A while ago I attended a press event at The Desmond Tutu Center, and the one thing we all noticed was how great this place would be for a wedding. The historic 19th century Gothic architecture and beautifully landscaped grounds provide the perfect backdrop for wedding pictures:

In addition to the beautiful setting, they provide catering and give you the option of having an indoor or outdoor affair. When we walked into the Refectory for lunch I was blown away by the size and deocrative details of the room. The stained glass, the woodwork and the giant fireplace definitely transported me to a different time. It actually kind of reminded me of the Hogwarts dining hall in the Harry Potter movies. Here are a few photos of this impressive space:

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Posted by Naima at 11:54 a.m.

Isn’t love grand? Whenever I’ve gone to a wedding I can’t help but be affected by the couple’s vows of love and their hopes and dreams for the future. The beautiful bride glows with an inner radiance and the groom is equally joyful.

Seems like I’m not the only one touched by the magical effect of a bride and groom. I received a letter and a photo from Ms. Hanan Alhaddi of Dearborn, Michigan, recently. She was in Paris several months ago analyzing the structure of the Eiffel Tower (she’s an engineer) when she suddenly looked up to see a bride and groom standing before her. Here’s what she wrote:

“I sensed a genuine glimpse of hope and joy. I pointed to my camera asking for a permission to take a photo. The bride did not know me, yet she stopped, looked at my camera, and smiled. I captured my moment. Her face was one that I did not know but will never forget. Her willingness to share her happiness with me (a stranger) was enchanting. It was the charming spirit of a bride. It would be delightful if this photo finds a home in your magazine, but if not, I know it will always have a home in me.”

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Posted by Maureen at 12:29 p.m.

If you’re a Preston Bailey fan—as we are—you’ll be intrigued by these invitation designs the master celebrity planner has created for Invitation Consultants, an online invitation company (invitationconsultants.com).

Flat invite: $1.89 each
Invites with ribbon: $2.29 each
Layered invite: $2.99 each

Take a gander at these invitingly affordable examples:

I was reading about Oscar nominee Mo'Nique and was surprised to hear that she and her husband Sidney Hicks have an open marriage! I was also shocked to hear that while she has not had relations with others she can’t say for sure if her husband has. Huh?! If you have this type of a relationship, wouldn’t you want to know—shouldn’t you know? I’d think that was the point of having an open relationship—to not have any secrets.

I don’t know about you, but isn’t the reason we get married to be with only one person? I guess I get the whole swinging thing and people of different cultures having relations with various people while being married, but I certainly don’t agree with it. It’s bad enough that women and men have affairs before they tie the knot, but now we’re allowing them to seek out others while they’re with us? What’s the point of getting married if you’re not satisfied with what you have? How can you go into the marriage knowing your new husband is sleeping with others you know nothing about? How can this not come around someday and bite you? What if he gets someone pregnant or picks up a disease? Why would you want to risk that chance? I guess if both people are OK with this, then it’s no one’s business but theirs.

Have you ever been engaged or married only to find your true love had betrayed you with another woman or man? How did you handle it and do you feel an open marriage prevents people from having affairs and getting divorced? Do you believe that having this type of relationship can only make it stronger?

I’d love to hear what you think, and ladies, NO holding back! Tell me how you really feel!

XO Sam

Posted by Samantha at 2:01 p.m.

A few weeks ago this pretty great book, The DIY Bride Crafty Countdown by Khris Cochran (The Taunton Press, 2009), found it’s way onto my desk. It’s filled with all these super-easy DIY projects that will save you money and make your wedding an event to remember.

What’s so great about this book, other than the fantastic ideas, is that it’s organized in a way that keeps you on track with your wedding timeline. There’s a checklist and a project-planning sheet to help keep you organized, and the projects are broken down according to how far in advance you should complete each one. For example, engagement invites, save-the-dates and thank-yous should be done 12 to 9 months before the wedding while your simple DIY bouquet can be put together a mere six hours before the big event. Yes, she makes it that easy!

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Posted by Maureen at 12:01 p.m.

Weddzilla.com. Remember that name because this innovative new website is sure to make your wedding planning a whole lot easier—along with bridalguide.com, of course!—and fun. Why? It’s the first online social wedding platform that combines the planning process with social networking and will enable you to plan, shop and connect with vendors nationwide. It’s a really neat concept and the brainchild of Aaron and Kristen Hall who, when she was engaged, wondered why there wasn’t one website that could help her connect with the type of vendors she was looking for.

Well, needless to say her question soon became an idea, then a work in progress and now a fantastic new site for busy brides like you. One of the site’s many features is a Wedding Guru Panel of industry pros who will offer advice and share experiences with you. I am very excited to be Weddzilla’s Wedding Etiquette Guru. And, in the coming months, look for our new blog section “Bride to Bride,” which will include content by Weddzilla bride bloggers. We’ll be sharing lots more interactive features such as bridalguide.com’s “Wedding Inspiration Boards,” which will also be found on Weddzilla.

To celebrate the launch of their site, the Weddzilla team threw a grand opening party on February 25, 2010, at the National Museum for Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C. I headed down on the train from NYC (good thing as we were hit with two feet of snow that day and all airports were shut down!) along with bridalguide.com’s General Manager, Jennifer Lazarus, and Managing Editor, Lori Francisco. Luckily in D.C. there wasn’t a flake of snow and nearly a thousand people turned out for this “Rock the Launch” party. Here, invited guests line up to register:

Guest Blogger: Christina Laurenti

If you’re looking for a gorgeous set of crystal champagne flutes, for your home or the wedding toast, I did a little scouting and found some great options. Here are my top three faves:

1) Celebration Champagne Flutes—Set of 6 at Horchow, $60

Toast in six different languages! The languages featured on these cylinder- shaped flutes are Chinese, German, French, English, Italian and Japanese.

2) Bodum Manhattan Double-Wall Thermo Champagne Glasses—Amazon.com, $25.99 (sold individually)