TresSugar

The Running of the Brides

GiggleSugar — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 00:02:00 -0700

Since 1947, Filene's in Boston has hosted a bridal gown sale that has brides-to-be (and their accomplices) lining up in the early hours just to get inside and fight with other women for gowns. What's the deal? The merchandise is new, with original tags, often originally priced in the thousands...and each gown is just $249. Within 60 seconds of the doors opening, it's been witnessed, the racks are completely stripped. Women grab as many gowns as they can, try them out in the aisles, and then wander around looking to trade with someone else for the right size. (That is, if they're not fighting with someone for the same dress!) After watching this video, I think dodging pissed-off bulls in Pamplona might be more fun!

Filene's Running of the Brides!

GiggleSugar — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 11:00:00 -0700

If you thought a sale at H&M could provoke a near riot, imagine that times 100, and you'll get Filene's biannual "running of the brides" bridal gown sale in Boston. The strategy appears to be the same, though. When the doors open, knock people out of the way. Then proceed to put as many items (in this case, heavy-ass bridal dresses) in your arms and/or cart, no matter what the size or style. Have some dude who wished he had a prior commitment guard the items - like hippie boy you see in this vid - and then make deals with other brides as if you had a completely separate economy going on down in that basement. (OK, that last strategy, I admit, I've never heard of before.)

To see more wedding coverage, check out IDoSugar.com!

"Men's Rights" Groups Say Feminist Society Oppresses Men

TresSugar — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:00:00 -0800

We've all heard of women's rights activists, but are you familiar with men's rights activists? MRAs are men who believe that the emancipation of women and the emergence of feminism has led to the oppression of men. (Because, you know, it can't be a win-win proposition!)

Double X provided an extensive exploration of a movement that is trying to appear more mainstream. Here are some MRA claims:

False domestic abuse allegations are rampant.
A feminist-run court system wrongly separates innocent fathers from children.
Battered-women shelters scam taxpayers by transferring federal money to feminists.
Domestic violence laws help mail-order brides fraudulently get green cards.
Men are unrecognized victims of domestic violence themselves.

According to Double X, there's evidence that MRAs have greatly exaggerated many of their concerns about custody and domestic violence. For example, abuse accusations don't automatically win custody for mothers, and often incidents these men count as violence against men are really cases of self-defense. If you think this form of activism sounds too out there to be taken seriously, know that MRAs have had some very real influence. In 2008, they claimed responsibility for helping block the passage of four domestic violence bills.

What do you make of MRAs?

Runaway Brides in China Taking Their Bride Price With Them

TresSugar — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 01:00:00 -0700

With a surplus of bachelors in China thanks to the one-child policy and cultural preference for boys, the country is starting to see more runaway brides - who run away with the bride price their grooms-to-be saved up for the bride’s family.

“Cai li,” the set amount the groom’s family pays the bride’s family, used to be a small sum in the '80s. But since the country has become more prosperous and prospective brides more scarce, the sums have risen to sometimes several years’ worth of a farming family’s income.

Officials speculate that although the runaway bride phenomenon isn’t exactly yet an epidemic, they’re concerned that when the runaways happen in clusters, organized crime rings may be behind the scams.

The British Journal of Medicine estimates that in a recent census, there was a surplus of 32 million males under the age of 20.

Source

The How-To Lounge: Maid of Honor Responsibilities on the Big Day

DearSugar — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 08:00:00 -0700

While many of the maid of honor’s duties revolve around wedding planning, when it comes to the big day, she still has many final responsibilities awaiting her. Although the most important job is to keep the bride as stress-free as possible, there are many other details that shouldn’t be overlooked. To see some of the most significant maid of honor duties on the wedding day, read more.

Create and bring an emergency kit that includes any potential disaster necessities, from clear nail polish to a miniature sewing kit and everything in between.
Keep a running checklist of all the things that need to be completed before and during the event. You don't want the bride to be running around trying to keep track of everything.
Manage the bridesmaids by making sure that they’re on time and ready to go. Feel free to dole out some of the maid of honor duties to them over the course of the afternoon or evening.
Assist the bride in getting into her dress and veil. Keep an eye on her dress during the ceremony and make sure to fluff and straighten her train if necessary.
Act as a go-between for the bride, the groom, and any of the wedding vendors. Again, the bride has enough to worry about, and she won't be able to interact with anyone outside of the bridal party while she's getting her hair and makeup done.
If possible, check out the reception venue and make sure that everything is as it should be. This is probably what the bride will be most concerned over, and it will be a great relief to know that you’ve seen it.
Along with the best man, sign the marriage license as a witness.
Hang on to the groom’s ring during the ceremony until requested. If you have nowhere else to put it, wear it on your thumb.
Be prepared to toast the couple at the reception unless otherwise decided.
Make sure the bride eats and stays hydrated throughout the occasion.
At the end of the reception, help the bride and groom’s families load up the gifts and any other memorabilia. Do a final walk through the venue to make sure that nothing has been left behind.

While this is no short list of responsibilities, knowing that your best friend has had as perfect a wedding as possible will surely be reward enough!

To see all of our wedding coverage, check out IDoSugar.com.

Source

Marriage Maverick Mayor Weds Mad Men Actress Siebel

CitizenSugar — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 00:00:49 -0700

San Francisco's marriage-equality lightening rod, Gavin Newsom tied the knot himself over the weekend. In a Montana ranch ceremony he married actress Jennifer Siebel. If you watched last night's Mad Men premiere, you'll know her as Betty's old roommate and pricey prostitute, Juanita.

Guests of honor included Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and former Mayor Willie Brown. The golden and beautiful affair was the second set of "I dos" for Newsom. He and former wife Kimberly Guilfoyle (of Fox News fame) split shortly after he began issuing maverick same-sex wedding certificates in 2004.

On top of her one-time Mad Men performance (or not!, she does have Don's business card), the bride has appeared recently on the NBC show, Life. The groom just filed exploratory papers to run against Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for the office in 2011. The couple will honeymoon in Africa.

View 5 Photos ›

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What's Tackier?

GiggleSugar — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 04:01:00 -0700

It's the big day, the day you've dreamed of since you met The One. You've been planning every aspect of your wedding within an inch of its life for about a year. So it just makes sense that you might be so freaking tired, you'd just say, "To hell with nice shoes! And anyway, what if I need to cut and run a la Runaway Bride? I'm just going to put on _____." Let's say you live for tacky. What's tackier?

Source and Source

You Asked: How Can I Lose Weight Before My Wedding?

DearSugar — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 17:00:00 -0700

Dear Sugar--

I recently was given the opportunity to explore other career options and have had lots of free time to focus on my fitness and nutrition. I've gotten really into it and set a goal of losing 15 pounds before my wedding date in November. I am 5'4" and when I started my routine/eating change I was 136. I'm down to 131, I work out six days a week...hiking, spinning, running, weight lifting, Pilates and yoga. Plus I'm keeping track of what I am eating. I eat six times a day small meals, lots of fruit, protein and veggies.

I use the website www.sparkpeople.com to track my eating and my workouts. The site gives me a caloric breakdown. According to the BMR I burn 1380 calories without doing any physical activity, so I've been burning an additional 500-800 calories a day plus only eating between 800-1200 calories. Why am I not losing weight??? I'm starting to get frustrated especially since I feel like I'm working really hard. Any
suggestions?

--Frustrated Bride-To-Be

To see DEARSUGAR's answer read more

Dear Frustrated Bride-To-Be--

This is a question I'm sure many women can relate to - how to lose weight in a healthy way. First of all let me say that you should be proud of yourself for starting this plan and sticking to it. You've lost 5 lbs already, and that's awesome.

I'm sorry to say that losing weight is hard work, and it's a long journey. Since you are at a pretty healthy weight already, losing those extra 10 lbs is going to be a slow process. In order to lose 1 lb a week (which is a healthy goal), you need to either burn or omit 500 calories from your diet per day. A good way to do that is to burn 250 calories through exercise, and ditch 250 calories from your diet. You don't want to shock your body and drop your caloric intake dramatically though, because your body won't burn fat, it'll hold onto it. You must consume at least 1200 calories a day so your body doesn't think there's a food famine.

Another great tip is to stop eating 2 hours before you go to bed. It'll give your body a chance to digest, and then when morning comes, you'll be hungry for breakfast. Don't skip this important meal since it can help jump start your metabolism.

I see that you are doing a wide range of exercise, but you may want to stick to focusing on heart-pumping cardio. Jog, ride a bike or do the elliptical at the gym for 20-30 every day, and you'll tone up and burn calories. Another thing you should remember is that if you are building muscle with exercising, you'll be losing inches and not necessarily losing weight. Muscle doesn't weigh more than fat, but it is denser so it takes up less room. That means when you step on the scale, it may not reflect all your hard work. Look in the mirror though, I'm sure you're bound to notice a difference.

Getting married can be both an exciting and stressful time. Just keep taking good care of yourself, get enough sleep each night, continue eating healthy and exercising, and by November I'm sure you'll look toned and feel strong, confident, and beautiful on your special day.

Source

The How-To Lounge: Saying No to Her Bridesmaid Request

DearSugar — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 10:00:00 -0700

It’s certainly a bit awkward and requires some major tact, but you actually can say no to a friend’s request for you to be her bridesmaid. In fact, if you really don’t feel like you’ll be a positive participant either because of time constraints or personal demands, declining her request might just be the best thing you can do. Though coming right out with “no thanks” may not be the best strategy, there are ways of refusing gracefully. To check out my tips, read more

Don’t leave the bride hanging. If you’re not going to do it, let her know as soon as possible. If you put it off, you'll just feel unnecessarily guilty, and not allotting her enough time to find a replacement could lead to a bigger headache then just being direct.
Regardless of what some bridezillas might say, financial concern is a legitimate reason for turning down the bridesmaid request. Making your friend’s wedding a special day is incredibly important but not at the expense of your own livelihood. Let her know that, budgetwise, you just don’t have the room for this kind of expenditure.
The same rule applies if you’re overwhelmingly busy. Sometimes there are just not enough days in the month, and overbooking yourself will only lead to disaster.
A great way to smooth over your refusal is by offering to take a different role in the wedding. You can offer to be in charge of the guestbook or manage her thank you notes for the bridal shower and bachelorette party.
Above all else, be as respectful as possible. Go out of your way to acknowledge the importance of her day and your desire to be a part of it.

In most cases, even if your friend is disappointed, she’ll understand. And if she doesn’t at first, give her some time. Often the stress of planning a wedding can make emotions run high, so you might find her far more understanding once the vows have been spoken.

Source

Another Runaway Bride...

GiggleSugar — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 14:30:00 -0800

There's a new runaway bride in town- but she didn't run from her man, she escaped from THE MAN. Julianne Mitrovska successfully dodged the year-long jail sentence she deserved for stealing more than $123,000 from the trade union she worked for. Cold feet were the least of her worries, because this bride needed cold cash. She stole the money to pay off the extensive debt she incurred from having a lavish Australian wedding. Instead of getting newly wed to the slammer, she was sentenced to complete 250 hours of community service- which, for pleading guilty to eight charges, was another "steal" on her part.

Moral of the story: There's always Vegas. It's cheaper, and it's also less of a gamble than embezzling money from a bank to pay for an elaborate wedding. Really, I think the family will understand.