NJ’s Royal Wedding Watchers

During the past few weeks, the topic of “The Royal Wedding” has been buzzing around the weddings community here in New Jersey, with articles coming out on the “Jersey” angle to the event, Royal Wedding viewing parties being arranged, and even real weddings taking place alongside Prince William and Kate Middleton.  Here are some links below for you to view some of the fun as New Jersey (and the world) prepares for this historic event:

Join TLC at 5am for a Royal Wedding celebration in NYC!

TLC Royal Wedding Times Square Viewing Party – NJWedding.com had a unique opportunity to offer VIP tickets to this once-in-a-lifetime event through Semisweet Productions (casting agency for TLC’s “Four Weddings” among other shows), and I’m happy to see that many members of the NJ wedding community, (specifically the Northern New Jersey Wedding and Event Professionals (NNJWEP) group) took the time to request them and then received tickets! We’re proud that NJ Minister Mitchell Maged will be performing the ceremonies for the three couples getting married in Times Square (and one of the couples – Marie Singgo and Jesse Chao – is from Clifton, NJ!). Check out the coverage on TLC starting at 4:45 am. Also check out the Times Square EarthCam now for all the action as it happens leading up to the event, and follow #RoyalWeddingTLC on Twitter for up to the minute tweets. (view this recap posted on Friday night, April 29th by the Daily Mail Reporter/UK, entitled “It’s our big day too! Three couples tie the knot in Times Square after royal wedding.“

How about a Royal Wedding in New Jersey?

Royal Wedding – Jersey Style – This article from Hilary Morris of NJMyWay.com, asked the question: What If The Royal Wedding Were Held In New Jersey? She received LOTS of feedback from various NJ wedding professionals, including couture bridal gown designer Ralph Thurin, Kim Gabale of Diane & Co. (from the TV show “Jersey Couture”), Laura Clare floral designer, makeup artist Alexa Prisco (“The Glam Fairy” on “Jerseylicious”), Braunschweiger Jewelers, Anne Heap of Pink Cake Box, and Molly Tully from New Jersey Bride magazine.

You Too Can Be A Princess Bride — For A Day – Jamie Saxon from US1 Newspaper in the Princeton region, had an idea to ask 3 of the area’s wedding planners, Mary Harris, Kristin Rockhill and Marie Danielle Vil Young, to offer their expertise on creating their own kind of  “Royal Wedding” if budget weren’t a concern, and share what “21st Century Brides” are doing these days.

Prince William and Kate Middleton will tie the knot on Friday, April 29th

So where can you catch the Royal Wedding (besides in your own living room on every major TV and Cable Network)? Here are a few more links:

Broadcast of the Royal Wedding at the Princeton Public Library (tea and crumpets will be served)

LIVE CHAT with Jeff Edelstein of The Trentonian (follow the live chat on Twitter – #RoyalMeh)

Other Twitter hashtags to follow: #RoyalWedding #RoyalWeddingMania #RW2011

Will and Kate’s royal nuptials reason to party | Gloucester County Times – For some ideas on celebrating the Royal Wedding in the Southern NJ & Philadelphia area)

Alicia Vitarelli (former anchor of News 12 New Jersey) teamed with NJ wedding planner Tina LaMorte from Oh So Fabulous Weddings & Events for a recent news segment on ABC Channel 6/Action News (Philadelphia/South Jersey) on “How to give your wedding a Royal Flair” in this fun report.

Just saw this post “NJ Couple Throws Royal Wedding Open House” on NBC Philadelphia about an English couple from Cape May County opening up their home for some Royal wedding fun.

News 12 New Jersey reporter Alice Gainer did a special segment exploring ideas on Kate Middleton’s wedding dress in an interview with couture bridal gown designer Ralph Thurin of Thurin Atelier in Princeton, NJ. View the report on our “Mercer County, NJ Weddings” facebook page.

I also saw a report on News 12 New Jersey recently about the Eastside Neighborhood Association in Paterson, NJ hosting a Royal Wedding celebration at The Bonfire in Paterson on Sunday, May 1st. Here’s the link to their facebook page invite…

Are there some other Royal Wedding / New Jersey news items to share, or viewing parties or celebrations you’ll be attending? Let us know about them by posting a comment below…thanks!

NJ Minister chosen to marry 3 couples during TLC’s Royal Wedding event

Mitchell Maged will officiate three weddings in Times Square, NYC on Friday, April 29th during TLC's Royal Wedding viewing event (Photo by Veronica Yankowski, Chiarascuro Photography)

NEW YORK, N.Y. – On Friday April 29th, New Jersey’s Mitchell Maged, (also known as “Mitch The Minister”) will be the wedding officiant for three Tri-State area couples, who will marry during TLC’s Royal Wedding Viewing Party in Times Square, NYC.

“Mitch The Minister” will be marrying three couples from NJ, NY and CT in a split screen ceremony to be broadcast live on the JumboTron, with one half showing Prince William and Kate Middleton’s royal wedding in London, England, and the other showing the Times Square, New York weddings.

The thought of officiating a wedding in Times Square is not something new to “Mitch The Minister.” Having performed over 1,000 weddings in the past 12 years, Maged specializes in all faiths, all styles, and in all locations. From weddings in hot air balloons to Star Wars themed weddings, “Mitch The Minister” has done it all.

Join TLC on 4/29 for a Royal Wedding celebration!

TLC’s Royal Wedding will be the second broadcast wedding “Mitch The Minister” has officiated. In 1996 he was asked to perform as the minister for the WPLJ radio contest, “2 Strangers and a Wedding.”

For additional information about Mitchell Maged, click here to view Mitch The Minister’s profile on NJWedding.com, and to view more details on the TLC Royal Wedding Viewing Party from 5am-10am, view the facebook page here. And for more details on the TLC Royal Wedding event and to obtain tickets courtesy of Semisweet Productions and NJWedding.com, click here.

IN THE NEWS! View recent coverage of the TLC Royal Wedding event and the live weddings taking place in Times Square, and additional media reports on how New Jerseyans are celebrating or coming up with their own ideas on the topic of the Royal Wedding:

Oakland minister is master of ceremonies on royal’s wedding day | Franklin Lakes – Oakland Suburban News

North Jersey couple getting married as part of televised Times Square royal wedding celebration | The Record

You Too Can Be A Princess Bride — For A Day | US1 Newspaper (Princeton area wedding professionals offer their thoughts and expertise on the Royal Wedding)

Royal Wedding — Jersey Style | NJMyWay.com & NJMonthly.com (NJ wedding professionals ponder the idea of the Royal Wedding being held as a “destination wedding” in New Jersey)

You’re Invited To TLC’s Royal Wedding Viewing Party in Times Square, NYC!

How would you like a VIP seat to The Royal Wedding during coverage by TLC in Times Square? Here’s your chance to join in the celebration!

3 lucky couples will be married in Times Square on 4/29, just in time for The Royal Wedding...

TLC cordially invites you to attend the HISTORIC live viewing of The Royal Wedding on Friday, April 29, 2011. This is the biggest event to hit Times Square since New Years Eve!

Come be a part of this once-in-a-lifetime experience as TLC (for the first time) goes LIVE, broadcasting from the world famous TIMES SQUARE in New York City.

TLC is throwing a HUGE Royal Wedding celebration in Times Square, NYC! Are you coming?

TLC will take over Duffy Square as:

• Three lucky couples from the Tri-state area get married alongside Prince William and Kate Middleton
• Grammy Award winner singer/songwriter COLBIE CAILLAT performs her hit song, “I Do” LIVE!
• Viewers will enjoy a “SAY YES TO THE DRESS” fashion show, sponsored by the legendary KLEINFELD BRIDAL and featuring your favorite brides from past episodes
• Entertainment reporter AMANDA BYRAM will join TLC’s own CLINTON KELLY, RANDY FENOLI and MONTE DURHAM as they broadcast on two of the most dynamic digital screens in Times Square!

Don’t miss your chance to be a part of the biggest bash this side of the pond!!!

This event is NOT to miss for any TLC or Royal Family Fanatics or if you’re a fan of Wedding Reality TV Shows (it doesn’t get any more real than this!). For more information about the complete schedule for TLC viewers at home, click here.

BREAKING NEWS: SPECIAL VIP SEATING is available to guests of NJWedding.com before anyone else! Attendees MUST be BIG Royal Wedding fans – and come dressed as if they were attending the Royal Wedding! For example, ladies can wear hats, formal day dresses, gloves, etc. and men can wear day suits with boutonnieres, and anything else that replicates what the attendees at the real royal wedding will be wearing!

TICKETS ARE LIMITED for our VIP Royal Wedding Guests, so get in touch with us RIGHT AWAY by emailing RoyalWeddingGuest@SemisweetProductions.com with your contact info and pictures.

Semisweet Productions is the casting agent for TLC's Royal Wedding live telecast

SemiSweet Productions has also announced THREE special prizes will be awarded the day of the event: BEST DRESSED FEMALE, BEST DRESSED MALE and BEST DRESSED COUPLE!

Winners in each category will receive:
** Overnight for Two in Manhattan at Kimpton Hotel’s new “crown jewel” – 70ParkAve (www.70parkave.com)
** Dolce Gusto Coffee Maker
** Pevonia Botanica Skin Care Package

Please Note: These prizes are being given by SEMISWEET PRODUCTIONS and the winners will be chosen completely at the discretion of the casting directors on the day of. These prizes are not awarded by TLC or Discovery Communications – and they are not responsible for choosing the winners or awarding the prizes for Best Dressed!

2011 Wedding Road Show’s VIP Experience Winner Wants To Marry In Her “Happy Place”

Selected from over 1200 entries, bride to be Melissa Dorshimer of Pottstown, PA is this year’s winner of NJWedding.com’s VIP contest

Melissa Dorshimer and Kevin Heidt from Pottstown, PA have been chosen as the LBI VIP Contest Winners

“Long Beach Island is my happy place and I want to be married in my happy place,” stated Melissa Dorshimer, of Pottstown, Pennsylvania. “Whether it is this year or next year, I want to make this wedding happen.”

Melissa has spent every summer on LBI since she was born. She shared her best memories with Lori Pepenella, Destination Marketing Director of the Southern Ocean County of Commerce, including that some are “just lying on the beach reading a good book and listening to the waves, making sand castles with her brother. While she was a teenager she remembers going to the arcade with her best friend Amy (now her Maid of Honor) and shopping in Bay Village with her mother for Country Kettle fudge and elephant ears.”

She was thrilled when Erik Kent, Co-Publisher of NJWedding.com called her this week to say she was the winner of the Wedding Road Show VIP Experience. This pre-event promotional contest is in conjunction with the Southern Ocean County Chamber of Commerce, New Jersey Division of Travel and Tourism, Daddy O Hotel and Restaurant, Signature Limousine, Camille’s Floral Design and A Sweet Memory. The bride-to-be and her guests will be greeted with welcome gifts, treated to a fabulous time at the trendy Daddy O Hotel and Restaurant on Saturday, April 9th and whisked away to all the April 10th Wedding Road Show activities in a private white stretch limousine.

Melissa had started taking her fiancé Kevin Heidt to Long Beach Island since they started dating in 2008; where they both love the laid back family atmosphere and friendly people. Melissa has had her share of challenges; in 2004 she donated half her liver to her mother who suffers from an auto-immune liver disease. “LBI has always meant family to me,” adds Melissa, “so spending time there and hopefully getting married there would mean a lot to me. It is another wonderful memory to add to all the other wonderful memories. Hopefully one day when Kevin and I have our children I can continue the family traditions.”

The 2011 Wedding Road Show is happening on Sunday, April 10th from 9:30am to 4:00pm, and has recently been recognized with a NJ Governor Award for Tourism Excellence. For more information on attending this free event, go to http://www.visitLBIregion.com. The event will also be broadcast live on NJ Discover between 10am – 2pm for those that are unable to attend but would like to watch online.