It is considered the most important day of your life—and you don’t want to spend it worrying about tables, décor and dealing with vendors. Brides who want to plan their own festivities often feel overwhelmed by the way things will—or will not—come together on the big day, and St. Louis event organizer Kate & Company offers a unique semi-planning services to help these brides stay blushing, not flustered.

Extremely rare pieces from one of the largest private collections of Alexander McQueen’s work are among those to be showcased in an upcoming exhibition at the World Chess Hall of Fame. 

Often thought of as a game for the privileged, PGA REACH flips that generalization of golf on its head. PGA REACH serves underprivileged youth by working to increase their academic—and ‘Beyond 18’ life—success.

Stories: Winning Juliet focuses on the new girl at a high school who runs into unexpected animosity and resentment by some established ‘popular’ students when she decides to audition for the female title role in the school’s production of Shakespeare’s tragedy, Romeo & Juliet.

The work-life balance: Every professional knows the phrase, and every employee tries to find that harmonious level of give and take to somehow manage it all. For parents, this may be an even bigger challenge. But at the law firm of Carmody MacDonald, the support is there for employees to thrive in the courtroom, as well as at home. 

Food in America is more than a necessary aspect of survival: It’s a part of our language, culture and social experience. We gather around meals. Our idioms and phrases make food references. We represent and define areas and events by the meals or snacks that coincide. While this may be many people’s America, dinner isn’t on the table for every family. Despite misconceptions about hunger, a lack of food is a sincere problem for Americans every day, including the approximately 57,100 individuals who depend weekly on the St. Louis Area Foodbank.

As I’ve stated in previous columns, speaking opportunities are business, career and leadership opportunities. No one ever challenges that statement. Why would they?

When Saint Louis Ballet presents its Contemporary Series on May 10 and 11 at The Touhill Performing Arts Center, it will premiere brand new choreography by artistic director Gen Horiuchi, Dance St. Louis’ Michael Uthoff and Christopher d’Amboise. A renowned choreographer, former artistic director of Pennsylvania Ballet and former principal of New York City Ballet, d’Amboise says he was inspired by his previous work with Saint Louis Ballet, and created his work in conjunction with the troupe. He gave us insights into the process and the upcoming performance.

With hit TV show, The Biggest Loser, bestselling books and 1.6 million people visiting her weight loss website each month, Jillian Michaels has become one of the nation’s most popular experts on healthy eating, exercise and leading an exceptional life. Now, she is sharing her success secrets with audiences across the country through her Maximize Your Life tour, a live show coming May 11 to the Fox Theatre. LN recently spoke with Michaels about her personal health journey and her upcoming show, which aims to help people kickstart their life and fitness goals and achieve health and happiness.

With spring weather finally upon us, kids and adults alike are anxious to experience the great outdoors. Lucky for us, St. Louis abounds with family-friendly ways to enjoy natural beauty.

Tee time approaching? You had better hope you’re heading to one of these spectacular Missouri golf courses. Never sub-par, these local courses offer some of the best views and amenities to golfers—and have the rankings and professional events to prove it.

Elaine Blatt welcomes guests into her contemporary Ladue home with a warm smile and cup of frothy cappuccino. The day she welcomed me was particularly cold and snowy. She was busy packing for an upcoming photo journey, destined “to get out of the cold.” She also was completing work on From Field to Fork…The Plants We Eat, her photography exhibit opening March 15 (through May 31) in Monsanto Hall at the Missouri Botanical Garden. It the first time I have seen the petite and stylish redhead casually dressed without one of her signature hats atop her head.

We now have the names for the upcoming Maryville University St. Louis Speakers Series. The 2013-2014 season at Powell Hall begins Oct. 8 with former Greek Prime Minister GEORGE PAPANDREOU. The rest of the lineup includes: A Walk in the Woods author BILL BRYSON, Former U.S. Defense Secretary ROBERT GATES, Apple co-founder STEVE WOZNIAK, historian/author DORIS KEARNS GOODWIN and journalist DAN RATHER, whose March 25, 2014, appearance will be sponsored by LN. For subscription information, visit stlouisspeakersseries.org.

Rock and Roll Hall-of-Famer JOHN MELLENCAMP will headline next month’s 25th Annual Bob Costas Benefit for SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center. The April 20 event at the Fox Theatre signals Mellencamp’s return to the Costas Benefit stage. His 35 years of music has spawned iconic hits like Jack and Diane and Small Town. The event’s opening act will be announced shortly. For tickets, call 577-5605 or visit glennon.org. More information about the Bob Costas Cancer Center will appear in LN’s March 15 issue.

For those facing illnesses or disabilities, ‘alternative’ therapies—such as laughter, music or animal therapy—can offer a range of benefits. These local programs are doing their parts to make a difference.

New York City Ballet MOVES is coming to St. Louis for the first time since 1994, in conjunction with Dance St. Louis. The touring group of 20 performers will present five pieces that run the gamut, giving viewers the chance to experience the ballet’s diverse repertory without leaving home. We caught up with artistic director and ballet master Jean-Pierre Frohlich in advance of the March 9 and 10 performances at the Fox Theatre.

Unreliable and second-hand gossip from around the world*

If healthier eating is part of your plan for 2013, you’re likely to be more successful if you get the rest of your household on board. But preparing healthy, family-friendly meals can be challenging.

The hoopla surrounding the upcoming presidential inauguration will most likely dominate the headlines in the coming days. But with the deluge of the 24-hour news cycle, I suspect even the most avid political junkie would experience coverage fatigue sooner rather than later.

Story: Alexandra “Alex” Owens works by day in a Pittsburgh steel mill. At night she feeds her dream by performing exotic dances at a local bar. Alex yearns to be a ballerina, but her limited resources and poor childhood have kept her thus far from pursuing that ambition.

Story: It’s time again for Margie to look for a job. After repeated warnings about being late to work, she’s just been fired from her job at the Dollar Store in South Boston. Ironically, the man sent to terminate her employment is young Stevie, a fellow resident of this gritty, hardscrabble sector of Boston. Despite her pleas for still another chance, Margie must deal with the reality of finding employment to pay the bills for her and her mentally challenged adult daughter, Joyce.

Celebrating? ‘Tis the season. Let’s open some wine and lift the spirits! But remember, there are so many other reasons to celebrate life that we could almost toast with wine every day.

On April 7, 2013, 100 years will have passed since St. Louis County Court granted Clayton a city charter. In those 100 years, the city has grown and flourished as the county seat where homes are in demand and businesses find success. As Clayton nears its centennial year, LN spoke with Mayor Linda Goldstein about the upcoming celebrations, the city’s reputation and plan for the next century.