Weddings

While most of us were watching the Royal wedding this week in awe, fashion designers were paying careful attention to the dress that Kate Middleton was wearing. Brides-to-be who fell in love with Kate's gown will pleased to learn that designers watching took detailed notes and hurried sketches in a frantic rush to create mass-produced versions that will hit stores as early as late June.

If you can't wait the four weeks it will take to get the knock-off version, David's Bridal was already touting a strapless look from Oleg Cassini paired with a lacey bolero jacket on its website as the already available version of the knockoffs that will hit their stores in September.

Those eying up Kate's jewelry will be able to pre-order knockoffs of earrings on QVC as early as Monday night. The piece will sell for under $60 and will be created by Kenneth Jay Lane, and will be available to shoppers in two months.

Women who have dreamed of their fairy tale wedding day, complete with a Princess-inspired gown will soon get their wish come true. Disney has teamed up with Alfred Angelo to debut their first collection of bridal gowns modeled after Disney Princess characters.

The Disney Fairy Tale Weddings collection debuted at the National Bridal Market in Chicago on October 2. The collection is inspired by the style, personality, and essence of seven Disney Princess characters, including: Ariel, Aurora, Belle, Cinderella, Jasmine, Snow White and Tiana.

This letter is in response to the infinite articles of drivel concerning the
status of Lebron James.

One of the most disturbing facts about our capitalist nation is the
misappropriation of funds directed to the salaries of entertainers.
Everyone should agree that the value an athlete, movie star, talk-show host,
team-owner, etcetera brings to the average citizen is very small. Granted,
they do offer a minuscule of diversion from our daily trials and
tribulations as did the jesters in the king's court during the middle ages.
But to allow these entertainers to horde such great amounts of wealth at the
expense of more benevolent societal programs is unacceptable.
They do not provide a product or a service so why are they rewarded as such?

Our society is also subjected to the "profound wisdom" of these people
because it equates wealth with influence. Perhaps a solution to this
problem and a alternative to defeated school levies, crumbling
infrastructures, as well as all the programs established to help feed,
clothe and shelter those who cannot help themselves would be to tax this
undeserved wealth. Entertainers could keep 1% of the gross earnings reaped
from their endeavor and 99% could be deposited into the public coffers.

On January 10, Fergie and Josh Duhamel officially tied the knot. While US Weekly nabbed the exclusive first photos of the event, there are still more photos to be seen. In this month's Elle magazine, Fergie and Josh show off some of their wedding photos.

The "magical" and "ethereal" wedding (Fergie's words, not ours) was held at the Church Estate Vineyard in Malibu, California. 375 guests in attendance enjoyed a massive 150 pound cake at their pricey $1 million wedding.

Here are some of the new photos as shown in Elle:

Katrina Chalifoux of Rockford, Illinois and her sheath-style wedding gown fashioned out of molded toilet paper won first prize yesterday in a toilet paper wedding dress design contest sponsored by Ripley's Believe It or Not!, Charmin, and Cheap-Chic-Weddings.com. The top six designs from the competition are currently on display at the Times Square "odditorium."

All of the wedding gowns were made entirely of toilet paper. The top three winning designers duked it out for the top prize of $1000.

Katrina Chalifoux, the winner, spent two weeks creating the dress with a raised flower pattern from molded toilet paper. Coming in a close second place was Terri Glover of Marlin, Texas and Ann Lee of Honolulu, Hawaii in third.

The competition celebrated its fourth year of existence this year.

You read that headline right. Earlier this year Target began selling designer wedding gowns online that cost you less than a car payment, which is in stark contrast to what most people imagine when thinking of the cost of a wedding dress. Designer Isaac Mizrahi who has been designing an exclusive, affordable line of his apparel for Target for several years now, is the man behind the budget-friendly dresses.

The dresses come in several different cuts, and two shades of white - igglo white, which is a bright white shade, and opal cream, and off-white color. They are cut in a classic, yet modern style. Prices start at just $89.00 and range up to less than $200, depending on the style.

The "Isaac Mizrahi Bridal for Target" collection also features everything else that you'll need for your big day, including shoes, veils, and beautiful accessories. They even have bridesmade dresses available in a rainbow of colors and cuts, as well as men's formal wear and accessories, and cute dresses and suits for the kids in the wedding party.

Bridal Week and bridal fashion shows are typically treated by the fashion world as a somewhat lesser event than other big events, such as NY Fashion Week. Afterall, there's only so much white a person can take, and after awhile all the gowns just start to look the same.

But judging by the designs that were shown off last week for the spring 2008 bridal collections, next year's gowns are going to be a little more high-fashion that we're used to. The standard lace and satin pieces are taking a backseat to more out-there creations including off-the-shoulder dresses, pleats, ruffles, and even some pastels.

As if the hunt for the perfect wedding dress wasn't already a big enough ordeal...