World’s Most Expensive Wedding

According to the Guinness World Records book, the Bride with the distinction of having had the most expensive wedding in the world was Vanisha Mittal. The Groom was Amit Bhatia. Their wedding cost $ 78 Million Dollars and occurred in France, on June 22, 2004 at Vaux le Vicomte, a 17th-century French chateau on the final day of a six-day celebration.

Invitations for the Hindu nuptials were 20 pages thick, encased in silver, and contained jade necklaces or diamond watches for close family friends. The industrialist chartered 12 Boeing jets to fly 1,500 guests from India to the festivities in France that ranged from the Tuileries Gardens in Paris to the Palace of Versailles. Fireworks filled the skies and ‘Bollywood’ stars mixed with the guests who consumed five thousand bottles of Mouton-Rothschild 1986.

Vanisha Mittal Bhatia has a masters degree in South Asian studies and sits on the board of Mittal Steel, owned by her father Lakshmi Mittal, who is estimated by Forbes to be worth $51 billion.

Text by Norma-Jean Alt

Travis & Kara’s Wedding

Travis & Kara (Wiebe) Cooke
Married August 12, 2006
Carmen, Manitoba

Boy Meets Girl – Kara, an art teacher, and Travis, a budding architect, met in the fall of 2001 while both were attending university and started dating early in 2002. “We studied in the same building,” Kara says. “We found we shared an interest in design and had similar values. We had also both traveled in southeast Asia.”

On Bended Knee – Travis proposed at the Palm Room in the Fort Garry Hotel with the live ensemble playing romantic music in the background.

Kiss The Bride – The couple were married in Kara’s parents’ yard near Carman. A pastor from a local Mennonite Church performed the service. About 160 guests were on hand.

Fabulous Details – Kara’s and Travis’ wedding dinner consisted of stuffed chicken, roast potatoes, vegetables and a trifle for dessert. Guests were also served rollkuchen – a traditional Mennonite deep fried dough – and Icelandic prune cake, reflecting the bride’s and groom’s different ethnic backgrounds

Their Time Away – For their honeymoon, Kara and Travis spent two weeks in Brazil. “We had never been to Brazil before,” Kara says. “We followed the coast from Sao Paulo to Rio to Salvador and then went inland to Brasilia where we spent time looking at buildings. Brasilia is a mecca for modern architects.”

Text by Myron Love
Photography by LVB Photography
DJ by MoSound

Wedding Gallery – Click On An Image To Enlarge

Wedding Flowers By Season

Here are some seasonal flower suggestions for you to consider:

For a Winter Wedding, select from

• Daffodils
• Poinsettias
• Evergreens
• Amaryllis

Since winter is their flowering season, daffodils are reasonably priced and also look fabulous in large table vases, either at the wedding rehearsal or wedding breakfast. Also consider using the holiday season as a guide to your selection.

For a Spring Wedding, select from

• Tulips
• Lilies
• Hyacinths
• Ranunculus

Bright blues, pinks and yellows are very common in these spring flowers. They are also available in soft white and pale pastels. And although they combine well, there’s nothing quite as elegant and as lovely as a selection of spring flowers in a singular colour.

For a Summer Wedding, select from

• Daisies
• Gladiolas
• Zinnias
• Dahlias

Since the weather will most likely be quite warm, select flowers that tolerate heat well. This season offers you a large choice of flowers, including beautiful blue Delphiniums and Columbine. And, although roses are available from florists all year round, roses truly give a ‘summer feel’ to a bouquet.

For an Autumn Wedding, select from

• Sunflowers
• Chrysanthemums
• Hydrangeas
• Roses

With this season, take advantage of the full range of vibrant colours. With roses, look for Leonidas (a bi-colour chocolate brown) and Black Magic (the darkest, velvet burgundy). Also consider using a variety of fall-toned foliages, such as copper beech, croton leaves, or vine maple to add interest to your floral bouquet.

Once upon a time, the marriage season hit its height in June and wound down quickly after. But this is no longer the case, due to renewed design sensibilities and availability from around the world.

Text by Norma-Jean Alt
Photography by Dale Schappert

Brad & Janey’s Fall Wedding

Brad & Janey (Bradford) McDonald
Married October 11, 2008
Portage La Prairie, Manitoba

Boy Meets Girl – Brad, a farmer, and Janey, a high school teacher, were introduced to each other by mutual friends in Portage La Prairie three years ago. “He seemed nice and was generous and honest,” Janey says.

On Bended Knee – Brad popped the question on December 21, 2007. The couple had gone to a local restaurant for supper. “After we finished eating, Brad brought out the ring while he had the house band serenade us,” Janey says. “It was very romantic.”

Kiss The Bride – Brad and Janey were married at the Good Shepherd Parish Church in Portage.

Fabulous Details – Their wedding cake was provided by Bridgeman Cakes and Rentals. Janey describes the cake as a beautiful four-tier cream-coloured creation with banana chocolate chip and carrot cream cheese layers and orchids on the cake..

Their Time Away – Because their wedding was during harvest season, the newlyweds were only able to get away for a couple of days. They were looking forward to a holiday in Mexico at the end of March.

Text by Myron Love
Photography by First Class Photography
Cake & Decor by Bridgeman Cakes and Rentals

Wedding  Gallery – Click On An Image To Enlarge

Bryce & Lindy’s Fall Wedding

Bryce & Lindy (McTaggart) Cole
Married October 11, 2008
Fort Frances, Ontario

Boy Meets Girl – Bryce was the brother of a friend of Lindy’s so they had known each other before they started dating five years ago. “Our personalities are very similar,” says Lindy who works as a dental assistant. (Bryce works in the mill in Fort Frances.)

On Bended Knee – Bryce proposed to Lindy in June, 2007. “We were just sitting outside one night when he asked me to marry him,” Lindy says.

Kiss the Bride -The couple was married in the Anglican Church in Fort Frances. The bridesmaids and groomsmen wore black. “I wanted eggplant colours but I couldn’t find any,” Lindy says. She notes that she bought her wedding dress in Duluth. She and her sister went for a drive there and went into a bridal store. “It was the first dress I tried on,” she says.

Fabulous Details – Bryce’s and Lindy’s wedding dinner was held at a lake side hotel and consisted of stuffed chicken, roast potatoes, a vegetable medley, salad, soup and dessert. The couple opted not to have a wedding cake. “We had cheesecake for dessert and a candy and buffet table,” Lindy says.

Their Time Away – For their honeymoon, Lindy and Bryce spent ten days in southern California. They flew to San Francisco and rented a car for the drive down the coast road to Los Angeles.

Photography by Jodi

Wedding Gallery – Click On An Image To Enlarge

Something Old, Something New

Wedding Superstitions 101

Rain on your wedding day:  you’ll shed many tears during your married life, or your marriage will grow stronger, just as plants need rain to grow, or you will have many children, or good luck.

Sunny weather:  symbolizes warmth and comfort

Encountering a nun or monk on your way to a wedding:  foretells a life of barrenness and poverty

Veil: in Roman times, the use of a veil was thought to disguise the bride so evil spirits couldn’t attack – became popular in Britain in eighteen hundreds – now often associated with modesty and chastity

Something old: bride may wear some heritage jewellery as a tribute to her family or even her mother’s or grandmother’s wedding gown, or signifying that friends will remain true

Something new: most often the wedding gown is new – symbolizing a successful marriage

Something borrowed: – can be anything – (maybe a lace handkerchief?) – to remind you that we all depend on the support of family and friends, particularly in time of need

Something blue: symbolizes your loyalty and devotion to each other – bride’s garter may be blue

Throwing garter: in France, ‘pieces of the bride’ were considered lucky so she threw her garter to guests – in other areas, the groom’s toss of the garter to single friends may indicate the next to wed

Throwing bouquet: single women rival to catch bride’s bouquet or alternate one provided just for this – to see who will marry next

Throwing rice, grains, flower petals or confetti: rice is thought to feed evil spirits, thus diverting their attention from the bridal couple; or bestowing prosperity and fertility

Tin cans attached to the wedding car: to make noise to scare away evil spirits

Groom carrying his bride over threshold: so she doesn’t stumble – a bad omen; also symbolizing Anglo Saxon custom of groom stealing his bride and carrying her away.

Colin Cowie on Cakes

Cake trends from Colin Cowie’s newest book, Wedding Chic, as seen in Your Wedding… IMAGINE Magazine May 2009. Click on an image to enlarge.

Swags – This two-toned cake is garlanded with small swags of gold icing and finished off with royal icing white roses. Photography by Colin Miller

Stacked – These miniature stacked cakes are decorated with a tone-on-tone flourish of hand-painted gilded rings and a sprinkling of colourful iced flowers. Photography by Garett Holden.

Bar Codes – This series of square tiers is bordered with a vibrant bar code and topped with white daisies and bright spider mums. Photography by Paula Adams.

Wedding Chic offers 1001 Ideas for every moment of your celebration.

For more inspiration from Colin Cowie, pick up your copy of Wedding Chic in bookstores today or visit www.colincowie.com.

Wedding Dates Conflict?

Dear Diva,

My husband and I have been invited to 2 different weddings on the same day. Both couples are very dear friends of ours and we would love to attend both weddings but we can’t. How do we choose which wedding to attend without damaging any friendships?

Esther T.
Winnipeg, MB

Dear Esther,

My first question would be about the locations and times of each wedding. If both weddings are happening within reasonable driving distance or the time of each wedding allows you may be able to attend both ceremonies or attend the ceremony of one and the reception of the other. Alternatively, you may choose to attend one wedding while your husband attends the other.

If those options do not work the basic rule of etiquette would indicate that the couple whose invitation was received first would be the one you attend. Explain to the second couple that you had already committed to a wedding you were previously invited to and then make plans to get together with them at a later date to watch the wedding video and celebrate.

Be Fabulous,

The Wedding Diva

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Have a question for The Wedding Diva?

Email your questions to diva@imaginemagazine.ca