wedding dresses, wedding dress

During her wedding ceremony Saturday, Darlene Moriarity leaned over to her husband-to-be, Scott Slota and whispered, “I feel like a shooting star.”

Soon, maybe today or tomorrow, Darlene’s light will dim and die.

But in a touching fulfillment of the 48-year-old Tehachapi woman’s final wish, she forever will be Mrs. Slota.

“He means everything in the world to me,” she said of Slota — a 45-year-old Florida man she met some eight years ago through the Internet.

After being escorted in by her father, Larry Moriarity II, Darlene married Slota wearing a white dress and tiara in front of a small group of weeping friends and family in her living room in Stallion Springs.

Doctors say Darlene will soon succumb to cancer that has metastasized in her liver.

But on Saturday, she was alive. She wept and smiled through the ceremony, blowing kisses to everyone in the room.

She and Slota exchanged rings, and their long kiss brought cries of “Get a room!”

They cut cake, which they fed each other without shenanigans, and took care to spend time with all of their well-wishers.

The Rev. Wayne Meade, chaplain at Hoffmann Hospice, officiated the short ceremony through tears.

“We are very happy in the love that they found in the discovery of each other,” he said. “This bond of marriage, as short as it may be, is still going to be so awesome.”

If it weren’t for the low midwinter sunlight raking its ancient fieldstone walls, the 169-year-old snuff mill — now sitting quietly on a wide bend of the rapid river — just might disappear from view in the dun-colored camouflage of the sycamore and oak trees that surround it.

This is not everyone’s image of the Bronx.

But there it is: the Lorillard snuff mill, on the grounds of the New York Botanical Garden. Not just a civic landmark, it also holds national significance (for better or worse) as an early home of what is now Lorillard Inc., makers of Newport, Kent, True and other cigarettes.

After a half century of service as a cafeteria and a catering hall, the mill is undergoing a $10.5 million restoration and rehabilitation that is decades overdue.

Truth to tell, garden officials would have preferred to start a bit earlier, when the tax-exempt bond market was still intact, or to wait a bit longer. This is not exactly an ideal moment to try to raise more than $5 million to supplement a $5.2 million commitment from the city and the state. However, the garden could not afford further delay that might jeopardize the public financing.

“You concern yourself about that,” the president and chief executive, Gregory Long, said in an interview. “ ‘Jeopardy’ is a strong word. But we wanted to make sure we didn’t.”

Mr. Long added: “It has been our policy not to go ahead with projects that are not fully funded. But the snuff mill is in such bad shape that it was a question of stewardship. Plus, it’s revenue-producing.” Weddings, banquets and parties at the mill, which overlooks a picturesque gorge in the Bronx River, bring in about $1 million annually for the nonprofit botanical garden.

Garden officials plan to reopen the mill in the spring of 2010, with a new kitchen, new bathrooms and a modern elevator. Exterior walls will be repointed. Cedar shingles will be installed on the gabled roof. New offices for the horticultural staff will be built. The architects are Einhorn Yaffee Prescott; Andron Construction is the general contractor.

By installing storm windows behind replicas of the existing multipane windows and taking other conservation measures, garden officials hope the project will qualify for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design status from the United States Green Building Council.

Visitors may not notice, however.

“We’re trying to restore the building to the way it would have appeared in the 19th century,” said Frank Genese, an architect who is the garden’s vice president for capital projects.

That is, plus a bridal changing room or two.

For the mill was not built as a social hall. It was a factory. Here, tobacco was ground into a smokeless, powdery form called snuff, which could be flavored and inhaled. The millstones used in the grinding were powered by two wheels, about 15 feet in diameter, in the basement. These were turned by sluices of water channeled into the building.

No evidence remains of the wheels except for a shallow brick arch over what would have been the southern sluice, or millrace. In the attic, however, where one always finds the most interesting things, the original hoisting mechanism is still in place for a hand-pulled elevator. Its large iron pulley wheel turns easily to this day.

“Isn’t that great?” asked Wayne Cahilly, the resident expert on the mill’s history and construction. “It’s a wonderful piece of workmanship.”

The rehabilitation has revealed the timber framework and joinery methods by which it was assembled. Code numbers were incised into the wooden structural members — in Roman numerals, no less — to ensure that diagonal brace VIII would be inserted into column VIII.

In 1870, the mill was closed. New York City acquired 661 acres of the Lorillard family’s Bronx River estate in 1884. The mill became a carpentry shop for the parks department. In 1915, the agency granted a 140-acre parcel, including the mill, to the botanical garden, which used the old building as a shop and a storehouse.

Then, in the early ’50s, Harriet Barnes Pratt, a member of the botanical garden board, urged that the building be put to public use and offered $88,000 to make it happen. The city, the garden and the Lorillard company together chipped in $211,000 and the Snuff Mill Tea Room was born in 1954.

In the old mill and out on a newly constructed riverside terrace, the cafeteria offered peanut butter and bacon sandwiches for 40 cents, lime rickeys for a quarter and bottles of Schaefer or Ballantine for 30 cents. Food service continued through 2007, though not at those prices.

Some of that atomic-age cuisine may be revived to celebrate the mill’s reopening next year, if you can wait that long for cream cheese on date-nut bread.

By Maurice Arcache
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:46:00 10/31/2008

THE way some marriages last these days, it was really fantastic to be part of the wedding anniversary of Cosmo Manille’s très popular old-wealth couple, international businessman Bobby Cuenca and socialite Chingbee Kalaw, held at the exclusive Continental Room of Tower Club recently.

They had been together for 14 happy years, dahlings, before they got married in Hong Kong on Aug. 12, 1988, before a marriage registrar. But due to a mix-up in information, their first marriage application was denied and the wedding had to be postponed.

As a consequence, the reception at the chi-chi Aberdeen Marina Club in Hong Kong was held a week before the wedding. Chingbee then claimed that since they did everything backwards, Bobby would have to court her for the rest of his life.

Originally, they had wanted to get married on August 8, 1988 or 8-8-88, a supposedly very lucky date. So did two million other Hong Kong Chinese, palanggas.

Après an excellently prepared dinner chosen especially by the host, Bobby C., hot violinist Jay Cayuca performed with his band, followed the host himself and Anabel Alejandrino singing some songs.

For the finale, Chingbee K.C. thanked all the chosen invitees while surrounded by her four good-looking sons.

Luxe wear

For 80 years, internationally renowned Italian brand Salvatore Ferragamo has defined what luxe sophistication is all about, dahlings.

So it was not surprising at all when Ferragamo showed its complete Fall/Winter 2008 collection of ultra chic clothes, plus head-to-toe accessories, in an atmosphere of elegance and style, dahlings.

Our town’s crème de la crème, led by Stores Specialists Inc.’s brilliant Executive Vice President Anton Huang, the très charmant Citibank Country Business Manager Mark Jones, and Salvatore Ferragamo Regional Executive Director Christian Foddis, graced the occasion.

It started off with a super gesture of appreciation: a two-million check donation to the Philippine National Red Cross, represented by gorgeous Rosa Rosal, dahlings, chairperson of the Blood Services Committee.

Ferragamo’s collection had more youthful, sexy and modern pieces for women’s wear. Sleek trousers and fluid cuts dominated the runway. Lavish fur and silver metal trimmings in dresses and jackets were absolute eye-catchers, palanggas, and those gorgeous shiny silk dresses in green and jumpsuits in silver brought back old Hollywood glamour.

Naturellement, there were handbags in leather and calf, trendy patent and snakeskin shoes with skyscraper heels, dahlings.

As for the men’s line, well, you can’t go wrong with the Ferragamo style, right, palanggas?

Headturners were Tweetie de Leon-Gonzales, Priscilla Meirelles and Illac Diaz—all visions of classic elegance in Salvatore Ferragamo outfits.

Italian and British Ambassadors Madame Cossete Fedele and adorable Jill Beckingham, respectively, were absolutely delighted with the show, and clients of Citigold—Citibank’s wealth management banking service—were welcomed by the Citigold team led by
Wealth Management Director Judith Go.

Casual chic

From Ferragamo’s ultra elegance, we move on to casual chic—specifically, checks and plaids, layered outfits and complementary colors, which took center stage during Folded and Hung’s 10th anniversary celebration.

The event, called “Streetcast Act 2,” was led by F&H’s main man, Ronald Pineda.

It was a sea of fashionable black at the A. Venue and Events Hall where F&H had its show, palanggas. Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres were lavishly served and, believe me, dahlings, not one glass was left empty. Meanwhile, the catwalk brimmed with the latest fashions from F&H.

F&H combines the practical and urban into ensembles that exude the richness and flair of party-appropriate ensembles, palanggas.

Now, guys can also choose between straight-cut or skinny-fit jeans, or opt for low-rise denim pants with metallic finish in variations of silver to gray tones, to display their fashion individuality on the streets.

Yes, F&H’s street wear is the bomb, dahlings!

Kerri Vanover of Fort Pierce, daughter of Hallis Vanover of Las Vegas and Kathleen Serino of Fort Pierce, was married to Steven Boyd of Gastonia, N.C., on Jan. 5 at the Pelican Yacht Club in Fort Pierce, with Ed Skiba officiating.

Boyd is the son of Virginia Boyd of Gastonia and the late James Boyd.

Salena Storey and Carla daSilva were maids of honor, with Nicole Bhalla as bridesmaid and Taylor Vanover as junior bridesmaid. Jamie Kippenberger was flower girl.

Louis Matusek of Katy, Texas, was best man, with Patrick Vanover, Stuart Fulcher and Gavin Boyd as ushers. Evan Vanover was aisle runner with Christian Vanover as ring bearer.

A reception at Pelican Yacht Club in Fort Pierce followed the ceremony.

The bride graduated from Lincoln Park Academy in Fort Pierce in 1992 and from Florida State University in Tallahassee in 1999.

She is employed by VA Medical Center in Fayetteville, N.C., as home-based primary care program director.

The groom graduated from Hunter Huss High School in Gastonia in 1992 and earned a bachelor’s degree in biology while in the U.S. Army.

He is serving in the Army in Fayetteville as a sergeant first class, and completed two tours in Iraq and one tour in Afghanistan.

Following a wedding trip to Ocho Rios, Jamaica, the couple will reside in Fayetteville.

Catch the Wedding Present tonight at the Mohawk. The band, formed in 1985, are practically classics in the indie rock genre, and they’re out touring in support of their latest full-length, El Rey. Although frontman David Gedge is operating out of Hollywood these days, and California has definitely influenced the newer material, the band still has roots deep in the British indie rock scene, and the sound still resonates with some of the best of the 1980s. So, if you ever really, really loved the soundtrack to the Breakfast Club, you’ll likely enjoy.

Joining the Wedding Present are opening acts the Jealous Girlfriends and New Roman Times. Brooklyn-based the Jealous Girlfriends have a shoegaze bent, and local Camper Van Beethoven reference and font nerd punchline New Roman Times are a sort of synth-driven sound for the more cynical among us — think Interpol and I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness.

Like many girls thinking about one day being a bride, Mena Suvari dreams of having a fairy tale wedding.

E! Online reported that Suvari showed off her serious rock of an engagement ring at the launch party for Signorelli’s “Love” collection, which benefits Susan G. Komen for the Cure, at Planet Blue Wednesday.

Not only is the actress wearing a huge, sparkly diamond, but she revealed that her fiancé, Simone Sestito, actually designed the ring especially for her. How sweet!

“I really want it to be romantic and like a fairy-tale wedding,” Suvari told E! News of her second trip down the aisle. “It’s all very new to me. Even though I have been down that road before, I never have done any of these preparations so . . . there’s a lot of stuff to do.”

Suvari wants the wedding to be in Italy and is planning to check out locations next week when she’s at the Rome Film Festival for the premiere of her new movie, Garden of Eden.

As for the fairy-tale princess wedding dress? “I want to work with my friend Stacy, who designs Alice + Olivia, to design a dress,” said Suvari.

Suvari became engaged to music producer/concert promoter Simone Sestito in July 2008. He proposed during their vacation in Jamaica.

Suvari’s first marriage in March 2000 to Robert Brinkmann ended in May 2005 due to irreconcilable differences.

An enthusiastic monkey (or maybe a chimp [or possibly an ape (but definitely not a gorilla)]) is trying desperately to be center of attention on the set of CBS’ How I Met Your Mother.

[The following article contains some spoilers.]

The simian (that seems safe), wearing a hygienic and jaunty diaper, is hopping around and smiling. Mostly, though, the primate is being upstaged. Instead, everybody is preparing for a wedding.

It’s late September and one corner of the show’s stage on the 20th Century Fox lot is decorated like Shelter Island, a town at the eastern end of Long Island. I’ve never been to Shelter Island, so I can’t vouch for its accuracy. The wedding set actually looks like an unholy combination of a cult compound and a stage from the episode where the Bradys went to Hawaii. Think of it as Tiki-Moonie Chic.

In this Monday’s (Oct. 20) episode, Ted (Josh Radnor) and Stella (Sarah Chalke) decide take advantage of the nearly-discarded wedding pieces when Stella’s sister’s (Daneel Harris) nuptial plans fall through. That means getting everybody together in three days and hashing out whether or not it’s acceptable to have exes at your ceremony.

So does this mean that Stella and Ted are ready for their happily ever after? Can we finally start calling Stella the mother of Ted’s future kids? Or will complications ensue?

“How much am I allowed to say?” Chalke asks nervously. “You’re stressing out the bride on her wedding day. That’s not allowed. I have much more important things to think about, like whether the flowers are going to be in the proper arrangement in my bouquet.”

I can say that Chalke is sitting across from me in a white Nicole Miller gown. I can also say that in the shot I just witnessed, a priest-type-figure said “Please welcome for the first time, Ted and Stella Moseby.” How I Met Your Mother is a show prone to visualizing fantasies and hypotheticals, so you probably shouldn’t draw any conclusions.

Chalke actually looks far from stressed about playing out her possible wedding vows.

“It’s really fun, actually, yeah,” she laughs. “I mean, we haven’t done them yet on this particular day, but it’s fun to get all dressed up and wear one of these…”

She holds out a hand and raises a finger to showcase a large presumably paste gem.

It’s very impressive.

“Thank you, I think he did very well,” Chalke says.

For Radnor, the pleasure has been in playing Ted’s spontaneous and romantic side with Stella, watching his character grow even in his fourth season.

“He’s like everyone, he takes two steps forward, three steps back or three steps forward, two steps back,” Radnor explains. “That thing with [Ashley Williams'] Victoria was kind of a big fantasy in a way and then they got slapped in the face with reality. The Robin thing was much more real, but also had its own challenges, the competing things that those characters wanted. This one feels like, it feels very real, but also, again, like life-things happening.”

He continues, “They don’t know where they’re going to live. She has a daughter. There’s this other guy in her past. There are a lot of things going on that make it kind of high-stakes immediately, but he pushes through because he really loves her. I don’t know. I think it’s nice to play a guy who’s maturing. It’s not like the Ted you saw in the pilot will be the Ted you see in the end, which is often the case with series television, where characters don’t change that much, where you kind of have a template that you’re working with. But this show is about growth, so I’ve been allowed to change, which is fantastic.”

Radnor also has enjoyed playing opposite Chalke, whose first guest starring appearance on the show was as close to last minute as the TV world gets.

“She came on the show it felt like she had never not been here and it’s not an easy thing to do,” Radnor raves. “This is a pretty intense and tightly knit group of actors we have here. I just think she had the right energy for it, she had the right sense of humor, the right whatever that just made her a perfect addition to the cast.”

Radnor says he doesn’t pay much attention to online scuttlebutt about whether or not Stella will turn out to be the eponymous mother, just putting his faith in the show’s writers.

“I stay away from all of that fan chatter unless someone comes up and talks to me, because I find it overwhelming and kind of strange to look into all that,” he says. “Yeah, I don’t know. I have great faith in the writers as knowing how to tell this story much better than I could ever construct it. So I’m sure they’ll come up with something great.”

Chalke agrees.

“Even when I came back to do the first one of these four, I had no idea what we were going to be shooting next,” she says, comparing the degree of anything-can-happen uncertainty to her gig on Scrubs. “I don’t even know what happens next week! All I know is that I’m sitting in this little thing right now, but I don’t even know what happens next week.”