaged to Evan Ross!

More wedding bells for the Simpson sisters! Ashlee is engaged to actor Evan Ross (son of the legendary Diana Ross). The singer shared the happy news on Twitter this evening — "My baby love and I are ENGAGED!!! Hallelujah Hawaii!!!!!"— along with a photo of her new ring:

ashlee simpson evan ross engaged

Ross worked with famed Los Angeles jewelry designer Neil Lane to create the one-of-a-kind ring, which stemmed from a piece in Lane's vintage archival collection. The original ring featured a marquise-cut diamond surrounded by small rubies. The pair worked together to add a modern twist, consulting with the bride-to-be's mother, Tina Simpson, to make sure Ashlee would love it. The updated ring features a diamond sleeve around the rubies, giving the new five-carat ring a total of 140 white diamonds accented with more rubies, set in platinum and gold. “Evan was really, really sweet, and he was looking for something beautiful, a unique ring that said everything: love, romance, beauty, character. He didn’t want anything traditional," Lane told People. "His taste level is exquisite, and he wanted to make sure it was a perfect ring for his love.”

How One Man Used an Entire Dorm Building to Propose

One unadvertised perk of being a university resident hall director — your dormitory can help you pull off a truly memorable proposal!

dorm proposal
Photo via Reddit

When Frank Tierney, a resident hall director at the University of Buffalo, popped the question to his girlfriend Katelyn Illingworth in front of his dorm, "Will you marry me?" popped up in the windows of the 10-story building.

"[We] blacked out all the windows with poster board," shared Tierney's friend on Reddit. "Then we traced out letters and poked holes along them, inserting the lights into the holes."

The process took about two weeks of planning for the group of 10 friends who helped pull off the proposal. 

"When he stopped her in the middle of the parking lot, he gave his speech and we all waited for the signal. When he got down on one knee, we turned each floor on in descending order with a person in the stairwell shouting to each floor when to turn their lights on."

Watch the video here!

—Kristen Klein

2014 Golden Globes: The Best Hair & Makeup

BG brides, did you tune into the 71st Annual Golden Globes? We curled up on the couch with a big bowl of popcorn to scout the evening's most covetable fashion looks and there were some huge hits — 12 Years a Slave's Lupita Nyong'o in a red Calvin Klein cape, Naomi Watts in Tom Ford, and mama-to-be Olivia Wilde's emerald Gucci dress.

But overall, the looks were downright...polarizing. (Jennifer Lawrence, we love you, but those comparisons between your Dior dress and Ariel from The Little Mermaid are spot-on! See a hilarious photo here.)

Thankfully, all of our favorite starlets were on the same page when it came to hair and makeup. Check out the most glamorous beauty looks below and tell us which one you'd most like to wear on your big day!

Margot Robbie
Sign us up for that amazing glow, stat! The Wolf of Wall Street actress's dewy makeup and side-parted bun is perfect for the bride who wants a natural yet photo-ready look on her wedding day. Her makeup artist, Jenn Streicher, applied St. Tropez Self Tan Bronzing Mousse to create a golden, sun-kissed base.

margot robbie 2014 golden globes
Photo via Alexandroh on Instagram

Amber Heard
Viewers had strong reactions to Heard's teased-up-to-there bun, but we thought her bronze smoky eye was perfection! Tell us: Would you wear a loose updo on your wedding day?

Amazing "Pride and Prejudice"-Themed Proposal

For anyone who's ever pined after their own Mr. Darcy, you're going to swoon over this proposal story that's two centuries in the making. Bethany Albert was visiting her parents over the holidays in Tacoma, Washington, when she unknowingly found herself starring in a real-life version of Pride and Prejudice

The action unfolded on Christmas Eve, when she stepped into her family's home and was seized by her sister, who exclaimed that "Mr. Bingley had returned to Netherfield at last!" The English lit major and Jane Austen fan froze when she realized what was about to unfold: "It took less than ten seconds; another sister was taking pictures and this had my boyfriend written all over it. Also knew that we were going to get engaged at some point, but he still managed to surprise me," the bride-to-be writes on Reddit.

Albert changed into a dress more befitting of the era and was handed a script. She reprised the role of Elizabeth Bennet and acted out pivotal scenes from the novel with her parents (the honorable Mr. and Mrs. Bennet), brother-in-law (Mr. Bingley) and her boyfriend, David Slater (Mr. Darcy), among other relatives. She "just about lost it" but everyone else managed to stay in character for the entire half hour.

Then, the literary heroine and her dashing suitor took a private walk outside, where he reenacted Darcy's second heart-stopping proposal in her neighbor's yard ("my affections and wishes are unchanged, but one word from you will silence me forever").

Check out their adorable photos below!

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