Tuesday, August 3, 2010

“Cheap wedding gifts for the couple, attendants - KABC” plus 3 more

“Cheap wedding gifts for the couple, attendants - KABC” plus 3 more

Cheap wedding gifts for the couple, attendants - KABC

Posted: 03 Aug 2010 04:38 PM PDT

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Weddings can be stressful and expensive. But whether you're a bride-to-be on the hunt for attendant gifts or a guest looking through a friend's registry, you don't have to empty your checking account to find a unique and memorable gift.

Emily Pirkle and Michelle Zimmerman are two brides on a mission to save some dollars on their big day.

"I've made all the centerpieces. We made the invitations. I actually found an amazing dress for $100 that I bought from a friend," said Pirkle.

"What we've done is make our save-the-dates. We're going to be making our menus, our programs," said Zimmerman.

One task they have left to tackle is gifts for their bridesmaids. Sharon Stimpfle with WeddingChannel.com says 88 percent of couples gift their attendants.

"The average bride spends $81 per gift for each bridesmaid in her party. Groomsmen also receive gifts from the groom-to-be and that's an average of $71," said Stimpfle.

Don't get tied up in knots about cost. Stimpfle says it's easy to find a meaningful gift on a budget.

"Personalization is a great movement right now, especially given the economy," said Stimpfle.

Brides take note. Stimpfle says engraved stationary, with sets starting as low as $14, is a fun way to say thank you.

Having a destination wedding? For $30 to $40, you can personalize a canvas tote bag.

"Fill it with tons of beach accessories. Depending on the items that you fill in that bag, you can really control the budget and the amount that you spend," said Stimpfle.

Pirkle is going the do-it-yourself route, sewing her own tote bags for the girls.

"I was going to stuff it full of pieces of jewelry and pieces of art that I've made, and I think it's going to be a good reflection of their relationship with me," said Pirkle.

For the guys, create a basket of barbecue goodies. Fill it with things like spices, sauces and tools all for $65 and under. Or try your hand at a poker set. Prices start at $40.

"You can personalize the chips with their initials, or any other emblem that's special to them," said Stimpfle.

If you're a guest, stylish gifts don't need to come steep, either.

"You want to make sure you're checking the registry, shopping smartly, and looking out for store sales," said Stimpfle.

Zimmerman added a range of price points to her registry.

"One idea for a group gift is actually to get a wine rack that the couple may have registered for and fill it up with their favorite wines, or just wines from the year that they're getting married," said Stimpfle.

You can toast the couple for as little as $75.

On your own for the gift? Mix things up with a set of mixing bowls. Fill it with recipes and pre-baked sweets for $40 to $50. Or treat the new duo to a movie night in for $30 or less.

(Copyright ©2010 KABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)

Get more Save Money / Consumer News »

Tags:

save money / consumer news, ric romero

Five Filters featured article: "Peace Envoy" Blair Gets an Easy Ride in the Independent. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

The Reliable Source: Bill Clinton moonwalks at Chelsea's wedding - Washington Post

Posted: 03 Aug 2010 07:05 AM PDT

Another memorable moment from Chelsea Clinton's wedding: Bill Clinton, on the dance floor Saturday night, making a very proud attempt at the moonwalk.

See? We knew we could cadge a few more details from the guests, once they'd recovered from a three-day weekend of festivities that didn't end until Sunday afternoon, with brunch for all 400 at a restored barn outside of Rhinebeck, N.Y.

And how about those guests? Ever more indication that this truly was Chelsea and Marc Mezvinsky's wedding, not a fundraising opportunity or Renaissance Weekend Redux. The only Cabinet-level guests from the White House years appeared to be Madeleine Albright and John Podesta. Podesta's predecessors as chief of staff, like Mack McLarty and Erskine Bowles, not in evidence. Instead: Many lesser-known staffers who'd spent more time with Chelsea, including two White House butlers. And Chelsea's spinning instructor, manicurist, family doctor. And scads of 30-something friends of the bride and groom.

Out of that category came Friday's rehearsal-dinner entertainment: Tim Blane, a Boston-based singer-songwriter, whose band has a jazzy pop sound. The Potomac native was a Sidwell Friends classmate of the bride's. In an e-mail he told us it was an "absolute joy" and honor to play for his friend -- but sorry, no other details, out of respect for their privacy.

Guests got gift bags that included pretzels, peaches and bottles of wine from the fortuitously named Clinton Vineyards in nearby Clinton Corners, N.Y.

Oh, and so you know, turns out that the jewelry Hillary Clinton wore with her Oscar de la Renta dress -- a pink crystal necklace and earrings -- was custom-made by D.C.'s Ann Hand store.

As a month of speculative frenzy finally quieted, we checked in with Jim Langan, editor of the Hudson Valley News, which had the biggest hit of the news cycle -- but also the biggest miss. The small-town weekly broke the news that this super-secret wedding would happen in Rhinebeck. But it also trumpeted a scoop -- echoed across the mainstream media -- that guests would include Oprah Winfrey, President Obama, Steven Spielberg and Ted Turner. None of it true.

Regarding the first story, Langan said, "We're pretty pleased. ... It certainly raised our visibility." As for the second, he wouldn't say what went so wrong, but "I can think of a couple sources I won't use again."

He added: "There was a palpable disappointment around town when they realized the biggest celebrity was going to be Ted Danson."

Finally, guests had barely cleared out of the wedding reception when the grand estate where it was held -- Astor Courts, the beaux-arts mansion built for John Jacob Astor IV -- was put on the market for $12.million. The headline on the ad in Sunday's New York Post: "Yes, It's for Sale. Home of the Recent Celebrity Wedding."

Five Filters featured article: "Peace Envoy" Blair Gets an Easy Ride in the Independent. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Why is Turquoise Jewelry so Popular? - Associated Content

Posted: 03 Aug 2010 08:17 AM PDT

Other tribes and clans equated turquoise with the spirits of the sea and sky and believed it had the power to call the rain god. For that reason, it was used in rain ceremonies and dances.

Later on, aviators and others involved in any field of flight embraced turquoise as a protection stone. Rather than using it in jewelry; however, they often carried a lone stone or combination of nuggets or chips.

 

Today, some psychics believe that turquoise helps them make a stronger connection with the spirit world. Additionally, it is thought to help focus prophetic dreams as well as cleanse the soul of toxins and negative influence. That is why it has been referred to as a stone of emotional, mental and physical health.

Others believe the turquoise exhibits a pledge of love or adoration. In some European countries, it is given as gifts to close friends and lovers. In Russia it is even used in wedding rings.

Unfortunately, only about 1% of the world's turquoise is hard enough to be cut without being treated or stabilized. That which does fall into this unique category is quite expensive. That is why turquoise is often presented in nugget or chip format.

Most turquoise bought on the open market is what is known as "stabilized turquoise." That means that the small cracks and pores of larger stones have been filled in with a jewelry quality clear acrylic agent or epoxy. Smaller stones may be combined together using the same process in order to make a bigger stone that can be cut or shaped. The process strengthens the stone sufficiently for it to be cut and shaped.

Turquoise is also sometimes sliced into thin strips to be used for inlay purposes. These strips are also coated with epoxy or acrylic to prevent breakage.

Over the past decade, the popularity of this gemstone has skyrocketed. Consequently, many turquoise mines have been literally mined out. While a precious few new ones have been discovered, it is evident the market will not be able to sustain the demand much longer unless a drastic change occurs.

For this reason, the cost of turquoise is also going up. Even in this difficult economy, it continues to be one of the gems in which people are willing to invest.

Five Filters featured article: "Peace Envoy" Blair Gets an Easy Ride in the Independent. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Chelsea Clinton wedding: Small N.Y. town gets ready for Chelsea Clinton wedding - Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel

Posted: 31 Jul 2010 07:12 PM PDT

Reporting from Rhinebeck, N.Y. —

On a breezy summer night, behind the stone walls of a 106-year-old estate, hundreds of celebrities, dignitaries, family and friends gathered Saturday to witness Chelsea Clinton make Marc Mezvinsky the newest member of the Clinton political clan.

Clinton and Mezvinsky wed just before sunset on the secluded Astor Courts estate after frenzied days of anticipation among a nation of wedding-watchers. On Saturday, townspeople and media hordes converged on sidewalks of this community north of New York City hoping for a glimpse of the festivities.

The bride's father, former President Bill Clinton, whizzed up to the sprawling grounds half an hour before the wedding in a four-vehicle motorcade, arriving soon after his wife, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.


The interfaith ceremony was officiated jointly by Rabbi James Ponet, a Jewish chaplain at Yale, and the Rev. William Shillady, a Methodist minister from New York City. Chelsea Clinton, 30, wore a Vera Wang dress, and the couple exchanged vows under a gazebo of white flowers.

Afterward, the parents of the bride released a statement saying, "We watched with great pride and overwhelming emotion as Chelsea and Marc wed in a beautiful ceremony at Astor Courts, surrounded by family and their close friends. We could not have asked for a more perfect day to celebrate the beginning of their life together, and we are so happy to welcome Marc into our family."

Mezvinsky, 32, is a former Goldman Sachs investment banker who now works at a hedge fund. He is the son of Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky, a former Democratic U.S. representative from Pennsylvania, and former U.S. Rep. Ed Mezvinsky, a Democrat from Iowa. The bride and groom met while growing up in Washington, D.C., and both attended Stanford.

Although there's been much buzz about the wedding — guessing the costs, imagining Chelsea Clinton's dress, trying to identify invited celebrities — the event remained shrouded in secrecy. All involved, including guests and caterers, were asked to keep the details private.

In the end, the wedding seemed notable for how low-key the guests and family managed to keep it, and for the big names who did not attend, including former Vice President Al Gore and Oprah Winfrey.

Guests in tuxedos and formal gowns were picked up by chartered green buses from a few nondescript Marriot and Hampton Inn hotels in neighboring towns.

On Saturday morning, police SUVs guarded the unmarked entrance to the Astor Courts, backed up by "No Trespassing" signs. A no-fly zone was in effect over the area throughout the night.

Across the street, neighbors put up a modest handwritten sign that said, "Mazel Tov Chelsea," a nod to Mezvinsky's Jewish heritage.

At the Chamonix Bridal Shop in town, owners Heather Graham and Allison Sims dressed a window mannequin in a wedding gown and hung a banner reading "A toast to Chelsea and Marc."

Sims' 3-month-old daughter had a bow in her hair for the occasion, and Graham's son wore a tuxedo. Graham said that some wedding guests had stopped by to pick up last-minute hairpieces and jewelry.

"It's like a carnival," Graham said. "Everyone is just so positive and upbeat."

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and political power player Terry McAuliffe lunched Saturday at Gigi Trattoria, where Bill Clinton ate on Friday before strolling around town. Vera Wang, the designer and a friend of the Clintons, tried to eat at Gigi but was driven away by a media horde hungry for celebrity sightings.

Friday night, Bill and Hillary Clinton attended a wedding party at the Beekman Arms, where news anchor Diane Sawyer and businessman and film producer Steve Bing were among the guests.

Later on Saturday, Ted Danson and his wife, Mary Steenburgen, checked in at the historic inn before heading to the wedding.

"She's a beautiful girl and he's a wonderful guy," Steenburgen said of the bride and groom.

Face Stockholm, a makeup store in Rhinebeck, quietly groomed several wedding guests in back. Megan Martino, a manager at the store, said the guests had not wanted anything fancy.

"They all wanted a very simple, natural country look," Martino said.

A number of guests were staying in town at the Looking Glass Bed & Breakfast. The owner, Cari Metzer, said that over breakfast people going to the wedding were all talking about the lack of fancy frills in the weekend's plans.

"There are no horse-drawn carriages or anything like that," Metzer said. "Chelsea just wanted to have a nice, normal wedding."

nathaniel.popper@latimes.com

Five Filters featured article: "Peace Envoy" Blair Gets an Easy Ride in the Independent. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.
Posted by at

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)