At the risk of sounding redundant, we pick Katherine Heigl -- star of 27 Dresses, newlywed, and current "it girl."

She was more than just a ravishing sight in red, she was a nervous wreck -- and she told the world about it when she got to the podium. "You have to excuse me... I am just so nervous."

She really was. Some people thought her comments were lame. We give her points for being authentic and not trying to act her way through it!

After the Oscars, she chatted with media about wanting to have a baby -- or begin the process, anyway. "I am thinking July. He is thinking next July. Maybe we will meet in the middle, like December," she said.

Posted February 26, 2008 11:02 AM by Editor | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This

Rev. Laurie Sue Brockway
Editor,Wedlok.com

WE TV, formerly the Women's Entertainment Network, discovered with Bridezillas that wacky wedding TV gets good ratings and they have made it a mainstay of their programing. From February 10th till the 17th we'll be treated to a week of wedding-themed "reality" shows.

I want to preface this by saying I do not like the way WE sometimes makes brides look like crazy she-creatures who eat their mates and scream at relatives and friends. Hate that. And the perpetuation of those images worry me, especially on a woman's station.

On the other hand, if you consider that what is called "Reality TV" is actually very smoothly and carefully produced "real life drama" moved along by producers looking to create a certain show then, and only then, can you watch the stuff on WE and consider it pure entertainment.

But, before I share with you the information on the upcoming "WE Go Bridal Week," you must promise never to be as hideous, or let yourself get as stressed, as their featured Bridezillas. Please. And also, be inspired but don't feel you must go as crazy with costs and trimmings for your wedding.

Try to remember, the ceremony is as important as the celebration!

That said, enjoy the line up of these four, all new WE TV Premieres as they "celebrate sweethearts everywhere" during Valentine's Day week.

You will find your fill of brides and grooms making their way to the altar in episodes of Bridezillas and Platinum Weddings. Straight from the press release, here, wedding mavens, is what you can look forward to:

Continue reading "WE's Valentine To Viewers - Unforgettable Celebrity Weddings, "Bulging Brides" and More" »

Posted February 7, 2008 2:15 PM by Editor | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This

Eddie Murphy and Tracey Edmonds get the prize for shortest Hollywood wedding of the year.

The two had a reportedly lavish spiritual ceremony on Bora Bora the first of January only to get back to the states and decide not to make it legal.

Many couples who marry in destination weddings outside of the United States elect to formally solemnize their vows back in their own country. This is often due to tricky issues of legality in the country or location in which they choose to wed. Or it may have to do with issues of time. Some locales require a couple to be in town for a week or days and to go through local legal protocol that is time consuming.

Celebrity couples often have spiritual ceremonies at the destination and quietly make it legal in the states.

Anyone can have a "spiritual" or "religious" ceremony without it being legally binding. It is however meant to be a bond between the couple and a promise of marriage.

Edmonds, once married to the performer and music producer known as Babyface, is a producer and met Murphy when they were filming Dreamgirls in 2006. The engagement was announced within a year.

There are rumors as to why the couple did not go through with their legal ceremony. Some say it had to do with the fact that Edmonds did not want to change her last name, because it is the same last name as her child. There are whispers that it was due to Murphy's behavior or arguments about a prenup.

Who knows for sure. But if the couple is not going to stay together, they might want to also consider a "Spiritual Divorce" because a spiritual wedding is still a wedding in spirit.

Posted January 23, 2008 5:21 AM by Editor | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This

Word has it that Spice girl Mel B. will be making up for eloping last year by having a lavish celebrity studded second wedding to hubby Stephen Belafonte.

It's always nice to renew your vows!

The two wed on June 6, 2007 in Las Vegas. The elopement was a shock to family and apparently a disappointment to friends who were not included in the private event.

She and her Mom reportedly were not speaking for a while -- more because of her choice of mate rather than the way they wed -- but are once again on good or better terms.

Now that the Spice Girls are touring and in the public eye again maybe this will be a chance for Mel B to shine as a bride.

Remember, just before marrying she had that rough paternity battle with actor Eddie Murphy over the birth of baby Angel. Good thing she didn't marry Murphy. He and his new bride opted out of their marriage just two weeks after a symbolic New Year's ceremony.

Posted January 23, 2008 5:05 AM by Editor | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This

Entertainment news has been filled with exciting tales of Katherine Heigel's exciting real life wedding over the holidays.

She seemed pretty involved in the entire creating of her dream wedding. She's appeared on many talk shows chatting in a manner not uncommon with brides-to-be. It is that special vibe that brides share when they have mastered the art of planning a wedding, the knowing grin. Been there, done that, planned my wedding from A to Z.

Mazel Tov on the big event, Katherine!

Now the new Mrs. is out and about promoting her upcoming film 27 Dresses, fresh from her honeymoon. Hmmm... interesting timing.

At any rate, bet the film is fabulous. Heigl has become a movie favorite, her down to earth charm blended with comedic skills really work in romantic comedies.

In 27 Dresses, she plays Jane, a gal who is great at taking care of others and not great at caring for her own needs. A real people pleaser, with 27 bridesmaids dresses in her closet to prove it!

She meets a fairly cynical reporter at a wedding reception and he smells a good story when he sees it - a woman addicted to people pleasing who has morphed into a true wedding junkie.

Can't wait to see the movie!

Posted January 10, 2008 8:19 AM by Editor | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This

The classic wedding reading "The Art of Marriage," by Wilferd Arlan Peterson, is one of the most oft read and inspiring wedding readings around. As we reported several months ago, wedding lore has it that several lines of this reading was included in the nuptials of Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman, who got hitched in Las Vegas.

That was almost fifty years ago! Today it stands out as a classic for our times.

I have been using this reading in my wedding ministry for many years. Couples love it because it reflects the values and sentiments that truly enhance life together! It's the stuff a good marriage is made of.

Wanted to share it again here because it is so important for all of us to remember that a good marriage must be created, nurtured, built over time. Marriage is an art unto itself. And …

In the Art of Marriage the little things are the important things.

It means never being too old to hold hands, or to say I love you.

It's never going to bed angry.

It is at no time taking the other for granted; the courtship should
not end with the honeymoon. Allow it to continue through the years.

It's having a mutual sense of values and common objectives.

It's standing together facing the world.

It's forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family.

It's doing things for each other, not in the attitude of duty or
sacrifice, but in the spirit of joy.

It's speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude in
thoughtful ways.

It is not looking for perfection in each other and yet seeing each
other perfect as you are.

It is cultivating flexibility, patience, understanding and a sense of
humor.

It's having the capacity to forgive and forget.

It's giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow.

It is finding room for things of the spirit.

It is a common search for the good and the beautiful.

It is establishing a relationship in which the independence is
equal, dependence is mutual and the obligation is reciprocal.

It's not only marrying the right partner, it's being the right partner.

The above is a version of "The Art of Marriage" that I may have slightly tweaked over time, so I offer it with apologies to Mr. Peterson if a word was changed here or there. However, I imagine it would please him to know how much his words have meant to so many over time!

You can find links to the original short and long versions, with related copyright information, at http://www.artofmarriage.org.

Posted November 6, 2007 11:33 AM by Rev. Laurie Sue Brockway | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This

Sending a shout out to my collegue, Sharon Naylor, with congratulations on her newest book What's Your Bridal Style, co-authored by Casey Cooper.

Sharon is the consumate wedding author and has penned a gazillion wedding books (okay, more than 30!). She is the most prolific wedding author I know.

Soon she will be walking down the aisle as a bride in April 2008.

She'll be tying the knot in New Jersey at a banquet hall her beloved took her as his date to a wedding when their relationship was beginning. Romantic! "We had our very first slow dance there, and now we'll have our first dance as husband and wife on the very same dance floor," she says.

You can bet this will be a fun wedding. Congratulations Sharon and Joe!

Posted November 4, 2007 6:24 AM by Rev. Laurie Sue Brockway | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This

Talk about magic! Looks like magician Hans Klok was able to move his beautiful assistant to the ultimate Las Vegas publicity stunt. A wedding in between shows!

Pamela Anderson got hitched last Saturday to Rick Salomon in between the 7PM and 10 PM shows of the "Hans Klok's The Beauty of Magic" show at Planet Hollywood, where Pam is starring as a magician's assistant.

Anderson announced the marraige during the late show and there was supposed to be a champaign toast.

A couple of interesting facts:

The recently divorced Carmen Electra was the first gal up for the part of magician assistant and she bowed out when she realized the intensity and time involved in rehearsals. Pam took over.

Planet Hollywood was, not too long ago, The Aladdin , where Elvis and Priscilla Presley wed long ago.

The casino said they sprang for a four-tiered, pink and white wedding cake. For more information on
the magic show, check out: http://www.hanslasvegas.com/

Posted October 8, 2007 6:06 AM by Charlotte Rose | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This

Reports are ringning 'round the world that Baywatch babe Pamela Anderson married boyfriend Rick Salomon yesterday in Las Vegas.

This makes three for Pam, who also was Mrs. to Tommy Lee and Kid Rock.

Salomon is the ex-beau of Paris Hilton. He is best known as the "co-star" in the infamous hot sex video that was released on the internet and hence made Paris so... hot.

Pam had a video like that of her own with Tommy Lee, if you recall, and a long court case ensued.

Is this for Publicity Pam? Looking for a new producer for a new line of videos? What's up, girl?

Stand by for more details.

Posted October 7, 2007 8:59 AM by Charlotte Rose | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This

According to recent news reports, Pam and Rick Salomon were granted a marriage license late Saturday in Las Vegas. They have up to a year to use it.

We have only a few things to say on this topic:

Oh Pamela, why do it? You are smart, beautiful, famous and rich. You don't really need another marriage under your belt, do you?

You were on and off and on again with Tommy Lee for years. You married Kid Rock five times and stayed together four months.

Honey, you are not the marrying kind. Have a boyfriend! Be a girlfriend. Forget about the wife thing.

Is this the same Rick Solomon who made the sex videotape that made Paris Hilton famous and was once married to wild child actress Shannen Doherty? On no.

If you feel you have to wed again Pam, we'd love you to get hitched in Las Vegas... but not to that guy!

Posted October 1, 2007 6:47 AM by Charlotte Rose | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This

Congratulations to one wild and crazy guy! The Father of the Bride became a groom! We must have been asleep. We missed the memo on this!

Steve Martin got hitched in a surprise ceremony at his California home on July 28. He tied the knot with former New Yorker journalist, Anne Stringfield, 35. Even though it was her first marriage, it was not a surprise for her. It was the guests who were a little taken aback.

Tom Hanks and Diane Keaton were among those who showed up without gifts! They weren't told about the nuptials. People thought they were just coming for a big bash.

The bride wore white. Martin sported a mustache grown for a reprisal of his role as Inspector Clouseau in another Pink Panther movie.

Longtime buddy Lorne Michaels was best man. It was only fair since Martin has hosted Michaels creation, Saturday Night Live, more than any other human. Who officiated? Former Nebraska Senator Bob Kerrey, we hear. Did he get ordained on the Internet?

Posted August 15, 2007 9:32 PM by Editor | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This

Personally, I think all the Spice Girl's are scary! I never got 'em. Never will. Still can't understand what the big fuss was! Alas, once a star ... always in the gossip pages!

We know that Scary Spice, a.k.a. Melanie Brown has been trying to scare up a paternity admission and child support from her ex-flame Eddie Murphy, who recently got engaged to his current love Tracey Edmonds. It's been a bitter paternity battle related to Brown's baby girl, Angel.

Brown and Murphy dated briefly -- but long enough to conceive a daughter apparently/allegedly -- and Brown has been after him to do the right thing. Word has it that Murphy now admits he fathered the child and says he has been paying child support.

Now we find out that Scary Spice has found new love and quietly spoke her vows in Las Vegas in June with boyfriend and music producer Stephen Belafonte. He becomes step dad to baby Angel and Brown's eight year old daughter Phoenix.

Posted August 9, 2007 5:02 AM by Charlotte Rose | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This

Is anyone surprised that Usher did tie the know with his long time gal, Tameka Foster? I knew it would happen!

The two called off their fancy nuptials in the Hamptons and opted for a wedding in Atlanta last Friday in the office of Usher's lawyer.

Even though speculation was rampant that the wedding was axed due to Usher's Mother's dislike for her new daughter-in-law and her allegedly controlling ways, his Mom Jonetta Patton was there.

The Bride said a "pregnancy scare" landed her in the hospital, which is what led them to call that big day off. The Twins are due in fall, so good luck to Mr. and Mrs. Usher!

Posted August 7, 2007 11:16 AM by Editor | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This

Celebrity Wedding Buzz

Busy celebrities have been tying the knot ... and some of them untying it!

Big news this weekend is that multiplatinum singer Usher and his pregnant bride-to-be Tameka Foster called off their highly publicized nuptials yesterday, the day of their wedding. The glitzy affair was to be held in Sagaponack, New York -- in the Hamptoms -- at home of a friend.

Wow, the Truth Hurts, when you realize that a marriage simply is not mean to be and you must make that Confession to your beloved, and the world. Some people say that Tameka turned into a Bridezilla toward the end of wedding planning, but was she a Bad Girl, or just hormonal? Was it Usher who said, sorry Baby, but I just cannot Take Your Hand? Did she cry, how can you Do It To Me? Or did she ditch him?

A spokesperson issued a statement saying the wedding is off and guests were somehow contacted and told not to come. You can be sure there are a lot of gals out there saying Yeah! , he's back on the market.

Continue reading "Usher Wedding Called Off At The Last Minute - Or Was It?" »

Posted July 29, 2007 9:04 AM by Editor | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This

Dancing with the Stars favorite, Laila Ali, married former NFL star Curtis Conway on Sunday, July 22, in Los Angeles.

Unlike some of the big superstar studded celebrity weddings of the season, the Ali-Conway nuptials were attended by close family and friends. Of course, Ali's daddy is Mohamed Ali, was there.

She strolled down the aisle in champagne colored gown by Amy Michelson. Officiating was the Reverend Michael Beckwith, of the Agape Church in Santa Monica (also of "The Secret" fame).

This was a second marriage for Ali and apparently for Conway, whose 12-year-old twin sons, Kelton and Cameron were ring bearers and whose daughter Leilani, 8, was flower girl.

Although guests expected the twosome to cut-up-the-rug, with Ali's amazing dancing credentials, the bride told the guests "Dancing with the Stars is over ... and this is just us, on our wedding day." The couple decided on a simple but elegant wedding, according to E! News. They made it about the love!

Posted July 29, 2007 8:46 AM by Editor | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This

Wedding season is in full bloom and AOL is celebrating with a fun gallery of Celebrity wedding photos.

Did you know Elton John's first marriage was to ... a woman?

Do you remember that Donald Trump was once so wild about Marla Maples he immortalized their marriage on casino chips?

Do you remember the name of Mick Jagger's first wife?

For a fun walk down Wedding Memory Lane -- with Ozzie and Sharon Osborne, Elizabeth Taylor and of course, Elvis and Priscilla Presley -- check it out.

Posted June 30, 2007 9:34 PM by Editor | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This

Talk about a double blessing!

Hearts were broken across the land -- and cheers were heard from real supporters -- when superstar R&B performer Usher announced he was finally getting hitched!

Long time love Tameka Foster and Usher are due to walk down the aisle and they are busy planning their wedding.

That's not all they are due for. Lastest news from the Usher camp is that the Stork will be arriving some time this fall.

The couple have of course requested that adoring fans and prying media "respect our privacy" during this happy time.

God bless 'em. Dealing with pregnancy, pending parenthood and planning a wedding simultaneously is rough stuff. They'll need the privacy and peace they have asked for to prepare for all these changes in their lives!

Posted June 28, 2007 7:38 AM by Editor | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This

"I never thought this could happen to me," said CNN legal maven Nancy Grace, 47, patting her bulging belly as she shopped for maternity clothes. She was holding her jeans together with rubber bands!

Grace was set to announce both her secret marriage and her becoming-more-noticeable-by-the-moment pregnancy on her CNN Headline show tonight. The tabloids beat her to it. Her marriage and pregnancy were announced in the New York Post today and the announcement was followed with segments on the evening entertainment shows.

Grace, a former prosecutor who became a victim's advocate when her college fiance was murdered, is known for her hard edge and gruff interview style.

She joins former first lady of New York City, and one-time news anchor, Donna Hanover, as another high profile media pro to marry a teenage sweetheart. Grace married David Linch, an Atlanta investment banker, in a secret April wedding.

They attended Mercer together in the 1970s and have stayed in touch all these years. Very closely in touch, it would seem. The couple married In Grace's hometown of Macon.

The bride says she walked down the aisle to her favorite song, 'Moon River,' read her own vows and also read from the Book of Ruth.

Posted June 26, 2007 6:10 PM by Charlotte Rose | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This

We'll always have Paris.

The currently incarcerated celebutante said recently, "I love Las Vegas."

While her move from prison medical facility to a step down unit with about 15 cells is making news, so is her upcoming "Get Out Of Jail" party. Looks like Las Vegas will play host to Paris and hundreds of her closest friends.

Paris' dad has been shopping for a venue to sponsor the bash. Unlike most pops, he is not paying for the celebration, rather ... the venue is paying for the privilege of hosting the privileged inmate.

Hard Rock Hotel and Casino is reportedly the winning host. How much will Paris get for serving her sentence and then partying in Sin City? A cool $800,000. Not bad for 23 to 45 days in the slammer.

Posted June 17, 2007 4:14 PM by Charlotte Rose | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This

By Rev. Laurie Sue Brockway

Some people are saying that 7-07-07 will be the most popular wedding date of the century.

Wedding venues across the nation say the 7-07-07 wedding date has booked up fast as couples set their sights on pledging their love on a "lucky day."

You can just imagine what a popular day that will be in Las Vegas, especially since 7-7-7 is a winning jackpot!

Ever wonder why else the number 7 is so hot? We have 7 wonders of the world, 7 seas and 7 continents. Superstitions abound about the numbe. From the religious and spiritual perspectives, here are some of the reasons it is considered sacred.

In the Bible. The number 7 is a perfect and important number.

From the Jewish perspective: The number 7 is prominent in the Torah and the Zohar. God rested on the seventh day of creating earth, and hence, sanctified and deemed Sabbath on day seven. There are seven blessings over the wine are recited under the huppa during the marriage ceremony.

From the Catholic perspective: There are Seven sacraments, we have Seven Deadly Sins (Lust, Gluttony, Avarice, Envy, Wrath, Sloth, and Pride) and Seven Virtues (Chastity, Moderation, Liberality, Charity, Meekness, Zeal, and Humility).

From the Christian perspective: In the New Testament, Jesus tells Peter he must forgive "seventy times seven."

From the Native American and Wiccan traditions: Their are 7 directions: east, west, north, south, Above, Below and Within. There are 7 sacred ceremonies.

From the Hindu tradition. There are 7 energy centers in the body called chakras. They represent both physical and energetic centers and they are: root, solar plexus, heart, throat, third eye, crown. In the Hindu wedding ceremony, the most important part is Saptapadi, the 7 steps around the sacred flame as 7 blessings are chanted.

From the Japanese Shinto religion: There are "Seven Lucky Gods" who preside over fortune.

In mythology: Innana, the Babylonian Goddess Queen of Heaven, had to descend 7 levels to the underworld stripping her jewels, clothes, crown, and ego (7 items in all) along the way in order to rescue her beloved Tamuz from the depths of hell.

Lucky 7

From sports to the stars: 7 comes up sacred again. In astronomy and astrology there are 7 planets that can be seen with the naked eye.In baseball, there was only one number 7 - Mickey Mantle.

Gambler's luck. In the game of craps, 7 wins in any combination. Lady Luck is a character who wears dice for earrings and they always have the number 7.

As you can see, ancient and popular thinking would seem to make 7-07-07 a helluva wedding date, a triple chance at good luck! If this is your wedding day, may it be a lucky roll of the dice!

Continue reading "Why is 7-07-07 Such a Hot Date for a Wedding?" »

Posted June 13, 2007 7:50 PM by Rev. Laurie Sue Brockway | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This

Maybe she has a mental breakdown after the body cavity search?

Or her parents finally found someone they could pay to spring her from the slammer?

Or perhaps we will find that this was all a big joke perpetrated by Simple Life producers, for a special in the reality series called the "Girls Go To Jail." Afterall, Nicole Ritchie was on David Letter's show last night mentioning how she may follow her gal pal Paris to jail for her own DUI violation.

Whatever the reason, less than 4 days into her 45 days sentence, it is widely reported that Paris Hilton has been released from Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood this morning.

You have to wonder, was this story just another strategy for preventing us from paying attention to the real news stories, or have we gone so down hill as a culture that this truly is the important news of the day?

We didn't want Paris to suffer. But we also didn't want to see her win as a role model for inappropriate and potentially dangerous behavior.

Here's an idea: Let her do her time in community service and send her to poor neighborhoods to help women with no self esteem learn to love themselves. Now, that's hot!

Posted June 7, 2007 7:26 AM by Rev. Laurie Sue Brockway | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This

By Rev. Laurie Sue Brockway

Lindsay Lohan is falling fast. Who is not upset to watch the demise of a young star who has brought people so much joy through her work? Hope she can find the inner strenght and fortitude to get it together.

She's supposed to celebrate her 21st birthday in Las Vegas. Now, media reports the plans may be "spoiled" by her recent DUI and time in rehab. How sad is it that, before she even reaches legal drinking age, she will be (hopefully) a recovering alcoholic.

It's the trend for hot clubs in Vegas to pay hot celebrities big bucks to have or "host" parties here. I heard there was a million dollars or more on the table for Lindsay's big 21st birthday bash. Maybe she sabotaged it because she needs help more than she needs a million bucks.

Personally, I think Lindsay Lohan needs a father. Hers seems useless. That poor girl is acting out her Daddy issues all over the place. Check out this latest image of her playing with knives as party.

Nice. All we need now is for someone else's daughter to think that is cute and try it.

Are Lindsay, and other of her ilk, glamorizing dysfunction? Or is it media? Afterall, she is trained to act for the cameras.

She has sadly become a slave of her own celebrity, a victim of her own missed childhood. Perhaps we cannot hold her completely responsible for her actions, as she is the creation of a mother who pushed her to success, hollywood, and the media machine. And the ever-watching eyes and opinions of a vulture culture that cannot turn our eyes from human tragedy, pathos and drama.

I think Lindsay is also reflecting the angst and pain of her generation.

Continue reading "Lindsay Lohan Will Celebrate Her 21st Birthday in Vegas -- Or Rehab" »

Posted June 5, 2007 6:50 AM by Rev. Laurie Sue Brockway | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This

By Rev. Laurie Sue Brockway

The story about Andrew Speaker, the guy with the weird strain of TB who traveled internationally putting who knows how many people at risk for contracting his disease, is so bizarre!

The personal injury lawyer is now quarantined. The Associated Press said this morning that "The Denver health authority has ordered that Speaker be detained at the National Jewish Medical and Research Center until tests indicate he is no longer contagious." Speaker took international flights and traveled widely by air, but says he was not warned against flying.

I can't image that this guy wanted to make others sick - but the thought of how he could have or may have is very spooky. I think he was just afraid to miss his wedding! Or he was not sick enough miss his wedding. Everyone knows that unless a guy is on death's doorstep, he cannot miss his wedding. It is unforgivable. Could it be wedding stress and demands made him loose his sense of reason and reality? Or did he just not "get" how serious his situation was?

There is only one thing to do now: Send Speaker and anyone who was exposed to him in his air travels to Stephen Lewis, one of the founders of AIM Program. It is a unique and powerful spiritual technology that helps people find the source of their illnesses and maladies and helps them heal themselves. Lewis, co author of Sanctuary, is renown for his ability to source illnessess at their energetic root.

He can also help the rest of us AVOID IT! The AIM Program, to my mind, is like an energetic health insurance policy. Its like a shield for all the nasty imbalances and illnesses that plague us all each day. Many celebrities have worked with Lewis and are on AIM, including Rev. Michael Beckwith, of The Secret fame.

Continue reading "TB Groom and Those Exposed to Him Should Try the AIM Program" »

Posted June 4, 2007 7:10 AM by Rev. Laurie Sue Brockway | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This

It sounds like a scene right of out Sex and the City.

One of our heroines finds the perfect dress in a cute little store that is about to shut its doors, according to the owner. She buys it and waits for it and fantasizes about twirling around the dance floor in it. Then, after weeks of promises that would come by "next Friday" for alterations, our heroine is forced to go to a ... dare we say ... discount bridal house to purchase an off the rack "back-up" dress.

Could you just imagine Sarah Jessica Parker's Carrie Bradshaw in wedding dress hell? First, she gets hives trying on dresses when engaged to Aidan. Then finally, Mr. Big pops the question and boom... no wedding dress. She goes to Klienfeld's - known for classic cheaper bridal wear -- to buy the big white dress. The only saving grace is that it is now in Manhattan, not in Brooklyn!

Then, the real dress comes ... just 3 days before the wedding, without alterations. What can a bride do but shove it in a closet and wear her back up.

What a tale of woe ... and it actually happened to real life former Sex and the City writer Elisa Zuritsky.

She got married and had a grand old time, but still can't open the box to look at the $3,000 A-line Mariana Hardwick dress.

So she is having a contest to give the dress away. Act fast, and share your 500 word tale of woe, and perhaps the dress can be yours. The deadline for entries is Monday is today! Visit www.takemydress.com for contest details. Entries are limited to the 50 United States and the District of Columbia.

"My wedding dress is sitting in a crushed, taped-up cardboard box, in the closet of my husband's home-office," she writes on her website. "It's been there since the day it arrived, still needing alterations, three days before my wedding day."

"I did get married in October, and I did wear a wedding dress. But it was not my wedding dress: the simple, strapless, A-line gown that made me feel teeny-tiny. (I'm not.) The dress I got married in was my Back-up, bought off the rack two weeks before the big day, in the kind of frenzy I'd sworn I'd never get sucked into."

To this day, "I haven't even looked at my original wedding dress. I can't. I'm still mad at it."

But she wants to give it away!

Posted May 28, 2007 2:52 PM by Charlotte Rose | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This

By Rev. Laurie Sue Brockway

Mazel Tov! It's a boy!

Mary Cheney welcomed a new little man into the world, making her Dad 'Grandpa Dick' -- for the sixth time!

She gave birth to Samuel David Cheney yesterday. This is the first wee one for Mary and her life partner, Heather Poe.

The Cheney's - Dick and Grandma Lynne - went to visit the new baby a few hours after birth.

If you recall, Mary told the world she was with child in December. Some conservatives hit the roof. Cheney stood by his daughter, who worked as an aid to the Vice President during the 2004 campaign.

I think it is important to remember that -- while some people may take issue with two women raising a child, and while there are also many people who take issue with the Vice President -- Samuel David represents a new life. A new chance. He's a baby. Don't take politics it out on him. He deserves a chance.

We wish the best to Mothers and Child. Obviously, Cheney and Poe will have their baby blessed or baptized in accordance with their own religious beliefs. I would like to just offer this blessing (adapted from Life Prayers).

Continue reading "Vice President Cheney is Grandpa Dick - Mary Cheney Delivers a Boy" »

Posted May 24, 2007 6:48 AM by Rev. Laurie Sue Brockway | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This

By Laurie Sue Brockway

That's what I call a wedding!

If you happened to catch Desparate Housewives Sunday you know what I mean.

Terri Hatcher and James Denton, AKA Susan and Mike, married in a magical midnight setting on Sunday's show.

Susan was attempting to plan a big, impressive shindig for her nuptials. To pay for it, Mike was working as a 'round-the-clock plumber, taking calls in the middle of the night to pay for the wedding.

While attending Gabriel's (Eva Longoria) ill-fated nuptials to an ambitious and arrogant politician, Mike falls asleep. He's exhausted from over work and late night plumbing adventures. Susan realized she does not want to torture him any longer with wedding planning.

Susan gets the idea to ditch her big wedding plans with Mike and head for the Forrest for a little midnight marriage ceremony. She borrows the minister from Gabriel's ceremony, has the woods decorated with enchanting lighting and gets Mike to the site thinking he is answering a plumbing call.

They profess their love for one another, and of course, Susan says that while her mind kept changing about the kind of wedding she wanted, "One thing was constant ... you."

Ta-da ... instant wedding. Just like Las Vegas.

And interestingly, Denton said that Mike's unconventional wedding reminded him of his own 2002 wedding at the famous Little Chapel of the West in Las Vegas.

It was a second marriage for both he and his wife Erin. "We both had done the big weddings before, so we decided on Vegas," he told USA Today. "I wanted to do the whole Elvis thing, but Erin put her foot down. And she was exactly right. It was very romantic with a minister and the woman at the organ."

Continue reading "Desperate Housewives Wedding -Terri Hatcher Marries TV Sweetheart" »

Posted May 22, 2007 6:52 AM by Rev. Laurie Sue Brockway | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This

By the way, Cameron Diaz will reportedly pair up with Ashton Kutcher for a new movie, "What Happens in Vegas." So it's a good thing she has her honey, Criss Angel, lined up.

In this wacky romantic comedy, Diaz and Kutcher play an unlikely pair bonded together after wandering into a wedding chapel after a few too many drinks -- as if that ever happens here! Also, one of them won a jackpot with the other one's quarter.

Stuck together by unholy matrimony and money, the movie finds the two driving each other crazy in attempts to take all the money. In the end they of course fall in love, Las Vegas style.

The movie was penned by the same writer who created The Wedding Date (Dana Fox) and will be directed by Julian Farino of "Entourage."

Looks like Diaz will be in town for a while when shooting. Let's hope its a magical stay for her.

Posted May 17, 2007 7:25 AM by Charlotte Rose | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This

In never got it about Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake. He is such a goodie two-shoes, and she seems to have a freaky-deaky side.

Its a good thing they split, and also had a healing reunion at the premiere of Shrek 3 (which she stars in and he appears in), because now the girl has gone and gotten herself a freaky-deaky guy!

Cameron Diaz was in Vegas this weekend and she was spotted out and about with Mindfreak magician Criss Angel. Holy magic show! That seems like a cool connection!

People Magazine reports, "The pair began their evening with dinner at the Bellagio's Prime steakhouse, then rode to the Mirage in Angel's Rolls Royce for the 10:30 p.m. performance of Cirque du Soleil's Beatles tribute LOVE."

They were smiling and snuggling and looking oh so happy and close.

The two reportedly met at the VHI Rock Honor and then partied at the Jet Nightclub. She was supposed to split on Sunday but extended her stay, obviously to do a little canoodling and take in some sights and shows with her new magical man!

Posted May 17, 2007 7:13 AM by Charlotte Rose | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This

By Rev. Laurie Sue Brockway

God Grant me the Serenity
to Accept the things I cannot change,
the Courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference

- The Serenity Prayer, Alcoholics Anonymous

Former Baywatch hunk and current Las Vegas resident David Hasselhoff had his visitation rights with his two teenage daughters suspended after a video surfaced showing Hasselhoff seeming sloppy and drunk. His oldest daughter was there, pleading with him on tape not to drink anymore.

It is a very sad video, one that goes beyond those hiddeous drunken still photos of stars like Nick Nolte, to show us what really goes on with a star who has a drinking problem. It is the very same thing that happens to "average" people who become lost to the disease of drinking to excess.

Hasselhoff, an admitted alcoholic who was prompted into rehab by a nasty divorce, claimed through lawyers that he fell off the wagon - temporarily - and that the video got him back on track.

Hasselhoff's ex- Catherine Bach said on Larry King last night that for 16 years she was an enabler and that alcoholism destroyed their marriage. "I love him," she said, "but I hate the disease."

There will be a hearing May 21 to see if the video was authentic, and who released it. Bach, accompanied by the same laywer who once represented Larry Berkhead, said that neither she or her daughter had anything to do with the release of the video.

She went on to point out that most families of alcoholics keep it quite and hidden, not broadcasted to the world.

The video, of Hasselhof seeming intoxicated, is so sad. His daughter's pleading for him to stop drinking is even sadder.

Catherine Bach has been criticised for taking her story to media, but I think when you are dealing with such raging alcoholism and illness, eventually the only way you can save your sanity is to go public and speak the truth.

Luckily, her daughters, 14 and 17, are a little older and seem to be all too familiar with their dad's drinking problem.

Hasselhoff had been in the Las Vegas production of the Producers. When the video tape was made in his Las Vegas home, his daughter was visiting.

It was indicated that she was probing him about his drinking on camera, while he was drunk, to be able to play his behavior back to him.

No one knows who released the tape to a tabloid TV show.

Our prayers go out the Hasselhoff and his family, and all families who must confront a painful addiction issue.

Posted May 8, 2007 6:42 AM by Rev. Laurie Sue Brockway | Permalink | Comments (1) | Email This

By Rev. Laurie Sue Brockway

At this time of year, I like to pause ... and remember The Runaway Bride.

Please join me in a moment of silence and a prayer that you – nor a friend or loved one -- ever get that stressed out about a wedding.

If ever there was a case for eloping to Las Vegas, it was the unfortunate wedding fiasco that dominated the headlines this time two years ago – the “Runaway Bride," a.k.a. Jennifer Wilbanks.

She kicked off wedding season with an emotional breakdown and a sprint out of town, and, in many ways, represented the fears and tears of many a stressed out bride-to-be.

The Runaway Bride and I are oddly linked in history.

She happened to run off the week that my book on bridal stress, Wedding Goddess, launched. Needless to say, it was a publicists dream. I ended up doing one interview after another about how planning a wedding these days can make sane women crazy, and send anyone with an imbalance off the deep end.

The story, however, troubled me. Although I knew it was an "isolated incident," I felt it was symbolic of the kind of pressures placed upon women to have the "perfect wedding" and be the "perfect bride" and "perfect wife." They are seduced by the powerful, multibillion dollar wedding industry and by a culture that presses the idea of perfection, when in fact, weddings -- marriage, life -- are completely imperfect.

Nevertheless, brides are petrified of wedding disasters and having an event that ends up on a wedding blooper show. Many are secretly filled with fears about marriage and afraid to fess up. The urge to run away is a natural survival instinct when it dawns on your that you feel you don't have the wherewithal to deal with the wedding or the skills to deal with marriage.

I became a bridal advocate, trying to help women reduce stress and wedding-related-nonsense on the way to the altar.

She became the poster child for bridal stress and gave the world a much needed glimpse into the darker side of getting hitched.

Fortunately, reports indicate that she is doing well. Perhaps she was just trying to marry the wrong guy (for her), or having a wedding for the wrong reasons. Since her sprint in 2005, it's been reported that she:

• Performed 120 hours of community service and paid about $15,000 in court ordered “amends” toward what it cost cops to search for her when she claimed she was abducted during the now infamous “missing bride hunt.”

• Sold her story, along with then-fiancé John Mason, to a tabloid for $500,000

• Paid for a house with that money, and then took John Mason to court over her $250,000 portion. (They eventually settled out of court).

• Ditched her groom to be for good.

• Was the inspration for The Runaway Bride, the rock musical, which that originated where her controversial wedding sprint did –in Duluth, Georgia at the Red Clay Theater. It also did some touring, as she did!

• Became the inspiration of a new ad campaign for the Albuquerque police department for new cop recruits. The ads feature the female cop who famously escorted Wilbanks through the airport, and helped get her back home two years ago.

And you thought your journey to the altar has been filled with drama!

Continue reading "Remembering the Runaway Bride - Wilbanks Changed Our Views on Weddings" »

Posted May 2, 2007 6:37 AM by Rev. Laurie Sue Brockway | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This

By Laurie Sue Brockway

Remember back to the day when Alec Baldwin and Kim Bassinger were the most beautiful couple in Hollywood?

Way before Brad and Jen, Brangelina, Bennifer and the parade of power couples that have come since, there was golden girl Texas-born Bassinger with the dark, slighty brooding Baldwin from Long Island.

They met on a movie set at a time when he was the hot and handomebad boy that every woman desired. She was the beautiful blond people just loved to watch on screen. They were both huge stars. Columnist Liz Smith once said of their match that they are so beautiful and talented, how could they not love each other?

Back then, Bassinger had severe stage fright -- she later went public as having an anxiety disorder -- and Baldwin seemed to be her knight in shinning armor. He even stood by her and