Photo courtesy of the Bellingham Herald

* It was one mother’s dream to see her beautiful daughter walk down the aisle, but terminal cancer would have kept her from seeing this dream come alive if not for the loving support of her community. Bev McKissick, who passed away May 31, was able to watch her daughter Kaitlin get married last June. The wedding was made possible by an “outpouring of community donations”, and the date was moved up to make sure that Mrs. McKissick would be well enough to attend. A wedding is only as special as the people in attendance, and in this case there were a few silent guests - perfect strangers.

* RE-store employee and recent bride Rachel Blair suggests two key rules for DIY brides: Start early and always carry a tape measure. She offers classes at her store in Michigan, and she has developed the Salvage Bride Toolkit. Some people call it thrifting; some people call it wedding planning.

* Trying to plan a multicultural wedding? Expert Marilyn Ambra shares a few tips that every wedding coordinator should keep in his or her back pocket. She gives advice on “navigating those often-turbulent waters” of bi-cultural weddings (and the challenges their families present!)

* A certified wedding and event coordinator must be good at delegating tasks. That’s about the only way we know to successfully pull off a big wedding! But it might be helpful if we could run background checks on our helpers. Okay, sounds harsh, but then again maybe it doesn’t sound harsh when your helper runs away with all the couple’s gift money!

* The Father of the Bride is also lovingly referred to as Mr. Checkbook. Yeah, yeah, we know, that’s an old joke, but it doesn’t really ever get old. Ask any father! How can you make your dad feel special? How about a Father-of-the-Bride registry at Home Depot? Well, it was just a thought….

So, as always: Tell us your favorite wedding stories of the week, or share the links with us! You never know what you’re going to run across in this industry.