Blogs

Although my fiancé Corey and I haven’t registered for gifts yet, we’ve started to think about where we’d like to register and what we’d like to register for. We want to keep our registry as streamlined as possible, so finding a store that offers everything we need for each room (bedroom, kitchen and bathroom) all in one place is important to us. We found that Kohl’s is a great option because they have tons of locations, so out-of-town guests are sure to find a convenient one near them. Plus, they just unveiled their new Ever After Rewards Program, where you can earn 10% rewards on gifts purchased! We took a trip to Kohl's recently to get some registry inspiration and found some great items that fit our hectic yet down-to-earth lifestyle perfectly.

Corey has been traveling for work a lot lately and didn’t have any luggage of his own, so he was thrilled to receive the Delsey® Air Energy 2.0 21-in. Expandable Wheeled Carry-On as a Christmas gift. We found out that the full Delsey luggage set is available at Kohl's, so we look forward to registering for more pieces from that line. That way, we have all of our bases covered for future trips. Luggage should last for decades, so you want to make sure you register for top-quality brands like Delsey.

Each week, we feature music recommendations from Scratch Weddings, the nation's leader with the best wedding DJs at affordable prices. This week's post comes from DJ Jon Blak, whose client list includes Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Jermaine Dupri and Ryan Leslie. He describes his style as "retro/future”, a seamless blend of old and new that translates well to wedding guests of all ages. "I love the challenge of crossing genres and generations and playing a diverse mix that's totally seamless. At the end a wedding, I'd like the bride and the groom to be exhausted from dancing!" Jon is known infusing any event with energy and cool, while always keeping the client's musical preferences front and center in his music selection.

Photo Credit: Holli B Photography

When Lillian Hartley, 95, and Allan Marks, 98, tied the knot this week, they unknowingly became the world's oldest newlyweds. Their combined 193 years broke the previous record of 191 years.

"Honest to God? Oh, I can't believe it," Hartley told The Desert Sun about breaking the record. "Oh, I'm impressed with myself." 

 Photo via The Desert Sun

The happy couple met 18 years ago at temple on Yom Kippur in Palm Springs. He complimented her dress, and their relationship grew from there.

“I believe in fate and destiny a little bit and I think that was meant to be,” Hartley told ABC News. “I had been a widow for six years and I really loved my freedom. …I said, ‘Oh, I don’t want a relationship,’…and then he came along, and somehow hooked me.”

A true modern-day proposal story: BuzzFeed contributor Len Kendall used Internet memes, Pinterest, and Twitter to propose to his girlfriend Katie today.

After posting his initial photo (left) on BuzzFeed, he encouraged users to submit their own meme-inspired photos. Within an hour, more than 160 users had posted photos in the comments. BuzzFeed created a Pinterest board with some of the best submissions, and the hashtag #sayyeskatie picked up steam on Twitter.

At 12:57 pm, Len announced that Katie had, in fact, said yes.

Below, check out some of our favorites.

It's only natural for a day that comes around just once every four years to attract some fun folklore and superstitions. We did some digging on the tradition of women proposing to men on this day, as seen in the 2010 flick Leap Year.

These days, we all know it's perfectly fine for a woman to propose to a man. But centuries ago, it was unthinkable—except on leap day. As the story goes, St. Bridget struck a deal with St. Patrick after complaining that women did not have the right to propose marriage. St. Patrick suggested that women have the right once every seven years, but St. Bridget negotiated it down to once every four years—and that day would be leap day.

The more likely scenario is that, since February 29 was seen as a "bonus" day, people felt that the traditional rules of conduct did not apply. Regardless, it's become a fun tradition over the centuries for leap day to become a Sadie Hawkins Day. 

Although there's a myth that it's illegal for a man to refuse a leap day proposal, there's no basis to the so-called 1288 law by Queen Margaret of Scotland that required fines be levied if a proposal was refused, ranging from a kiss to a monetary fine to expensive gifts for the scorned woman. Regardless, one tradition says a man who refuses must buy the woman 12 pairs of gloves to hide the embarrassment of having no engagement ring. Another says he must buy her silk. And another story say that a man who refuses will suffer severe bad luck and ill fortune. 

It’s one of those universal beauty truths: Skin-toned polishes are a particularly great option for brides who are (like me) challenged in the nail-length department. A neutral, flesh-like tone can leave even the stubbiest nails looking subtly but wildly chic. That said, the perfect nude-y neutral shade is not so easy to find. Some formulas are too sheer, others too chalky. After trying dozens of shades, I found the perfect hue a couple of years ago, and have stayed with it ever since. Behold: OPI’s Samoan Sand. Turns out my go-to shade has other fans, too.

Both Amy Adams and Stacy Keibler rocked the refined shade on the red carpet last night. The polish paired perfectly with both silver (on Amy) and gold (on Stacy) gowns, so just think how killer it will look with bridal whites and ivories. Oscar-worthy and aisle-worthy!

—Mary Clarke

Are you as depressed as I am without your weekly visits with Lady Mary and the Dowager Countess? I also miss radical Lady Sybil and loyal Anna—a lot. I know that I can visit my friends both upstairs and down via Netflix and pbs.org, but really it isn’t the same knowing how Daisy will react and if Miss Lavina Swire is truly so sweet or not. So instead of trolling the internet for information about the Gratham family and the back stories to the plot lines, I’ve decided to—gasp—take a day trip to Downton Abbey itself! And you can, too. I know!—it is such exciting news, it almost seems impossible.

NoteWorthy Events tours, a British outfitter, is offering day-long adventures to Highclere Castle, the private home in which the fantastic series is filmed. The private excursion includes morning coffee in the Countess’ day room. a house tour, lunch in the Drawing room and a glimpse of the Crawly House. There is also a Jeep ride across the grounds and a tour of the on-site archaeological caves. Of course, High Tea is also served—Cora wouldn’t have it any other way. Go to noteworthyevents.com for more information.

—Jenna Mahoney

Photos courtesy of Masterpiece