Zambian brides get their white wedding dream

A charity in Berkshire is appealing for second-hand wedding dresses to send to Zambia in Africa.

BBC News investigates how the bridal hire scheme will help Zambian communities.

It is the most important and expensive dress that most women will ever buy.

But once the band has packed up and the confetti has blown away, most wedding dresses spend their years packed in a box in a dusty attic.

Now a Berkshire charity is offering a new lease of life for these beloved items - helping rural communities in the African country of Zambia.

'African woman's dream'

Abi Parker, 46, runs the Aids Support Awareness Project (ASAP) from her home in Windsor and is in need of wedding dresses to take to brides in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia.

Ms Parker plans to rent out the dresses for a small fee, which will help fund her Aids awareness project, along with a local training scheme which teaches former prostitutes skills to allow them to earn an alternative income.

Abi Parker (right) collects donated dresses from Sue Lovell (left)

"It's an African woman's dream to get married in a white wedding dress," said Ms Parker, who lived in Zimbabwe for 10 years.

"It's a sign of stature, like a sort of keeping up with the Joneses thing and it's usually only the very, very wealthy African families who can afford it.

"By doing this we are giving people, who could not usually afford it, the opportunity to get married in a white dress."

So far, more than 60 dresses, donated from across the UK, have been taken over there.

Some are from brides desperate to get rid of their dresses following a marriage breakdown and others are from women keen to pass on an item of clothing that brought them so much joy.

Sue Lovell, who runs Savvy Cinderella, a bridal shop, near March, in Cambridgeshire, has been collecting dresses for Ms Parker.

Everyone wants to feel like a princess whether you live in Zambia or Cambridgeshire Sue Lovell, Savvy Cinderella

The 44-year-old said: "Everyone wants to feel like a princess whether you live in Zambia or Cambridgeshire.

"It's just something that every bride needs and I think this is a perfect charity."

After putting an appeal on her website, Ms Lovell received dresses from women all over the UK, as well as Russia, Canada and Norway.

Some are modern dresses, while others date back to the 1950s and 1960s. The oldest dress donated was made in 1937, and came with its original pattern.

'Absolutely gorgeous'

Ms Lovell said the most expensive dress given cost £2,000 when bought new.

"We have had such a huge range of donations," she said.

"We have had some absolutely gorgeous ones from ladies who have been married for 40 or 50 years.

The money made from the bridal hire will go back into the community

"We have had the other end of the scale where people have been married for two or three years and the marriage has ended and they are passing the dress on because part of their life is over.

"It's quite a cathartic thing to get rid of a wedding dress if the marriage has not actually had a happy ending. It's much better than putting it in the attic and never looking at it."

Ms Parker is also in need of sewing machines to take to Chirundu, near the Zimbabwe border, for a local project which teaches prostitutes how to make goods to sell, providing them with an income and keeping them off the streets.

"Employment and skills training is critical," she said. "It will help greatly if they have another form of income which means they do not have to turn to prostitution."

Ms Parker flies to Zambia on Friday with another load of dresses.

ASAP hopes to start hiring them out in the next couple of weeks, once their new shop is completed.

Click here to read the entire article......

'High do': Couples tie the knot in 'flying wedding' ceremony while suspended from Thailand cliff

For most couples, the 'big day' ensures that the beginning of their matrimonial life together starts on a high.

However, a ceremony in Thailand has taken things to another level.

Suspended from a cliff by sling wires, brides and grooms are saying, ‘I do’ in a ‘flying wedding’ ceremony to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

Nitiphong Jittahong and Rattanaporn Supha were one of four Thai couples to take part in the annual event in Prachinburi province in east Thailand.

Dressed casually with the brides in white and wearing harnesses, the couples grasp traditional bouquets of flowers as they manage to smile for their wedding day photos.

At least there were no fears that either party would bolt at the altar.

As with all marriages, though, there are always highs and lows – and four other couples proved this by taking the marriage ceremony to new depths.

Parinyatit Kantarak and Piyaratwadee Sawasdee tied the knot while scuba diving in the Andaman Sea, in Trang, south Thailand.

They sealed the deal with a kiss – having to remove the regulators from their mouths first – while wearing traditional Thai flowers as well as Sawasdee wearing a white veil.

Narongchon Chomsa and Somyin Chomsa, both from Thailand, were wed in azure waters off Pak-Men beach in an event which marked the 14th anniversary of the underwater wedding ceremony.

While Thai couple Manop Wongkam and his bride Parida Ruksutnirundorn said, ‘I do’ at 10 metres, wearing traditional Chinese costumes at Chiang Mai Zoo Aquarium in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand.

It marked what is said to be the most romantic day of the year, which coincides with the Chinese New Year today.

To read the entire article click here......

Diet don'ts for brides

Too many brides busy preparing for their big day neglect to include getting in shape on their long to-do lists, says nutritionist and certified trainer Elisa Zied.

But brides-to-be who start getting in shape today for a summer wedding won’t be tempted to turn to a last-minute crash diet to help them get into their dream wedding dress.

“For those who need to lose a few pounds, I recommend the slow, steady, and sensible approach,” says Zied, author of the new book Nutrition At Your Fingertips (Alpha Books).

Following are Zied’s 5 important don’ts before saying I do

DON’T: Skip meals

Why it’s bad: Skipping meals can contribute to excess calorie intake and overeating at a later meal. The bigger the meal, the more likely excess calories will be stored as body fat, especially if the meals are fatty.

Alternative: Plan to eat at least four to five times a day; perhaps three meals, two small snacks. Try to include foods rich in protein and fiber (like an apple and a small handful of nuts) each time you eat to taper hunger, keep blood sugar steady and prevent overeating. For busy days at boutiques and bridal shops, prepare portable snacks, and plan in advance so that a nutrition snack is always on hand.

DON’T: Dramatically cut calorie intake

Why it’s bad: Consuming too few calories is hard to sustain post-wedding and won’t provide enough nutrients to maintain health. More importantly, without enough calories, the body will lack energy for big events like the bachelorette party, bridal showers, and honeymoon!

Alternative: Don’t let total calorie intake dip below 1,500 or 1,600 calories a day. Trim calories to that level with small steps: take a few less bites at meals, switch from a bagel to a whole wheat English muffin, or one slice of cheese on a sandwich instead of two. When cake and menu tasting, take just enough to determine what tastes best, no need to finish every sample.

DON’T: Over exercise

Why it’s bad: Over exercising increases risk for injury, important information for anybody planning to walk down an aisle this summer. Also, a heavy workout routine may be hard to sustain, especially if combined with too few of calories, leaving any bride-to-be sapped of energy.

Alternative: Start or pump up regular exercise, but do so gradually in the months prior to the wedding. Select enjoyable activities, like biking or swimming, and do them more often. An easy addition is to walk more; every minute walking (and not sitting) helps burn precious calories. Make sure to create a workout routine that can be maintained and adjusted for the long-term, particularly so results and routine are manageable after the big day.

DON’T: Avoid carbs and load up on proteins

Why it’s bad: The body needs carbohydrates for energy. Carbohydrates provide glucose, which powers the brain and nervous system. Cutting carbs also may cut fibre, which could result in GI problems, not the sexiest thing to be concerned about, especially on your wedding day.

Alternative: Include carbohydrates in daily intake, but be mindful of portions. Choose whole grains such as oats, popcorn, and whole wheat bread. Stay within dietary guidelines to keep amounts adequate. Most women need five grain servings, and three or more cups of fruit daily.

DON’T: Drink your calories

Why it’s bad: Alcoholic beverages, sports drinks, soda, decadent coffee beverages, and sugary beverages add calories, and oftentimes sugar and fat. Throughout the engagement there will be plenty of celebrations that include alcohol. Because drinks don’t fill up like a meal, high calorie intake is easily overlooked.

Alternative: Limit liquid calories. Read labels to avoid drinks with too many calories and sugar and/or fat. While at parties and events, limit intake to one or two drinks and alternate alcoholic beverages with non-caloric drinks. At the coffee shop, ask for drinks made with skim milk and sans whipped cream.

Zied’s dos for healthy weight loss

“I never recommend ‘dieting,’ says Zied. “I recommend creating a healthful diet you can follow for life-— one that includes all the key food groups, one that’s adequate in calories and nutrients to meet the bride-to-be’s individual needs, and a diet or pattern of eating that is safe, sensible and sustainable and can be followed for life and in the real world.

“Small subtle changes over time really add up and can help you lose weight slowly and gradually — then you’ll have a much better chance of keeping the weight off long term and staying healthy along the way.”

■ Skip a few bites at meal times, watch liquid calories and have no more than one drink a day (like a five-ounce glass of wine).

■ Skip soda and instead load up on water, seltzer, and only have skim/1% milk and up to one cup a day of 100 per cent fruit juice like orange juice.

■ Eat only at a table, when you’re truly hungry, and eat until satisfied and not full.

■ Keep things like breath strips and sugar-free mints to have on hand to pop in your mouth at meals when you’ve had enough.

■ As much as possible, plan all meals and snacks ahead of time to get rid of guesswork (and the potential for choosing less healthful, more caloric foods) when it’s time to eat.

■ Eat lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy foods and include small portions of lean meats and fish.

■ Beans, nuts and seeds daily are also helpful.

■ Keep treats to a minimum — like 100 or 200 calories a day.

Click here to read the entire article........

© Copyright (c) The Province

National Wedding Show

It's that time of year again guys! The National Wedding Show hits Olympia London from Feb 19-21st - the UK's biggest wedding event!

Come along and see me with any questions that you may have about weddings abroad.....time and stand to be confirmed, please keep checking back here for details.

Look forward to catching up with you then

New Wedding Website..THE WEDDING COMMUNITY

Happy New Year to each and every one of you....it's been a manic time here at WeddingsAbroad.com - did you know that approximately 40% of all engagements occur netween Thanksgiving and Valentine's Day? Well now you do....so we have been working flat out help all of our newly engaged couples plan their dream destination wedding.

December also saw the launch of a brand new wedding website in the UK called The Wedding Community - I was honoured to be asked to contribute as the Destination Wedding Expert for this site - so please stop by and say hello - www.theweddingcommunity.com

Also if any of you are planing to attend the National Wedding Show in London 19th-21st Feb check out their stand and come by and say Hi - I will be there on Saturday 20th to answer all of your questions relating to weddings abroad.

In the meantime if you are in the wedding business and wish to advertise on this new site - there are some great offers to be had in January:

All directory listings have 60% off throughout January as follows:

12 Months Supplier Listing:

Single County - Reduced from £125 to just £50.00*
Multiple Counties - Reduced from £125 to £50.00* plus £20.00* per extra county (Max charge of £398.00)
National Listing - Reduced from £995 to £398.00*

12 Months Venue Listing:

Reduced from £250 to £100*

*All prices are subject to you placing a link back to theweddingcommunity.com on your website. Where no reciprocal link is placed a surcharge of £25.00 will apply. All prices exclude VAT.

If For more information or to register, please take a look at the advertise section on our website www.theweddingcommunity.com/advertise.php.

If you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact Kim or David on 01932 343756.

That's all for now guys - look forward to speaking with you all again throughout this wonderful new year!