Green Screen – In Real Time – Adobe Creativity!

Next time you are thinking that you are being creative when you shoot on green screen, realize that you may have to turn it up a notch. In one of Adobe’s recent campaigns, they showcase their ability to shoot in real time on a green screen and have it display on a huge canvas in front of a live crowd! This idea is really cool and we think that you will totally enjoy the video, which we have attached below for your convenience. For all of your videographers out there, you will know that shooting in front of a green screen is generally something you will do and then edit out the green later, also known as chroma key. There are some instances that are quite popularly found where they use green screens in real time, or near real time, such as on the news and for the weather. That is why you see a person standing in front of what looks like an animated screen yet it is usually probably a green screen that they have a monitor to look at and know what they are pointing at.

Perhaps one of the more important aspects of shooting on green screen is knowing what your final background that will replace the green will be. Adobe outdid themselves by choosing an amazing high quality cliff background that makes you feel like the character is about to fall off and it truly captures your attention. Here at Weekly Living and Josh Bois TV we love to use green screen, and even bought our own! 

Anyways we know you will love the video so check it out right here below!

The post Adobe Showcases Creativity Through Real Time Green Screen appeared first on Weekly Living.

Wayfarers Chapel

Along the coast of the Pacific Ocean is Wayfarers Chapel, also known as the glass church. This church was designed by Lloyd Wright who was the son of Frank Lloyd Wright.

The Swedenborgian Church, who are the owners of the chapel, wished to build a memorial to their denominational founder, Emmanuel Swedenborg. A member of the church asked Mr. Wright to design a fitting structure.

Lloyd Wright based his design for the chapel on the redwood forests of California. He desired that the worshippers would feel as if they were experiencing God as part of nature. For this reason, Lloyd Wright built Wayfarers Chapel from glass with redwood beams used for support.

Surrounding the church are redwood trees that over the years have grown to create a canopy over the chapel Today, Wayfarers Chapel is used extensively for weddings and is listed by the National Registry of Historic Places.

Crystal Cathedral

The Crystal Cathedral is a well-known site to those in Southern California. This imposing glass structure, located in Garden Grove, was designed by the famous architect, Philip Johnson.

The Crystal Cathedral began with a vision of the church’s pastor, Robert Schuller. Rev. Schuller believed that he was to build a great church made out of glass.

In order to ensure that the church was safe in the case of earthquakes, Philip Johnson designed the church so that the panes of glass were not bolted to the steel supporting structure. Instead, Mr. Johnson glued the over 10,000 panes of glass on the supports.

The Crystal Cathedral is noted for its large organ, containing over 16,000 pipes, and for its 90 feet tall doors.

The Swedenborgian Church of San Francisco

The Swedenborgian Church of San Francisco is a noted example of the Arts and Crafts school of design. The church makes extensive use of raw materials such as the raw, tree trunks used to support the roof and the maple wood and tule rushes used to construct the sanctuary chairs.

The church’s interior is decorated by four murals painted by the artist William Keith. Mr. Keith depicted one of the four seasons in each mural.

The church was listed as an historic landmark by the US Department of the Interior in 2004.

Stanford Memorial Church

The Stanford Memorial Church, located on the campus of Stanford University, makes use of various architectural styles including Romanesque and Byzantine among others.

The church was designed by the architects Charles Coolidge and Clinton Day as an attempt to copy the cathedrals of Europe.

One of the church’s most noted features is the abundant use of stained glass windows depicting events in the New Testament. The church also makes extensive use of mosaics including a reproduction of Roselli’s Last Supper that is located inside the Sistine Chapel

The post 4 Amazing Examples of Church Architecture in California appeared first on Weekly Living.

The Scarlet Letter, a novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne

The book explores how religious beliefs affect all three parties to an adulterous love affair in 17th century Puritan New England – Hester Prynne, her much older husband, Roger Chillingworth, and her lover, Arthur Dimmesdale.

A primary theme of the novel is the way in which the negative emotions generated by the two men’s religious beliefs eventually drive both men to self-destruction. Hester alone survives because, unlike her husband and her lover, she questions the conventional religious beliefs that all three of them have been taught.

Essay editing techniques can uncover other themes from the novel for use in application essays, such as a feminist subtext focusing on Hester’s survival without financial or emotional support from either man. Essay editing ideas can also help structure an application essay that examines the contrast between the judgmental residents of the Puritan settlement and Hester’s relatively freer life living alone in the wilderness, symbolizing Hester’s willingness to examine new ideas.

Finally, essay editing can assist in drawing comparisons between situations in the novel and continuing problems in modern life, where adultery and divorce remain emotionally scarring experiences. Modern problems involving physicians and clergy becoming inappropriately involved with patients and church members also have parallels to the situations within the novel. Current professional conduct codes attempt to prevent such romances.

The novel’s back story

Hester is sent to Boston by her husband, who plans to follow her on a later ship. When Chillingworth disappears for several years, presumed lost at sea, Hester has a secret affair with her minister, Arthur Dimmesdale, and gives birth to his daughter, Pearl.

When the novel begins, Chillingworth returns from captivity among the Native Americans and arrives in Boston to discover Hester standing on a platform in the marketplace, holding her baby, the center of an angry crowd’s condemnation. She has been sentenced by a local court to wear a scarlet A for adultery on her chest for the rest of her life. She has refused to tell the court the identity of her child’s father.

No one in the settlement knows who Chillingworth is. He meets with Hester in her prison cell and persuades her to hide his identity. Dimmesdale, protected by Hester’s silence, continues his career as a popular preacher. Dimmesdale suffers growing shame and guilt because he committed adultery with Hester and then left her alone to bear the full weight of public disgrace. His health begins deteriorating, as he engages in self-punishing practices such as flogging himself and burning a scarlet A upon his chest.

Chillingworth opens a medical practice and uses the trust he earns among the townspeople to move into the same house with Dimmesdale, under the pretense that he will look after the minister’s failing health. He soon confirms his suspicions that Dimmesdale was Hester’s lover by examining the minister’s chest while he is sleeping. Chillingworth then deliberately increases Dimmesdale’s psychological torment by making remarks intended to lead Dimmesdale to brood upon his sin.

Hester lives in a house on the outskirts of town with Pearl, engaging in sewing to earn a living. Pearl becomes a wild little girl who fights with other children. Hester spends much of her time alone except for Pearl and comes to question the conventional definitions of sin and adultery. She views her affair with Dimmesdale as possessing a certain sacredness. After several years, Hester and Pearl encounter Dimmesdale in the empty marketplace late at night, standing alone on the platform. Hester is shocked to see how ill Dimmesdale looks and horrified to discover that Chillingworth has moved into the same house with him.

Hester and Pearl wait to meet Dimmesdale in an isolated woods area soon afterwards, and Hester reveals Chillingworth’s true identity to Dimmesdale. Hester and Dimmesdale have an emotional reunion, in which she tells him that what they did as lovers had a sanctity of its own. She suggests that they take Pearl and flee to England.

Chillingworth finds out about Hester’s plan and secretly arranges to take passage on the same ship, determined to continue tormenting Dimmesdale.Dimmesdale arranges to preach one last sermon before fleeing town, and ends it by leaving the church and mounting the public platform where Hester had stood years before.

Hester supports the dying minister in her arms as he pulls open his shirt and reveals the scarlet letter on his chest to the assembled people. As Hester and Pearl mourn Dimmesdale, Chillingworth, also on the scaffold, sees Dimmesdale die and knows that his mission of vengeance is over.

Chillingworth dies soon afterward, leaving all of his money to Pearl. Hester and Pearl leave for Europe. Hester returns many years later without Pearl, but receives frequent presents and letters with a coat of arms seal, indicating that Pearl has married a European nobleman and thinks frequently about her mother. Hester lives quietly in her old house, still wearing the scarlet letter and spends her time counseling women with romance problems. When she dies, she is buried next to Dimmesdale under a tombstone carved with a large “A.”

John Grant is a professional book reviewer for several websites and UK papers.

The post My Summary of the Scarlet Letter appeared first on Weekly Living.

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s most famous work, “The Great Gatsby,” is a meditation on the promise and fragility of the American Dream. Any essay written on the book must explore this theme with crisp essay editing that sharpens the point.

Background to the Novel

Fitzgerald was born in the American Midwest and but was educated on the East Coast. While still a young man, he was pushed by the love of his life, Zelda, to find fame and financial success. Once he did, she married him. From there, the couple became the epitome of the excesses of the Jazz Age of the 1920s. While Fitzgerald indulged in all his new-found money and celebrity afforded him, he was also keenly aware of the underlying emptiness of such an existence. It’s widely believed that this personal experience was the inspiration for “The Great Gatsby,” which was published in 1925.

Meet the Characters

There are a number of key characters in the book, each of whom represents a critical aspect of the book’s main theme. In the course of essay editing, explicitly tying each character to the role they play in presenting the decay of the American Dream will enhance the discussion of that theme.

Jay Gatsby: The title character, he is the character than can be said to represent Fitzgerald. Born in the Midwest, but coming to the East Coast to chase his dreams, Gatsby seems to want to become someone he isn’t. He is the picture of the American ideal of personal transformation.

Nick Carraway: The narrator of the novel, Nick is another Midwesterner, but one with social ties on the East Coast. As the character that seems to straddle both middle America and upper class America, he is particularly well-suited to act as the insightful observer.

Daisy Buchanan: Nick’s socialite cousin and wife of upper class Tom Buchanan, she is also the object of Gatsby’s love and his motivating force. She is a symbol of the life Gatsby wants, but encompasses both its beauty and shallowness.

Tom Buchanan: Daisy’s husband was born wealthy, but isn’t native to the East Coast, which has left him a bit insecure about his social position there. He is a selfish, physically imposing man who represents the aggressive, entitled sensibilities of the upper class.

Myrtle Wilson: Myrtle, a working class woman, is Tom’s mistress. She’s married to a working class man, but like Gatsby, she also wants to improve her situation. Just as Gatsby’s pursuit of Daisy, his personification of the American Dream ends in his ruin, Myrtle’s relationship with Tom ends in hers.

Plot Summary

Nick moves to Long Island, New York in 1922. He moves to West Egg, an area populated by arrivistes whose money is too new to make them socially elite. In contrast, the nearby area of East Egg is home to the old money and socially established classes.

Gatsby, who lives in West Egg, throws legendary parties each week. He and his parties are wildly popular among the newly rich. He shrouds himself in mystery, keeping his origins and the source of his money to himself. He also affects an English accent and mannerisms. His real motivation for all he does is to impress socialite Daisy, who lives across the lake in East Egg.

Gatsby and Daisy had met years earlier and fell in love. She eventually married Tom Buchanan, her social equal. Since losing her, everything Gatsby has done has been part of his effort to win her back. Gatsby wants Nick, as Daisy’s cousin, to arrange a reunion between Daisy and him. Gatsby is too insecure to approach her directly.

Nick has them both over for tea where they fall in love again. Daisy and Gatsby begin an affair and it seems that Gatsby may achieve all he dreamed. While they are having an affair, Tom is having an affair with Myrtle. Tom becomes suspicious of Gatsby’s relationship with his wife and confronts Gatsby in New York City. Tom uses the differences in their backgrounds as a weapon against Gatsby. Daisy ultimately decides to stay with Tom, an act that symbolizes the ultimate rejection of Gatsby’s attempts to live his American Dream.

After the confrontation, Tom has Gatsby drive Daisy back to Long Island. This act symbolizes not just Tom’s complete dominance of his wife as he’s certain now of her fidelity, but also his contempt for Gatsby who’s reduced to the role of servant.

However, Daisy takes the wheel and accidentally hits Tom’s mistress Myrtle with the car. Myrtle is killed. Despite being rejected, Gatsby tries to take the blame for the accident. Tom tells Myrtle’s husband George that Gatsby was driving. George assumes that Gatsby was Myrtle’s lover. George shoots and kills Gatsby at his West Egg mansion.

Both Gatsby and Myrtle are dead. Tom and Daisy have been able to insulate themselves from the consequences of their actions. Nick now sees the upper class world that was the emblem of the American Dream for Gatsby and Myrtle as an empty, callous world. Nick leaves the East Coast and returns to middle America in the Midwest.

While Gatsby is great for his focus and ability to create himself out of nothing, his journey and ending in “The Great Gatsby” indicates that Fitzgerald saw the American Dream as illusory.

John Grant is a professional book reviewer for several websites and UK papers.

The post A Cool Summary for The Great Gatsby Book appeared first on Weekly Living.

Image Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/evarinaldiphotography/5520539634/

Music festivals are a great example of the need for temporary fencing. Because most music festivals are usually held in an open space which is not primarily intended for that purpose it is necessary to cordon off the area and set the limits of the festival event. People need to know that they cannot enter the festival from any direction but by buying a ticket at the entrance, as well as to know the limits once inside the festival area.

Crowd Control

Image Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sookie/4099011186/

Another good use of the temporary fencing is crowd control and directing. For example when you have popular music festivals where a lot of people are trying to get in and buy a ticket, it is very handy to set up temporary fencing and with it guide the people who are trying to get in. This breaks up the crowd into manageable rows of people which you can handle and monitor more easily. People also get a feeling of better organization when they know where to go and when the path is marked clearly.

Stage Security

Image Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/evarinaldiphotography/5521692186/

All music festivals have two main areas – the stage and backstage and the spectator area. These can be also divided into sections but it is very important to clearly separate stage and backstage from the visitor area. Temporary fencing is excellent for this purpose. It used to secure the stage and prevent fans from disturbing the artists on the stage. Also insured by a security force temporary fencing is the physical obstacle which helps control of the crowd.

In backstage temporary fencing can be used to safeguard the technical equipment and electronics. That way the people in the organization know where to go and which area is for which personnel.

Temporary fencing is one of the key elements in the organization of a music festival or similar events and it is used by everyone around the world. There are also different types of temporary fencing including large, small, fences with plastic footing or the ones which need to be put in the ground. In any case it is an irreplaceable tool for the essential operating of the event.

Security fencing is a key aspect of any professionally run music festival. When a lot of people get together in one space it is essentially that the proper safety precautions are taken. This is where temporary fencing providers such as Safe Site Facilities can assist.

The post How Temporary Fencing is Used at Music Festivals appeared first on Weekly Living.

Make it yourself

If you want to keep your wedding invitations to the card based variety but you don’t want to be sending out the same thing as you have received from everyone else who has recently tied the knot then customizing your own wedding invitations is a great idea. As it is a time for celebration, there is no limit to the amount of glitter, gold stars and fun pictures you can use, or if you want to keep it simple then just stick to block colours or one simple image. Including photos of the happy couple is a great idea for really personal invitations, and you could even include a little recorded message if your budget will stretch.

Use food

No matter how thick the card you choose for your wedding invites, or how expensive the gold leaf for the printing, it is never going to please anyone as much as an edible wedding invite will and that’s a fact. Cookies offer a perfect blank slate on which to have your invitation iced and will get your guests talking about the highly original invites you have chosen. If you don’t fancy a cookie then you could opt for a chocolate invite, a miniature cheese or an iced fairy cake. Just remember to include a non-edible R.S.V.P card or you won’t know how many guests are coming…

Send an email

This might at first seem like a cheapskate option but there are many more ways to send an email than just simple text. Moving images, pictures of the happy couple to be, an amusing cartoon or a simple and stylish digital copy of a wedding invite are all great ways to get the message out to your guests. As there are no budget limitations with emails you can use all the power of your imagination to make sure that your wedding invitations really are truly original.

Say it with flowers, or toys, or gadgets

If you want to splash out on your wedding invitations then sending the invite attached to something you would not expect it to be attached to is a very cool and original idea. With flowers, you might want to pick a bloom that is particularly special to you, one that is to appear in the bride’s bouquet, or something that represents the time of year you are getting married. Maybe you think all your wedding guests should have their own bottle opener, engraved with the details of your wedding, or perhaps teddy bears with love hearts are the kind of message you want to send. There is nothing likely to guarantee attendance at a wedding – and some exciting wedding presents! – like a cool invite, especially one that guests can keep, rather than just stacking in a pile with all the others.

Building a website for your wedding

Everyone who is anyone is doing everything digitally these days and that also goes for wedding invitations. Building a website for your wedding is a great way to notify people of the event and efficiently provide all the necessary details to ensure your guests can get to the venue, wear the right outfit and get you the right gift. There are plenty of companies out there that will build a stylish wedding website, as well as some easy off the shelf services you can sign up for and do yourself for next to nothing. Building a website for your wedding is obviously much better for the environment than sending out paper invites and you can significantly cut your raw material costs too!

As these suggestions show there are many original ways to do your wedding invitations and you don’t just have to order a standard box of cards from the nearest printers. Sending out invitations like these that are a bit different from the norm is a great way to get guests excited about the wedding and to ensure you have a full house on the big day!

John is a guest blogger from Basekit who provide free templates to create a beautiful website for your wedding in minutes

The post Original Ways to do your Wedding Invitations appeared first on Weekly Living.

If you’re thinking about tying the knot but you’re feeling less than inspired when it comes to trying to sort out entertainment for your big day then don’t despair because there are plenty of options out there. For those who are not keen on providing a standard ‘jazz band’ or a cheesy wedding DJ then there are plenty of other ways that you can keep your guests amused on your big day. If you’re looking to make your wedding stand out from the crowd then here are a few original wedding entertainment ideas.

Win big at the wedding casino

Interactive entertainment at weddings always goes down a treat and setting up a casino is a glamorous way to get people involved. Hire some roulette wheels and card tables, complete with some smartly dressed dealers, and give your guests the chance to win some small change. If you don’t want to have gambling for money at your wedding then people can play for prizes or just the glory of winning and an extra large piece of wedding cake. If you’ve ever wanted your own personalized set of gambling chips with your face on this is the perfect excuse to get them made!

Fete it up

Although this won’t work with every wedding and every venue, a ‘village fete’ type atmosphere is very well suited to summer weddings with outside space and provides a whole wealth of entertainment options for kids and grown ups alike. Donkey rides, skittles, dodgems, a coconut shy, apple bobbing, even a miniature sized funfair, are all easy to arrange and you can vary your options depending on your budget.  If you know someone in a band then set up a PA system and turn your wedding into a mini festival!

Bring in the celebs

You may not actually be great personal friends with the likes of George Clooney, Beyonce, Tina Turner and Robert Pattinson but that’s not to say that you can’t have them at your wedding! There are some highly convincing lookalikes working in the UK now and inviting a few to have wondering around at your wedding reception can provide some exciting entertainment.  Meet them before you hire them to make sure they’re convincing and then have fun watching your guests doing double takes before they realise they’re not actually standing next to Brad Pitt at the buffet.

Fantastic food

You can keep people entertained for hours with edibles, particularly if it it’s the kind of thing not many people are likely to have in the cupboard at home. Chocolate fountains always go down a treat and you can supply a whole range of dipping treats like nuts, marshmallows and fruit for guests to work their way through. Ice sculptures are also another fun way to keep guests amused, especially if your sculptures are the kind that can get people tipsy, like an ice vodka luge. Cupcake decorating is a great activity for kids at a wedding and hog roasts, barbeques and cheese tasting are all novel treats for your hungry guests.

Get people dancing

There are not many occasions in life where anyone over the age of 35 gets to cut loose on the dance floor with real abandon but a wedding is one of those occasions. There are a number of different ways to get your guests up and dancing, whatever their age or level of drunkenness. Country dancing is something people may remember from school and is interactive as it requires partners; if most of your guests have two left feet then opt for line dancing instead! Given the popularity of shows like Strictly Come Dancing it’s no surprise that something of ballroom craze has swept the nation. Bring in a Sinatra-a-like to croon the classics, hire a professional to show people how it’s done and get your guests cha cha cha-ing and tango-ing into the early hours. If you’ve got Celtic blood in you then a ceildih is a must. This fun formation dancing is the perfect way to get all your guests jumping around and laughing until their sides ache.

So, no matter what your budget, there is really no excuse for saddling your wedding guests with a bad DJ and a Beatles cover band on your wedding day. With these kinds of original wedding entertainment ideas your guests can have just as much of a day to remember as you will!

John is a guest blogger from RH Live who provide 3 live function bands for hire – check them out if you’re looking for a London wedding band (or anywhere else in the UK!)

The post 5 Original Wedding Entertainment Ideas appeared first on Weekly Living.

If you have trouble answering this question, you’re not alone. Many women struggle when it comes to figuring out what kind of engagement ring best symbolizes their lasting love, which is why their answers tend to fall into two camps. Some women will eschew the “gold digger” label by claiming that they would be happy to receive a ring from a Cracker Jack box just as long as their spouses-to-be love them, while others believe that a ring with lots of bling represents how much they are appreciated.

Hard Times Paint a Realistic Picture

Most women, however, fall somewhere in the middle when given some time to really think about the question. For one thing, the economy is not exactly in great shape these days, which is why many young couples are having trouble finding a place of their own to live, let alone figuring out how much to spend on their weddings. While not everyone is currently experiencing a financial crisis, the “standard” budget for a diamond engagement ring is three months’ salary, which is a pretty significant debt to incur before entering into a lifelong commitment.

Still, You’ve Got To Do Better Than That…

Still, the diamond remains king when it comes to the most talked about jewelry, particularly in America where celebrities are always showing off their fabulous bling in public. Thankfully, the vast majority of women don’t expect someone to shell out a million dollars for an engagement, ring, but many do love to own one of value, especially since their family and friends are going to talk about it. A Cracker Jack prize, then, is probably not going to cut it either.

Her Taste Matters

Fortunately, much of what makes an engagement ring valuable is the time and effort spent to acquire it. Many women greatly appreciate men who thoughtfully consider their tastes before making a purchase, which is why wedding advice columnists urge husbands-to-be to first examine what kinds of jewelry their women wear. Friends and relatives can also provide assistance, though sometimes the best option is for the couple to pick out rings together.

If You Can Afford It…

Many women also value men who are financially savvy, which is why finding a great deal on a diamond ring is not necessarily a “cheap” thing to do if careful research is involved. Appraisers measure diamond value by the four C’s: carat, clarity, color, and cut. A diamond worth millions like the Hope Diamond, for example, will be enormous (large carat), flawless (clarity), clear or with a rare color (dark blue in this case), and cut perfectly to reflect the most light.

Pick Your Battles

A diamond with all these characteristics will likely cost a fortune, but some characteristics are more important than others. A large carat diamond, for instance, can look pretty ostentatious, especially if the woman wearing it has slender fingers, whereas a smaller diamond of high clarity and color can look amazing, especially when properly cut and placed within a beautiful setting. When it comes to choosing a diamond, then, bigger is not always better.

Even Now, Diamond Rings More Accessible Than Ever

Buying the best bling for the buck has never been easier, as the Internet has enabled many diamond companies to sell their wares at a lower cost when compared to brick and mortar establishments. Finding a reputable broker, however, remains important. Whether obtained from a diamond resale or purchased through a manufacturer, quality brokers will ensure that the diamonds they carry are GIA certified and personally inspected before selling them to their customers. You no longer have to feel guilty about desiring a ring with bling, then, now that the love of your life can find beautiful diamonds at an affordable price.

Brandi Tolleson is a prolific freelance writer living in Whittier, CA.

The post Ladies: Would You Accept The Ring Without Bling? appeared first on Weekly Living.

Do you love the idea of a church wedding? Do you cling to thoughts of brides gone by? Have you been planning your wedding since you were a little girl? If so, you are the traditional bride. Traditional bridal accessories are absolutely the most widely-available in the bridal industry, so you should have no problem bringing your deep traditional roots to the big day. Select wedding accessories that show just how traditional you are. Don’t be tempted to stray away from who you really are as a bride.

Unlike other brides, many of the traditional bride’s accessories may already be in place. For example, you may be wearing your mother or grandmother’s wedding dress. You may be sporting a beautiful veil or pieces of heirloom jewelry passed down from generation to generation. If you don’t have these treasures but still want the look to be very traditional, try looking online and in magazines for ideas. Once you get an idea of what you want, keep these tips and trends as a guide to help you along the way.

Wedding dress choice:  Traditional wedding gowns are available everywhere. The most popular traditional silhouette is of course the ball gown. The size of the skirt is up to the bride’s personal taste. With some brides, “the bigger the better” is the way to go. With others, something a bit more subdued will do the trick. A-line wedding gowns with longer trains are also a lovely way to go when trying to achieve the traditional look. Again, the bottom of the dress can vary in size, but in order to keep the look you are going for, opt for something a bit fuller or in a thicker fabric such as satin or silk satin.

Bridal Jewelry: Traditional bridal jewelry is not hard to find. Most traditional brides love the look of plain white or ivory pearls. Simple rhinestones are also a way to go, but you want to keep them to a minimum. Although silver is the most popular metal among bridal jewelry, traditional brides might want to consider gold as well. It gives a feeling of old-world charm and is actually making a comeback.

Bridal headpieces: When you think of tradition, you think of a tiara. The tiara symbolizes the look of the past as well as a royal look. You know a headpiece is a tiara if it has a peak. The peak can be tall or a bit shorter. If your wedding dress has lots of embellishments, you may want to go for a smaller size, so as not to take away from your gown.

For the latest in bridal trends, including wedding accessories, gowns, and gift ideas, visit BridePower.com.

The post The Traditional Bride: Hot Bridal Trends appeared first on Weekly Living.

For some twisted reason, a lot of people seem to think that women are more pre-occupied with gifts than men are. It’s most probably a sexist view of things, seeing as how men are commonly identified as the wooer rather than the wooed. But obviously, men like presents just as much as women do. Nobody says no to gifts, especially when given by people who matter most to you.

But are men easier to buy gifts for? Again, another sweeping generalization. Not all men are created equal, and what appeals to one won’t appeal to the other. If you think it’s a lot of work, well, it is. Giving the man in your life a gift is not a hassle, though; it’s an opportunity to show him how much you care.

Here are a few gifts to consider. There’s something for every man:

1. A watch. What jewelry is to women, a watch is to men. Since most guys don’t really wear a lot of accessories, a watch tends to be the focal point. Pick out a lovely watch that will go well with his usual fashion style. Note if his usual look is laid-back casual, three-piece suit power dressing, or even surfer dude. Then select a watch that will easily enhance his every day look.

2. An adventure getaway. Take him camping, mountain climbing, bungee jumping, or even skydiving. Make new memories by enjoying exhilarating new adventures together. Of course, do make sure your loved one isn’t afraid of heights before pulling something like this off.

3. Gadgets! Toys for the big boys, as they say, and men simply love messing around with newfangled technology. Get him a tablet, an e-book reader, or even a camera. Just make sure the gadget you select is something he’ll actually be able to use regularly.

4. Grooming kit. He might never admit it, but he definitely needs one. Men need to look good, too, so it’s not too much to indulge a bit of his vanity. Create a grooming kit that includes basic needs like facial cleanser, oil-free moisturizer, shaving cream, and after-shave. This is particularly important if he’s looking to impress his bosses and move up the career ladder.

5. Personalized greeting card for Valentine’s. These days, greeting cards have gone beyond the blasé. You can now design your own cards using an electronic greeting card software. Choose from a number of templates then add your personal message, making it a unique and memorable gesture of love.

James Yuki is a staff writer at NYCMagazine.com, an online publication about the Big Apple. He is responsible for the site’s popular NYC Guide.

The post Valentine’s Day Gifts for Him appeared first on Weekly Living.