fall bridal 2010

| FALL BRIDAL | FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2010

FALL BRIDAL | FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2010 | PAGE 3

By Debbie GloverSt. Tammany News

Every bride has an ideaof the perfect wed-ding, usually starting

when she was a little girl.The perfect wedding is

meeting Prince Charmingat the altar or at the front ofthe room, surrounded bythose you care for, friendsand family, can fulfill a life-time of dreams, even forthose brides on a budget.

Several venues are avail-able to help make that wed-ding dream come true.

The Castle, or LouisianaCastle, is available inFranklinton. Dolly andSteve Illg provide all theamenities anyone couldwant. Dolly said thatalthough they offer “onestop shopping” for brides,including a ceremony, ballroom, decorations, florals,catering, cake and groom’scake and a DJ, outsidecatering is allowed as well.

Prices are online at theirWeb site and depend uponthe day of the week.

A popular site for desti-nation weddings, they haveheld weddings for couplesfrom as far away as NewYork and California. Theyusually have the weddingand reception at the castle,then honeymoon in NewOrleans.

They are booking wed-dings as far away as 2012.Illg said that most bridescome in with a date in mind,which can cause problemsin booking.

“We try to work withbrides, but it is best to callus as soon as possible,” saidIllg.

For 25 years, SouthernOaks Plantation in NewOrleans has provided bridesand grooms with their per-fect weddings. Bobby Asarosaid that hey have been inthe business a long time andare known for their foodand drinks, so they do notallow outside caterers. Inorder to secure a date, a

bride should contact Asaroas soon as possible, usually ayear in advance.

They accommodate 100-400 guests and can evenprovide fireworks if want-ed. The antebellum look isquite popular and manybrides like the horse andbuggy motif as well. Theyprovide everything- bar,sound system with DJ, dec-orations and even speciallighting. One of the fewthings not provided is acake.

“Basically, a bride doesnot have to do a whole lot,”said Asaro.

A popular venue inCovington is Annadele’sPlantation Restaurant. JulieMealer, the events manager,said that their weddingpackages include cateringas well as a suite for thecouple’s wedding night.Although they do not pro-vide the cake, music orflorist, they do have a ven-dor list that includesproviders “whose work welike,” said Mealer.

The site has providedbrides with a venue for thepast 20 years, seven yearswith the present owner.

The site is available forwedding ceremonies as wellas receptions.

Mealer said that a brideshould schedule the site assoon as she knows the date.It simply depends on thedate.

Mealer said that eventhough several dates may beavailable, it may happenthat one or two dates arebooked years in advance.

Experts and weddingplanners all suggest book-ing the reception hall andcaterer well in advance,including a deposit andsigning the contract toreserve the date.

Modern receptions canbe fun and stress-free aslong as the bride and thereception hall/caterer cankeep to the budget and thelist of what is included isclearly known in advance.

Wedding dreams can come true

Fall Bridal 2010Stories:

Debbie GloverSuzanne LeBretonErik Sanzenbach

Cover Design:

Sheila Allemand

In this issue

The perfect wedding - 3G

Fall weddings - 4G

Transportation - 5G

Dresses/tuxedos - 6G

Cakes - 11G

Flowers - 12G

Rings - 13G

Something borrowed - 14


Spring and summer maybe the seasons that firstcome to mind when youbegin planning a wedding,but autumn has a lot tooffer brides too.

From cooler, dryerweather and the gloriousbackdrop of fall colors tothe opportunity to land agreat deal on a receptionvenue, fall delivers manyrewards for couples on theroad to wedded bliss.

“We’re seeing increasedinterest in fall weddings,”says Raymond Miller of MyWedding Reception Ideas.com, a leading onlineresource for brides seekingunique wedding favors andother items. “Brides lovethe natural colorfulness ofthe season and the weathertends to be more reliable

and comfortable for out-door weddings. In fact,autumn may soon surpassspring as a preferred monthto hold a wedding.”

If you’re planning yournuptials for harvest season,Miller offers some advicefor incorporating the bestelements of the season inyour big day.

Cash in on color Vibrant reds, dazzling

oranges, glittering goldsand bold browns - fall’spalate is a glorious profu-sion of colors unique to theseason.

Autumn brides shouldrevel in the season’s colors,drawing the hues of fall intoall aspects of their wed-dings, from bridesmaid

gowns to table linens, floralarrangements and fall wed-ding favors.

“Fall colors offer manyadvantages when it comesto planning a wedding,”Miller says. For example,it’s easy to mix and matchmore than one fall colorbecause they tend to natu-rally complement eachother. For a spring wedding,it might be difficult to findjust the right floral colors toenhance a particular shadeof lavender bridesmaidgown.

But pair bronze gownswith flowers that sportautumnal reds and golds,and you’ll have a sure win.

Favor the fall Brides looking for truly

unique wedding favors willfind that the variety of fallwedding favors availablemakes it easy to put theirpersonal stamp on theirwedding.

“Favors are an importantpart of any wedding,”Miller says. “After all,they’re the keepsakes thatwill hopefully remind yourguests for years to come ofhow much they enjoyedyour special day.”

Whether they’re whim-sical (pear-shaped scentedsoaps), practical (oak leafkeychains) or sophisticated(bronze metal fall leaf winebottle stoppers), fall wed-ding favors are a great wayto underscore a wedding’sautumnal theme.

Choosing favors thatallow for optimum person-

alization - like personalizedcandy apple boxes that youfill with a homemade ver-sion of the classic autumntreat - will also help guestsremember your weddingwith warmth and fondness.

You can find ample fallwedding favor ideas at MyWedding Reception Ideas.com.

Accessorizingwith autumn

Don’t forget to continueyour autumn themethroughout your weddingwith fall themed weddingaccessories.

You can find leaf-motifunity candles, napkins andguest towels in fall colors,autumn-themed invitations

and save-the-date cards,cake serving sets withmaple leaf details, and ahost of other items that allplay to a fall theme.

Floral arrangements alsooffer a chance to convey anautumn theme and dosomething unique at thesame time.

Whether you opt forarrangements that featurefall flowers, like mums orgardenias, or out-of-seasonflowers that sport fall col-ors, you can accentarrangements with brightlyhued leaves, branches,berries, cornstalks, hay andother natural or nature-inspired touches that arespecial to the season.

-Courtesy of ARAContent

Fall in love with these fall wedding ideas


By Erik SanzenbachSt. Tammany News

So now you have theflower arrangements inplace, the church is set, theinvitations have been sentout and a million otherdetails have been settled,except for one thing —transportation for the wed-ding couple.

Since it is such an impor-tant day, you don’t want toshow up at the church injust any car. You want abeautiful luxurious limou-sine that can get you to thechurch on time, and whiskyou away to the receptionand honeymoon after theceremony.

There are lots of limorental companies around,and according to Vic

Planetta, owner of VIPWorldwide, a Slidell limorental service and weddingplanning center, like buyinga new or used car, renting alimo can be tricky and hehas a few tips on what tolook for.

“Check out the car phys-ically,” Planetta said. “Seethe actual car that you willbe riding in.” He added thatjust calling a company torent a limo won’t do. They

might send you somethingthat looks OK on the out-side, but then breaks downon the wedding day.

“I have heard nightmarestories of people gettinginto a limo that was dirty,that smelled bad and stillhad trash from the partythe night before,” Planettasaid.

So go to the companyitself and pick out the caryou want. Then check the

tires. Make sure the interioris clean and does not smell.Turn on the air condition-ing and make sure it works.Nothing could be worsethan to get into a hot limodressed in a wedding dress.

After you picked the limoyou want, sit down andread the contract. Planettasaid some companies willtell you one rate and thencharge you more. Whenyou complain, they willpoint to the contract. Somake sure you are gettingwhat you pay for. Thougheverything may be plannedout in a wedding, there arealways snags that couldcause you to use the limolonger than expected. Makesure that you know whatyou will be charged if youneed the limo longer than

contracted for, so you won’tget hit with a giant bill.

Planetta said to alsocheck out the space insideof the limo. Remember, thebride is wearing a complexwedding dress with veiland train, and she shouldhave enough room to get in,sit down and get out with-out getting tangled. Makesure she can get in and outof the car gracefully andwithout a lot of twistingand turning.

Also, it’s a good idea tocheck out the mileage onthe car. If it has a lot ofmileage, it might be a goodidea to look at another limo,so that you know all thebells and whistles areworking.

Planetta said his compa-ny has a large selection of

limos for every occasion,including sporting events.He also plans weddings andother functions, and thereis an in-house flower shopso that the bride can pickher flowers and limo at thesame time.

But he said the biggestthing any couple shouldlook for is the wear and tearon the limo, especially onthe inside.

Remember, these vehi-cles are used not only forweddings, but for parties,sporting events and otheractivities, so they do take alot of abuse.

If you take your timewith choosing the limo, acouple should be able to getto the church, and then thereception in style and com-fort.

Getting to and from the church in style“Check out the car physically. See theactual car that you will be riding in.”

VIC PLANETTAOwner, VIP Worldwide

By Suzanne Le BretonSt. Tammany News

The average bridespends $1,000 to $1,200 onher wedding dress.

Most will only wear it fora couple of hours, but theevents of those couple ofhours and details of thatdress will live on in theirmemories for the rest oftheir lives.

Brandi Benson, officemanager for Ladies andGents in Slidell, said thesweetheart necklines arestill very popular with

brides as well as the longtrains and corseted backs.

However, she said thereare a variety of styles avail-able, and she recommendstrying on different styles tosee what fits your bodyshape the best.

Benson said often times abride will come in with aparticular dress in mindand they just want to get fit-ted for that dress. She saidshe always tried to encour-age them to try on moredresses so they can see howother styles fit them beforethey go with that one dress.

“You never know whatlooks good on your body,”she said.

She also said while olderbrides tend to stick to thetraditional white, manyyounger brides are optingfor ivory-colored dresses.

She said another newtrend that was broughtback from the recent mar-kets are dressed with tieredbottoms made of chiffon.

Something that becamepopular a couple of yearsago and has remained afavorite with brides is ruch-ing, which is a bunchingand gathering of fabric onthe skirt. This makes theskirt look fuller and addssome depth to the dress.

For the men, the tradi-tional black tux is still thelook of choice. Benson saidvery few men opt for whitetuxes these days and no onegets tails any more.

Men either get one, twoor three button black tuxes.And the groom wears a tieand vest to match thebride’s dress – either whiteor ivory, where the groom’s

men wear ties and vest tomatch the bridesmaids.

When it comes to brides-maids, Benson said the lookvaries from bride to bride,with some opting for shortdresses and others request-ing their attendants wearlong dresses.

She said it is not uncom-mon for bridesmaids towear long dresses in thesummer or short dresses inthe winter, as it is all up tothe look the bride wants toachieve.

However, the color of thedresses often reflects theseason, with lighter colorsbeing chosen for the springand summer and darkercolors for the fall and win-ter.

And after the wedding, to

keep that dress looking nicein case a daughter or niecewants to wear it in thefuture, most cleaners offeran heirloom service.

Norma Chelette withHebert’s Cleaners inCovington said this isimportant if you don’t wantyour dress to age and turnyellow.

The cleaner first spotcleans the dress and thenwraps it in acid-free tissueand vacuum seals. Afterthat the bride should keepit in a cool dry place.

When it is ready to beworn again or brought outto be sold, it will likely stillneed to be cleaned andsteamed to freshen it, but itwill still be white and stain-free.

PAGE 6 | FALL BRIDAL | FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2010

There are a variety of styles to chose fromTry on different kinds before picking a dress, tuxedo

“You never know what looks good on your body.” BRANDI BENSON

Ladies and Gents


When planning yourwedding cake – let yourimagination run wild.

The days of the threetired, round white cakewith small flowers is out ofthe window.

Marguerite Riehm,owner of Marguerite’sCakes in Slidell, said thesedays brides-to-be are wait-ing more colors and moreshapes when the order thecake for their big day.

She said the cake, whichis usually the main center-piece at the wedding, asidefrom the happy couple,should reflect the theme ofthe wedding and the per-sonalities of the couple get-ting married.

She said younger couplesare ordering different stylecakes and less traditionalcakes, but older couplesoften stick with the tradi-tional white tiered weddingcake.

She said most brides liketheir cake iced with decora-tions and accents made outof fondant, and fewerbrides are going for cakesthat are fully covered infondant.

She said most bakers willwork with the couple topersonalize their cake.

The shape and color ofthe cake can even varybetween tiers.

In addition to the coloricing, the shape of the cake,the number and arrange-ment of tiers and fondantaccents, another way topersonalize a cake is tochoose a flavor cake otherthan the traditional almondwedding cake.

However, Riehm said,keep in mind that the kindof cake you like may not bethe kind of cake most peo-ple like, and ultimately the

cake is for your guests andnot for you to eat.

She said this also needsto be kept in mind whenplanning a groom’s cake.

She said many brideswhen ordering theirgroom’s cake want to gettheir groom’s favorite fla-

vor, and she tries to talkthem out of it.

She usually suggests achocolate fudge cakebecause most people likechocolate cake plus it givesa second option to thewhite cake that is usuallyprovided as the bride’s

cake. When thinking about a

groom’s cake design consid-er the groom’s hobbies orfavorite sports teams andtalk it over with your bakerto come up with a designthat will represent him inthe best way possible.


Don’t be afraid to get creativewhen planning your cake

Younger couples are ordering more different style cakesand less traditional cakes, but older

couples often stick with the traditional white tiered wedding cake.

MARGUERITE RIEHMMarguerite’s Cakes


Roses.Red, yellow, white, pink,

all roses are beautiful andstill the choice of brideseverywhere, at least fortheir bouquets.

Flowers pay an impor-tant part in a traditionalwedding. The number andchoice of flowers dependson many factors, includingthe time of year, the bride’sbudget and the focus of thewedding in general.

Darlene Marcantel of

Flower and Fancies saidthat no two weddings, orbrides, are alike. Dependingon the size of the wedding,reserving a florist should bea priority. Marcantel said atleast a month is needed, butif it is a big wedding, moretime may be needed.

The first flowers thebride usually thinks of isher bouquet. Then comesthe bouquets of the brides-maids, boutonnieres for thegroom, ushers and themothers of the bride andgroom.

Many brides offer anarrangement at the churchto leave for the weekendservices. Others have topi-aries on the aisle that needto be transported to thereception.

Depending on the type ofreception, a centerpiece orflower arrangement may beneeded for tables. Other

arrangements can add tothe ambiance of the eventthroughout the facility.

Flowers can be symbolicas well and send a message.The rose was popularizedin the Victorian era. This isalso where the tossing ofthe bouquet originated,with the bride throwing herbouquet to a friend uponleaving the festivities tokeep the friend safe, wardoff evil spirits and offer herluck.

Now it is done to signifythe next one to be married.A tossing bouquet is popu-lar for the ritual, with thebride keeping her originalone as a keepsake and hav-ing a less elaborate bouquetfor tossing.

Does the bouquet tossingwork? Ask a hundred peo-ple and you will get a hun-dred answers.

Also in the bouquet,many brides have greeneryand baby’s breath. Thesymbolism of baby’s breathinclude innocence,although many bridesselect it simply as a filler forthe bouquet.

Some brides choosedaisies, a gesture of sharingyour feelings. Orchids canmean love and beauty.Roses, of course, mean love,joy and beauty and are themost popular weddingflower. Yellow roses, how-ever, can signify jealousy.

The veil in a wedding isusually anchored by a smallcap decorated with pearlsor flowers, or both.

Some brides choose towear flowers to anchor theveil, or sometimes no veil atall, simply flowers in theirhair.

Whatever your choice orfamily custom, floriststoday are prepared to meetthe bride’s need and wish-es. It really is the bride’schoice.


The traditional flower of love and brides—roses


An engagement ring andhow it is presented to abride to be is somethingshe will not forget, soDebbie Callens, sales asso-ciation at ChampagneJewelers in Slidell, said it isnot a decision to take light-ly.

“It is the most specialtime in a young woman’slife. Her engagement ringand how he gives it to her issomething she will tell hergrandchildren about.”

Callens said a woman’sengagement ring is some-thing she will keep withher for the rest of her lifeand will likely pass it on tofuture generations.

With that in mind shesaid, grooms-to-be shouldlook to buy the best qualitythey can reasonably afford.

At Champagne Jewelers,she said, that quality isfound in the Tacori line,which she said is the num-ber one bridal line in thenation. Each piece is madeindividually to the bride’sspecifications.

“They are really beauti-ful,” Callens said.

Brett Lowe said that inthe past men were expect-

ed to spend three months’salary on engagement ring,but that custom no longerholds true.

In today’s economy menare spending less on rings.

He said it is ultimatelythe size of the center stonethat dictates the cost.

Both Callens and Lowesaid fewer couples are buy-ing three-piece weddingsets as many men havefound they do not likewearing the more ornaterings that match theirwives’ rings.

Lowe said many womenlook for engagement ringand wedding band sets thatgo together in design andfit snuggly together.

The women are also get-ting rings that have onecenter stone with smallerstones circling around it.

Callens said atChampagne’s ladies areopting for the princess cutdiamonds, which aresquare in shape and offerthe brilliance of the roundstones.

Both said their top seller

is still white gold, but Lowesaid yellow gold is startingto make a come back.

They said most men areopting for plain, traditionalbands, and, like women,most men prefer the whitegold or at least the silvercolor of white gold.

Callens said when a mancomes to buy a weddingring or when his fiancéecomes to buy it for him, onething needs to be taken into consideration.

If you have a man whoworks outdoors with hishands or in a shop, Callenssaid, you want to make surehe has a ring that he canwear to work and not onethat ends up in a jewelrybox gathering dust.

She recommends bluecolor workers consider get-ting a ring made out of abase metal and not a pre-cious metal, meaning theyshould look into ringsmade out of titanium, tung-sten or cobalt steel.

And with all rings, formen and women, Callenssaid, shoppers should con-sider buying comfortbands, which will not cutinto their fingers.

But, as Lowe said, ulti-mately, when you are shop-ping for wedding and

engagement rings, the onething you have to keep in

mind is “it’s your ring. Getwhat you want.”


With this ring…What to think about when buying your rings


“Something old, some-thing new, something bor-rowed, something blue,” is apopular rhyme about wed-ding dating from theVictorian era.

The something old, doesnot refer to the groom, butthe bond to the bride’s fam-ily and her old life.Something new, refers tothe couple’s new lifetogether and their futurehope for happiness, pros-perity and success.Something borrowedshould be from a happilymarried woman, meant toimpart similar happiness tothe bride. Something bluerepresents fidelity and con-sistency.

Until the Victorian era,women would wear theirbest gown, not a particularwedding dress. The whitedress was meant to symbol-ize purity and virginity aswell as to ward off evil spir-its.

The throwing rice is notas prevalent as it used to be,because many churchesand reception halls frownupon it for safety reasons.The rice was used to sym-bolize life-giving seeds andfertility. As an alternative,many weddings now fea-ture blowing bubbles, bird-seed, releasing doves orother birds, rose petals orringing miniature bells.

Boutonnieres for themen in the wedding partysymbolize the wearing ofthe lady’s colors from

medieval times.The wedding ring is

placed on the third finger ofthe bride’s left handbecause traditionally, it wasthought to be a direct veinto the heart.

Other traditions includ-ing the first kiss, the brideand groom sharing theirsouls at the altar and seal-ing their agreement to joinin a life-long commitmentto each other.

When the wedding cakeis cut, the bride and groomshare the first piece to sym-bolize fertility and a fruitfulunion.

Many couples want towrite their own vows.These vows should beapproved beforehand bythe person officiating at theceremony to make certain

legal and religious criteriahas been met.

In many ceremonies, aunity candle is lit, symbol-izing the joining of twofamilies—the bride’s and

groom’s, into one family.Many times in a Catholicceremony, a tribute is paidto the Blessed Mother, usu-ally placing a rose at herfeet.

Another great traditionis pulling the ribbon in thecake. This New Orleans tra-dition involves the unmar-ried women gatheringaround the cake before it iscut and “pulling” a whiteribbon. At the end of theribbon is a silver charm,each with a certain mean-ing.

Of course, the ribbonwith the wedding ring sig-nifies the next to be mar-ried. The one pulling thesilver thimble will nevermarry.

Other charms and theirmeaning include the heart,true love; horseshoe orclover is good luck; fleur-de-lis means love willbloom; anchor is hope,dime means wealth; andthe penny signifies poverty.


Something old, something new for everyone

Another great tradition is pulling theribbon in the cake. This New Orleans

tradition involves the unmarriedwomen gathering around the cake

before it is cut and “”pulling” a whiteribbon. At the end of the ribbon is a

silver charm, each with a certain meaning.

fall bridal 2010

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