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This Monday is the Teen Mom OG Season 6 finale, and judging from this week’s preview clips, the episode will not disappoint! Tyler Baltierra’s dad Butch finds himself back behind bars again, Farrah Abraham finally meets her mom Debra’s doctor fiance, Amber Portwood gets nervous about her upcoming “mommy makeover” surgery, and of course — MACI’S WEDDING!!!We’ll kick things of with a little “bad news, good news” video. The bad news is that Tyler’s dad Butch Baltierra gets arrested yet again after being out of prison and sober for more than a year. You’ll have to wait for the good news…

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The good news is that Tyler says Butch’s arrest was only for missing a parole meeting. Tyler goes on to say that he isn’t sure exactly what happened, which might explain why Butch was actually charged with driving on a suspended license. (You can read more about his arrest here.) Either way, as far as Butch Baltierra arrests go, this one is waaaaaaay down on the concerning scale!Next up we have one of reality TV’s most contentious mother/daughter relationships featured yet again as Farrah Abraham is introduced to her future stepdad, Dr. David Merz — who apparently has no problem being completely honest and to the point:

After Farrah and Dr. David awkwardly hug and have a seat, Simon Saran kicks things off by giving David a pseudo-backhanded compliment. “I gotta definitely say…I think you bring out the best in Debra. She’s like nice and calm and less tense.”“No,” Debra’s fiance responds. “I don’t bring the best out in her — she’s always the best.”“Ah, there you go,” says Simon.David then reveals he is no stranger to Teen Mom and he is not a fan of how Farrah treats Debra on the show. “She’s been through a bunch of s***, and she gets all this stuff thrown at her. I’ve watched Teen Mom,” he continues. “It hurts me because I know her and GRRR GRRR! Why are they doing that to her? You know, beating her up?”Farrah seems perplexed about what David is suggesting. “What do you mean in regards to beating who up, or what up, or down up, or where what?”

After Farrah and Dr. David awkwardly hug and have a seat, Simon Saran kicks things off by giving David a pseudo-backhanded compliment. “I gotta definitely say…I think you bring out the best in Debra. She’s like nice and calm and less tense.”“No,” Debra’s fiance responds. “I don’t bring the best out in her — she’s always the best.”“Ah, there you go,” says Simon.David then reveals he is no stranger to Teen Mom and he is not a fan of how Farrah treats Debra on the show. “She’s been through a bunch of s***, and she gets all this stuff thrown at her. I’ve watched Teen Mom,” he continues. “It hurts me because I know her and GRRR GRRR! Why are they doing that to her? You know, beating her up?”Farrah seems perplexed about what David is suggesting. “What do you mean in regards to beating who up, or what up, or down up, or where what?”

After Amber expresses her anxiousness, the video then shifts to “home video” footage of Amber after the procedure as she struggles to walk around the hospital. We then see Matt at home the next day talking to his cousin on the phone. Matt says that Amber’s recovery has been harder than they expected, adding that she has been laid up in bed. Then, the conversation turns to Matt’s book.

(It seems odd to me that MTV keeps filming scenes with Amber and Matt sitting in fold-up lawn chairs in the garage — what’s that about? Plus, I noticed that Matt was wearing a ring on his left ring finger. Is that something new? To answer my own question I looked back at some older videos and it appears that he has been wearing it for most of the season. He didn’t have it on at the tattoo parlor, but I spotted it in pretty much every episode after.)

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Julianne Hough and Brooks Laich have NOT put their wedding on hold, despite an inaccurate tabloid report. Gossip Cop can bust this claim. It’s simply not true.

According to OK!, the couple has yet to make any arrangements for their nuptials, as the “Dancing With The Stars” judge is allegedly getting cold feet. A so-called “source” tells the outlet, “Whenever someone brings up dress shopping or looking at venues, Julianne insists she doesn’t have the time.” “But Brooks is starting to worry,” contends the magazine’s questionable insider, adding, “He just wants her to get the ball rolling.”

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But despite the tabloid’s claims, Hough and Brooks’ wedding plans are actually moving full steam ahead, Gossip Cop has learned. In fact, in a new interview with Entertainment Tonight, Hough confirmed that a date has been set for their wedding. That’s the opposite of it being on hold.

“We’ve been so blessed and so fortunate over the years that we’ve met so many incredible people in our life. We want to share it with them, too,” Hough said of her nuptial plans. Clearly, the star is not getting cold feet over marrying her fiance, but is looking forward to it. As Gossip Cop reported at the time, Hough and Laich became engaged last year. They’re now moving ahead at their own pace, not one set by OK!.

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What could more fitting for a country star’s “I dos” than a rustic Nashville wedding? Sounds perfect, right? Well, it pretty much was! Last month, country singer Tyler Farr wed his sweetheart, Hannah Freeman, in a countryside ceremony and the newly-released wedding photos have us dreaming of sunflower bridal bouquets and grooms in cowboy boots.

On the big day, Farr and Freeman headed to Tennessee’s Mint Springs Farm for their rustic and romantic nuptials. “Tyler and I are both laid back and we don’t like fancy things, so we wanted something that represented us and that wasn’t too far from our house,” the bride explained to People magazine. “We wanted things to be simple and intimate.” And that’s exactly the vibe we’re getting from the just-released wedding day pics — from the outdoor venue to Freeman’s wedding dress. “I’ve never been the type of girl to dream about my wedding day, ever and I never picked out wedding dresses before I was engaged. I wanted something simple and classic,” Freeman said of her Stella York lace wedding dress with its non-fussy silhouette and sweetheart neckline. Meanwhile, the groom and his groomsmen all donned grey suits accessorized with yellow-hued boutonnieres for their walk down the aisle.

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After the couple said their “I dos” in the venue’s open-air, vine-adorned pavilion, the wedding party headed inside for dining and dancing — including the coolest first dance, like, ever. Farr earned himself MAJOR points with his new wife when he secretly recruited pal Brad Paisley to become a wedding singer for the night and perform for their first dance (video above). The plan was actually set into motion a week ahead of the big day when Farr was on tour with Paisley and heard a sneak peek of Paisley’s new single, “Today.”

“I was on his bus and he showed me the video and I just teared up,” Farr told People. “I’m very blunt and I was like, ‘That song was amazing and I want to surprise my fiancé with something really special. Would you come and play this song for our first dance?’” And he did! Paisley appeared at the wedding reception to sing the romantic tune for the couple’s first spin around the dance floor. “She had no idea,” Farr said. “It was so cool of Brad to take the time to do that. He’s a good friend and a great guy.”

“She is beautiful anyway, but there she is in a white dress and Brad is singing those lyrics and it hit me and I got emotional!” the groom continued, remembering the magical moment. “The tears were pretty visible.”

Like the ones we’re crying right now, Tyler?!

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Miss Darby Grace Birnbaum and First Lieutenant William Peter Savino Jr, USMC, were married on Saturday, October 8th, 2016 at two o’clock in the afternoon at Popp Fountain in City Park. The double ring ceremony was officiated by the Reverend Michael Kuhn of St Martin’s Episcopal School. Elizabeth Messina played piano during the ceremony and Erika Parker was the photographer. Following the wedding, the reception was held at the Arbor Room at City Park with entertainment provided by The Boogie Men. Guests came from Canada, England, Greece, Ireland, and Norway as well as many parts of the U.S. Following the reception, an after-party was hosted by the bride’s parents at The Bulldog in Mid-City. Edna Rice of Houston and Linda Friedlander of New Orleans hosted a “Louisiana Tea” at Linda’s home the Thursday before the wedding. On Friday before the wedding the bridesmaid’s brunch was held at Brennan’s in the Morphy Room. On the eve of the wedding, the parents of the groom hosted a rehearsal dinner at Impastato’s in Metairie.

Source: sheindressau.com

The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Stephen H. Birnbaum of Houston, Texas. She is the granddaughter of Lieutenant Colonel and Mrs. Linwood A. Pace, U.S. Army (Ret.) of Lafayette, Louisiana and the late Mr. and Mrs. Donald R. Birnbaum of Prattsville, New York. The groom is the son of Commander and Mrs. William P. Savino, USN (Ret.) of Slidell, Louisiana. He is the grandson of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Sheahan of County Cork, Ireland and the late Mr. and Mrs. Vito Savino of Commack, New York.

Presented in marriage by her parents and escorted by her father, the bride wore a gown of ivory corded embroidered Italian lace that starts from the bodice and percolates to the hemline. This gown features a V-neck bodice with sheer lace straps and an overlay sweetheart neckline, a deep v-back and is finished with a semi-cathedral train. The wedding gown was from Yvonne LaFleur of New Orleans. Her veil was fingertip length illusion and features a piece of lace from her mother’s wedding veil. The veil was designed by the bride and was hand made at Yvonne Lafleur. The bride carried a simple, classic hand-tied bouquet designed by Pistil and Stamen in whites and soft pastels featuring old fashioned roses, dahlias, zinnias, and textural foliage. A handkerchief handmade by the bride’s maternal grandmother of the fabric from the bride’s baptismal gown was wrapped around the bouquet. The bride also wore pearls given to her by her maternal grandparents when she was born.

Serving as Maid of Honor was Kaitlyn Barr of Greenville, South Carolina. Bridesmaids were Savannah Gresham of Houston, Mahlette Mammo of New York City, Abigail Morris of Metairie and Christine Savino, the groom’s sister, of New Orleans. The bridesmaids wore gowns of navy chiffon in different styles and they each carried bouquets of white and soft pastel flowers, similar to the bride’s.

Serving as the best man was Thomas Savino, brother of the groom, of Slidell. The groomsmen were Donald Birnbaum of College Station, Texas, brother of the bride, Andrew Daire of Baton Rouge, Byron Delaune of Thibodaux, Noel Marcantel of New Orleans, Jonathan Tan of Los Angeles, California and Jonathan Watson of Baton Rouge.

Darby is a 2010 graduate of Bellaire High School in Bellaire, Texas. She graduated in May of 2014 from Louisiana State University where she earned a BA in International Studies and was a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. Darby currently works for the federal government in New Orleans.

Bill is a 2008 graduate of Fountainbleau High School in Mandeville. He graduated in May of 2013 from Louisiana State University with a BA in International Studies. Bill is currently stationed at Camp Pendleton and is serving as a platoon commander for the U.S. Marines.

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Following the wedding festivities, Darby will be joining Bill and residing in San Marcos, California. She will be taking a transfer and will be working in the San Diego office of the federal government. The happy couple will take a delayed honeymoon in 2017 to Ireland and Italy.

Kathryn Ann Bergin became the bride of Joel Thomas Shillingburg both of Boerne in a double-ring ceremony on Oct. 29 at St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church in Boerne.

The bride is the daughter of Kirk and Robyn Bergin of Boerne. The bridegroom is the son of Donald and Jill Shillingburg of Temple. Father Norman Ermis officiated the ceremony.

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The bride was given in marriage by her parents.

The matron of honor was Toni Harwig of Cedar Park. Bridesmaids were sister-in-law Brooke Bergin and Allie Richter; both of Boerne, Lindsey Kellam and Emily Hall; both of Houston, Alex Pendley of Austin, Emily Anderson of College Station, Kelly Samouce of San Antonio, and Hannah Rios of Provo, Utah.

The best man was brother of the groom Alan Shillingburg of Houston. Groomsmen were brothers of the bride Trevor Bergin of Boerne and Chase Bergin of College Station, Andrew Averitt of Fort Worth, Caleb Steel of McAllen, Michael Harwig of Cedar Park, Colton Hagler of Cypress, and Ryan Crawford of Jacksonville, N.C.

The flower girls were Emelia and Florence Hitzfelder of Castroville.

Ring bearer was Greyson Bergin of Arlington.

A reception followed the ceremony at The Cana Ballroom in Boerne.

After a wedding trip to Maui, Hawaii, the couple will reside in Boerne.

The bride graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in communications. She is employed as an assistant service manager at Ken Batchelor Cadillac in San Antonio.

The bridegroom graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in construction science. He is employed as an assistant superintendent at Bartlett Cocke General Contractors in San Antonio.

The parents of the bridegroom hosted a rehearsal dinner at The Helene House in Boerne.

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Summary

The ‘Indian Fantasy’ is what I call the thesis suggesting that gold will enter a long-term bull market based on Indian demand.

The Indian gold market is isolated, over-regulated, and the factors people assume to be at play are not playing out as expected.

Over the short term, at least, I expect no positive impact on gold prices because of Indian physical demand.

Physical Gold and the SPDR Gold ETF (NYSEARCA:GLD).

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There is a familiar narrative in the gold community. It suggests Indian demand will lead to a long-term rally for gold as the country grows in wealth and purchasing power.

I call this theory the ‘Indian Fantasy’

The Indian fantasy is plausible because, even as a relatively poor developing nation, India consumed 668 tons of gold, a third of global demand, in of 2015. One can assume that as the country’s wealth increases, so will its consumption – leading to a doubling or even quadrupling of demand for physical gold.

In this article, I want to explore why this fantasy is not playing at in the short-term.

Background

India’s per capita GDP is currently 1,498.87 USD; this is compared to 6,807,43 USD and 14,611,70 USD for China and Russia respectively. Unlike the other two BRIC nations, however, India has high population growth and its GDP is growing at a lightning-fast 5% annually.

India is one of the oldest civilizations in the world, and gold has played as an important role in the cultural practices of the subcontinent.

The Indian Wedding Season and the holiday of Diwali are critical points in the Indian physical gold market. Demand is usually decided by the number of weddings occurring in the fourth quarter and the agricultural yield of the year; the later of which is determined by the quality of the monsoon rains.

India has had the best July in decades regarding monsoon rainfall. August and September were also strong.

A third of Indian gold demand, translating to one sixth of worldwide demand, comes from relatively poor rural farmers. According to Reuters, there is a correlation between gold buying and the strength of the Indian harvest, which in turn correlates to the strength of the monsoon.

The monsoon has been strong this year, and this suggests the physical gold market should be healthy. However, the Indian fantasy may not be the Indian reality

The Problem

The Indian gold industry is struggling despite headwinds from a strong monsoon and low prices. The problem is oversupply and weak demand; government policy has compounded the issue.

India does not produce much gold domestically, and its government does not allow exports of the metal. The introduction of new regulations seem to have also added to the glut in supply.

For most of the year, gold was cheaper in the isolated Indian market than the international spot price. At the time of the U.K’s ‘Brexit’ vote, the gap between Indian prices and global prices grew to as much as $100 per ounce.

Gitanjali Group (NSE: GITANJALI), chairman Mehul Choksi, states quote:

Gold prices are weak because of – disruptions like mandatory requirement of PAN card for transaction above 2 lakh Rupees.”

Presenting a Permanent Account Number (PAN) for tax reporting and tracking was made mandatory for all purchases over Rs 200,000 (currently equivalent to US$3,000) on New Year’s Day 2016.

This, arguably poor, government policy is also leading to black market activities. Quote:

Over the last 4 days alone, the authorities have seized almost 1 kilo of gold near the Bangladesh border, around 2 kilos inside a scooter in Siliguri, also in West Bengal, plus twelve 10-gram gold bars inside a bag at Mumbai Airport, and 1.3kg of gold inside the body cavities of a passenger landing at Hyderabad from Oman.

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Conclusion

I believe the long-term bullish case for gold in India is a fantasy as long as the Indian government over-regulates the market. Even regardless of regulation, the ‘Indian Fantasy’ theory seems suspicious.

The Indian gold market has had two major headwinds: lower than global prices + a strong monsoon and the results have been lackluster so far. Monsoon rains are not translating to significantly higher gold purchases as they may have done in the past.

It does not look like Indian gold demand will make up for dollar strength, the risk of interest rate hikes, and weak commodity market; factors that are currently pushing the price of gold downward.

Disclosure: I/we have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours.

I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Additional disclosure: No position in gold ETFs, but long-term physical holdings.

They’d only been together seven months, but after asking both her father and stepfather’s permission, Robin Pawlowich asked Leah to marry him under the stars at Pigeon Lake in the summer of 2014. It wasn’t a difficult decision for either of them: “She’s just my person,” Robin says.

The couple, who live in Edmonton, met on a blind date in late December the year before — at an Oilers game whose outcome neither Robin nor Leah remembers.

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Their favourite number is 23 — a nod to that first date two days before Christmas. And Leah wanted to be married in July because it’s the month Robin proposed. She was pleased to discover that the 23rd of July fell on a Saturday in 2016, and they set their date accordingly.

While they were engaged, Robin’s parents purchased an acreage in Parkland County, which they offered Robin and Leah for their wedding. It was perfect: the esthetic they wanted, and a 10-minute drive from River Cree Resort and Casino, where their guests could stay overnight.

It did, however, require a lot of elbow grease from the couple and their families. They laid sod, put gravel down and cut out old trees, while an arborist came in to spruce up the trees that remained. There were four buildings on the property that Robin’s family knocked down, but they saved older parts of them to incorporate into the wedding decor.

Leah and Robin describe their wedding as “country rustic.”

“I’m a little bit addicted to Pinterest,” says the bride. “So I definitely got on Pinterest the whole next day after he proposed. The planning of what kind of wedding we wanted happened quite quickly because we both wanted it to be really personal, and we wanted to have our own little touches here and there.”

Those touches included lots of fresh flowers from Fabloomosity — including a flower crown for the bride (the idea was “as many flowers on one person as possible,” says Leah) — and little nods to hunting, one of Robin’s favourite pastimes.

The groom and groomsmen had boutonnieres made out of shotgun shells (Robin’s was the shell from the first time Leah ever used a shotgun). There were antlers incorporated into several parts of the decor — on top of the ceremony’s backdrop that Robin’s brother-in-law had made out of salvaged windows and doors from those original buildings; mounted behind their head table; and — the bride’s favourite detail — the handle of Leah’s bouquet.

The wedding’s palette consisted of subtle, soft colours. The flowers’ dusty hues matched the bridesmaids’ mix of pastel-coloured dresses, purchased at Novelle Bridal Shop where Leah also bought her gown.

In stark contrast to those understated tones and the wedding’s overall rustic feel were the bold, bright smoke bombs they employed for their post-ceremony photo shoot. While their guests played lawn games like ladder ball and beanbag toss, grenades in a rainbow of colours went off behind the bride and groom.

The smoke bomb idea came from their photographer, Elizabeth van der Bij of ENV Photography. Neither Leah nor Robin had seen them before.

“We were just talking on the phone about wedding timelines,” says Leah of her conversation with van der Bij. “At the end of our call, she said ‘What do you think of smoke bombs?’ And I said, ‘Sounds fantastic to me!’ At this point we’d done our engagement photos. So I said, ‘Whatever you think — we are your guinea pigs. Just tell us what to do’!”

The results were amazing, says Leah. “When we were standing there, I would have never thought that those photos would come out of it.”

But the best part for the groom was a quieter time, away from the festivities, just the newly married couple.

“My favourite moment was actually when everything was over and we could just relax and we had time to take five minutes alone together. That was one of the best moments,” says Robin.

“That, and Leah walking down the aisle.”

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Although, as time passes by, weddings are becoming more and more personalised and modern, there are still matrimonial traditions that we hang onto. But when it comes to your own big day, which traditions will you hold steady to, and which will you buck? We’ve sorted out sentimental from obsolete, and sweet from scary.

The bouquet toss

Then: One of the most well-known traditions in the wedding world is the ‘bouquet toss’, where the bride will take her bouquet and blindly toss it over her shoulder to the single women present at the wedding—whoever catches the flowers will be the next to marry, or so says tradition.

Now: Although most brides and groom still participate in this one as a fun part of their day, the modern bride has begun leaning away from giving away one of her most sentimental accessories from her wedding. Now there are options to have a second ‘tossing bouquet’ for the bride, in order to keep her original flowers.

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The garter toss

Then: Similarly to the bouquet, the garter (a lace band of fabric that sits on the upper thigh) is also meant to be tossed—here to the single men of the party (or sometimes, to the partner of whomever catches the bouquet). This stems from a tradition where men and women at the wedding would rush at the bride and rip her wedding dress—retaining part of the dress was a sign of good luck.

Now: Like the bouquet, garter tosses are still common practice in the modern world—although they are not so violent as in the past and not as popular as the bouquet. Some women find they aren’t comfortable with the removal process and choose to skip it altogether.

Giving away the bride

Then: Way back when, brides were ‘given away’ (literally) on their wedding days as they were still considered to be the ‘property’ of their fathers. In exchange for a dowry, they were then ‘handed’ to their new family at the wedding.

Now: Fortunately the ‘giving away’ tradition has morphed itself in a more family-friendly ordeal, with the process taking on a sentimental meaning rather than a literal one. Some brides still like to incorporate their fathers in this way, whilst some like to involve their mothers as well. It is now also common practice for the bride to walk down the aisle on her own.

Carrying the bride over the threshold

Then: Kinda like the whole ‘giving away’ the bride thing, carrying the bride over the threshold is also a relic of a time past when brides were not always so keen on the marriage gig and therefore had to be forcefully taken into the house. Ancient Romans also believed that bad spirits lurked in the doorways of newlyweds’ houses as a last-ditch effort to curse them, so the groom carried the bride over the threshold so that the spirits didn’t enter her through her feet (fun!).

Now: If done at all, this one is just a fun tradition to add into the day (and it shows off how strong your new husband is—bonus).

Not seeing the bride before the wedding

Then: It’s a very common superstition that it is bad luck to see the bride in her wedding dress before the wedding. This is a remnant of a time when marriages were more on the arranged side and were counted more as business deals then acts of love. If a family was marrying off their daughter in exchange for lands, goods or titles, not seeing the bride before the wedding took away the chance of the groom backing out if he considered her not attractive enough (yeesh).

Now: Thankfully (and hopefully), nowadays most grooms are familiar with what their wives-to-be look like before they marry them, so the original function of this tradition is defunct. However, some couples choose to incorporate it as they still believe in the bad luck superstition, or they believe it makes seeing the bride walking down the aisle more emotional and memorable.

 Wearing a white wedding dress

Then: Up until the 1800s, it was common practice for the bride to wear a coloured wedding dress—reds, blues and yellows were particularly popular. However, after Queen Victoria married Prince Albert in 1840 wearing a white court dress, the popularity of white dresses rose. Thereafter they became associated with purity and virginity and were then standard.

Now: Since Queen Victoria’s historic dress, the white dress has cemented itself as the go-to for wedding dresses. However coloured dresses are rising in popularity in modern times.

Having bridesmaids

Then: In the past bridesmaids were included in the wedding ceremony for two reasons, one being to confuse both vengeful spirits and jealous suitors (what’s the difference, are we right?) by dressing in similar dresses and donning veils in likeness to the bride. Thus, if a suitor and/or angry spirit turned up, they wouldn’t know which was the bride. Second, traditionally 10 witnesses were required to validate the marriage, bridesmaids and groomsmen were necessary for this.

Now: Nowadays the practice is a lot less scary. Bridesmaids are there for emotional and practical support and are usually family members or close friends. (The matching bridesmaid dresses tradition is still alive, however, although not for the confusion reason).

 Having groomsmen

Then: Back when ‘marriage by capture’ (AKA kidnapping) was still popular, groomsmen were not chosen for their emotional attachments to the groom, but for their strength. If the bride protested to the marriage, the groomsmen were there to physically fight off her family, allowing the groom to escape with his bride.

Now: It’s a lot less sinister nowadays, and more about mateship then kidnapping.

Wearing a veil

Then: Like both the ‘not seeing the bride before the wedding’ tradition and the ‘using bridesmaids to confuse people’ tradition, the veil was used to hide the bride’s face for both modesty, purity and for not-making-the-groom-run-away purposes. In some ancient cases, the white veil over the bride’s face represented her ‘purity’, and was only lifted by the groom when they went to consummate the marriage.

Now: Now bridal veils have a much less ominous purpose and are usually just accessories. Lifting the veil usually occurs at the beginning of the ceremony and is done by either the groom or the bride herself.

 ’Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue’

Then: Although it’s not known for sure, the superstition of “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue” is thought to have been to assist brides in warding off the Evil Eye—the Evil Eye’s purpose being to curse the bride’s fertility. The ‘old’ and ‘new’ counterparts were to confuse the Evil Eye, whereas the ‘borrowed’ item was meant to be an undergarment from a woman who had already had a child—therefore protecting the bride against barrenness. The ‘blue’ part is usually thought to be a good luck charm.

Now: Thankfully now this tradition is just a fun addition to the day.

Showering the newlyweds with rice

Then: In the olden days showering the newlyweds with rice (as well as oats, grains and dried corn) was to wish them prosperity, good luck and fortune.

Now: Now it’s just good fun—rice is often overlooked for nicer and prettier alternatives like flower petals, streamers, confetti or sprinkles.

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The Duchess of Cambridge’s powers of fashionable symbolism reached new heights this evening as she chose a patriotically red and white poppy-emblazoned dress for a reception at Buckingham Palace celebrating the achievements of Team GB’s Olympic heroes. Along with The Queen, Prince Phillip, Princess Anne, Prince William and Prince Harry, the Duchess met the likes of Nicola Adams, Ellie Simmonds and Tom Daley on the second day of the official post-Rio celebrations.

Kate’s just-above-the-ankle, floral printed dress is by Alexander McQueen, the British label with which she has long-held affinity. It comes from McQueen’s Resort 2017 collection which hasn’t yet landed in most stores but is available to pre-order in some places. A sleeveless, open-backed version of the dress is available to pre-order at Saks with for £2657.05 with delivery promised in January.

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The collection was inspired by the intricately beautiful hand painted patterns seen in British folk art, with designer Sarah Burton recreating colourful flowers on dramatically flounced mini dresses and maximalist tiered skirts.

Of course, translating such a richly detailled offering for the needs of a future Queen has become a speciality of the Alexander McQueen team; the silk dress worn by the Duchess tonight came with an elegant v-neck, nipped-waist and long, cuffed sleeves.

The relationship between the Duchess and Alexander McQueen began over five years ago when Burton designed the Duchess’s wedding dress and the gown which she changed into for the evening reception. Ever since, Burton’s modernly British clothes have seen Kate through the Christenings of both her children, numerous dinners and official engagements.

It’s clear that the partnership is as strong as ever, with the Duchessrecently opting for McQueen during the recent tour of Canada and to watch the Wimbledon final in July. The Duchess more experimental and glamorous style choices of late segue well with McQueen’s reputation as one of the most highly-respected British fashion houses operating today, known for exquisite detailling and romantic, beautiful yet strong silhouettes.

It’s likely that the dress chosen tonight was part of the same order as that worn in Canada as both come from the same collection.

The Duchess’s poppy-printed ensemble wasn’t the only look of note in the evening’s proceeding’s. The Queen’s shimmering blue cocktail dress proved that age is no barrier to glamour (and completed a red, white and blue colour theme) while Prime Minister Theresa May attracted numerous ‘fabulous shoes’ comments with her L.K Bennett kitten heels. And not forgetting the athletes themselves; some were smartly attired in navy suits and red tops while others opted for black and white pleated skirts with black blazers.

Related:Yellow Bridesmaid Dresses – sheindressau.com

Weddings for Less comes back to Valdosta after a five-year hiatus.

Weddings for Less is a budget decorating service.

Originally started in 2002, owner Linda Peeks had to quit working on Weddings for Less because of illness in 2010, she said.

She opened in Florida about a year ago and recently received her business license to operate in Valdosta.

Peek was first introduced to decorating when her grandmother taught her and her sisters how to arrange flowers and she “loved it.”

For her, getting back into business is “therapeutic” after getting over her illness.

Related: http://www.sheindressau.com/blue-bridesmaid-dresses-australia

“This is like a healing process,” she said. “I love doing it. I love working with flowers and people and I love sewing.”

She works with residents who want help decorating for their weddings and need ideas that are within their budgets, she said.

She sets up four tables based on what customers want, but if the customer does not like any of the four tables, she will remake the tables for a second visit, she said.

Peek is also willing to work with pictures residents have of weddings they have seen online.

“Any picture they bring me or something they see online, I can do it,” she said. “If there is something I cannot do, I have other florists I can work with.”

Along with table decorations, Peek does the flower arrangements for the bride, groom, flower girls, the reception area and the chapel.

If residents are unsure of what they want, Peek said she will help them design the wedding, but ultimately, “it’s however the bride and groom want everything,” she said.

While she works with residents to get the wedding they want, she helps them understand budget restraints and helps them plan their weddings around tat.

“I’m working with people’s budgets,” she’s said. “If they want something for $1,500, I’ll show them what they can get, but if they want more, I show them how much extra it will cost.”

Peek said she knows how to make a nice wedding without spending too much money.

“You can get a lot done and make it beautiful, it just depends on what you want,” she said.

She is also willing to sew brides’ and bridesmaids’ dresses.

“They can bring me a pattern and I make it and style it the way they want me to,” she said.

It takes about two weeks to make one dress.

She can also hem tuxedos.

Because she has been decorating weddings for so long, Peek has an idea of what types of weddings people like.

“Some weddings are elegant and others use paper plates and plasticware,” she said.

She said she prefers a more “elegant look.”

She furnishes table cloths, chair covers, flatware, dinnerware and stemware, she said.

Peek keeps enough material to prepare for an event for 200 people, but can have more materials in about four days. She has several sets in different colors.

Along with weddings she does pastor events, sweet sixteens, bridal showers, birthdays and other events.

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