Jacklyn, Manorville

Q:  My fiance and I are having our reception in Stony Brook in August 2012. We are finding it impossible to find a ceremony site! We want to have an outdoor ceremony (not on the beach). Ideally it would be someplace quiet and as natural as possible (i.e. a little distance between us and the parking lot). Also we are looking for the area to have mature trees to provide shade and charm (it will be August!). To make matters even more challenging, we are both attending graduate school in Arizona so the internet is our main resource. Any suggestions?

A:  Jacklyn, have you considered the Long Island Museum?   They have lovely grounds and have experience in outdoor wedding receptions, and of course, they are right in the heart of Stony Brook!   There will be a fee to have your wedding there — it starts at $550.  For more info, call Julia, their events coordinator at 631-751-0066, ext. 247.   Another idea — how about the Stony Brook Grist Mill for a unique ceremony?   There’s a lovely area behind the mill itself, as well as a pond.  A fee is also required, and the amount depends on your number of guests.  For information, call Deborah at 631-751-2244.   And let us know what you decide on!

Long Island brides, looking for a super-romantic wedding venue?  Then be sure to save the date:  March 7, 6:30 pm for the Spring Bridal Showcase at The Inn at New Hyde Park!

And we have very exciting news to share today — This fabulously elegant site was selected as a 2012 ­­winner in The Knot Best of Weddings, a special section in The Knot Long Island magazine and on Long Island Best of Weddings from The Knot.

Says the Inn:  “We’re absolutely thrilled to receive such wonderful feedback from our brides. The Inn is, and has always been a family owned and operated facility—our top priority is always the happiness of the couples that have chosen to start their families with us. Thank you for this honor, and we look forward to meeting all of the new “Inn” couples in 2012!”

We were that close to a royal wedding when the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, announced her engagement last month and said she was looking at the Hamptons as a possible locale.   Sadly, the wedding has been called off.

In a statement released yesterday, Franklin said, “Will and I have decided we were moving a little too fast, and there were a number of things that had not been thought through thoroughly. There will be no wedding at this time,” Franklin said. “We will not comment on it any further because of the very personal and sensitive nature of it.  We appreciate all of the many well wishes from friends.”

Let’s give the lady some r-e-s-p-e-c-t, please.

We love late-breaking wedding news on a Friday afternoon and this is (really) just in:  The Postal Service is issuing a 65-cent Wedding Cake stamp that goes on sale today. The stamp, an image of a  three-tier wedding cake topped with white flowers and green stems, is issued in sheets of 20. 

“Sure to add a touch of beauty and romance to wedding correspondence, the Wedding Cake stamp, first introduced in 2009, is a timeless addition to the U.S. Postal Service’s Weddings series,” said U.S. Postal Service Stamp Services Manager Stephen Kearney. “Often the centerpiece of a wedding reception, the cake has been a wedding tradition for many generations.”  The stamps are available at Post Offices nationwide, online at usps.com and by phone at 800-782-6724.

Pastry chef Peter Brett of Washington, DC, created and designed the cake photographed by Renée Comet of Washington, DC.

Long Island brides –  courtesy of Bridal Guide, what do we think of these giant paper flowers instead of the real deal?

Event entertainment booking service GigMasters.com announced the Top Songs for 2012 weddings.  The lists are based on a survey of recently married and soon-to-be married brides and grooms.

“Can’t Help Falling in Love and At Last remain the most popular songs, with newer songs like Train’s Marry Me breaking into the top 5,” says Marta Segal Block, GigMasters’ Editorial Director.  “Although many of the songs being chosen aren’t new, what is new is that brides and grooms are taking a larger role in choosing the rest of the songs for the reception. The majority of couples are creating “Must Play” and “Do Not Play” lists for their reception, and some are even creating specific set lists.”

TOP 5 FIRST DANCE SONGS
1.    At Last – Etta James
2.    Can’t Help Falling in Love – Elvis Presley
3.    Marry Me – Train
4.    You and Me – Dave Matthews Band
5.    All My Life – K-Ci & JoJo tied with Lucky – Jason Mraz, The Way You Look Tonight – Frank Sinatra and Then – Brad Paisley

TOP 5 FATHER/DAUGHTER DANCE SONGS
1.    I Loved Her First – Heartland
2.    Wonderful World – Louis Armstrong
3.    The Way You Look Tonight – Frank Sinatra
4.    Cinderella – Steven Curtis Chapman
5.    My Girl – The Temptations tied with Unforgettable – Natalie Cole

TOP 5 ‘DO NOT PLAY’ SONGS
1.    Chicken Dance
2.    Electric Slide
3.    Macarena
4.    YMCA
5.    Cotton Eye Joe

TOP SONGS FROM 2011 FOR 2012 WEDDINGS
1.    Marry You – Bruno Mars
2.    Just a Kiss – Lady Antebellum
3.    Love You Like a Love Song –Selena Gomez
4.    Countdown – Beyoncé
5.    We Found Love – Rihanna

Great news for your bridesmaids!  NEWLYMAID.com offers bridesmaids a way to turn a gently worn garment into a new, ready-to-wear little black dress like the ones below.   Just pack up a bridesmaids’ dress and turn it into a trade-in value towards a new, ready-to-wear ‘any occasion’ dress.   NEWLYMAID accepts bridesmaids’ dresses from most bridal industry brands including bridesmaids dresses, mother of the bride, social occasion and prom dresses.

The process is fairly simple:   Visit NEWLYMAID.com and purchase a trade-in mailer for sending one garment.  The mailer includes two types of packaging, one clear bag for the dress and one shipping bag.  A prepaid return shipping label is also included, along with packing and shipping instructions.  Once NEWLYMAID receives the garment and the criteria for trade-in credit are met, special pricing (30 to 50 percent credit) for a  new dress is unlocked for that customer’s account on the NEWLYMAID.com site.

(This new service is courtesy of  The Dessy Group, a leading manufacturer of bridesmaid dresses, social occasion dresses, flower girl dresses and destination wedding gowns under the labels Dessy Collection, Cynthia Rowley Bridesmaids, After Six, Alfred Sung, Lela Rose Bridesmaid and Sandals Destination Wedding Dresses.)

Have you made your appointment for the premiere showing of the incredible Yumi Katsura Couture collection at Bridal Reflections’ Fifth Avenue salon, January 20th – 22nd?  If not, call 212-764-3040 now!   Special pricing is available during this exclusive event.  (This collection is brand new to Bridal Reflections.)

Background:  Yumi Katsura is one of Japan’s and the world’s most prolific designers, whose wedding dresses are considered modern masterpieces.  Katsura will showcase the most expensive wedding dress to date, valued at one billion Japanese yen (US $8.5 million).   Made from silk-satin and embellished with zari-embroidery handiwork, the dress is decorated with 1,000 pearls, a green 8.8 carat diamond emblem, and a 5 carat white gold diamond, one of the two existing in the world.  Check out some of the more, shall we say, accessible gowns below:

I’m so excited!!  We might be getting a royal wedding here on Long Island — as close to royalty as we’ll likely ever get, anyway!  The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, engaged to William “Willie” Wilkerson, is considering getting married on Long Island!  She’s thinking about  holding her summer 2012 wedding ceremony and reception  in the Hamptons.

Ms. Franklin told the Associated Press that  she has friends in the Hamptons who’ve offered up their  house and private beach.  “I’m kind of leaning that way because it’s closer to home, and more friends could get there easily,” she said.   As Newsday reported, the ceremony would include about 250 guests.  “I would love to have Smokey [Robinson] sing, my dearest, oldest friend.”  Her wish list also includes Stevie Wonder and gospel singer Karen Clark.  As for the gown, Franklin, who will be on her third marriage, has said she plans on contacting Donna Karan and Vera Wang.

It seems Ms. Franklin’s plans are still very sketchy, so we want to hear from you — wedding vendors, planners, and everyone in the know  — what’s your best advice for Aretha Franklin’s upcoming wedding?     Just leave your comments here…