Tag: historical weddings
Run for office? No. I’ve slept with too many women. I’ve done too many drugs, and I’ve been to too many parties.
This could easily be the mantra for any stereotypical, unmarried man and rightfully so. Especially when one finds out, it came from today’s most notorious, eligible bachelor, George Clooney. Clooney – like all eternal bachelors – has one distinctive trait that separates him from a world of commonality. He’s never found a girl who moved him enough to answer the Beyoncé call to “put a ring on it,” and oddly enough, it is the same trait that can ring commonality to a list filled with of philosophers, artists, political leaders, media personalities and scientists. Whether they didn’t see the point, were too focused on other goals or simply weren’t the marrying kind, one thing is for certain; the noteworthy men on this list are just as famous for what they did as for what they didn’t… get hitched, of course!
While Mr. Clooney may be the most recognizable solo act today, he is by no means a pioneer of wedding day. Dating all the way back to the 15th Century, Michelangelo, a true Renaissance man, made it distinguishingly obvious that his work, which includes some of the most renowned masterpieces in history, was all the fulfillment he needed. Instead of marrying a wife who would bear him a great brood, Michelangelo painted, sculpted, engineered and crafted his offspring all on his own, as he considered each piece one of his children.
This poetic attachment to art could also be the reasons behind why men like Sir Joshua Reynolds, an influential painter who was among the founders of the Royal Academy or Henri de Toulouse-Latrec, a provocative French post-impressionist never married. One might even consider it to be a theme in the art world, as Vincent von Gogh, famed for his vibrantly colored, emotion inducing works, also chose to never get on one knee for lady. (This may or may not have also been affected by the bouts of anxiety, mental illness and ear chopping… just a thought.)
Famed artists, Vincent van Gogh and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec never married. (Photos Courtesy of Google Images)
Regardless of the reason, however, it seems many influential bachelors are often times more defined by their love of work, rather than their love of family. Take for instance, the great brains of Sir Isaac Newton, considered by many to be one of the most influential men in history, Ludwig van Beethoven, a brilliant German composer and pianist and Blaise Pascal, both a physicist and philosopher who were all infamous for throwing themselves into their work. Marriage must seem insignificant when compared to discovering gravity or composing, conducting and performing some of the world’s most powerful music… while deaf.
President James Buchanan is the only US president who never took the plunge. (Photo Courtesy of Google Images)
No matter what, there seems to be a definite correlation between a man’s ability to plunge head first into work and not down the aisle. Even in the political world, generally depicted with a picturesque, nuclear family, there are a number of men vetoing marriage. President James Buchanan not only remains the only U.S President to come out of Pennsylvania, but he is also the only one to never get married. He is not, however, the only politician. Among some of the other elected officials to populate Single Town are Ralph Nadar, a political activist who’s made a name for himself running for president and Ed Koch, U.S. congressman and former Mayor of New York City.
It just doesn't seem right for the "Sexiest Man Alive" not to get married and make babies! Share the wealth, George! (Photo Courtesy of Google Images)
It seems every walk of life has a laundry list of bachelors filling it, but none more notably, than the one good ‘ole George Clooney represents – the entertainment world. Fellow actor and multiple Academy Award winner, Al Pacino ranks among the top of the list of men who have never married and is accompanied by the likes of comedian and television host, Bill Maher, as well as 80’s pop icon, Billy Idol. Apparently, for him, it was NOT “a nice day for a white wedding.”
December 21, 2009
As part of wedding tradition, many brides and grooms will be met by several raised glasses and hearty cheers on their big day, and more often than not, each one is accompanied by a swig of champagne (yum!) So, why not go for gusto and toast with Princess Diana’s 1961 Dom Perignon champagne from her wedding day?
You heard me. The champagne – originally used at Princess Diana’s marriage to Prince Charles – is a 1961 vintage, selected in honor of the GORGEOUS bride’s birth year and is currently being prepared for the highest bidder! (Please note, “gorgeous” is done in all caps for emphatic vigor, as I still believe Princess Diana was, is and always will be one of the most painstakingly beautiful people to grace the world with her enormous presence!)
According to James Grinter of the Reeman Dansie auction house, this champagne is not only an incredibly unique find because it was part of the Royal Wedding, but it also was “a strictly limited release and even rarer to find it still sealed in its original box.”
Seven years after the timeless beauty married England’s heir to the throne, Diana gave it to Brian Ames, manager of London’s infamous department store – Harrods, as a 50th birthday present. Set to be auctioned off later this month in Colchester, the bottle is suspected to go for £1,200 (or approximately $2000), and I know at least one gal who’ll be all over this… Carolyn, I wish you the best of luck – hehe!
And no matter who wins (or loses) this vintage classic, I still think everyone deserves a toast with the most on their wedding day! So, here’s to you, all my beautiful brides and grooms out there, and cheers to many, many years of happiness!
I mean seriously, did the woman take a bad photograph… ever??? Simply GORGEOUS!
Photo Courtesy of Google Images
Also, be sure to check out our incredible selection of Champagne Flutes & Server Sets – personalized free of charge – for the perfect wedding keepsake!
November 16, 2009
Unsightly, ill-fitting dresses. Unflattering, indistinguishable hair. Gaudy, overpriced accessories and uncomfortable, dyed-to-match shoes. No, this is not the wardrobe from a rejected Broadway play. This, unfortunately, is the daily life of a today’s bridesmaid.
UsingEnglish.com pathetically defines the idiom always a bridesmaid, never a bride as: “If someone is always a bridesmaid, never a bride, they never manage to fulfill their ambition – they get close, but never manage the recognition they crave.”
Wow. Is being a bridesmaid really that depressing? Looking at the facts, it would be hard to argue the alternative.
Media Faux Pas
It is pretty safe to say, psychologically speaking; most things are blamed on one of two things: mothers and / or the media. In the case of the bridesmaid, mothers easily take a back seat to media, who have – on several occasions – shown bridal attendants in a negatively skewed light.
Take for instance, Listerine’s 1920s ad campaign, where chronic halitosis is the explanation given to the saying “always a bridesmaid.” This classically portrayed advertisement pays homage to ever present battle of good vs. evil. Armed with minty fresh breath, young, attractive men and women are able to find love and get married; while their single, unsatisfied counterparts are left to lead a depressing life of solitude and isolation do to their malodorous breath. Excellent.
Also to be examined is the bridesmaid’s role in cinema. Often shown as sexually promiscuous, male fantasies (Wedding Crashers) or desperately annoying, single family members (My Best Friend’s Wedding), the function of the bride’s correspondents never seems to fair well… for anyone… ever.
Money Crunching
As if the relentless high jinx surrounding a bridesmaid’s social status is not cause for enough trauma, each girl must also deal with the ensuing, financial burden. Perhaps a suitable mantra for the bridesmaid could come from George Harrison’s 1988 hit, where he appropriately belts, “It’s gonna take money! A whole lotta spending money!” And while Mr. Harrison might have ended his verse with “to do it right,” one could argue a fitting substitute could be “to be a ‘maid.”
According to The Wedding Report, Inc., a research company that researches and supplies statistical figures, spending and consumer trends in the wedding industry, in 2009, the bridesmaids’ business will gain an estimated $9.61 billion this year alone!
So, what does that mean for the individual bridesmaid?
It means, unless a girl makes some serious bank, she should probably consider getting a second job, learning wizardry or having less friends. Because this multi-billion dollar industry was built using the money of single bridesmaids everywhere, each girl should mentally prepare for the credit killer ahead. Once the dress, alterations, shoes, accessories, bridal shower and bachelorette party supplies, gifts, hair, manicure, pedicure, travel, (aaahhh!) etc. are all totaled, each lady in waiting will spend around $1,403.
That’s a lot of chi for a dress that is rarely re-worn, hair that lasts for a day and a gift that will potentially just be returned for cash.
Silver Lining
But even if the all these worst case scenarios and regrettable situations are all true, there is still hope for these previously defined unwed, disillusioned, halitosis toting ladies. Once they discover dental floss, find a man and knowingly get hitched themselves, they can happily return the $1403 bill (as well as their gift) back to all the ladies who did it to them… Mmmwhahaha! In the meantime, just keep your fingers crossed that your current bridal beauty is into giving truly INCREDS bridesmaid gifts!
September 9, 2009
Picture this. Travel back in time to 14th Century England… where kings are kings and old world ideals rein supreme. Every religious, political and governmental infrastructure is held accountable for a completely different set of rules. Rules, reflecting pre-Enlightened thinking and semi-barbaric irrationality, affect everything. They even affect a nervous bride, preparing to start anew with the man whom she loves is betrothed.
Put yourself in her shoes. (Feel free to make them glass slippers – You know I did :)) You’ve more than likely just recently grown out of your “awkward years,” and now, you’re uncomfortably marrying a man twice your senior, because he gave your father “a steal” on a couple prize-winning goats. You’re nervous. You’re uncertain, and even if you’re not ready, you’re getting married.
Then, imagine your shock and awe, as you run past a mob of wedding guests for the first time as Mrs. Claudius Cromwell III of Essex, while they pick, poke, pry, tear and tug at your dress! You heard me right, kids. Back then, “owning” a piece of the bride’s clothing was thought to bring luck to it’s possessor; so, people took it upon themselves to pilfer parts of the gown for their own accord. And ridiculous as this may seem to us now, it was the faint beginning of the bouquet and garter toss tradition we know and love today.
In order to keep her dress in tact, brides everywhere began giving up their garters as “replacement sacrifices.” Which in turn, were handed off to the grooms who gladly flung them towards all the single men in the audience. But what about the ladies (All the Single Ladies!)?
Not to be outdone, single women also wanted a chance at good luck or – in many cases today - love. Enter stage right: the bridal bouquet. Still considered a part of the bride’s attire, the bridal bouquet became the piece of good fortune tossed out to the women. Which only goes to show you, that some brutal beginnings can sometimes have the sweetest endings. And look out below for popular song choices and links:
Popular Songs for Bouquet Toss
- Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) by Beyonce
- Girls Just Wanna Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper
- It’s Raining Men by the Weather Girls
- Man! I Feel Like A Woman! by Shania Twain
- Hit Me With Your Best Shot by Pat Benatar
- Wishin’ And Hopin’ by Dusty Springfield
- Hollaback Girl by Gwen Stefani
- This One’s For The Girls by Martina McBride
- Addicted To Love by Robert Palmer
- Lady Marmalade by Christina Aguilera. Lil’ Kim, Mya and Pink
Popular Songs for Garter Toss
- Another One Bites The Dust by Queen
- Let’s Get It On by Marvin Gaye
- Legs by ZZ Top
- Pour Some Sugar On Me by Def Leppard
- I’m Too Sexy by Right Said Fred
- Foxey Lady by Jimi Hendrix
- Sexyback by Justin Timberlake
- Oh Yeah by Yello
- You Can Leave Your Hat On by Joe Cocker
- Theme From Mission Impossible by Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen
And feel free to check out our incredible line of Wedding Garters, each equipped with a free tossing garter, to ensure a perfect wedding day toss and treasure!
July 29, 2009
They say that love is the international language. So, here are a few wedding facts to celebrate the feeling known around the world:
- Instead of rice, peas are thrown at Czech newlyweds. (All I know is, people had best be throwing lightly. I’m not trying to dance the night away in a white dress covered in green stains… not good.)
- Historically, Danish men and women cross dressed in order to confuse evil spirits. (My cousin Kelly wanted to do this for a Halloween themed wedding… shortly thereafter, she was overruled… by everyone else helping her pay for the ceremony.)
- Most Moroccan women take a milk bath before their wedding day to purify themselves. (A good cleansing never hurt anyone… unless, in this case, you’re lactose intolerant.)
- One of history’s earliest engagement rings was given to Henry VIII’s daughter, Princess Mary, at the ripe old age of two. (I’ve heard of being prepared, but that may be playing it a little TOO safe.)
- The most expensive wedding ever was the marriage of Sheik Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum’s son to Princess Salama in Dubai in May of 1981. It cost a staggering $44 million. (Hmmm, right around my bridal budget :))
- In South Africa, the parents of both bride and groom traditionally carried fire from their hearths to light a new fire in the newlyweds’ hearth. (I think we’ll just stick with the unity candle.)
- Queen Victoria’s cake weighed an extraordinary 300 pounds. (Please refer to I Love Wedding Cake, But Seriously???)
- Stag parties were first held by ancient Spartan soldiers, who kissed their bachelor days goodbye with a raucous party. (Haha, figures. I mean did you see the movie 300??? Those men were all sorts of crazy!)
- Diamonds set in gold or silver became popular as betrothal rings among wealthy Venetians toward the end of the fifteenth century. (Thank goodness! I love me some bling!)
- A Finnish bride traditionally went door-to-door collecting gifts in a pillowcase, accompanied by an older married man who represented long marriage. (Seems like a lot of work, and Lord knows I’m not trying to strain myself :))
No matter what traditions your culture, religion or families may have, just remember that they all play second fiddle to the love that made it possible to showcase them in the first place. John Lennon said it best, “All You Need Is Love!”
May 22, 2009
So, I just read that a slice of 138-year-old cake is to be sold at an Antique’s Fair this week. Honestly, I’m all about “savoring the moment,” but at some point, I think it’s just time to let it go. Heck, I’m even struggling with the thought of eating the top of the wedding cake on my one year anniversary.
This particular sliver of cake is said to be the last and only remaining article from the historical wedding between a British Royale and a “commoner.” (Oooooooh, the scandal) So, for all you potential buyers, the fair is in Birmingham, England. Feel free to pack up and get your hands on some tasty century old cake. And, please, if you do, let me know how it goes!
April 16, 2009
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