Why spend $1,000 on a custom wedding cake when most guests don’t even eat it?

Cake is a storied wedding tradition, but by the time it gets cut up and passed around, other dessert has been served and the cake usually goes untouched.

The New York Times recently reported that many more couples are skipping the cake, and its hefty price tag, as they make their wedding arrangements. Brides and grooms are opting for more creative desserts like sundae bars, candy stations and cupcake towers that appeal more to their tastes and budgets.

For couples that still want the traditional tiered confection, there seems to be a new alternative: supermarket cakes. Chains across the country, like Farm Fresh grocery store or Publix, have begun offering cakes at a fraction of the custom-cake price. The total cost? Somewhere around $300. That’s definitely a bargain.

But if cake is important to you and one of the centerpieces of your occasion, you don’t necessarily have to compromise. It’s essential to make and stick to a wedding budget, and understand that everything is a trade-off. If you spend more on your cake, you may not be able to afford something like flower arrangements for every table. Ask yourself and your partner what is most important to you on your big day.

You can also get inspired to be thrifty in other areas of your wedding preparation by reading Abigail Dalton’s story about how she threw a 100-person wedding for under $4,000. Also check out LearnVest CEO and founder Alexa von Tobel’s three best wedding tips and sign up for our free Getting Hitched Bootcamp.

We want to know: Would you consider buying your wedding cake at a supermarket?

DON'T MISS: The lifetime cost of 13 bad habits >

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Last weekend another Facebook cofounder, Chris Hughes, got married.

His wedding followed other Facebook millionaires' including Mark Zuckerberg, Andrew McCollum, and Dave Morin.

Some of the weddings were elaborate; others were small backyard affairs.

Sometimes, their proposals are beautifully elaborate. Dave Morin, Co-creator of Facebook Platform and Facebook Connect, proposed in an air taxi above the Maldives.

Morin spelled out, "B, Will you marry me?" on the beach and proposed as the plane flew overhead.

Brit said yes, and the pair got to planning their wedding.

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If you're at the age where you or your friends are getting engaged and planning their weddings, you've probably heard of Style Me Pretty, the totally addictive wedding blog that features gorgeous photography from thousands of weddings submitted by readers.

The site was founded just five years ago by Abby Larson, a former wedding invitation designer and her husband Tait, who has a background in software development. Today SMP attracts 1.4 million unique visitors a month and has a huge social media following, with more than 60,000 Twitter followers and around 520,000 monthly visits from Pinterest, by far its largest social referrer.

We asked Abby about the site's beginnings and growth, social media and e-commerce strategies and editorial decisions. She also picked 10 unique weddings that recently appeared on SMP that she absolutely loved.

Click here to see some of Abby's favorite weddings >

What's the story behind Style Me Pretty? Did you see a need for a design-
focused wedding blog?



My background is in weddings and my husband's background is in software 
development. Together, we had a hunch that there was a potentially 
beautiful collaboration between the two of us. Our initial goal was to create
 a space that was as edited and lovely as a printed wedding magazine,
 though in an online environment where brides could satisfy their ideas
 and inspiration cravings throughout the course of their day.

At the time, 
blogging wasn't a new idea. There were plenty of gorgeous design-driven 
blogs out there, though none of them fell into the wedding space, a space 
that we felt was hugely photo driven and poised for something fabulous
 online. So we set out to fill that void and give brides an intimate space where 
they could go to dream about what might be the most important day of 
their lives to date. 



Since then, SMP has grown into a true hub of beauty. We collaborate with 
over 1,700 vendors around the world to put forth the most beautiful, edited
 wedding content out there. It has translated into a collection of some of
 the most innovative wedding ideas a bride could ever want, categorized
 beautifully for easy searching, color coded and organized in such a way that 
the bride can't help but get lost in all of the pretty.



How has the Internet changed the way people plan their weddings?



The internet has changed the way people plan their weddings in so many
 ways. There are now an infinite number of ideas, inspirations and must-
haves that come into a couple’s life every single day. There are real 
weddings that inspire vendor choices and venue selections. There are color 
palette choices and décor ideas. There is a steady stream of "stuff" that can 
often make planning a wedding in this day and age quite overwhelming.


But thankfully, the web has also made the process of organizing those loves 
so much more seamless. With the click of a button, brides can save their
 ideas, book their vendors, share their inspirations, loop in their guests,
 build out their weekend activities and so much more. It's instantaneous in 

many respects and far more efficient than it ever was.



You've experienced huge growth in a short time--how did you do it?



Our brand has grown really fast over the last few years but we keep our
 company really tight, employing only those that push the ship further
 along each and every day. By doing this, we are able to pivot really
 quickly, make decisions fast, implement even faster and see the results at 
lightning speed. We are also extremely thoughtful about the changes and
 developments we make to our site. We want our readers to grow with us, 
which means understanding what THEY want, not what we think is the next
 coolest thing.



Brides seem like a fervent group of followers while planning, but do they drop off once the wedding passes? How do you keep readers around?



We tend to see brides move on from every day clicking about three
 months after their wedding. Much of online trending is simply in day-to-
day behavior and brides get comfortable with Style Me Pretty during their
 journey. They are often remiss to give it up after they've said their I-Do's.


Although we acknowledge a certain amount of drop off, we do sprinkle in 
content that would resonate with any person who loves fashion, DIY, style 
and inspiration. From Do-It-Yourself projects to tablescapes, many of the 
ideas on SMP can easily translate to home and entertaining which often 
keeps the newlyweds coming back for more.



Are most Style Me Pretty readers brides-to-be? Other surprising 
demographics?



About 90% are brides to be. The other 10% is a blend of industry 
professionals and wedding junkies.



Pinterest feels like a perfect fit for brides-to-be, and Style Me Pretty has
 had a lot of success on the site (and in fact doesn't look too different from
 a Pinterest board). Any advice for brands trying to build up followings?

Be authentic. Pin only what you love and what is on brand for you. I do 
think that brides and wedding industry pros tend to pin at lightning 
speed, namely because it is an environment that is primed to fall in love 
with ideas, but I think that our success can be attributed to two things:
 consistency and style. We pin daily and we stick to on-brand imagery.



How do you decide which weddings to feature? How many submissions 
do you get, compared to how many are on the site?



We get between 400 and 600 real wedding submissions per week and have 
built a custom submissions solution to keep up with this volume. Within
 each submission we can quickly sort through the images, read the story,
 check out the vendors involved, populate these weddings to our galleries,
 apply rollover credits, extract colors, build inspiration boards and if you
 can believe, do so many more cool things. It makes the sheer volume of
 weddings much more manageable.

Every wedding received gets a response 
back as well. On any given week, we feature between 60-70 real weddings
 across 12 content streams (our main SMP page, 10 local pages and our 
Little Black Book blog).



What are Style Me Pretty's plans in regards to e-commerce?



We are working on developing a white label checkout tool so that we
 can offer e-commerce on our site and let brides take advantage of the
 flash sale trend. While there are no plans to make this a large part of our business model, we do see the value in giving brides access to the kinds of 
products that we are curating on SMP each day in the real weddings that
 we feature.



Any other secrets of social media strategy you'd like to share?



Social Media seems to have taken over the world a bit. And in turn, many
 brands have lost their authenticity in an effort to be as many things to as
many people as possible. That isn't a great strategy and the opposite has 
proven to be super successful for SMP.

We approach social media much 
like we curate our own blog content. We want each image pinned, each 
wedding on Facebook, each moment tweeted to be 100% on brand with 

SMP.

 Each platform offers different features and user demographics. To really 
understand where each platform shines you need to get your hands dirty 
and play with them.

For instance, we find that Twitter reaches more
 Wedding Vendors than Facebook. We find that Facebook is far more Bride-
focused than Twitter.

 No matter what you do, remember that social networks are inherently 
human. They are meant to share a person's experiences, not market a 
business. So be human. Engage people. Create a conversation.

A wedding at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum

See more on Style Me Pretty >

A wedding at a parking garage in Spokane, Washington

See more on Style Me Pretty >

A "swoontastic" wedding in Beverly Hills

See more on Style Me Pretty >

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Wedding photography is perfectly suited to Pinterest—beautiful, relatable and shareable.

Style Me Pretty, a photo-centric wedding blog that's seen explosive growth since it launched five years ago, has aced the Pinterest formula. It's the twelfth most shared website Pinterest, capturing around .4% of total pins on the site, according to an RJMetrics analysis from earlier this year. The blog gets around 520,000 visits a month from Pinterest, by far its largest social referrer.

The blog, which gets 1.4 million unique visitors a month, has a simple social media strategy: keep every tweet, pin and post 100% on brand strategy, according to founder and editor Abby Larson.

She shared some of Style Me Pretty's other social media secrets with us (emphasis ours).

On Pinterest:

Be authentic. Pin only what you love and what is on brand for you. I do 
think that brides and wedding industry pros tend to pin at lightning 
speed, namely because it is an environment that is primed to fall in love 
with ideas, but I think that our success can be attributed to two things:
 consistency and style. We pin daily and we stick to on-brand imagery.

On Twitter and Facebook:

We approach social media much 
like we curate our own blog content. We want each image pinned, each 
wedding on Facebook, each moment tweeted to be 100% on brand with 

SMP.

 Each platform offers different features and user demographics. To really 
understand where each platform shines you need to get your hands dirty 
and play with them.

For instance, we find that Twitter reaches more
 wedding vendors than Facebook. We find that Facebook is far more bride-
focused than Twitter.

 No matter what you do, remember that social networks are inherently 
human. They are meant to share a person's experiences, not market a 
business. So be human. Engage people. Create a conversation.

On e-commerce:

We are working on developing a white label checkout tool so that we
 can offer e-commerce on our site and let brides take advantage of the
 flash sale trend. While there are no plans to make this a large part of our business model, we do see the value in giving brides access to the kinds of 
products that we are curating on SMP each day in the real weddings that
 we feature.



Now check out our complete Q&A and Abby's favorite weddings >

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An average New York City wedding costs more than $65,000, according to TheKnot.

But some NYC brides are cutting wedding costs drastically — or even entirely — through a  "guerrilla weddings."

DNAinfo.com's Farran Powell wrote about the growing popularity of guerrilla weddings in light of a faltering economy and the success of this year's blockbuster "The Vow" (in which Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum hold a guerrilla wedding at The Art Institute of Chicago).

In a guerrilla wedding, brides typically choose a public or private location to hold a quick ceremony without reserving the space, appointing a wedding party or even footing an open bar.

There are a few requirements for a guerrilla wedding: there must be an ordained minister and at least one witness present. Oh, and a bride and groom. ElopeNewYork.com's how-to guide for planning a guerrilla wedding also advises against inviting more than 20 people without getting permission to wed somewhere (that can be a little risky).

But from there, the possibilities are endless. Brides have their pick from any public or private location that they can fit a small crowd into. Breaking the rules is half the fun of a guerrilla wedding, right?

New York City also has a myriad of locations perfect for an intimate ceremony — Central Park, the High Line, the Empire State Building, a pier on the Hudson River, etc.

Plus, you can't beat the cost. If a bride chooses to wed on the fly, she may only have to pay for the marriage license, which is only $40. It sure beats falling $65,000 into debt.

The best perk of all to a guerrilla wedding: with the minimal planning involved, nobody has to worry about a Bridezilla.

Just don't bring one of these wedding gifts to the ceremony >

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House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi was the life of the party Barney Frank's wedding this weekend — and there's video to prove it.

The video shows the Democratic leader hitting the dance floor with Frank's co-best man, Terry Bean, who spins and dips Pelosi to ZZ Top's "Sharp Dressed Man."

Pelosi also danced to "It's Raining Men," the New York Times reported, but sadly, there is no footage.

Watch the clip below:

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An average New York City wedding can cost about $65,000.

But when two dogs decide to embark into holy matrimony, it's only appropriate to spend an exorbitant amount of money and break a Guinness World Record for The Most Expensive Dog Wedding...ever.

The cost? $250,000.

Click here to see the wedding >

Animal lover and advocate Wendy Diamond hosted a grand spectacle of a wedding last night at the Jumeirah Essex House for her newly adopted dog Baby Hope Diamond, a teacup-sized Coton de Tulear, and Chilly Pasternak, a poodle.

The wedding was originally planned for Wendy's beloved pooch Lucky, but Lucky lost her battle with cancer last month and last night's festivities were held in her honor.

The ceremony and reception were beautiful, but for two pooches the entire thing seemed a little absurd. The gifts all did go to charity, but the actual $250,000 price tag of the event was just exorbitantly insane.

Diamond sought the help of famed wedding planner Harriette Rose Katz to plan the nupitals.

Before the wedding, there was a red-carpet of sorts. The important members of the wedding party were announced and posed for a photo-op. The groom did see the bride before the ceremony—we hope that doesn't foreshadow bad luck for the marriage.

The pre-wedding festivities were reminiscent of an episode of "Bridezillas," with "Maid of Honor" Diamond acting the part of the nightmare bride. Someone stepped on the train of her dress and the sound of a tear echoed throughout the room. Luckily, the dress wasn't badly damaged.

The lengthy procession was proceeded by a video of Lucky Diamond, and all the attention she brought to the cause of animal welfare.

The ceremony was officiated by Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog, from "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," who openly mocked the event, but made it clear that Wendy really does love these dogs.

The happy couple is honeymooning in the Hamptons, Diamond said.

The evening started with Wendy Diamond and the bride posing for photos.

All of the dogs dressed to impress. After all, the invitation said "black tie."

We couldn't get over some of the outfits these pooches were in.

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And now, here's one more way to marry that guy you met last night in Las Vegas — call the Las Vegas Wedding Wagon and get hitched in 10 minutes for a cool $99.

The wagon is operated by Andy Gonzalez and James Cass, two entrepreneurs looking to cash in on a city where 7,000 to 9,000 couples get married every month.

Gonzalez and Cass got the idea for the wagon after studying another one of Vegas' businesses that runs out of the back of a van, according to an ABC News feature on the wagon.

“We were saying, ‘Should we pull the trigger?’ and then we saw that story about the Hangover Bus," Gonzalez said to ABC News, referring to Vegas' Hangover Heaven bus. "When we saw that, we said ‘Anything is possible’.”

Gonzalez and Cass are now ordained ministers and have officiated four weddings since the wagon's debut last week. The two owners told ABC News if they can perform four to six weddings a day, they can earn as much as they were earning in the corporate world.

To get married at the wagon, you are required to obtain a marriage license beforehand. Other than that, the wagon is all-inclusive, with a minister (Cass or Gonzalez), wedding photos and even a free T-shirt if you use the wagon before the end of July.

The wagon has a list of "preferred locations" in Vegas where you can reserve it, like in front of the "Welcome to Las Vegas sign" or on a picturesque pedestrian bridge.

But in the event you need to get married fast, you can beckon the wagon's services immediately with a call or text between noon and 9 p.m. Gonzalez told ABC News that the wagon will travel “all the way down to Boulder City, where the Dam is, and out into Red Rock Canyon.”

Unfortunately, that means a middle-of-the-night drunken wedding in New York City is out of the picture.

[via VegasChatter]

Now check out the most expensive dog wedding of all time >

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The average American wedding now costs a whopping $27,000, so it's no surprise people are resorting to guerrilla weddings and other cheap alternatives to avoid plummeting into debt.

A pair of Las Vegas entrepreneurs are taking advantage of this trend by offering a fun and affordable mobile wedding, reports ABC's Alan Farnham.

For a cool $99, Andy Gonzalez and James Cass, both newly ordained ministers, will drive their Wedding Wagon to wherever you are in Vegas and provide a 15 minute wedding. Just don't forget your marriage license.

"Unlike other wedding services in Las Vegas that charge additional fees for the minister and photos, the Las Vegas Wedding Wagon is easy, fun, mobile, and affordable," says the site. The $99 covers everything. 

Wedding Wagon just opened last week and has married four couples since then, according to Farnham. However, judging by the thousands of weddings performed in Vegas each month and the wagon's cheap business model, Gonzalez and Cass could soon be marrying up to six couples a day.

DON'T MISS: 23 Secrets to booking cheap flights >

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The wedding venue can eat up a big slice of your wedding budget, so you might want to figure out ways to shrink that bill. The "venue," if you're unsure, is basically where you hold your ceremony and reception. Here are some savvy ideas for this special place:

Choose the least popular time. Your best bet for saving at a wedding venue is to pick a time that's not too popular with brides. For example, skip the Saturday date and opt for a weekday or Sunday. Throw a daytime wedding for a lower booking fee. Consider choosing off-season times to throw your wedding. Summer is a very popular time for weddings, so you might want to pick from the Winter months, which tend to be cheaper.

Alternative locations. Don't immediately opt for the most conventional locations, like the ballroom at the five-star hotel, because the prices for those places will be inflated due to demand. Check out other venues such as a university, public park, gallery, museum, or someone's backyard.

Decor you love. Pick a venue that's already beautiful or that will require minor decor tweaks so you won't need extra wedding decorations. And if you get married outdoors in a garden, then even better! There are no better decorations than what mother nature will provide.

Read on for more.

Ask what is included. When you're taking a look at the venue, remember to ask what's included in your package, just to get a better estimate of the total cost. For example, items like portable toilets, tables, and chairs may need to be factored in. Better yet, book a place that already owns everything you'll need for your wedding (chairs, tables, etc.), and see if you can get an all-inclusive deal.

Rural areas. Getting married in a small town or some other rural area may help you find cheaper prices. Stay away from hot wedding spots, though, even in rural areas, because the prices can be pretty expensive as well.

Combine the ceremony and the reception. Having the ceremony and the reception in the same location means that you only need to pay for one venue. You'll also be saving on decoration and guest transportation costs.

25 Brilliant Ways To Hack IKEA Furniture >

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Multi-layered, beautifully tiered cakes are focal points of wedding receptions across America. 

For decades, brides and grooms-to-be have laboriously tested and tasted endless varieties of dark chocolate ganache and vanilla bean buttercream to find the perfect moist and cakey combination with which to ring in their “I-dos.”

But while wedding cakes remain non-negotiable staples for some couples, others are taking less traditional (but equally sweet) routes.  

Here are 9 alternatives that don't necessarily involve mounds of froofy white frosting, but will surely satisfy the sweet tooth of each and every wedding guest.

An Ice Cream Sundae Bar

Ice cream lovers rejoice because now this cold, creamy treat is cropping up more and more frequently at wedding celebrations across the country.  

A lighter alternative to dense, butter-packed cakes and pastries, ice cream is a refreshing treat at sweltering summer weddings or after an intense spell on the dance floor.

Consider a sundae bar where guests can re-live their childhood years by loading up on their favorite flavors and toppings, or go simple and decadent with dishes of Italian gelato, frozen yogurt, or sorbets.

Pies

Who says pie is just for holidays? With so many seasonal options and tasty varieties, weddings are the perfect occasion to whip out those pie pans and get baking.  

For cold-month receptions, experiment with nutty, chocolately, and spiced varieties like rich dark chocolate, sweet pecan, or pumpkin, while fruits like lemon and strawberry can make their appearances at spring and summer parties.

Top each dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of cream to give guests an extra special treat they will surely remember.

Make Your Own Crepes

You don't have to claim French heritage to appreciate this light, elegant dessert.  

Made from three simple ingredients (milk, flour, and eggs) and paired with your favorite fruits, syrups, and whipped cream, this elegant and inexpensive-to-make sweet treat is guaranteed to please even the pickiest of pallets.      

Crepes can be artfully stacked on platters or made fresh and served table-side to guests.  Provide a toppings bar and watch party-goers get creative with yummy and irresistibly sweet combinations like honey and lemon or chocolate and banana. 

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• Natalie Portman tied the knot this weekend at a private estate in Big Sur, California, with Benjamin Millepied—her "Black Swan" choreographer and father to her year-old son, Aleph.

• Roseanne Barr is officially a nominee for the President of the United States for the Peace and Freedom Party with anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan as her vice-presidential running mate.

• Amanda Bynes is being accused of yet another hit and run after an LA woman filed a police report yesterday claiming the former Nickelodeon star rear-ended her and then, after a brief conversation, drove off without exchanging insurance information.

• Here are Quentin Tarantino, Woody Allen, Francis Ford Coppola, Michael Mann and Martin Scorsese's favorite films of all time ...

• Walter Cronkite IV—the grandson of the famed correspondent, who also happens to be a broadcast associate in CBS’ Washington DC bureau—corrects a New Yorker story about ... Walter Cronkite.

• Reality TV star and hardcore sci-fi fan Adrianne Curry had a "Star Wars"-themed 30th birthday poolside in Las Vegas over the weekend ... while Prince Harry donned an Angry Birds hat for a table tennis match during the Womad music festival in Wiltshire.

• Nadye Suleman aka Octomom has put herself up for auction on online dating site What'sYourPrice.com in an effort to earn funds to keep her La Habra home. The bidding starts at $500.

SEE ALSO: Someone built a real-life, working WALL-E >

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Throwing rice at a newly married couple has been a tradition for thousands of years, possibly going back as far as the ancient Assyrians and Egyptians. The idea is to give the newlyweds good luck, fertility, and abundance using this symbol of a good crop.

More recently, wedding meddlers have cautioned against throwing rice because it can kill birds who swoop down and eat it after the human revelers have left for the reception.

The rice grains, absorbent as they are, supposedly start sucking up water in the birds’ moist innards and cause them to violently burst.

It’s not clear where this idea came from, but it hit the peak of its popularity in the late 1980s when the Connecticut state legislature discussed a bill outlawing the tossing of rice at weddings and advice columnist Ann Landers printed a letter about the practice.

Wherever it came from, you can quit worrying about the birds. The reality is that rice poses no harm to them. Wild birds eat uncooked rice all the time with no ill effects. Many types of waterfowl, shorebirds, and migratory birds depend on flooded rice fields to maintain fat in the winter. A bird called the bobolink eats enough rice that it’s considered a pest by farmers and has earned the nickname “ricebird.”

Besides the numerous birds that regularly eat rice and don’t explode, another thing to consider is the fact that dried rice grains are pretty slow to absorb liquid unless it’s boiling, which birds’ stomachs certainly aren’t. Their internal temperatures generally range from 100.4 to 107.6 degrees F, well below the boiling point of any liquid that would be inside them. Even if birds did have boiling guts, any uncooked rice they consumed would be broken down well enough by their crops and gizzards that the pieces shouldn’t cause any problems as they expand.

Mythbusters or Gutbusters?

Now, these explanations of why rice is not bad for birds rely on two things: what we know about birds, and what we know about rice. We understand both pretty well, but wouldn’t a good experiment go a long way toward putting the myth to rest?

That’s what James Krupa’s students at the University of Kentucky thought. During the spring 2002 semester, Krupa and his 600 biology students decided to test the exploding bird myth with a series of experiments. They looked at the expansion of different types of grains, considered the strength of birds’ digestive organs, and tested an all-rice diet out on the professor’s pet birds.

The first notable thing they found was that white rice increased in volume by 33% when soaked, while bird seed expanded by 40%. If rice was going to make birds explode, then we’d already doomed them anyway with birdfeeders full of seed. The most significant expansion was seen in white and brown instant rice, which expanded 2.4 to 2.7 times its original volume when soaked. Of course, instant rice is usually more expensive than the regular stuff and comes in smaller quantities, so it’s not very likely that anyone is throwing around opened packages of Uncle Ben’s at weddings.

But what if they did? To see if instant rice could burst a bird from the inside out, Krupa and his students built model bird crops from very thin plastic and from wet paper bags, and filled them with various grains and water. None of the plastic crops exploded, but a paper bag filled with instant white rice expanded and ruptured in about 15 minutes.

Not satisfied with their bird-gut surrogates, the students begged Krupa to test the rice out on real birds. Krupa felt confident enough that no birds would be harmed based on their previous results, so he agreed to turn the flocks of doves and pigeons he kept at home into guinea pigs. He fed 60 of his birds a diet of nothing but instant rice and water for a day, and monitored them for signs of distress or discomfort. Krupa reported that no birds choked, exploded, or otherwise were injured or died. None of them threw up or even showed any sign that they were in pain; they went through their all-rice day with no problems.

Birds, it seems, have no problem with rice, but this doesn’t mean that it’s perfectly safe to throw at weddings. Hard, tubular grains spread out on the sidewalk in front of a church can still create a slipping hazard for another animal: wedding guests. The fear of slip and fall injuries and the lawsuits that go with them have led some wedding venues to ban rice—not for the birds, but to keep themselves out of court.

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Na Cola Darcel Franklin, 31, should have been standing at the altar on Saturday - instead she was in a prison cell, charged with murdering her fiance. 

Police said Franklin and Billy Rafael Brewster, 36, were arguing at their home in Pennysylvania in the early hours of Saturday.

ABC News reported that Franklin allegedly stabbed Brewster twice with a kitchen knife, police said.

"One of the stab wounds punctured his heart," Luksa said.

When police arrived at the apartment, shortly after 2 a.m., they found Brewster bleeding from chest wounds. He died 90 minutes later in hospital, less than seven hours before the wedding.

The New York Daily News reported that during her court appearance on Saturday afternoon, Franklin told District Judge Donna Butler, "You got to check again," unable to comprehend that Brewster was dead, the Allentown Morning Call reported.

She cried, rocked herself back and forth and eventually choked out, "I ... did ... not ... kill ... him ... on ... purpose."

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Billionaire hedge fund titan George Soros, 82, is engaged to his 40-year-old girlfriend Tamiko Bolton. 

Check out their engagement pictures below taken by Myrna Suarez this weekend in Southampton. 

SEE: Meet Tamiko Bolton, George Soros's New Fiancee >

SEE ALSO: This Is The Engagement Ring George Soros Gave Tamiko Bolton >

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No longer is it enough for engaged couples to commission awkward, contrivedly posed engagement photos and force them on friends and family.

A new trend in wedding photos has arrived, says Michelle Ruiz at The Daily: The boudoir photography session. Brides-to-be are stripping down either partially or completely and paying to have soft-porn photos taken of themselves as a gift for their grooms.

Some critics cringe at the prospect of future generations looking back at these supposedly treasured photos of their parents, but boudoir photography specialists say it's an empowering form of body art. A look inside the divisive new trend:

What is boudoir photography exactly?

The word boudoir dates back to the Victorian era when it referred to a lady's private rooms, which she used for dressing or bathing. By extension, boudoir photography describes shots that capture a woman simulating such private activities. The photos show women in lingerie, or without lingerie, posing coyly or provocatively. Brides, who represent the bulk of boudoir clients, "often bring veils, garters, and wedding night lingerie, but their future spouses' favorite sports jerseys or work shirts are also popular," says Ruiz at The Daily. In the past several years, and especially with the recent explosion of daily deal sites like Groupon and Living Social, boudoir photography has become increasingly popular.

Is it just straight, childless brides who commission boudoir photos?

Not at all, says Brooklyn photographer Amber Marlow at her blog. Marlow, who specializes in boudoir photography, says she has "done boudoir shoots for lesbians, for gentlemen, and for ladies who are glowing and bursting at the seams with a soon-to-be-born baby." The assumption that boudoir sessions are just for "hetero ladies" is dead wrong. Marlow also takes offense at comparisons between boudoir and porn, adding that the steamy pics are "a celebration of beauty, sexiness, and sexuality, and [they're] a whole lot of fun." Sure, boudoir can "take some of its cues—even a lot of its cues—from a hardcore porn shoot, but the purpose is not the same."

So this isn't porn?

No, Boston wedding photographer Amy Haberland has said in defense of the practice. "Boudoir is about art." It's not about getting undressed, but rather "you're getting ready to show your best self." Although many boudoir clients give these photos as gifts to their partners, "you don’t do a boudoir shoot for someone, you do it for you," adds Marlow. The person posing has taken a bold action that's "made them look and feel amazing." Tell that to the people who may unwittingly find the photos in the future, says Doug Barry at Jezebel. "A whole generation of middle-age adults" will be tasked one day "with sorting through their recently deceased parents' secret box of stuff," which could include "a flipbook of mom in various stages of undress and pleasant drunkenness."

How much do the sessions cost?

Unless you snag a deal, clients could pay anywhere from $500 to $1000 a session, depending on the length of the shoot and the number of outfit changes. Higher-end photographers can cost more: Dallas photographer Lynn Michelle tells The Daily that she does 60 to 80 boudoir shoots a year, starting at $1000 each, and they can take place in the client's own bedroom or at a studio designed to make photo subjects feel comfortable.

What if the photos end up in the wrong hands?

The job of boudoir photographers is to be "very discreet," says Haberland. They aren't supposed to show your photos to anyone without your permission, and reputable photographers will "offer you a contract stating such." Be sure to get that in writing.

Sources: The Daily, The Huffington Post, Jezebel, Amber Marlow blog

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There were four children in the apartment when a bride-to-be allegedly stabbed her fiance about eight hours before they were set to walk down the aisle.

Na Cola Darcel Franklin reportedly stabbed her would-be husband Billy Rafael Brewster before Brewster's cousin disarmed her.

She is now being held without bail, according to court records reported Monday by The Express-Times.

The couple reportedly began arguing after Brewster said he was going to get food.

Brewster's cousin Nakia Kali and Kali's wife Monique reportedly intervened when they heard the couple fighting.

Monique ran into the living room after she heard someone scream "knife," only to find her husband standing in between Franklin and Brewster, who was bleeding from the chest, The Express-Times reported.

Monique tackled Franklin and Nakia managed to disarm her, according to The Express-Times.

One of the children in the apartment reportedly grabbed the knife and took it to the kitchen.

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Apparently no one wants to get married in Eric Schmidt's home anymore because Kim Kardashian did it, at least according to a new report from Radar Online.

Google's executive chairman owns a gorgeous $20 million estate in Montecito, California which he rents out for weddings. But ever since Kardashian married New Jersey Net Kris Humphries there, the weddings have dried up.

“Since Kim married Kris at Eric’s Montecito home, no one wants to get married there any more,” a source told Radar. “They saw that Kim’s marriage lasted just 72 days – and they just don’t want the same fate happening to them."

Schmidt reportedly blames the Kardashians for the turn of events and is even considering selling the home.

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Here's a wedding photo that's out of the ordinary.

Melbourne-based wedding photographer Lakshal Perera snapped the picture of a couple with the Milky Way as their backdrop on a farm in Deniliquin, NSW, Australia.

The newlyweds, Shirley and Warren Andrews, stood very still as Perera used a 71-second exposure.

Now check out a $250,000 dog wedding >

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For some couples, all of that dieting and working out before the wedding isn't only to look good in their wedding clothes. Couples opting for a new trend in wedding photography also want to look good the morning after.

The new trend? Bringing in a photographer to snap a couple's first intimate moments, the New York Daily News is reporting.

Couples are inviting photographers into their bedrooms to document the sexy side of marriage, from shower scenes tangled sheets to the process of undressing.

New Jersey-based photographer Michelle Jonné, 34, charges $650 to enter a couple's bedroom.

"“I wanted to do the shoots to show that [marriage] is happy … it's sexy and it's not over," Jonné told the Daily News.

One woman interviewed by the Daily News, Inna Shamis, a 38-year old New Jersey PR executive, even said she planned to show the pictures to her kids someday. "But when they’re older and can understand it," she told the paper. "It’s their parents looking artistic … not at all pornography.” 

It seems a bit odd to us to strip down and expose the first moments of your marriage to a photographer. Some things should remain private.

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