Michelle Kwan gets married today 19-01-13

[samiller]

That's so disappointing! Thanks for the summary, Lucy. Perhaps, now that People has completed its magazine coverage, some other media (print or otherwise) will publish more--although there is quite a bit online. But, the online info comes almost exclusively through People.

I wonder if the printed copy is different than the digital copy. There may be a difference??

[aftershocks]

I heard it was tweeted that Michelle and Clay honeymooned in Switzerland (and Michelle was teaching Clay how to skate).

[skatingfan5]

I heard it was tweeted that Michelle and Clay honeymooned in Switzerland (and Michelle was teaching Clay how to skate).

Yes, and apparently Karen Kwan has the video proof of Clay's attempts on ice, according to Phil Hersh's tweet. I'd love to see that!

[BaileyCatts]

For anyone who has seen People, are any of the bridesmaids in the picture there skaters? Not that they have to be, but just wondered who they were.

[samiller]

Someone from another website believes that Amber Corwin may be a bridesmaid (2nd from left). She does resemble Amber--not sure. And, of course, Karen was probably matron of honor.

[aftershocks]

^^ Having taken a look at the photo in question, I don't think any of the bridesmaids look exactly like Amber Corwin, although the one 2nd from the left in the photo does have a slight resemblance. None of them seem to be well known skaters. Possibly they are former classmates of MK's and/ or co-workers who are also close friends (in addition to Karen, some could even be family members, i.e., related through Karen's husband).

[samiller]

A little bit more about Michelle and Clay's wedding--

Here's a link to a pic of some of those who attended Michelle and Clay's wedding rehearsal dinner at his home in Providence.
There is also another pic of Karen and Christina (Clay's sister) if you click "previous."

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...type=1&theater



Below is the text from an article (from icenetwork.com). Karen talks a little bit about the wedding and the rehearsal:

Wedding

Everyone who attended Michelle Kwan's wedding on Jan. 19 was sworn to silence until yesterday, when the People magazine issue covering the ceremony came out. At the reception, Kwan-Oppegard was finally able, and happy, to share details with us.

First off, she told us her lovely wine-colored, matron-of-honor gown was by J. Crew.

"We tried several different dresses," she said. "All five bridesmaids wore variations of the dress. It was sort of an eggplant color, with a bit of fuschia -- it changed when you moved."

Kwan-Oppegard told us that the ceremony and reception were wonderful, of course.

"Everyone was crying for four days straight," she said. "It was such a beautiful event. It was a reunion of a lot of people in our lives, from when we were skating, everything."

She said groom Clay Pell's house in Providence, R.I., was the site of the rehearsal dinner.

"We went into the library," she said, "And there was a tattered flag, with holes in it -- it was a Civil War flag that had been in battle! And there was a picture of Clay's grandfather, on the Cape, sitting with JFK in Adirondack chairs. And a picture of Clay when he was about 9, with President Clinton."

[aftershocks]

^^ Thanks samiller. Do you have a link to the article?

ETA:

This is the only mention I found on icenetwork.com

http://web.icenetwork.com/news/artic...&vkey=ice_news Scroll down

[samiller]

Here's the link I found:

http://web.icenetwork.com/news/artic...&vkey=ice_news--yes, scroll down

[aftershocks]

^^ Thanks samiller.

[michaelfsfan]

Yes, I know you were joking Rex. I was too, but I guess not enough for your enjoyment.

The fact you guys are taking my response so defensively I think says way more about how you feel about me in particular than it does about how you or I feel about Kween.

Ahhh, the usual suspects. Don't let my uber-enthusiasm spoil your enjoyment of the wonderful news.

Of course we knew you were joking. It just took us a lot longer to process so much stupid all at once.

[jenny12]

Michelle looked so beautiful and happy. Thanks to those who posted the links to the pictures.

[AragornElessar]

A little bit more about Michelle and Clay's wedding--

Here's a link to a pic of some of those who attended Michelle and Clay's wedding rehearsal dinner at his home in Providence.
There is also another pic of Karen and Christina (Clay's sister) if you click "previous."

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...type=1&theater



Below is the text from an article (from icenetwork.com). Karen talks a little bit about the wedding and the rehearsal:

Wedding

Everyone who attended Michelle Kwan's wedding on Jan. 19 was sworn to silence until yesterday, when the People magazine issue covering the ceremony came out. At the reception, Kwan-Oppegard was finally able, and happy, to share details with us.

First off, she told us her lovely wine-colored, matron-of-honor gown was by J. Crew.

"We tried several different dresses," she said. "All five bridesmaids wore variations of the dress. It was sort of an eggplant color, with a bit of fuschia -- it changed when you moved."

Kwan-Oppegard told us that the ceremony and reception were wonderful, of course.

"Everyone was crying for four days straight," she said. "It was such a beautiful event. It was a reunion of a lot of people in our lives, from when we were skating, everything."

She said groom Clay Pell's house in Providence, R.I., was the site of the rehearsal dinner.

"We went into the library," she said, "And there was a tattered flag, with holes in it -- it was a Civil War flag that had been in battle! And there was a picture of Clay's grandfather, on the Cape, sitting with JFK in Adirondack chairs. And a picture of Clay when he was about 9, with President Clinton."

Thanks for sharing and adding to the thread. When I read what Karen said about seeing what she saw in the Pell's Library, I had chills going down my spine. It's one thing to read Clay is a Member of a pretty prestigious Family, but when you read something like what Karen said, that really brings it close to home. Know what I mean?

I got my hands on the People issue about a week and a half ago. While disappointed they didn't do more w/their "Insider Access" in the issue, I got all teary looking at the pictures of what they did show. I remember hearing about this amazing kid the US had coming up in their Ladies program and when I saw Michelle skate for the first time thinking "This little kid is what all the fuss is about?" It didn't take too long after that to realize that yes, she was indeed worthy of all the fuss.

So many of us here have literally watched Michelle grow up over the years and what an amazing Lady she has become. I felt like I was looking at my little sister's Wedding pictures. That's what it honestly felt like to me and I'm sure for some here, like looking at their Daughter's Wedding.

She and Clay just looked *so* happy that day. Here's to that happiness growing and growing and growing as the years go by.

BTW...Has anyone else seen her and Yu-Na Kim performing w/the various Figure Skating Gold Medalists during the World Winter Special Olympics Closing Ceremonies in South Korea about a week and a half ago? It's up over at YouTube, but I don't have the link handy. It's just so fantastic and the both of them were just so obviously having a blast w/the Special Olympians. Really a treat to watch.

[samiller]

Yes, the link to Yuna and Michelle's duet is mentioned on this site and others as well. It was truly awe inspiring to see them skate together again. But, it is also very admirable that they are both involved with Special Olympics all year. Yuna is a Global Ambassador, and Michelle is on the Board of Directors chaired by Tim Shriver.

[Sylvia]

Yes, the link to Yuna and Michelle's duet is mentioned on this site

Here's the thread in GSD with photo and video links: http://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/show...erform-Hero-GS

[aftershocks]

Thanks for your thoughts, AragornElessar.

Here's another photo of Clay as a child with his grandfather, father, and Senator Edward Kennedy, that appeared in a 2010 New York Times feature about Pell Grants.

http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/03/pell/

Clay's first name is Herbert, and he's a IV. I don't recall noticing before that Claiborne is not his first name.

Info on Clay's father who died in 1999:
http://paw.princeton.edu/memorials/22/70/index.xml

Interesting Pell family info -- an ancestor, George M. Dallas, served as Vice President under President James K. Polk
http://bigelowsociety.com/rod2009a/pell12.htm

Clay's great-grandfather on his mother Eugenia's side, Arthur Diehl, was a pianist, an author of romance novels, and a painter:
http://www.tfaoi.com/aa/7aa/7aa808.htm

Clay's sister Christina, and his mother, Eugenia are also artists:
http://www.poggiolotuscany.com/blog/...t-il-poggiolo/

Michelle Kwan's marriage to Clay has been added to his grandfather's Wiki entry:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claiborne_Pell

Weren't they married on January 19? The entry is listed as January 20.

Michelle's Wiki entry lists the correct wedding date:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelle_Kwan (It states that her makeup was done by Timothy MacKay of NYC)


Here's another lovely apparently pre-wedding photo of MK plus fun pics of Brian, Dorothy and Dick at the reception and old skating pics:

http://www.people.com/people/gallery...p+Headlines%29


Providence Journal photo gallery which includes pics of family members arriving and leaving the wedding that I haven't seen before (one pic is of Clay's grandmother and uncle):
http://www.providencejournal.com/top...93#ssTop862101


An MK news profile/ interview I don't recall seeing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0xZFsX3Vfk

An In The Game interview with Robin Roberts:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=csnUR4Wt-PI


More about the dress:

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-207_162-...wedding-dress/

Compilation of photos and news articles about the wedding from Heather's MK Fan Page site:

http://heatherw.com/mk/seen.htm


More old recycled news items/ clips re the engagement and wedding:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=...ture=endscreen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuoUI47aDq0

http://www.people.com/people/news/ca...leKwan,00.html

http://www.celebritybrideguide.com/m...-kwan-wedding/

http://www.perfectweddingguide.com/w...nt--800860771/

http://www.perfectweddingguide.com/w...e-knot-369199/


It would be nice to see a copy of the wedding invitations, and a pic of Michelle in the red dress.

[lulu]

aftershocks, thanks so much for all of the links, particularly the ones of Clay's family. Thanks to the Pell Grants (thanks Sen. Pell!) and my interest in politics, I've heard of the Pell family and Sen. Claiborne Pell before, but the information on the rest of his family was new to me and very interesting as well.

ETA: I love the color of the bridesmaids' dresses.

[samiller]

I would also love to know how "Fields of Gold" was incorporated into the ceremony. And, I would love to hear the song called "My Everything" written by Donnie Demers and performed by his brother, Jimmy. I did read that Jimmy actually sang the song to the couple! So sweet! I keep checking YouTube without success. It would be nice to see a full shot of Michelle's second wedding dress worn at the reception. So much I'm sure we'll never know, but would love to.

I changed the information on the Wiki page for Clay's grandfather. Not only was the wedding date wrong, but it indicated that Michelle married Clay's father. Clay is Herbert Claiborne Pell IV.

[aftershocks]

^^ Good of you to make the corrections in the Wiki entry, samiller.

Since the song, My Everything, was especially written for Michelle and Clay, it may never be made public, or it may take some time before the Demers might decide to release it for public consumption. I posted earlier in this thread a youtube clip with still photos of Donnie and Jimmy performing My Funny Valentine live in NYC. Here it is again:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7wdY2aX4aU


Yes, indeed, lulu, the Pell family background is fascinating and richly-layered. Judging from the NYT photo, Clay's father appears to have been a dashing, handsome man who had an artistic side (having met his future wife in a drawing class at the Rhode Island School of Design), as well as having had a distinguished Coast Guard career.

Clay seems to be following in the very large footsteps of both his father and his grandfather, not to mention his great-grandfather, Herbert Claiborne Pell, Jr. (the namesake of both Clay HCP-IV and his Dad HCP-III):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_Pell

This forebear's accomplishments include serving as U.S. Representative from New York, U.S. Minister to Portugal, U.S. Minister to Hungary, and being a creator and member of the United Nations War Crimes Commission. In addition, he was memorialized in the sport of yachting with having the Herbert Pell Cup named in his honor.

Pell Ancient Coat of Arms and Name History:
http://www.houseofnames.com/pell-coat-of-arms

A History of Pell Grants:
https://www.thurgoodmarshallfund.net...ericas-promise

Condensed bio on Clay's grandfather, Claiborne de Borda Pell (more detailed factoids):
http://www.infoplease.com/biography/...bornepell.html

Stills of Memorial Service for Senator Claiborne Pell, January 5, 2009
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDr0GKSkj6Y

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island pays tribute to Senator Claiborne Pell in 2009:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1bKkxd8aVI
A lovely and heartfelt tribute -- Pell Grants & The National Endowment for the Arts -- what a deeply affecting and far-reaching legacy!

From Sen. Whitehouse’s tribute:

Senator Pell summarized his role as a U.S. Senator in seven simple words:
Translate ideas into actions and help people.

Would that all of us could have ideas as big as Claiborne Pell’s, and the strength, grace, persistence and courage to translate them into action.

The thing I find most fascinating is not simply the long and distinguished Pell family history and upper-class connections, but the fact that from generation to generation there seems to run a strain of giving back, of personal responsibility, of kindness and caring for one's fellow man, and of the desire to lead an active, engaged and purposeful life. No wonder that when Michelle met Clay, they immediately felt a "magnetic connection." Michelle's family heritage may have more humble origins in Hong Kong and China (I don't know a great deal about her ancestry). However, I do know from following her career and from reading her biography that Michelle too hails from a strong family unit with parents and grandparents who emphasized the importance of love and loyalty to each other, as well as love and allegiance to their new country (with respect for the former), personal responsibility, hard work and giving back.

Of course, the most important factor in that palpable magnetic bond which should make all the difference in the success of their partnership, is that Clay and Michelle are both so down to earth, and they know how to laugh together.

[Anita18]

The thing I find most fascinating is not simply the long and distinguished Pell family history and upper-class connections, but the fact that from generation to generation there seems to run a strain of giving back, of personal responsibility, of kindness and caring for one's fellow man, and of the desire to lead an active, engaged and purposeful life. No wonder that when Michelle met Clay, they immediately felt a [I]"magnetic connection."[/] Michelle's family heritage may have more humble origins in Hong Kong and China (I don't know a great deal about her ancestry). However, I do know from following her career and from reading her biography that Michelle too hails from a strong family unit with parents and grandparents who emphasized the importance of love and loyalty to each other, as well as love and allegiance to their new country (with respect for the former), personal responsibility, hard work and giving back.

Of course, the most important factor in that palpable magnetic bond which should make all the difference in the success of their partnership, is that Clay and Michelle are both so down to earth, and they know how to laugh together.

My sister works at a non-profit that deals with student loans, and has been on the phone with Clay Pell a few times to discuss policy work. Even though the grants were not founded by him personally, it's clear the family still takes a great deal of pride with them. It is indeed very fitting that Michelle got with a person like that.