| The origins of the white wedding dress | | Posted Thursday, January 26, 2006 11:16:29 AM by Kate Grant | One of the most known symbols of a wedding is the wedding dress. Its origins lay way back in ancient history, beginning at the times of the Egyptians and Romans. Looking back, we’ll find that Ancient Egypt, followed by other civilizations, was the first to recognize the idea of marriage in law. 
The modern word "matrimony," which means marriage, was given to us by the Romans, but what they all had in common, and has until today, around the world, is the beautiful dress worn by the bride.
White, the traditional color for wedding gowns, wasn't always the color of choice but was established during the years, especially after the marriage of Queen Victoria to Albert in 1840. From Godley’s Lady's Book, 1949, "Custom has decided, from the earliest ages, that white is the most fitting hue, whatever may be the material.
It is an emblem of the purity and innocence of girlhood, and the unsullied heart she now yields to the chosen one." We'll find different colors and patterns around the world, each color holds it own meaning: Colors and patterns representing villages are worn in Africa, while bright yellow is believed to scare away the evil eye in Morocco.
Brides in china wear red, for joy and luck, which was also worn by some brides during the civil war in USA to symbolize the independence the Colonists desired. White represents spiritual purity and clarity for Jews around the world.
We'll find red and white combined in Japanese kimonos, and also in India, depending on the region. In other regions and countries we might find more colors, but it is safe to say, the white is widespread as the chosen color for that special day.
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| | | No fairy tale: Disney's heroines inspire high-style wedding gowns | | Posted Monday, March 12, 2007 3:15:34 PM by Blog57 Team | | If your nuptial dreams include a fairy-tale wedding, Walt Disney Co. might have the perfect solution. The company is using its stable of imaginary princesses as inspiration for a new line of wedding gowns. Disney and bridal designer Kirstie Kelly have developed a line of ethereal gowns that pay homage to Cinderella, Jasmine, Snow White, Ariel and Sleeping Beauty. "They will be high-fashion and very modern," said Paulette Cleghorn, president of Designer Loft Productions, a New York public- relations firm representing Kelly. .... | |
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| | | M-SPATIAL EXTEND ORANGE SEARCH WITH LOCAL RESULTS | | Posted Sunday, November 19, 2006 1:13:00 PM by Blog57 Team | | Based in Cambridge, UK, m-spatial is the market leader in mobile local search - connecting consumers to 'local' businesses and information via mass market mobile phones. m-spatial provides its products via a white label ASP delivery model to mobile network operators, directory providers and search engines. Its international customers include Orange, Vodafone, O2 and Seat PagineGialle, Italy's leading directory provider. m-spatial's innovative and unique approach to mobile local search delivers a 'made for mobile' user experience which offers consumers quick and simple access to both a breadth and depth of 'local' information including businesses, amenities, events and traffic conditions and is compatible with the majority of mass market mobile phones. www.m-spatial.com About Orange Orange is a key brand of the France Telecom Group, one of the world's leading telecommunications operators with 149 million customers on five continents.... | |
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| | | Store giving away wedding dresses to show support for troops | | Posted Tuesday, November 14, 2006 7:12:39 PM by Blog57 Team | | WEXFORD, Pa. - One formal wear store experimented with the most literal of Veterans Day sales. Pete Scolieri, who owns One Enchanted Evening in the Pittsburgh suburb of Pine Township with his wife, Linda, said they wanted to show support for the troops. They decided on giving away 120 new wedding gowns to women with military experience or those who are engaged to past or present servicemen. "This is just fantastic," said Rosalind Ramos-Alvarez, who has been in the military for 21 years. She set aside two ivory gowns to try for size. Most giveaway gowns retailed between $500 and $2,000, but one dress was listed for $5,850. One Enchanted Evening donated 100 dresses and several vendors donated 20 others. "It's just a matter of hey, these guys are over there, whether they want to or not, whether they believe in the cause or not.... | |
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| | | Arizona Company Replaces Stolen Wedding Dresses For Fund Raiser | | Posted Saturday, November 11, 2006 3:47:57 AM by Blog57 Team | | LOS ANGELES -- A truck carrying donated wedding dresses used to raise money to grant the wishes of dying women was stolen in Arizona while headed to the Southland for a weekend sale in West Hollywood, but the sale will proceed as scheduled. Returning from a successful bridal sale in Washington, D.C., the Making Memories Breast Cancer Foundation truck was rumbling through the Arizona desert when foundation co-founder Fran Hansen and her driver stopped at a hotel, the Daily News reported. When they came out Sunday morning, the truck -- and $3 million worth of dresses -- were gone. .... | |
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| | | Gown thefts not end of dreams | | Posted Tuesday, November 07, 2006 3:26:49 PM by Blog57 Team | | Fran Hansen was on her way to West Hollywood, where her charity hoped to sell enough donated wedding dresses to grant the wishes of about 20 dying women. Returning from a successful bridal sale in Washington, D.C., the Making Memories Breast Cancer Foundation truck was rumbling through the Arizona desert when Hansen and her driver grew tired and stopped at a hotel for some rest. When they came out Sunday morning, the truck - and $3 million worth of dresses - was gone. "My heart stopped when I walked out there and saw that the truck and trailer was gone," said Hansen, the Oregon-based charity's national director. "My heart was broken. All I could see was women waiting to have their wishes granted based on the sale of these dresses." Scottsdale police are investigating but don't have any suspects, Officer Dave Pubins said.... | |
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| | | 'Rocky Horror' show carries on Halloween tradition at Purdue | | Posted Friday, October 27, 2006 1:27:21 PM by Blog57 Team | | Men in fishnets, corsets and wedding dresses. No, this is not the drag show revisited, it is the "Rocky Horror Picture Show," taking place on Saturday at Purdue. "Rocky Horror" has been around since the 1970s. Since its debut, it has become a cult classic and attracted a large number of followers. The show, which is almost always performed at midnight, brings risque clothing and antics with a Halloween feel. The story is about a couple who gets lost while driving and stumbles upon the castle of a transvestite who is holding the annual convention of visitors from the planet Transsexual. Chaos ensues, and among the dancing and singing, the story unfolds. For the virgins, or people who have never experienced the show, it is very audience-oriented. People show up in costumes related to the show and actively participate in the dances and songs.... | |
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| | | Taipei folk dancers fuse beauty, color | | Posted Friday, October 27, 2006 11:27:36 AM by Blog57 Team | | When Taipei Folk Dance Theatre steps onstage at the Charline McCombs Empire Theatre on Saturday, it will bring another example of folk dance to a city already rich with varied ethnic dance. Like many Asian dance troupes, the Taiwanese company dresses its dancers in gloriously colored costumes and sets them moving to traditional songs and dances, many of them story ballets drawn from Chinese antiquity. "This type of theater is beautiful," said James Hu, honorary president of San Antonio's Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce. "The costumes are gorgeous and the lighting is wonderful." A large part of the company's success is also due to "the skill of its dancers, who have given some 600 performances in 40 countries," Hu said. The performance is part of the Arts San Antonio season.... | |
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| | | Sister act | | Posted Tuesday, October 24, 2006 7:11:40 AM by Blog57 Team | | TWO sisters are hoping to take their wedding VOWS for marrying beauty with top business skills. Margaret Johnston and Elizabeth Simpson have just been nominated for the "Voted Outstanding Wedding Supplier" or VOWS a national awards ceremony taking place next month. Since they set up their Fine Things firm three years ago, the Port Glasgow sisters have impressed their customers who put them up for the prize. Just six other companies from across Scotland will compete in the bridal retail category when the awards are handed out at Glasgow's Hilton Hotel. The King Street business was set up when 55-year-old Elizabeth who is married to Jim returned from 32 years of living in England. She joined up with Margaret whose husband is Ian who felt the future of her Hewlett Packard job in Erskine was at risk.... | |
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| | | Brides-To-Be Stampede Pa. Store During Gown Sale | | Posted Friday, October 20, 2006 11:13:11 PM by Blog57 Team | | Filene's Basement at Marple Crossroads Shopping Center held a Bridal Gown Sale offering more than 1,400 designer wedding dresses for prices as low as $249. The famous name brand dresses have original prices tags of up to $9,000. Future brides and their teams of maids of honor, family, friends and even men gathered during the predawn hours to form a line that wrapped around the building. They all wanted to to be among the first to search for the perfect wedding gown.The sale is referred to as the "Running of the Brides" because it reminds many people of the famous "Running of the Bulls" in Spain, said a representative from Filene's Basement.When the clock struck eight the doors opened and the women were off, full-speed-ahead. The stampede of anxious brides-to-be made its way through the doors and went rack to rack, gathering numerous potential dresses to don on that special day.... | |
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| | | Wedding tips -- with a sense of humor | | Posted Tuesday, October 17, 2006 7:14:17 PM by Blog57 Team | | Of the three most popular wedding months -- May, June and October -- wedding coordinator Debbie Donze of Fairview Heights likes October best. "There are so many other conflicting things in May and June," she said. "October is a calmer month for guests." There's a good chance of good weather and lots of choices. "Anything goes," she said. "You can stick to the summer vibrant colors, hot pinks and yellows, use fall orange and red, or go right into the holiday colors with cranberry, hunter green and sparkle." "I have been doing weddings and flowers for 28 years. No two are alike." For an October wedding two years ago, dresses were celery green. Attendants carried Gerber daisy bouquets in mixed bright colors. The centerpieces were pumpkins.... | |
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