Wherever Your Heart TAKES YOU By Doris A. Black

Bryan & Erin Heins - New Adventures Photography, Mexico. Destination are becoming a popular option for many couples who want to create unique wedding memories. They are typically smaller and more cost effective than traditional weddings. Guests delight in combining a vacation with your wedding day. The can commence immediately without additional travel. Planning a long-distance wedding takes work but not necessarily any more than a traditional wedding at home. Many resorts, hotels and villas offer wedding packages, including an on-site wedding coordinator to help with all the minute details of planning from faraway. Typically the and groom do not pay for their guests’ accommoda- tions or airfare. They may, however, make suggestions or special arrangements, such as group rates on hotel accommodations. With its sunny, sandy beaches, tropical breezes and many resort wedding packages, the Caribbean is the number one choice for wedding destinations. The Dominican Re- public sports weddings on the 18th green for golfing enthusiasts or beach weddings complete with horsedrawn carriages. In St. Thomas, St. Croix and St. John, the villa wedding takes the top spot in destinations. Imagine staying in a three- to five-bedroom mansion overlooking crystal blue waters and experiencing the magic of the ceremony on the lawn of your villa as the sun sets over the bay and the lights of a city flicker in the distance. You don’t have to travel far to reap the benefits of a destination wedding though. There are many wonderful locations throughout the United States perhaps only a few hours from your home. In the Midwest, Mackinac Island, MI, is a popular locale. Another popular winter spot is the Rocky Mountain towns of Vail, Aspen and Winterpark, favorite destinations for skiing enthusiasts. Further west is the famous wedding city of Las Vegas. It’s not just for couples eloping anymore. Themed hotels offer wedding packages for almost every desire. You can even marry on a pirate ship if you so desire. 2017 Wedding Guide - Page 18 Grant, Iowa, Lafayette Shopping News Tiffany Trebian 815-281-2588 P.O. Box 243, Hazel Green, WI [email protected]

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Couples engaged to be married have a lot on their plates as they begin planning their weddings. Whereas tradition once demanded parents of the bride pay for a couple’s wedding, nowadays more and more engaged couples are completely or partially financing their own nuptials. That means prospective and grooms must develop wedding budgets that won’t ensure their first act as Mr. and Mrs. is paying down debt. In its 2015 Real Weddings Study, online bridal resource The Knot found that many couples still receive substantial financial support from their parents to pay for their weddings. The survey found that, on average, the bride’s parent’s contributed 44 per- cent of the overall wedding budget in 2015, while couples financed 43 percent (the remaining 13 percent was financed by the groom’s parents and additional sources). Couples who hope to follow that formula or pay for their weddings on their own can heed the following tips to build wedding budgets that won’t break the bank but will still ensure a day to remember forever. ✽ Examine your collective finances. Few couples know the details of each other’s finances before getting engaged. While some may still hesitate to share their per- sonal financial information upon getting engaged, an open and honest discussion and examination of each person’s finances is the only way to develop a realistic wedding budget that both partners can live with. Once couples know what they can contribute, they can then consult their parents to determine if their mothers and fathers are intending to contribute. ✽ Develop a preliminary guest list. A preliminary guest list can give couples an idea of how large and expensive their weddings will be. According to the Real Wed- dings Study, the average cost per wedding guest in 2015 was $237. While that cost can vary greatly depending on geography and other factors, couples should keep that figure in mind when drafting their guest lists. If need be, keep costs down by trimming the guest list so it includes only close family members and friends. ✽ Don’t count on gifts. Many couples justify runaway wedding budgets by telling themselves that they will ultimately get the money back via wedding gifts. While many guests will give financial gifts, counting on such windfalls is a recipe for ac- cruing debt. Do not build potential wedding gifts into your wedding budget. If you do so and your expectations fall short, you could be facing considerable debt upon returning home from your honeymoon. ✽ Gather quotes before choosing where to tie the knot. Where couples get married will have a great impact on how much money they will spend on their weddings. For example, the Real Weddings Study found that, in 2015, the average wedding in Manhattan cost couples slightly more than $82,000, while the average Alaskan wedding cost just over $17,000. Venues within the same city can vary greatly with regard to pricing and offerings as well, so couples should give them- selves ample time to gather quotes and find an affordable venue they like. ✽ Build extra costs into your budget. When determining a budget you can live with, remember to include a little extra for unforeseen costs. Weddings are large undertakings, and it’s reasonable to expect some unforeseen costs to arise. Build- ing such costs into your initial budget will make these unforeseen circumstances that much easier to handle.

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You got engaged a few months ago, and the wedding planning is underway. Be- fore you do anything, make certain the people you have in mind for your maid of honor and best man are on board. No one is a given until they have been asked and have said yes. You may have only one sister destined to be your maid of honor, but you must ask her first. For all you know, she could already be committed to another wedding on the day of your wedding. Once your maid of honor and best man have said yes, you can focus on the rest of your wedding party. Draw up a list of the positions you would like to fill and the people you would like to see in them. Be realistic in your assessment. Don’t expect your young, super-shy cousin Megan to be a good candidate for a . That role might better be served by Megan’s older, more outgoing sister Amy. Determine the best people for the jobs and have a backup list just in case. Just because Amy wants to be in your wedding doesn’t mean she will be able to. When you have a list of potential candidates, it’s time to ask them. That’s right. You need to ask. Don’t assume your nephew will be your ringbearer. He might not want to or have an important soccer game that day. You can make a request in any number of ways. You can send out a formal invitation, you can call or stop by, or you can invite everyone over to your home for a little get-together. Fire up the grill, make a spread, announce your wedding date and ask those in attendance to be in your wedding. With small kids, you might want to speak to their parents beforehand. Be prepared for some declines. Some may say yes, some may hesitate and tell you later, and some may just flat out tell you no. Don’t take it personally. They may have something else to do or just not be interested. Tell them thanks anyway and take a look at your backup list. 2017 Wedding Guide - Page 26 Grant, Iowa, Lafayette Shopping News UW-Platteville would like to congratulate you onVi yoursit our booth to andpick upcoming up a wedding wedding. guide! Weddddings

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adno=502212-01 2017 Wedding Guide - Page 27 Grant, Iowa, Lafayette Shopping News Wedding Day Dress Codes By Metro Creative Services Wedding invitations do more than merely an- nounce that a celebration is on the horizon. Invitations provide key information about the ceremony and festivities to follow. Many de- tails, including the location, time and date of the wedding, are spelled out on the wedding invita- tions. However, invitations can sometimes leave guests confused about the appropriate style of attire for the occasion. Even though wedding invitations rarely offer specific information regarding attire, chances are the wording will provide clues that can help guests interpret the desired dress code. Casual If the invitation mentions casual attire, it’s im- portant to realize that everyday casual is differ- ent from wedding casual. Jeans, shorts and tank tops are unacceptable unless otherwise noted. Err on the side of caution and go with business casual, which includes chinos, slacks, a polo shirt or button-down shirt for men. Women can wear a sundress or slacks or a skirt and an attractive blouse. If the invitation mentions beach casual, Caleb & Jessica Wright Wedding Shannon Marie Photography. shorts and even sandals are likely acceptable. Semiformal Semiformal dresswear, sometimes referred to as “dressy casual,” is a step up from casual cloth- ing. Cocktail or a more elegant skirt and top are the norms. Gentleman generally wear a and tie. Coordinate the colors of clothing to the time of day. Fabrics should represent the season. For example, a suit will not pass at a winter wedding. Formal Formal attire is the default dress code for the majority of weddings. When the invitation does not specify a dress code, it is safe to assume formal attire is expected. Men can choose among a dark suit and tie or a tuxedo. Women can opt for a formal cocktail-length dress, a classic suit or a long dress. Select among tones that are gray, black or brown. Black tie events also require formal attire. Black tie typically goes hand-in-hand with an evening wedding. Black tie is more rigid for male guests, who should wear a tuxedo, black bow tie, cum- merbund, and patent leather shoes. Women have a little more leeway with their attire at such gatherings. A long might be preferable. However, a chic also can be acceptable, and darker, neutral colors are most appropriate. Some invitations may reference “Black Tie Preferred.” While men may opt for a tuxedo, a black suit also can be worn. The most formal of occasions will request white tie attire. Ball gowns and tuxedos with tails are the norm, as are dramatic jewelry and hairstyles. White tie attire is akin to what one might see worn to awards shows. When attending a wedding, it is always better to be overdressed than underdressed. Guests can consult with fellow guests or the bride and groom if they are unsure of the dress code.

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195 East Main Street • Platteville, WI (608) 732-0463 www.shanmariephoto.com [email protected] adno=501150-01 2017 Wedding Guide - Page 29 Grant, Iowa, Lafayette Shopping News A Cut Above The Rest By Andrew McGlothlen When buying a , you are often told of the four C’s: Clar- ity, Color, Carats and Cut. Clarity determines how many flaws are in a diamond on a scale from flaw- less to I3, which is a stone with flaws visible to the naked eye. Color is the color of a diamond from D (colorless) to Z (yellow). Carats are the measurement of the size and weight, or mass, of a dia- mond. A diamond with 75 points is a .75-carat diamond. The last of the C’s is Cut, and that one takes a bit more explanation. Kent & Jesica Schuler - Stepfanie Schroeder Photography. With cut, there are several things you are looking for. The easiest aspect of cut to detect is the diamond’s shape. Some basic cuts include round brilliant (circular), princess (square), (square or rectangular), marquise, oval, pear (teardrop), trillion (triangle) and heart. Round brilliant generally has the most sparkle of the rounded cuts, earning it the “brilliant” in its name. Princess cuts usually maximize the sparkle of square cuts. Emerald cuts are rounded a bit at the edges and have more facets, making them generally less expensive than princess cuts. The trillion cut has the advantage of making a diamond seem larger than it is when placed next to round . The heart cut is in demand for sentimental value more than excellence. Some diamonds are even cut to be crescent-shaped side stones for other diamonds. In most cases, each shaped cut has a specific number of facets that is considered ideal. In addition to the shape of a diamond, table and depth are two aspects of a diamond you may be able to appreciate with the naked eye. Table is the ratio between the flat surface on top of a diamond and its diameter. The table ratio should be 50-60%, and great tables are roughly 55-57%. Depth is the ratio between the depth of a diamond and its diameter. Ideally, the depth-to-diameter ratio should be about 3:5, or 60%. These aspects of cut are usually found in gemologist reports but are not always disclosed when you are shopping for a diamond unless you ask. Also visible but hard to deter- mine at times is the symmetry of the diamond. Gemologists will mathematically assess a diamond to determine how symmetrical it is, where applicable. In some cuts, this is more important than in others. The girdle and culet are other aspects of a diamond’s cut. The girdle refers to the thickness of the diamond. Careful polishing can improve a girdle to a nice medium. Very thin and very thick girdles are generally considered undesirable for a diamond’s appear- ance. Along with the girdle is the culet, or tip of the diamond. The culet is graded on its size much like the girdle is. The culet can be a tiny point or a little facet of a diamond, depending on the gemologist. Small culets are generally more desirable. With all of these things in mind, you can now go shopping for that diamond. It is wise to establish some standards before you go so that you are prepared for everything the jewelers will show you. If you are looking for a flawless, colorless diamond in a perfect round brilliant cut, you should seek out that stone but be prepared to spend some money. As you are looking around, be realistic in your expectations and try to find some- thing that you or the person for whom you are shopping will enjoy.

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