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A New Zealand man who promised his wife he would find his wedding ring after it fell into the capital’s murky harbour has been successful, 16 months later.
Ecologist Aleki Taumoepeau was checking Wellington harbour for invasive plant species in March last year when the ring fell into three metres of water.
“It flew off into the air and everyone on the boat was looking at it and said it was like a scene from ‘Lord of the Rings’ in slow motion,” Rachel Taumoepeau was quoted as saying in Thursday’s Dominion Post newspaper.
Taumoepeau tossed an anchor overboard to mark the spot and pledged to Rachel, his wife of three months, that he would find it.
She offered to buy a replacement. “I just said ‘No, I’ll find it’,” Taumoepeau said.
An initial search three months after the loss failed, but Taumoepeau was determined. He returned again recently for another dive, risking chilly mid-winter temperatures.
“I was getting cold and tired so I said to God it would be really good to find the ring about now,” he said.
He spotted the anchor – with the ring lying just inches away.
“I couldn’t believe that I could see the ring so perfectly,” he said. “The whole top surface of the ring was glowing” in the normally murky waters.
Friends have taken to calling Taumoepeau “Lord of the Ring”.
The winners of a Star Trek wedding planning contest have said they will not dress up in costumes – instead, they are asking guests to wear clothes appropriate for a “cocktail party of the future.”
According to a report in the Detroit Free Press, Alissa Mellis and Justin Gruba are big fans of Star Trek: The Next Generation – after all, that’s how they won an ultimate wedding contest conducted by the Detroit Science Center earlier this year.
But that doesn’t mean Mellis is going to be wearing Spock ears to complement her wedding dress.
The prize package includes private use of the museum’s Star Trek: The Exhibition, as well as a reception for 200 guests and two nights’ accommodation for the bride and groom at the MGM Grand Detroit Hotel – in the Star Trek Suite, of course.
Mellis and Gruba told the Free Press they have asked guests to dress for a sophisticated, futuristic event and suggested thinking of art deco and geometric designs as an inspiration.
According to the science center, the bride and groom have asked the caterer to come up with a Star Trek-themed menu that includes Violet Vulcan cocktails. They have also hired a chocolatier to create Klingon Candy, and have commissioned custom wedding rings.
Budget weddings are all the rage these days, but some brides and grooms are taking the trend further and showing just how inexpensive a wedding day can be.
The British press recently reported on a couple who tied the knot for less than £2,000 ($1,650) by holding their reception in a converted garage – and now the same news outlets are highlighting a bride who bought her wedding gown for less than £1 on eBay.
Natalie Mapletoft of Somerset had her heart set on a dream wedding dress that cost £700, but she felt she couldn’t afford it.
But the bride-to-be spotted a Hong Kong-based tailor on eBay who was willing to make replica gowns for a deeply discounted price.
After sending off her measurements, the cost of Mapletoft’s wedding gown was 99p, plus £87 for postage and handling.
The bride told the Belfast Telegraph that she and her groom, Lee, chopped their wedding planning budget nearly in half by purchasing discount decorations, invitations, a veil and a tiara from eBay.
“I wanted to look like a princess but didn’t want to spend £700 on a dress that I wouldn’t wear again,” she told the publication.
Having a tough time deciding on your Best Man? Don’t worry; this is more common than you think. Here are a few pointers to remember when making this important selection. Get it right, because for 50% of us, this is the only wedding you’re ever going to have!
Can he plan a party?
Can he plan the bachelor party that you want? If not, move on to your second choice.
Life-long friend
Thinking about giving the Best Man honor to your current man crush you just met last year? Think again. The most common selections for Best Man are siblings and old friends. This doesn’t mean you can’t choose someone you haven’t known your entire life. But, be sure to ask yourself “Will we still be friends in ten years?”
Is he responsible?
Your Best man is going to have his hands full with wedding duties. Those duties consist of helping plan the bachelor party, helping the groom get prepared on the wedding morning, carrying the bride’s wedding band, giving a toast and more. As the groom, you need to be sure that your choice for Best Man can handle all of the pressure and responsibility that comes with the title.
We know the decision can be tough, but such is life. Luckily you’ve got groomsmen positions for those that just don’t measure up to the title ‘Best Man’.
Plenty of people like to include an animal in their wedding planning – but usually it’s a beloved pet like the family dog.
Now, a British ape rescue center is giving couples the chance to tie the knot while surrounded by a group of live chimpanzees.
Monkey World in Dorset is inviting brides and grooms to tour the 65-acre facility and then to say “I do” near the enclosure where 20 rescued chimpanzees live.
But has anybody signed up for this monkey business? Apparently so, as the very first wedding ceremony is already scheduled for September and Monkey World’s director, Alison Cronin, promises “a very special and unique experience.”
Unique sounds right. But what kind of wedding dress do you wear to the monkey-altar? And do you have to serve banana-flavored wedding cake?
A spokesperson for the center did not address these questions but did tell the BBC that “there will be plenty of unique photo opportunities for the happy couple around the park and by the primate enclosures.”
Just make sure to keep an eye on those wedding bands!
She may not have won last season’s The Biggest Loser, but Nicole Brewer undoubtedly felt victorious as she walked down the aisle this past weekend.
Brewer tied the knot with fiancé Damien Gurganious – who appeared with her on the couples edition of the weight-loss show – on Sunday in Long Island, the New York Daily News reports.
Earlier this year, Brewer filmed a video for Usmagazine.com that showed her trying on a selection of size-eight Amsalewedding dresses. Before losing 100 pounds, she was a size 24.
“Somebody pinch me because I am dreaming!” she said at the time. “Now I know I can fit in something sexy, form-fitting and modern and feel fabulous.”
One of the reasons Brewer and Gurganious decided to go on The Biggest Loser: Couples was to slim down as part of the wedding planning process.
Ahead of the big day, Brewer told the New York Daily News that she felt “like a princess” and that her husband-to-be would “flip out” when he saw her in her wedding gown.
Meanwhile, Gurganious said he was shocked to find that when he was getting fitted for his tuxedo, he could fit into a size 42 instead of a size 60. We think, that our 3 stone diamond ring will be beautiful decoration garnish for her wedding dress.
If you’ve been anticipating news of royal wedding planning from across the pond, you may have to wait a bit longer. Like, until 2011.
The latest rumors about Prince William and Kate Middleton‘s relationship say that Buckingham Palace has decided the 27-year-olds will tie the knot in two years, after the prince is a more established royal.
British tabloid News of the World claims that the nuptials are a “done deal” and that Middleton will don a wedding dress just in time for Queen Elizabeth to celebrate her historic Diamond Jubilee in 2012.
Royal watcher Neil Sean told CBS News that the couple will likely be doing more than just wedding planning in the next couple of years.
“[Middleton] has to learn how to speak in public. She’s a very shy and retiring kind of girl, so she will be having media training,” he said.
Prince William and Middleton have been dating, on and off, for approximately eight years, since they met at St Andrews University in Scotland.
The stud. A term that references a fashion staple that includes countless varieties in different colors, shapes, and sizes but that always have at least one thing in common: exuding toughness. Of course that probably comes from their association with ancient fighters and gladiators wearing them into battle, but nowadays they can be found on everything from suede evening bags to luxe golden rings to sky-high stilettos. And whether you like studs large and tough or dainty and delicate, there’s something out there for every appetite. See a little of what I found in the gallery below.
Another jeweler is closing up shop in the U.S. Indian jewelry chain Tanishq had just two stores in the United States, one in Paramus, New Jersey and one in Schaumburg, Illinois. The first store in the U.S. opened just last summer and the company had planned to open 25 more stores around the U.S. The brand’s stores had a relaxing spa-like theme and the jewelry collections carried names like Zen, Yoga and Gingko. While it looked like they were off to a strong start in the beginning, the economic downturn eventually compelled the brand to look for investors to help keep it alive in the U.S. When none where forthcoming, the brand decided to shut down the two stores which it did last month.
Well, Anna Faris and Chris Pratt hinted that they were going to tie the knot in a private and exchange their wedding bands in a low-key destination wedding ceremony – and now they’ve gone and done it!
The House Bunny star and her boyfriend became husband and wife on July 9 in Bali, the actress’ rep confirmed to People.com.
Earlier this year, Faris told Us Magazine that she and Pratt were planning to go somewhere exotic to say their vows – and avoid a lengthy wedding planning process.
“We made the best decision that I could ever think of – we are just going to slip off and elope,” she said. “We aren’t going to involve the family at all. Then we will go on a honeymoon.”
This was the second trip to the altar for Faris, who was married to actor Ben Indra for four years. They divorced in February 2008.
Faris and Pratt aren’t the only stars to visit Bali recently – Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan also had a honeymoon on the Indonesian island, and they even got matching tattoos (“Side by side” in Balinese) to commemorate the occasion.
Conflict Free Diamonds – DreamsofAfrica.org
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Bride's Choice Awards 2011
