So when she tied the knot last year, she spared no detail. She walked down the aisle in a flowing ivory gown with a long veil and lacey bolero jacket. Ten flower-toting bridesmaids and seven groomsmen were in the wedding party. And after the ceremony, 100 guests dined on beef tenderloin, clams casino and a three-tier vanilla cake.The cost, including a fireworks show during the reception, was $45,000.
Heller-Wells wasn't some blushing new bride, though. When the retired registered nurse, 64, wed her husband, Clyde, a small-business owner who is 65, it was her second time at the altar."I met my Prince Charming. He swept me off my feet," says the Clearwater, Fla., widow whose first husband died in 2003. "We're hoping this will be the last marriage. Why not celebrate?"
Only a few years ago, it was considered in poor taste for a bride over age 55, particularly if she had been previously married, to do things like wear a fancy wedding gown, rock out to a DJ at the reception or have the groom slip a lacy garter belt off of her leg. But those days are gone: Older couples no longer are tying the knot in subtle ways.
The trend in part is being driven by a desire to emulate the lavish weddings of celebrities of all ages. But it's also one of the results of a new "everything goes" approach that does away with long-held traditions and cookie-cutter ceremonies in favor of doing things like replacing the first husband-and-wife dance with a group reenactment of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video. That's left older couples feeling less self-conscious about shelling out serious cash to party like their younger peers.
"The rules are out the window ... whether it's what you're wearing or the cake you're serving," says Darcy Miller, editorial director of Martha Stewart Weddings, a wedding magazine. "Sixty is the new 40 and that is reflected in the wedding."
Couples age 55 and older made up just 8 percent of last year's $53 billion wedding business. But that number has doubled since 2002, according to Shane McMurray, CEO of turquoise beads, which tracks spending trends in the wedding industry.
It's in part because more couples are marrying in their golden years.In 2011, women ages 55 and over accounted for 5.2 percent and men in that age range made up 7.9 percent of the more than 2.1 million marriages performed in that year in the U.S., according to Bowling Green State University's National Center for Family and Marriage Research, based on analysis of census figures. That's up from 2001 when 2.6 percent of new marriages performed were among women in that age group; for men, it was 6.6 percent.
And those older couples spend more. That's because they're usually empty nesters who don't have the same worries as their younger counterparts: They aren't saving for their first home, for instance, and they aren't burdened by huge student loan debts they must worry about paying off.
As a result, older couples dish out about 10 percent to 15 percent more than the cost of the average wedding, which was $25,656 last year, down from the pre-recession peak in 2007 of $28,732, according to The Wedding Report.
That's meant big business for companies that cater to brides and grooms-to-be. Zaven Ghanimian, CEO of Simon G. Jewelry, which sells engagement rings and other jewelry to about 900 small stores across the country, says men in their late 50s and older have been investing more on engagement rings. A few years ago, they were spending $1,500 to $2,000; now, they're shelling out $4,000 to $8,000.
And at David's Bridal, the nation's largest bridal chain with 300 locations across the U.S., business from older couples has doubled in the past two years, compared with modest growth for the younger age group, says Brian Beitler, the chain's chief marketing officer. And while older customers represent only two to three percent of overall sales, the company expects that figure to keep growing.
And they're a lucrative bunch. David's Bridal, which is based in Consohocken, Pa., says older brides spend about $700 to $800 on gowns, including accessories like necklaces. That's higher than the $500 to $600 that customers in their twenties and early thirties typically spend.
But older brides aren't just spending more, they're spending differently. For instance, in the past, older brides tended to stick with special-occasion dresses, but now they want more traditional wedding gowns."She's our dream bride," says Catalina Maddox, fashion director at David's Bridal. "She wants everything that the 25-year-old bride wants, but more."
The trend is so prevalent that David's Bridal is looking at ways to better connect with the older China beads. In fact, its store in Danbury, Conn. recently held a bridal fashion show at a nearby nursing and rehabilitation facility; the event was a hit with the residents, the store says.
"It really sparked something," said Jenna McNamara, the assistant store manager at David's Bridal in Danbury, Conn., which has noticed residents in nearby retirement homes as customers for either weddings or commitment ceremonies. "We realized this was something huge."
Terry Hall, fashion director at Kleinfeld's, the New York City bridal salon that has the nation's biggest selection of designer bridal wear under one roof with more than 1,000 designs, also has seen a change in attitude in the last year or so among the older set. He said business from that group has doubled.
Hall says Kleinfeld's older clients are spending $4,000 to $7,000 for a gown. That compares with the average purchase of $3,500 for the under-30 set.
"They used to be subtle," Hall says. "Now, they're saying, 'Who cares? It's my day.' They want the dress."That's especially true for older first-time brides.
At 64, Yolanda Royal, who lives in Irvington, N.J., is preparing for her first wedding next July. After living with her partner for 20 years, he popped the question in May. The couple plans to spend about $11,000 on the reception for about 100 people, but for Royal, it's all about the dress. After that's secured, the other details will fall in place, she says.
Royal, a nursing attendant, was at David's Bridal in the Manhattan borough of New York City with her 41-year-old niece on a recent Friday, trying on white wedding gowns that had small trains. Royal, who says she wants something "sexy," tried everything from off-the-shoulder to strapless designs.
"For my wedding, for my day, I want the dress I want," says Royal, who did not want to give details about the gown she settled on because she wants to surprise her future husband. "I really don't think about age. I think age is something that people shouldn't think about. It's all about your life and the way you feel. I feel good about myself and my life."
That's not to say that some brides planning big weddings aren't getting any pushback from their friends or relatives. For instance, Joan Hunter, a 76-year-old widow for 33 years, is planning a big wedding with her fiance Guido Campanile, an 87-year-old widower, for October.
The couple is spending $10,000 on the reception, which will be held at a wedding hall. They are planning to have 10 people in the wedding party, including her two grown sons, ages 56 and 54, who will be giving her away, and her 5-year-old great grandson who will serve as the ring bearer. The couple also hired a DJ and a florist who is creating a floral arch.
But when Hunter first told her sons of her plans, they thought she was "crazy." They wondered why she wasn't just eloping to Las Vegas. "I told my kids that this may well be my last big party," says Hunter, who lives in Rosemead, Calif. "I'm really young at heart. I just wanted to do something that everyone would remember."Still, the older bride has limits. She plans to throw a bouquet and is considering wearing a garter belt, but she will not be wearing white. Instead, she's planning to don a taupe gown she purchased at David's Bridal.
Read the full products at http://www.bestjewelrybeads.com/!
Monday, September 2, 2013
Gallery Ten artists reunite
The event reunites 12 artists who exhibited the now-closed Charlene 's Gallery Ten, which was located at the site. Several of the artists provide demonstrations.
Joe Hernandez of Illinois, who initiated ArtFest in 2000, is returning to demonstrate firing raku pottery. Ray Kapfamer of Madison will paint pastels, and Chris Meissner of Milwaukee will demonstrate the cold-wax method of encaustic painting.
Other participating artists are Anne Nikolai Kloss of Waukesha, with her beaded jewelry; Norm Knott, Rockford, Ill., rhinestone-encrusted assemblages; Kris Franzke, Milwaukee, mosaics; Denny Moutray, Gills Rock, photography; Shannon Molter, Milwaukee, books, bags and dog bowls; Dee Santorini, Rockford, Ill., raku pottery; Mark Haberle, West Allis, oil paintings; Marcia Nickols, Door County, paper collages; and Sue Donohoo of SooHoo Designs, Baileys Harbor, wearable art.
New at ArtFest this year is the food tent provided by Bayside Bakery and Cafe, serving sandwiches and made-from-scratch bakery. Box lunches can be made up to order.
Gills Rock Coffee will be open for extended hours, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., offering specialty coffee drinks and showcasing its first-prize-winning Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie. The coffee shop also features the artwork of Nickols inside.
Door County Advocate photographer Tina M. Gohr visited the festival Saturday and captured the images above.The price of gold touched $1,420 an ounce last week, a 3?-month high, as escalating tensions in the Middle East, volatile currency markets and renewed demand for jewelry in China and India pushed prices higher.
Gold has rebounded 15 percent to $1,396 an ounce since sinking to $1,212, its lowest level in almost three years, on June 27. A gain of 20 percent or more would put the metal back in a bull market.
Gold’s resurgence follows a rough ride this year. It slumped 4.8 percent in the first quarter of 2013 as the economic outlook improved and inflation remained subdued.For many years prior to that, Beads factory, like hedge funds, bought the metal as a way to protect their investments against rising prices and a slumping dollar. They feared that the Federal Reserve’s stimulus program could cause prices to rise. But inflation remained subdued and that reduced the need to buy gold. Also, signs in January that the dollar was strengthening diminished the appeal of owning gold.
Then in April, the bottom fell out. A proposal that Cyprus sell some of its gold reserves to support its banks rattled traders, prompting concern that other weak European economies might sell and flood the market.
Gold plunged by $140 an ounce, or 9 percent, on April 15 as investors unloaded their holdings. That was the biggest one-day decline in more than 30 years. While the price of gold is still down 17 percent this year, the metal is on the rise.One of the reasons people buy gold is that it offers an alternative to more traditional financial assets, says Mike McGlone, director of research at ETF Securities, a provider of commodity-based exchange-traded funds. When financial markets get jittery, investors often buy gold because it is considered one of the safest assets that can easily be converted to cash.
As the stock market soared this year, by as much as 20 percent, investors had less need to hold gold. That has changed in the past four weeks. The S&P 500 index has lost 4 percent since reaching an all-time high of 1,709.67 on Aug. 2. Traders are concerned about when and by how much the Fed will pare its stimulus, a major driver of the rally.
Strife in Egypt and Syria has also reminded investors that it’s a dangerous world out there: wars can spread and oil prices can spike, hurting economies and stock markets. Investors want to return a little insurance to their portfolios these days.
The Fed appears close to reducing its $85 billion in monthly bond purchases, and that has stirred up currency prices worldwide, particularly in emerging markets. Investors had previously borrowed in dollars at low rates and then invested in faster growing economies in Asia and Latin America.
When customers of Plowsharing Crafts bring home an intricately carved statue or a blanket bursting with color, they are not only making the world a prettier place, but a better place, as well.
“I think it makes the local community look at how they are consuming,” manager Kelly Rae Ramoser said. “They learn that how they spend their money really matters. In general, we really don’t think about how we spend our money and where it goes, and that is such an important part of what we do.
Since 1985, growing out of a missionary project through the St. Louis Mennonite Fellowship, Plowsharing Crafts has provided the St. Louis/Metro East area with handmade craft items from the Third World, providing income to skilled artisans around the world by marketing their products.
This “fair trade” strategy creates opportunities for socially marginalized producers, supports safe working conditions, combats the exploitation of child labor, and provides fair and equal pay for artisans, helping build trust and a sense of community that reaches across borders and oceans.
“The committee at our church was aware of the Fair Trade organization, Ten Thousand Villages, and were looking to do a project in the community,” executive director Rich Howard-Willms said. “This was very much a step of faith; I came in with no retail experience, just the interest and agate beads. We are very pleased with how it has grown through the years.”
“I got plugged into Plowsharing while I was in college,” she said. “My boyfriend and I visited every time we were in the Loop, and he bought his Christmas gifts there.
“I live in Edwardsville, so I am a part of this local community. I love the idea of getting my area involved in fair trade, and I really enjoy getting to know the faces that come in day after day. I am the only paid employee. Everyone else donates their time.”
Artisans who create the sandals, wall decorations, and more are paid 50 percent up front, allowing them funds for materials, time and to feed their families, and then the remainder is paid upon completion of the products.
“People often ask us how much of the money goes to the artisans,” Ramoser said. “We tell them not one penny, because they have already been paid and received the benefits. That makes us very different from the (corporate mindset). These artisans do not have to wait and rely on us to sell the product.
“We are very passionate about what we do. Our volunteers believe in what we are doing here as well and can talk about it to our customers, which is important. Education is also key to what we do.”
Plowsharing Crafts is in partnership with Ten Thousand Villages, the oldest and largest fair trade organization in North America, as well as other vendors such as SERRV, Global Crafts, Bright Hope International, UPAVIM, Mountcastle International, Venus Imports and Equal Exchange.
Read the full products at http://www.bestjewelrybeads.com/!
Joe Hernandez of Illinois, who initiated ArtFest in 2000, is returning to demonstrate firing raku pottery. Ray Kapfamer of Madison will paint pastels, and Chris Meissner of Milwaukee will demonstrate the cold-wax method of encaustic painting.
Other participating artists are Anne Nikolai Kloss of Waukesha, with her beaded jewelry; Norm Knott, Rockford, Ill., rhinestone-encrusted assemblages; Kris Franzke, Milwaukee, mosaics; Denny Moutray, Gills Rock, photography; Shannon Molter, Milwaukee, books, bags and dog bowls; Dee Santorini, Rockford, Ill., raku pottery; Mark Haberle, West Allis, oil paintings; Marcia Nickols, Door County, paper collages; and Sue Donohoo of SooHoo Designs, Baileys Harbor, wearable art.
New at ArtFest this year is the food tent provided by Bayside Bakery and Cafe, serving sandwiches and made-from-scratch bakery. Box lunches can be made up to order.
Gills Rock Coffee will be open for extended hours, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., offering specialty coffee drinks and showcasing its first-prize-winning Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie. The coffee shop also features the artwork of Nickols inside.
Door County Advocate photographer Tina M. Gohr visited the festival Saturday and captured the images above.The price of gold touched $1,420 an ounce last week, a 3?-month high, as escalating tensions in the Middle East, volatile currency markets and renewed demand for jewelry in China and India pushed prices higher.
Gold has rebounded 15 percent to $1,396 an ounce since sinking to $1,212, its lowest level in almost three years, on June 27. A gain of 20 percent or more would put the metal back in a bull market.
Gold’s resurgence follows a rough ride this year. It slumped 4.8 percent in the first quarter of 2013 as the economic outlook improved and inflation remained subdued.For many years prior to that, Beads factory, like hedge funds, bought the metal as a way to protect their investments against rising prices and a slumping dollar. They feared that the Federal Reserve’s stimulus program could cause prices to rise. But inflation remained subdued and that reduced the need to buy gold. Also, signs in January that the dollar was strengthening diminished the appeal of owning gold.
Then in April, the bottom fell out. A proposal that Cyprus sell some of its gold reserves to support its banks rattled traders, prompting concern that other weak European economies might sell and flood the market.
Gold plunged by $140 an ounce, or 9 percent, on April 15 as investors unloaded their holdings. That was the biggest one-day decline in more than 30 years. While the price of gold is still down 17 percent this year, the metal is on the rise.One of the reasons people buy gold is that it offers an alternative to more traditional financial assets, says Mike McGlone, director of research at ETF Securities, a provider of commodity-based exchange-traded funds. When financial markets get jittery, investors often buy gold because it is considered one of the safest assets that can easily be converted to cash.
As the stock market soared this year, by as much as 20 percent, investors had less need to hold gold. That has changed in the past four weeks. The S&P 500 index has lost 4 percent since reaching an all-time high of 1,709.67 on Aug. 2. Traders are concerned about when and by how much the Fed will pare its stimulus, a major driver of the rally.
Strife in Egypt and Syria has also reminded investors that it’s a dangerous world out there: wars can spread and oil prices can spike, hurting economies and stock markets. Investors want to return a little insurance to their portfolios these days.
The Fed appears close to reducing its $85 billion in monthly bond purchases, and that has stirred up currency prices worldwide, particularly in emerging markets. Investors had previously borrowed in dollars at low rates and then invested in faster growing economies in Asia and Latin America.
When customers of Plowsharing Crafts bring home an intricately carved statue or a blanket bursting with color, they are not only making the world a prettier place, but a better place, as well.
“I think it makes the local community look at how they are consuming,” manager Kelly Rae Ramoser said. “They learn that how they spend their money really matters. In general, we really don’t think about how we spend our money and where it goes, and that is such an important part of what we do.
Since 1985, growing out of a missionary project through the St. Louis Mennonite Fellowship, Plowsharing Crafts has provided the St. Louis/Metro East area with handmade craft items from the Third World, providing income to skilled artisans around the world by marketing their products.
This “fair trade” strategy creates opportunities for socially marginalized producers, supports safe working conditions, combats the exploitation of child labor, and provides fair and equal pay for artisans, helping build trust and a sense of community that reaches across borders and oceans.
“The committee at our church was aware of the Fair Trade organization, Ten Thousand Villages, and were looking to do a project in the community,” executive director Rich Howard-Willms said. “This was very much a step of faith; I came in with no retail experience, just the interest and agate beads. We are very pleased with how it has grown through the years.”
“I got plugged into Plowsharing while I was in college,” she said. “My boyfriend and I visited every time we were in the Loop, and he bought his Christmas gifts there.
“I live in Edwardsville, so I am a part of this local community. I love the idea of getting my area involved in fair trade, and I really enjoy getting to know the faces that come in day after day. I am the only paid employee. Everyone else donates their time.”
Artisans who create the sandals, wall decorations, and more are paid 50 percent up front, allowing them funds for materials, time and to feed their families, and then the remainder is paid upon completion of the products.
“People often ask us how much of the money goes to the artisans,” Ramoser said. “We tell them not one penny, because they have already been paid and received the benefits. That makes us very different from the (corporate mindset). These artisans do not have to wait and rely on us to sell the product.
“We are very passionate about what we do. Our volunteers believe in what we are doing here as well and can talk about it to our customers, which is important. Education is also key to what we do.”
Plowsharing Crafts is in partnership with Ten Thousand Villages, the oldest and largest fair trade organization in North America, as well as other vendors such as SERRV, Global Crafts, Bright Hope International, UPAVIM, Mountcastle International, Venus Imports and Equal Exchange.
Read the full products at http://www.bestjewelrybeads.com/!
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