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A Real Wedding at the Spartan Race

When most couples envision their wedding day, they don't exactly picture trudging through mud and rain in their wedding-day attire.

Jennifer and Steve Fisher aren't like most couples. After participating in a 7.2 mile Super Spartan Race last Saturday, where they raced up and down black diamond ski slopes while completing obstacles — all while wearing a wedding gown and tuxedo — they leapt over the fire at the end of the race together, exchanged vows, and became husband and wife.

spartan race wedding
Before and after the race

Completing challenging races together has been a part of this couple's relationship since the very beginning. Shortly after they started dating three years ago, they discovered that they'd both signed up for a Tough Mudder competition a few hours away. "It ended up being our fist weekend away together," said Jennifer.

When the couple started discussing their wedding plans, they knew they didn't want to have a "huge, expensive wedding." About three weeks before the Spartan Race, Jennifer joked that they should just get married after the competition, and to her surprise, Steve loved the idea! 

"It all went by so fast, but every moment was so much fun, and we have lots of great memories and stories for our special day," said Jennifer. Check out photos from the day:

Everything We Know About Brad & Angelina's Wedding

In the most highly anticipated wedding of the year, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt tied the knot on August 23. This week's People and Hello! magazines will be filled with exclusive photos and details from the intimate celebration. Here's what we know so far!

brad pitt angelina jolie wedding

1. Just 20 people attended the wedding, which was held in the chapel of Chateau Miraval, the family's estate in France. Pitt's parents, brother, and sister, as well as Jolie's brother, all attended the wedding. Jolie's father, Jon Voight, reportedly did not.

2. The couple's six children all participated in the wedding ceremony. Maddox, 13, and Pax, 10, walked their mother down the aisle. Zahara, 9, and Vivienne, 6, tossed flower petals gathered from the garden. And Shiloh, 8, and Knox, 6, served as the ring bearers.

3. One of the ring bearers dropped a ring! No word on who was the guilty party, but Jolie told Hello!, "They all took it very seriously. Knox practiced carrying coins and acorns on his little pillow before he got the ring."

4. The couple certainly didn't splurge on ceremony music — Pitt and the guests hummed "Here Comes the Bride" as Jolie walked down the aisle.

5. When the newlyweds shared their first kiss as husband and wife, Shiloh buried her head in the ring pillow to keep from laughing out loud.

Gorgeous New Wedding-Day Charms

wedding charm bracelet

For all you charm bracelet fans, what better way to commemorate your special big day than with a charm honoring your everlasting love?

The new Chamilia brand, from Swarovski Group, is offering a "Wedding Collection" of charms. These charms are the perfect pieces to wear on your big day — perhaps choose the "love" heart, the wedding cake, or the "I Do" ring box charm, flanked by Swarovski charms in your wedding colors.

wedding charm braceletwedding charm bracelet

For those of you that have started on Pandora, these charms fit on the Pandora bracelets. Or, pick out a sterling silver necklace or bracelet from Chamillia to complete your look. For more information, check out chamilia.com.

—Naima DiFranco

All the Details on Angelina Jolie's One-of-a-Kind Wedding Gown

Ever since announcing their engagement, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have emphasized how important the idea of marriage had become to their kids. So we knew that their six children would be very involved in the wedding — but we didn't expect to see their handiwork on the wedding-day attire! Jolie wore a custom silk-satin gown by Versace, and the master tailor at Atelier Versace, Luigi Massi, incorporated artwork by the kids.

"Luigi is like family to me and I couldn't imagine anyone else making this dress," Jolie told People. "He knows and cares for the children, and it was great fun putting it together."

brad pitt angelina jolie wedding

"It was important to us that the day was relaxed and full of laughter. It was such a special day to share with our children and a very happy time for our family," the couple told Hello! magazine. 

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Tell us: What do you think of the dress?

—Kristen Klein

Ashlee Simpson and Evan Ross are Married!

ashlee simpson evan ross engaged

Congratulations are in order for singer Ashlee Simpson and actor Evan Ross! The duo exchanged vows in Connecticut at the estate of the groom's mother, legendary Supremes singer Diana Ross.

The bride walked down the aisle with her five-year-old son, Bronx. Her recently-married sister, Jessica, stood as matron of honor, and Jessica's children, Maxwell and Ace, participated as the flower girl and ring bearer.

According to Us Weekly, the Bohemian-themed wedding was filled with "dream catchers, eclectic touches, and a mix-and-match palette." The bride dazzled in a pearl-embellished gown accented by $750,000 in diamonds and rubies by Neil Lane. The bridesmaids all wore shoes from sister Jessica's namesake line.

Congratulations to the happy couple!

—Kristen Klein

Brangelina Finally Ties the Knot!

After nearly 10 years together, Angelina Jolie, 39, and Brad Pitt, 50, are husband and wife! The actor/director humanitarians tied the knot at Chateau Miraval, their estate in France, over the weekend with only 22 guests in attendance. 

mr and mrs smith

Jolie walked down the aisle with two of their sons, Maddox, 13, and Pax, 10. Daughters Zahara, 9, and Vivienne, 6, served as flower girls, while daughter Shiloh, 8, and son Knox, 6, carried the rings.

The six children have been open about their desire for their parents to get married. The bride tells People that if it were up to them, the wedding theme would have been Disney or paintball!

In a recent interview with Elle, Jolie opened up about how she and Pitt "drive each other beautifully crazy": "After all these years, we have history—and when you have history with somebody, you’re friends in such a very real, deep way that there’s such a comfort, and an ease, and a deep love that comes from having been through quite a lot together.”

mr and mrs smith

Why You Should Consider a Same-Day Edit Video

My one-year marriage anniversary is next week (hooray!), and the number-one thing from my wedding that guests still ask me about is...the same-day edit video. Ironically, that was the easiest thing that my husband Jason and I had to plan. We added it to our video package because the premise sounded fun, but we honestly didn't know what to expect since we had never attended another couple's big day that had one.

The sweet video footage floored our family members and friends, and we couldn't be more thrilled with the way it turned out:

Stefania & Jason's NJ Same Day Edit (SDE) Wedding Video at The Venetian, Garfield, NJ http://www.abellastudios.com from Abella Studios on Vimeo.

For those of you who may not be familiar with them, a same-day edit (or SDE for short) is a cinematic mini-documentary that tells the story of the wedding day as it unfolds from the bride and groom's perspective. It includes footage from all of the intimate moments of your event, including the pre-ceremony preparations, ceremony, post-ceremony and first dance.

Unlike a standard wedding trailer, it's screened to all of the guests during the reception. The editing process is done on-site, usually in just a few hours, so there isn't time for reviews or re-edits (make sure you truly love your videographer's work and vision before signing on the dotted line!). 

5 Wedding-Planning Tools to Bookmark ASAP

Our wedding-planning motto is "Work smarter, not harder" so we're constantly on the lookout for ingenious tools to help make the process easier for brides. The following websites definitely meet this criteria — use them to find the perfect venue, keep guests informed about your big-day plans and more. 

1. The Venue Report
Locking in your wedding date and venue is one of the most important decisions you'll have to make because it will undoubtedly influence other aspects of your big day, from which dress you'll wear down the aisle to what foods you'll serve at your reception. The Venue Report is a fantastic resource for those brides who desire an out-of-the-box location and/or destination nuptials.

Want to treat your guests to a glamping weekend on a dude ranch? How about tying the knot in a modern estate once owned by Hollywood celebs? Or perhaps getting hitched on a boat is more your speed? They offer picks for all of these unique experiences and more around the globe, including Africa, Asia, Europe, Mexico, Australia, Canada, the United States and numerous tropical islands.

Watch: ALS Ice Bucket Challenge Proposal

Have you done the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge yet? While we've seen some amazing videos come out of this groundbreaking charity initiative — watch some of our faves here, here and here — Shelby Muha's Facebook nomination was truly life-changing because it was the moment when she got engaged to Justin Davidson!

Watch as she braces herself for the freezing-cold water, only to open her eyes and find her boyfriend waiting on bended knee with a different kind of ice:

We love that the bride-to-be douses her fiance before jumping into his embrace! Congratulations to the newlyweds-to-be.

First Look: Bridesmaid Dresses Designed by Lauren Conrad

Lauren Conrad is getting married this fall, and as if we needed another reason to be excited for her upcoming wedding, she's designed a new line of bridesmaid dresses that are available for purchase (not just for her 'maids!).

The fashion mogul and former reality star created 12 different looks for Paper Crown, her upscale label, which are true to her California-cool, feminine sense of style. Bohemian brides will swoon over the chic and understated colors, flowy silhouettes and romantic lace. Starting at $220, they're more of a fashion investment, but they can easily be worn again post-wedding by shortening the hemline and styling it with different accessories.

In an interview with Martha Stewart Weddings, Conrad revealed that she sent her bridesmaids different shapes and let them pick from two colors. "I don’t mind if there are a few girls in the same dress or if people are all in different ones. It’s too difficult to take a group of girls and put them in the same color and silhouette; everyone has their own style," she says.

Browse the entire collection here:

Style Alex
This sweet tea-length dress features a flattering ruched bodice and a full tulle skirt. "Alex" is available in navy.

paper crown bridesmaid dresses

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