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When Bette Midler married Martin von Haselberg back in 1984, they had a hasty Las Vegas wedding. Bette said, "We were married in the Starlight Chapel in Las Vegas by an Elvis impersonator. We never got any wedding pictures."

Apparently, however, pictures were taken, and she has just now received them. The Starlight Chapel recently closed down, and the owner sent the pictures to Bette and Martin. The couple has been happily married now for over two decades, and were "shocked" to receive the pictures after all this time.

Well, better late than never, we suppose, but now we're quite curious as to whether the chapel tracked down any other couples who never got pictures. It would've been easy to find Bette -- she's currently starring in The Showgirl Must Go On in Vegas, but probably not so easy to find most folks after all that time!
In an effort to raise awareness and acceptance of gay marriage, Ellen DeGeneres plans to give out one photo of her wedding to Portia DeRossi to any media outlet that requests it.

Unlike many of her peers, she won't be selling the pictures for a profit -- she simply wants to bring attention to her cause. She's certainly doing a good job of getting the public interested -- she made the emotional announcement about her wedding plans on her show last month. Plus, Justin Timberlake has offered to write and perform a special song for Ellen and Portia at the wedding, and Jenna (Bush) Hager told Ellen the wedding could take place at the Bush family ranch in Texas.

Rest assured, we'll be putting our request in shortly!
A small, private, island ceremony might sound just perfect to a lot of people, but not to Mariah Carey. Her style is far more ostentatious, and after she and Nick Cannon got back from their surprise wedding, they started planning another, much bigger wedding, more suited to the diva's taste. However, that wedding might not come to fruition.

The new Mrs. Cannon was reportedly willing to pay for the $4 million wedding, but was planning to pay for it using what she was paid for photos from the wedding. And, though half of that was reportedly shelled out by People for pictures from the first wedding, nobody seems willing to pony up an equal amount for the second vow swap.

That's not to infer that there's trouble in paradise -- the couple seems to remain happy (and yes, we're shocked as well). Nick recently flew out to Hawaii to meet up with his new wife while she shot a video, but before going to see her, he stopped in at Tiffany & Co. to pick up a little surprise for her. Maybe he does know her well!


Wednesday Wedding Wrap-up is a weekly roundup of highlights from the past week, covering wedding blogs and websites, reality TV, even particularly hot scoop right here at AisleDash. Think we missed something? Leave your favorite highlight in the comments!

Polka Dot Bride has the perfect way for you to get the DIY rush with an uber-fabulous result ... but it's not cheap.

The Bride's Guide handles the always controversial question of how a couple who wants cash instead of gifts can spread the word.

Weddings by Socialites has pictures of a wedding that almost makes us want to get married all over again -- or at least go to the beach and eat some candy!

Here at AisleDash we've got some classic wedding one-liners sure to give you a giggle.


Barely wed and already the center of some controversy, Peter Phillips and Autumn Kelly have caused Queen Elizabeth to formally ban the selling of pictures of royal events to tabloids forevermore.

The royal newlyweds gave Hello! magazine unprecedented access to their Windsor Castle wedding, which had the elder members of the royal family a bit ruffled. However, the Queen herself was reportedly unaware of the fact that she was posing for pictures that would end up as part of a 59 page spread in a grocery store checkout line, and when she found out, she was not amused.

Peter and Autumn brokered a deal worth nearly a million bucks, which many speculate went towards the cost of the lavish wedding. However, the deal has since been regarded as a serious error in judgment, and the royal family fears that the deal might have given up the family's right to privacy. From now on, a ban will apply keeping such deals from occurring at royal events such as weddings and christenings.
Wednesday Wedding Wrap-up is a weekly roundup of highlights from the past week, covering wedding blogs and websites, reality TV, even particularly hot scoop right here at AisleDash. Think we missed something? Leave your favorite highlight in the comments!

Wedded Bits tells you how to become the next Modern Bride of the Year. Do you think you'll make the cut?

Oh Happy Blog! has some interesting thoughts on venues and themes -- don't make your space look like something. Make it be something!

Manolo for the Brides has a post about one of the most unusual materials ever used for a wedding dress ... and it's SOOO romantic!

When you're planning a wedding, many of your vendors might give you worst-case scenarios. If you're having an outdoor ceremony, you'll need to have an indoor area chosen in case it rains. If your father is sick, you need to have a plan in case he's unable to walk you down the aisle.

But it could still be much, much worse. Imagine getting married on May 12 of this year in Sichuan Province, China. Perhaps you've just said your vows, or maybe you haven't even gotten down the aisle yet, and a 7.8 magnitude earthquake shakes the ground for three full minutes, causing destruction everywhere you look.

That's what happened to a number of brides and grooms that day, as you can see here. Wedding photographers went straight from shooting a wedding to trying to capture the destruction as it occurred all around them. And while they got some amazing shots, our hearts go out to the couples and families who had May 12 set in their hearts as a joyous occasion, and our thoughts are with all those affected by the earthquake.

Remember prom? When I went, I remember my mom making sure she got pictures of me alone, without my date, because she knew we'd probably break up and we'd want pictures of just me in my prom dress, with my hair and makeup all done. She was right -- we broke up and I'm really happy to have some pictures that don't include some guy who's not my husband.

I feel like bridal portraits are the same thing, but since it's a wedding, not prom, I had no desire to have a whole session devoted just to me. My personal feeling is that, if for some reason I end up no longer married to my husband, I don't want to look at any pictures of my wedding day, even if they are only of me.

A bridal portrait was actually included in our photography package, but we switched that out for an engagement session and guest sign-in album. Now, almost four years to the day later, I have no regrets -- we have beautiful engagement pictures, our photographer did get some shots of us alone and together on our wedding day, and I didn't waste any money on having my hair done twice or dress cleaned and steamed. What do you think?

It's common for weddings today to have picture collages of the couple on display for the guests to view and enjoy. A new idea is taking this tradition a step farther, by playing a short documentary. Production professionals will collect still photos, home videos, and sound bytes and put them together in a polished film of your life.

One such production company is Lifefilm, whose founders have years of movie and television experience. They consult with you to give the video the right tone, even conducting interviews with friends and family to use in the film. Do you want it to be romantic? Humorous? Both? They'll do it for you.

Because film technology is so inexpensive, anyone can splice together an autobiographical film, but only the professionals can do it in a way that is gripping and entertaining for the audience. That's their argument, anyhow.
Vintage and retro are so in right now, especially in weddings. You can revisit almost any time period and have a gorgeous wedding, but there's one time period that will (hopefully) never make a comeback. I'm talking about the dark ages of fashion, the 1980's, when the only thing bigger than the poofy sleeves and butt bows was the hair. Women's shorts and skirts actually covered their butt cheeks while men's shorts left nothing to the imagination. Oh, how the times have changed.

If you got married in the 80's, your wedding album is probably a major source of entertainment and possible blackmail material. Just for fun, we've collected some wedding photos from the lost decade and put them in our gallery below. If you have fun wedding pictures from the 80's, or any decade for that matter, feel free to add them to our Flickr pool to share with other AisleDash readers.

In recent years, we've seen a big photography trend come into play -- the photojournalistic approach. And it IS COOL ... when it's done correctly (meaning that the photographer takes a "candid, documentary approach -- a distinctly artistic vision toward wedding photography" according to the Wedding Photojournalistic Association). However, in our quest for COOL photography, could some of us be missing out on something important?

What's happened to the posed pictures with the bride, groom, and their families standing stiffly in front of the church altar? What about the bridal party standing around the newly married couple striking hokey poses?

Okay, so you don't have to have pose for pictures you think are corny. But I DO encourage you to think about whether you really want to ignore the posed pictures altogether. Many photographers offer a mix of photographic styles, allowing you to have your incredibly hip, black and white, obscure action photos as well as several posed pictures.

And you know what? Even if you think all posed pictures are corny, just remember that your parents might really like a picture of all of you together, and, truth be told, later on you might be really glad you have those posed pictures.

A hot wedding trend this year is the wedding inspiration board (also called a story or mood board, but let's be honest --it's a collage. Sheesh!). Brides have always clipped out pictures and ideas to which they're drawn and kept them in a folder or notebook, but the wedding inspiration board makes it pretty.

Skeptical as I am of the fancy name and formality of The Wedding Inspiration Board (gag!), I still recognize a fantastic idea when I see one, and this is most certainly a fantastic idea. When you visit your florist, of course you'll show her pictures of flowers you like.

However, instead of just plucking out the flower pictures from your notebook, you show her your inspiration board. By using a board that gives an impression of what you're looking for overall, she might be able to make suggestions to elaborate on an emerging theme, and, voila! Your wedding just got even more spectacular.

Continue reading Get inspired with a wedding inspiration board

If only you had listened to your mother! She spent all that time telling you to stand up straight, and now here you are, preparing for your wedding while slouching in front of a computer screen. This is not good, my friend. Bad posture does more than cause health problems -- it can ruin your wedding pictures. Think about it! You spend all that money on hair and makeup, only to be disappointed when the pictures come back and you can't take your eyes off your droopy shoulders.

You may have heard of the Alexander Technique - it's popular among actors and athletes because many believe that incorrect posture can limit your potential. I took a few lessons before my wedding because I noticed that I was slouching in pictures - even if I consciously told myself to stand up straight for the camera - and I found it to be very enjoyable. You're basically taught to lengthen your spine and widen your shoulders; it's a very hands-on method of unlearning bad habits (which are reflected by your muscles and the way you carry yourself) so I won't be able to teach you the full technique here but I can share my favorite "exercise" which anyone can do at home.

All you need is 20 minutes, a few paperback books and the excellent directions found here. There's also a great video on You Tube.

Try it for a few days, and try to be more aware of your posture. I promise it will make a difference. Go to the AmSAT website if you're interested in finding an instructor in your area.
Most guys like to put a lot of thought into a proposal to make it something she'll never forget. Relax, guys, she's NOT going to forget any proposal -- really. But it's still nice to have a special proposal story, so good for you guys who go the extra mile. Now here's an idea for something to make the proposal extra unforgettable.

Meet the Euricase, a multimedia ring box with a full-color LCD screen inside that allows you to record videos, messages, or pictures that will play when the box is opened. Now instead of retelling her proposal story, she can replay it.

I think this is a really neat idea, though maybe a bit pricey. When you buy a ring from a jeweler, they'll usually give you a nice box free with your purchase. The audio-only Euricase sells for just under $100, and the video display boxes start just shy of $200. But if you've got the money to spend on it, it's definitely a sweet idea.
Of all the questions you'll have before your wedding, you probably won't be asking "How should I hold my bouquet?" It's pretty simple, after all. Put it in your hand, try not to drop it. Easy. But so many brides are disappointed in the way they held their bouquet as they walked down the aisle, because the flowers were too high and blocked faces or jewelry or detail on their dresses in the photos.

A photographer can tell you to lower it in the posed photos, but you only get one chance at those walking down the aisle shots, and your photographer isn't going to yell out to you in that moment, so try to remember to lower your bouquet.

It's so simple, it's one of those things that's easily overlooked or never considered at all. Try to remember before you take your first steps down the aisle to look down and check your flowers. Are they where you want them to be in the pictures? Can everyone see the bead work on your dress and your grandmother's necklace hanging from your neck? Keep those flowers low and you'll have glowing pictures from your walk down the aisle.

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