Tag Archives: Kim Kardashian

Over The Top Proposals – Enough or Too Much?

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How far is too far when it comes to orchestrated proposals? Just ask “Hector ‘Tank’ Martinez, who proposed to Paige Hernandez in front of his family and friends,” the description on the YouTube video reads. “Big ups to the 710 Bikerz and everyone else who took part in this event.”

The California Highway Patrol said on Wednesday it is investigating the incident and that felony charges for impeding traffic could be filed.

To view first hand – click here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWGlqmrGQ44.

Think that’s the worst? Oh, no…..

How about Ryan Thompson who pretended the tiny little plane he was piloting with his GF Carlie Kennedy as the only passenger was about to nosedive into Lake Shore Drive. There are a lot of words I would have for him, if I were her… “YES” is not one of them. She probably said yes from being nervous ( I hope). Personally,  I don’t want to be married to someone who thinks its funny to scare me to death. You can see his (awesome) sense of humor in this video. For me, it is hard to watch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=kxTAjVGN4CE

Last but,  not least there’s the one  guy ( who wishes to remain anonymous) who decided to stage a ‘kidnapping’ to propose to his girlfriend. Well, it seems his friends who were roped into helping him got a bit carried away and police were called by a woman walking past, who saw a bunch of young men pull a young woman out of a van and into another car.

 

I get it. You want to be funny and clever, and original…women love that kind of stuff. But, eventually women want the kind of guy they can really count on. Someone who doesn’t think a practical joke is cutting their brake lines or filling our gas tank with explosives.

Gentlemen, please remember that this is not a competition, you don’t have to have the biggest, baddest,  proposal of all time. Just be sensitive, kind and if you have to do a public proposal, try your best to make sure you are not breaking the law.

-Penny Frulla for Bridal Expo Chicago

 

Viral Proposals

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One of the most exhilarating, romantic and personal parts of your wedding is the proposal and subsequent engagement. The story is told, re-told, sometimes shared with thousands of people online and sometimes even televised! It is also one of the few things that the groom does entirely on his own which is why the grand gestures are so much more significant.

For some, the uber-romantic proposals seem contrived. For others, like Kim Kardashian whose fiance spelled out “Will you marry me?” in rose petals and filmed the entire episode for their reality television show, it is not only accepted but expected.  Goodyear blimps, the jumbotron at the Super Bowl or Times Square, it seems like bigger is better and less is not nearly enough when it comes to getting hitched.

Evidence this week with the “Live Lip Dub Proposal” by Isaac Lamb that went viral on youtube and every other imaginable news outlet. It is front page on Comcast, Yahoo, Huffington Post and more. In case you are not one of the 7 million hits on youtube, you can see it here:

https://player.vimeo.com/video/42828824

Its no longer enough to pop the question in a quiet, secluded romantic setting like sitting on the beach watching the sunset. You have appear on a white horse,  hire musicians and  have a candlelit dinner catered at a cloth covered table on that beach, complete with waiters and chilled champagne. God Forbid you pop the question during the seventh inning stretch without the approval and knowledge of everyone at Wrigley Field… it must be on a screen larger than your first home with throngs of people waiting for the inevitable ‘YES’ !

These types of proposals at once rare are now almost expected. They are no longer about you as a couple, they seem to be  about how you want everyone else to perceive you as a couple. They can also be  quite expensive. There are even entire websites dedicated to unique wedding proposals and how to impress ( their word, not mine) your fiance by making a grand gesture.  Interesting.

Of course no matter how you decide to propose, it is important to wait for the right moment and to make sure you know the answer before you ask. The best proposals are from the heart, they are intimate and really only involve two people. 

Proposal Dos and Don’ts

 
Don’t propose without a ring. It doesn’t matter how large or small, you must bring some ring to the proposal. There are instances where it is spontaneous and there has been no preparation but, this is rare.

Do be prepared. If you are thinking she might be the one, buy a ring (insure it) and keep it with you… just in case.

Don’t propose at another celebration. Interrupting a toast at your brother’s wedding to ask your girlfriend to marry you is in poor taste. Let them have their moment, you will have yours.

Do include the family. Getting engaged during Christmas or family holiday celebrations can bring everyone closer emotionally even if they lived thousands of miles apart. 

Whatever you decide, remember that romance is not always a grand gesture. Sometimes it is simply remembering her favorite flower, favorite color or in my case, just replacing the toilet paper every now and then.

-Penny Frulla for Bridal Expo Chicago

Kim’s Fairytale Wedding – The Party’s Over

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There is always that moment after the wedding is over when you wish you could do the whole thing again. The dress, the party, the dancing and seeing all of your friends/family in one place – everything and everyone looking so wonderful. Then you start addressing the Thank You Notes and settling into married life and realize how much work went into the whole thing, thinking maybe you can wait until your 10th anniversary to plan another event of this magnitude. After about six months, when all of the excitement has died down all you want to do is have one nice quiet evening at home with no tasks or ‘to-do’ lists.

Then there are those cases when the wedding lasts longer than the marriage. Whether it is finances, place of residence, children, or infidelity, the realization that you married the wrong person has to be painful.  Yesterday’s announcement of Kim Kardashian’s probable divorce did not come as a shock to as many people as she would have suspected. While I would like to say that Kim Kardashian deserves some time to work this out in private, I can’t for several reasons:

-With all the debate over gay marriage – also known as civil unions or in my house, just plain “marriage”, I wonder why people can’t let this go. Another example of two heterosexual people who have all the rights afforded to them by the state and federal government (and the approval of conservative marriage activists) to marry whomever they want and have it televised to the tune of $18 million +, to stay married for 2 or 3 months and divorce for no reason, to marry multiple times to whomever for whatever reason and treat the process in a disposable manner…. yet two men or two women who are truly in love and have already shared more life experiences than most couples cannot legally ‘marry’ in their state. AND even when they are afforded the rights, they walk away with a certificate that says “Civil Union”. This is completely unjust and I feel a public explanation is due.

-When you are married in front of television cameras for ratings and profit, when the entire romance and proposal and engagement are televised for ratings and profit, when you live every moment of your life for ratings and profit, you should have to answer every single question from every single person who contributed to your ratings and profit.

– If you are able to turn a  self-indulgent lifestyle into a career, you should have enough sense to ask your future husband or wife a few simple questions: “Where will we live after we are married?” and “How will we support ourselves… will we both be working?” or “Where will we raise our children”.

In my opinion, Kim Kardashian should have to answer every question, return every gift and donate every dollar made  to a charity … one that fights for equal marriage rights for all. 

-Penny Frulla for Bridal Expo Chicago

 

 

VMA Red Carpet – Who Wore What and Why?

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Awards ceremonies are one of my guilty pleasures. I love seeing what celebrities will show up wearing and seriously… I love the ‘don’ts’ as much as the ‘dos’, the hits, misses and the inconceivable. This is actually one of my favorite of the awards ceremoinies since the performers almost always dress like creative artists and not Miss America contestants. Although I adore  gorgeous gowns, I also crave the unusual and I cannot imagine an awards ceremony where someone doesn’t look like a circus performer. Last night’s Video Music Awards was no disappointment.

Breaking News: Britney Spears either fired her stylist immediately before or should have done so immediately after the awards last night. She looked great: fit, blonde and perky. Her outfit – boring and taseteless. Great accessories and shoes could have saved this adorable dress but there was nothing, nothing, nothing glam or fab about the overall look.

Lady Gaga /Jo Calderone – I don’t get it. If you are going to dress like a man, at least wear something worthy of your caliber of creativity.

Beyonce – Congratulations on your pregnancy. Now, go back to Lanvin and tell them you don’t want something that looks like it came out of the Golden Girls wardrobe closet… or the Commodores.

Jessie J – Love her bedazzled crutches,  hair and makeup were flawless but, the rest of the outfit is lacking in continuity. Forget the fact that it is a Vegas showgirl-on-a budget costume ( not even a  good one)  but, what is with  the super opaque support pantyhose?

Kim Kardashian’s gown was a disaster… on her. This is not a good dress  for a short, voluptuous woman and I can’t get past the wrinkled nude portion of the back of the dress.

Nicki Minaj? There is not one single part of this that made sense. Is the mask part of a tribute to Michael Jackson or was she recently exposed to SARS? None of this makes any sense. If you can’t do ‘Lady Gaga’ right, don’t do it at all. All I know is that if she walked past my dogs with that ‘train’ of what appears to be squeaky toys,  she might have a fight on her hands.

Justin Beiber has a really cute face. So cute he could easily look feminine…. but not if he is carrying a mini-snake and wearing a brooch, right? I don’t think his attempt at wearing gold chains was a huge success, either. The only thing missing is his mother’s gold charm bracelet. Wait….. never mind.

Miley Cyrus’ gown was way too old for her and did not fit properly. I did liek the dress, just not on her.

Last but not least (GOD FORBID) the cast of Jersey Shore was on hand to prove that less is not more. Whether it is bronzer, bruises, sequins, profanity or alcohol, the women of this reality show prove that you can take the girl out of inappropriate situations but you can’t take the inappropriate response out of the girl.

-Penny Frulla for Bridal Expo Chicago

Reality Royalty – Kardashian Wedding Tomorrow!

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I have stated repeatedly how much I adore weddings. I love them all! Casual, Destination, City Hall, Black Tie. So, it is no surprise that tomorrow I will be checking the news and most likely the E! Channel for details about the  Kardashian wedding extravaganza.

I have seen bits of all of the Kardashian reality shows. I have formed opinions about people I don’t know at all firsthand and my overall take is that of all the Kardashian women (and there are plenty), Kim is the most likely to appease her high-maintenance mom by doing  whatever it takes to turn this multi-million dollar wedding into a profit and not a loss. You’ve gotta love that!  Make no mistake, actually ‘keeping up’ with the Kardashian’s will be impossible after this.

The good news is that in an injured economy, this young bride has had the good fortune to be able to energize the wedding industry in America. Kate who? Kim Kardashian sees herself as America’s Princess and is not only having her cake, she will most likely be eating it on camera and getting paid to do so. Kudos Kim. The wedding industry will most likely see a surge in copycat products and I wouldn’t be surprised if someone hasn’t already approached her to endorse one of the products she has chosen for the big day.

More good news is that after seeing the wax likeness of Miss K that was unveiled yesterday in wedding attire, the gown on the display was not strapless. Not to say that KK does not look good in just about everything she wears, because she does. I am just looking forward to seeing a fresh new style emerge and hopefully a little less ‘sideboob’. Designers have been chipping away at the all strapless collections since Miss Middleton became the Duchess of Cambridge in her Sarah Burton gown last Spring and this could push them even further away from the cleavage chasm. Vera Wang, who epitomized the style for Brides in the 1990’s could once again define what an entire generation of brides will pay anything to have.

It is reported that Kim K has three gowns, each Vera Wang and each costing a whopping $25,000 but, has not decided which one she will wear. It is also not entirely unlikely that she will wear one for the ceremony and one for the reception which seems to be a popular trend. Personally, I would like to see her wear all three. Why not? This entire wedding is being filmed for a two hour special and I think she has every right to wear all three gowns. There is some speculation she will wear a bold color since all guests have strict instructions to wear black or white. Wearing white to a wedding is usually a no-no since you don’t want to take away from the bride. I think the speculation is correct and my  guess is she will wear a pink gown, not too pale but, not too bold. The color we used to call ‘Rum Pink’  in the 1980’s when pink bridal gowns first became a popular choice for creative fashionistas. Or perhaps a lighter shade of the same color known as ‘Blush Pink’.

The cake is a copy (exact?) of Will & Kate’s 10 layer confection made by Hansen’s Bakery topped with chocolate chip frosting. The Hansen family has been making cakes since  1520 and offers everything from Old World to High Tech. After visiting their website, I could almost taste the cakes. No offense to the royal couple, I hope (for the guest’s sake) this one is not a fruitcake.

Make no mistake; although this is a wedding and family event, it is also a highly profitable television franchise. There is not one thing that has not been handled expertly; the invitations, the  security, no cell phones or cameras or electronic devices allowed, including the 50+ person crew that will be filming. No tweeting, posting or leaking information unless it is accidentally (intentionally) leaked by a member of the family.  And also – no wire hangers!

The best part of the entire show (wedding) for me will be Bruce Jenner’s actions and reactions to all of this Pomp and the ensuing circumstances. If my prediction is correct there will be a lot of sticker shock for the former Olympian who was raised in a much more humble environment but also a great deal of pride as he walks her down the aisle and watches his entire family come together for a celebration of  love. And ultimatley, that is what it is all about!

-Penny Frulla for Bridal Expo Chicago