brides

Condé Nast Closing Down Gourmet, Cookie, Modern Bride and Elegant Bride

Filed under: Services

Condé Nast Closing Down <I>Gourmet, Cookie, Modern Bride</I> and <I>Elegant Bride</I>

More bad news for the magazine industry hit last week: Condé Nast is closing down several of its big-name magazines, names you know - Gourmet, Modern Bride and Elegant Bride - and one you may not, Cookie, which is about parenthood.

The New York Times noted, "[Gourmet] has suffered a severe decline in ad pages, but the cut still comes as a shock. There was speculation that Condé Nast would close one of its food titles - Gourmet or Bon Appétit - but most bets were on the latter. Gourmet has a richer history than Bon Appétit, and its editor, Ruth Reichl, is powerful in the food world. Cookie is a relatively new introduction, started in 2005, while the bridal magazines were seen as offshoots of the bigger Brides magazine, which Condé Nast also owns."

The cuts were done at the conclusion of a three-month study by McKinsey & Company, which conducted an analysis of Condé Nast's costs and recommended that several magazines cut about 25 percent from their budgets. These are the first closings announced by the company since the study.

These are not the first magazines shuttered by Condé Nast, even though, as the Times notes, the company never has been quick to close titles, and in the last year or so has closed only newer titles, Condé Nast Portfolio and Domino, along with folding Men's Vogue into Vogue.

This isn't the first time Luxist has noted magazine closings either. See this piece I did last month, which mentions in the gallery some other closings noted by my colleagues.

Tags: brides, conde nast, CondeNast, cookie, magazine, magazines

Diamond Jewelry Rentals For Thrifty Brides

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

Brides who want to be thrifty but still want to be fabulous can rent some pretty amazing jewelry courtesy of Adorn Brides. The service, which recently opened up a boutique on the popular wedding website The Knot, offers earrings, necklaces, bracelets that can be rented for a fraction of their worth. To rent pieces you select the jewelry you want, check the availability and use a credit card to order. The company calls a few days before the event to confirm the details and it arrives two days before the big day (a value of approximately 5 percent of the total value will be reserved on your credit card as a security deposit). The jewelry is insured but if you do not return it you are charged a 33 percent deductible. After the event the jewelry is returned via UPS.

The most expensive piece on Adorn Brides is the Crestwood necklace, shown above, which features over six carats of fancy yellow princess cut diamonds interspersed with white diamond accents. The necklace is listed with a retail price of $73,500 and rents for $1,900. It is also available with matching earrings and a bracelet for $2,350.

[via JCK Online]

Source

Tags: brides, diamonds, jewelry, rentals, wedding

Formal China Out For Brides?

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

The time-honored pre-wedding tradition of picking out the china pattern may be changing. The Washington Post reports that many young couples are opting out of the tradition of choosing fine, formal china. According to the article while just ten years ago most couples would register for formal china, crystal and flatware, now less than half choose fine china.

Why the switch? Some feel that fine china is too formal and fussy and opt for more casual dinnerware. Others have already inherited a more formal set. Brides are tending to opt for something that can be used everyday and popped into the microwave or dishwasher. Companies like Lenox and Waterford are trying a variety of strategies to prove that china is still important and they offer a wider range of styles and colors. Still, the best-selling formal china pattern at Lenox is the traditional Opal Innocence shown at right which costs $172 per place setting and a quiet white and platinum pattern is also a top seller at Waterford.