StarNewsDaily.com – Week of February 16, 2012 – Vol.5, No. 7 – FREE
National Wedding Month Wedding Tips for the Bride to Be
Tradition Steeped in History: Where Our Modern Day Marriage Ceremony Find Its Roots
By Mallory Diefenbach Star News Writer
When two people decide to get married, it is a special occasion. They are making a commitment to be with each other for the rest of their lives. So, it is little wonder that many newlyweds wish for their marriage to be perfect. So, in honor of National Marriage Month, here are a few tips to throw the perfect wedding ceremony from Kathleen’s Bridal and Formal: “1) When looking for your wedding dress, try on several different styles. The gown you’ve been picturing in your head may be different from your actual dream gown! 2) If you are considering a different color for your gown, pick one that compliments your complexion. White will sparkle against an olive complexion, and ivory will add color if you are fair. 3) Dreading sore feet? The first rule is to wear your bridal shoes at home for about 30 minutes to an hour a day for the two weeks before your wedding. You would never purchase a new pair of shoes and wear them the first day for 10-12 hours! Next think about bringing two pairs of shoes; just slip on the second pair when your feet start to hurt. 4) Bring an emergency kit: Double sided tape, safety pins and needle and thread. Don’t forget the band-aids for your heels after a night of dancing in new shoes. And of course something for a headache should you get one.
5) Once you’ve found your caterer, figure out what they do best and go with it! (Hint: If they specialize in Italian, don’t ask for egg rolls.) 6) To avoid looking washed out in your wedding portraits, apply makeup more heavily, but be sure to blend well. 7) Skin primers will help to insure your make-up lasts all day long. But always bring extra make-up along
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By Mallory Diefenbach Star News Writer
It’s impossible to think of February without hearts and love. With Valentine’s Day on Feb. 14, Cupid, the Roman god of desire, affection and love, aims his arrows at unsuspecting humans. With his help, couples get together and celebrate their love for each other. Some couples take that extra step in their relationship and make the decision to be with one
another for life. So, it should come as little surprise that February is National Wedding Month. Weddings are an event based heavily on tradition, although in today’s era traditions don’t tightly bind us as they have in the past. However, there is a long history of why we still follow common traditions such as proposing on one knee to having a white bride’s dress. The reason proposals are typically done on one knee goes back to the era where knights and chivalry were the norm. According to “Enduring Wedding Traditions...Customs and their Origins” on hudsonvalleyweddings.com, a knight would kneel before a tournament and wait for ‘his’ lady to toss him an indication of her favor, typically a ribbon or the like. As years went by, this became the norm and it became unheard of for women to propose to the man. (Although, this isn’t the case today.) However, there is a loop hole which allowed women to propose to a man. Feb. 29, also known as a “leap year” wasn’t recognized by English law for hundreds of years and was simply ignored. Because the day had no legal status, it wasn’t unheard of for women to take advantage of the day to propose to the man they wished to marry. The movie “Leap Year” staring Amy Adams, Matthew Goode and Adam Scott is all about this glitch in marriage status quo. The engagement ring can trace its
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Merritt Estate Offers Sweet and Savory Take On Wine And Chocolate Contributed Article Jessi Luke
The Lake Erie Wine Trail will once again host its annual Wine and Chocolate Weekend. As the wine trail’s Valentine’s Day venture for lovers, friends and family alike, the self-guided ticketed event will take place on Friday, February 17 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday, February 18 and Sunday, February 19 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m at participating wineries. This year’s event is sponsored by Finney’s Chocolate of Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania. Each year, Merritt Winery pairs a savory dish with one of their award winning wines to help give customers a break from the overwhelming amount of sweet treats they will devour throughout the day. This year the winery has chosen Chicken Milano, a chicken and sundried tomato dish served over pasta with crème sauce. The dish will be paired with Merritt’s Seyval Blanc, a clean and crisp white wine with a delicate bouquet that pairs nicely with white meats. In an effort to participate with the overall theme of the weekend, Merritt will also offer a sweet finish to compliment their savory selection. Visitors to the winery will have the
chance to create their own chocolate temptation when they choose from several dipping options to try in a chocolate fountain provided by Devine Chocolate Fountains of Western New York. Customers can dip something they like or try something new with dipping choices including pretzels, vanilla wafers, marshmallows and fresh fruits.
As an additional incentive for event attendees who visit Merritt, the winery will offer a chance to win four tickets to the Lake Erie Wine Trail’s Wine and Cheese Weekend, taking place May 18-20. Sponsored by Yancey’s Fancy, the popular wine trail event is similar to Wine and Chocolate Weekend in its self-guided nature. Each customer will receive a raffle ticket just for visiting Merritt,
automatically entering them in to the drawing. “We are very fortunate to have generated such a loyal customer base over the years,” said Jessi Luke, Public Relations and Promotions person for Merritt Estate Winery. “We do our best to offer new and exciting incentives not only to reinforce our presence and appreciation to our current customers, but in hopes of gaining new Merritt supporters as well.” Tickets and additional information for this year’s Wine and Chocolate Weekend are available on the Lake Erie Wine Country web site at www. lakeeriewinecountry.org. A recipe book containing all courses to be offered by participating wineries can also be found on the web site. For more information on Merritt news and events, visit www.merrittestatewinery.com or find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ merrittwinery. Merritt Estate is located in Lake Erie Wine Country, the largest grape growing region of New York State located along the shores of Lake Erie. The grapes and wines produced by Merritt rival the quality of premium vintages throughout the world.
Inside This Week
Community News Main pg. 5
Artist Profile Main pg. 10
Local Sports Sports pg. 1