George Clooney Used 'Burner Phones' To Protect His Wedding From Hackers

George Clooney's wedding to human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin was the celebrity story of the weekend. Their no-expense-spared nuptials in Venice were the very image of a dream wedding, but what many people don't know is the careful planning that went into keeping their wedding safe from hackers and tabloid journalists.
It has been reported that Clooney gave every guest at his wedding a "burner" phone. A burner phone has a single purpose, and is intended to be discarded after use. These phones came with special codes that served as both a ticket into the wedding events, as well as a deterrent for guests wishing to leak photos.
The Sunday Telegraph claims to have obtained part of the document sent to Clooney's wedding guests, which instructs them on the smartphone security protocols:
The phones you've been given have a code. That is your ticket to everything. We will be taking lots of pictures...but we have to work very hard to keep our pictures our pictures.
Additionally, TMZ reports that guests were banned from bringing their own phones to the festivities, instead they had to leave them in their hotel rooms or hand them in at special kiosks outside the events.
So why the high security? Apparently Clooney was protecting against two things: iCloud hackers and leaked photos.
According to TMZ, "guests were all told the reason for the security measures was because of all the hackers who have been in the news recently."
The hackers behind the recent leaked celebrity photos used vulnerabilities in Apple's password recovery system to gain access to iCloud accounts. If guests at Clooney's wedding used their personal iPhones to photograph the event, then there's a chance that hackers who already had access to the phones could gain valuable photos before the press.
American Vogue has exclusive rights to photograph of Clooney's wedding, in return for a donation to a charity of his choice. The burner phones meant that wedding guests couldn't sell on photos to rival publications, as the code system means that Clooney would be able to tell exactly who each photograph came from.
It's not unusual for guests attending celebrity parties to have their social media use restricted. In 2013, TMZ obtained a copy of one of Justin Bieber's "party contracts" that guests have to sign before even meeting the star. The document made it clear that publishing any details or photos of the party could result in a $3 million fine.

I shall not, without your prior written consent in each instance, publish, directly or indirectly, or cause or induce the publication to a third party, of any Confidential Information including, without limitation, texting, "tweeting," giving any interviews, making statements to the press, or writing, preparing or assisting in the preparation of any books, articles, programs, press releases, or any other oral or written communications.

George Clooney's wedding: Bono, Matt Damon and Cindy Crawford leave the star-studded ceremony

Many women will be waking up this morning to the harsh reality that George Clooney is now a married man *sob*.
The silver fox, 53, tied the knot with Brit lawyer Amal Alamuddin yesterday in a swanky ceremony in Venice, Italy and star-studded guests have been pictured leaving after watching the lovebirds exchange vows.
Wedding guests all appeared in high spirits and George told a reporter from The Sun on Sunday it had been a "long day" during his last moments as a single man.
Amal wore a stunning Oscar de la Renta dress, which we are dying to see photos of, and George opted for a smart Armani suit for his big day with the loved-up couple saying 'I do' at about 8.45pm at the seven-star Aman hotel.
According to newspaper, the actor's friend Walter Veltroni, a former mayor of Rome, officiated at the ceremony but did not have the authority to legally marry them. There will be a civil ceremony to tie up the legal loose ends tomorrow.
Technically, this means women still have one day to find George and persuade him not to go through with it, but we fear it's pretty official already.
Guests including pal Matt Damon, U2's Bono, actress Emily Blunt, Cindy Crawford and US Vogue editor Anna Wintour were seen leaving the ceremony and hopping onto water taxis as thousands of people lined the Grand Canal to try and get a glimpse of the happy couple.
Emily was seen wearing a gorgeous blue patterned halter neck dress and was helped by a number of smartly dressed male guests as she stepped into a boat, while Cindy, whose husband was best man, also went for a darker shade of blue.
Matt and his gorgeous wife Luciana Barroso, who arrived in the city on Friday, were also photographed with Luciana dressed in a stunning low-cut lilac dress which flattered her figure.
Fashion icon Anna opted for a long black patterned number and white fur cardigan with heels and had her blonde hair styled in her signature bob.
Despite all of the stunning photographs of Amal, 36, and George heading out for dinner the night before and the actor having breakfast the next morning before being taken to the ceremony, there have been no official images of the bride and groom released.
All guests were asked to turn off their phones for the wedding in a social media blackout and it is thought the couple have signed a multi-million-pound deal with Vogue magazine for the pictures.

But it's okay, because all of the money will go to charity and it means we WILL get to see Amal's beautiful dress.

Inside George Clooney's Venice wedding

Ahead of George Clooney's wedding this weekend, Anne Hanley, our Venice expert, takes a look at preparations in the hotel where guests are staying - and considers how the celebrations may play out.
Venetians are blasé about celebrity. It may be because swarms of A-listers mob the town each September for the film festival, or because film sets are common obstacles for locals in the narrow alleys. But if, as the rumour mill has it, the Grand Canal is closed off this weekend to let George Clooney and his bride Amal Alamuddin process down the waterway on a launch accompanied by a flotilla of gondolas, even Venetians may be impressed.
“We pass celebrities in the streets here without batting an eyelid, but if they want to be noticed, that would certainly do it,” said one resident.
Clooney briefly mentioned the upcoming nuptuals at an event in Florencesome weeks ago; but though the location – Venice – was confirmed, no further details were given – since then speculation has gone into overdrive.
Indeed, the five-star Belmond Cipriani on Giudecca – a plush island hideaway in which discretion is de rigueur – has been so forthcoming with wedding details that Clooney-watchers are suspicious. Granted, this is where George holed up during eight film fests over the past 15 years, becoming so much a member of the hotel family that he puts in time behind the bar mixing cocktails.
The Jolie-Pitts are thought to have reserved a suite there, along with Cate Blanchett, U2’s Bono and Cindy Crawford with her husband Rande Gerber, who’s expected to act as Clooney’s best man. But whether the whole wedding party – including, as the Cipriani says, the happy couple – will be staying in its entirely booked-out 44 rooms and 41 suites (with rates ranging from £575 to eye watering four-digit figures) remains to be seen.
Accessed mainly by private shuttle from St Mark’s (few guests bother with the rear pedestrian entrance) and set in acres of landscaped gardens containing one of central Venice’s very rare hotel pools, the Cipriani has an elegantly converted 19th-century Granary where much of the shindig will be staged, the hotel’s PR machine says.
But the Gabbiano bar and newly opened Adam Tihany-designed Oro Restaurant – under the talented direction of chef Davide Bisetto – will also come into play: fine weather forecast for the weekend would allow guests to spill out on to the utterly dreamy lagoon-side tables in the garden. (There’s a good view of this area from the launch that ferries guests to the St Regis hotel on the island of San Clemente.)
The Cipriani says that they expect the couple to stay in one of their suites – possibly the exclusive Palladio Suite (£6,365 per night), with its private garden, hot tub and boat jetty, which would make a fine bridal nook.
But canny wedding-watchers are putting their money on the ceremony taking place at the tight-lipped 24-room seven-star Aman Canal Grande, which is also fully booked this weekend.
If the Clooneys decide to decamp to the Aman in an attempt to throw off the paparazzi, the £3,130-a-night Alcova Tiepolo suite seems a likely choice: a cascade of decorative stucco surrounds the head of a bed with a fresco by 18th-century Venetian maestro Gianbattista Tiepolo on the ceiling above; original chinoiserie fabrics adorn the walls in the living room. There’s space in the hotel’s two gorgeous, high-walled gardens for aperitivi and dining, and a kitchen producing Asian cuisine which may turn its hand to Middle Eastern dishes for the Lebanese side of the bride’s family.
And the wedding itself? Giorgio Armani has announced that he is responsible for the groom’s outfit. Alamuddin was giving little away when she was snapped in Milan airport earlier this week with a Stella McCartney suitbag slung over her shoulder and clutching a label-less bandbox which may have contained The Dress. She was, however, spotted in London recently emerging from the HQ of Alexander McQueen, where designer Sarah Burton produced the Duchess of Cambridge’s lacy wedding number.

Local press has tipped Walter Veltroni, a close Clooney friend and former mayor of Rome, to officiate at the ceremony itself… wherever and whenever that may be. In theory, the couple will have to drop by the Rialto-facing Palazzo Cavalli - city hall’s wedding venue - to do the required paperwork. While international media expect the match to be made official on Saturday, local press are predicting a post-party appointment on Monday, September 29. Paparazzi aspiring to immortalise the moment will have to have their wits about them: when Woody Allen married Soon-Yi Previn here in 1997 – the last big-name wedding in the lagoon city – they were spirited in and out of a side entrance before anyone noticed they were there.

Mom's last dance with son at his wedding 'most beautiful thing' to her kids

In the final stages of her battle with breast cancer, Mary Ann Manning fulfilled her dying wish to dance with her son, Ryan, at his Sept. 5 wedding, passing away just three days later at the age of 61.
Just days after video of that dance went viral, the groom and his sisters, Kristie Manning and Karie Chamberlain, told TODAY.com they’ve been moved by the public response.
“The reaction has been incredible,” Ryan Manning said. “I went through hundreds of (Facebook) messages from these people that had incredible stories to share, and could find some way to relate, and they said, ‘Thank you for being able to share something that I wasn’t.’”
The last few years have been difficult for the three siblings. Their younger brother, Kyle, passed away in 2010 at the age of 23; their grandmother, Margaret Lesin, died in 2012; and, in between those losses, their mother — whose illness had been in remission for about a decade — was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer.
But there were moments of hope and happiness, too, including the first time Manning went out with fellow San Diego State University grad Katelyn Schlick, his Eiffel Tower marriage proposal in 2013, and their wedding in Orange County, California, exactly one year later.
Manning's mother, a homemaker, lived in suburban San Francisco. “You’d never meet anybody that had anything bad to say about Mary Ann Manning,” Ryan said. “She had friends, but they always came second to her family. She was a very dedicated mother.”
With Mary Ann’s health failing in the weeks leading up to the Sept. 5 wedding, her family wondered if she’d even make it to the ceremony, let alone dance with her son.
“The day before the wedding, she had another stroke, so, there was no option of flying [due to health risks], but she wanted to go,” Ryan said. “So, the family canceled the flight and drove [six hours] with her.”
Despite her condition, she remained determined to have that dance, set to Israel Ka'ano'i Kamakawiwo'ole’s version of “Somewhere over the Rainbow,” which Ryan said was also played at his brother’s wake.
After struggling to keep up with the wedding ceremony, Ryan said, Mary Ann was wheeled to the reception dance floor, where she somehow found the strength to vault out of her wheelchair, stunning everyone in attendance.
“The rest is just nothing short of a miracle,” Ryan said. “You can look at that and think you’re watching a remarkably strong woman do something that was just — I don’t know how to explain it — or there’s a higher being here. We tend to think it’s a little bit of both.”
Kristie Manning, who uploaded the video, told TODAY.com via email she “sobbed uncontrollably” during the whole dance. “I wasn't actually the one to tape it,” she added. “I handed my phone to my friend because I knew I wouldn't be able to get a solid video with how emotional I was. Then, I went over and joined the family embrace with my sister and dad and we watched it just sobbing and holding each other.”
Her sister, Karie Chamberlain, called the dance the “most beautiful thing” she’d ever seen.
“I have always known my mom was beyond human, as most kids see their parents, but that moment it was true,” she added. “Cancer wins all too often, but for those three minutes, she was beating it.”
Once the dance was done, Mary Ann sank into her wheelchair.
“The dance really took it all out of her,” Kristie said, “As soon as she got back in the wheelchair, her whole body was shaking. We rushed her out of the reception and got her to the hotel room to put her to bed.”
Mary Ann Manning passed away Sept. 8. At her funeral service, Ryan’s former track coach approached him to let him know how much the touching wedding dance meant to others.
“He was very emotional,” Ryan told TODAY.com. “He said, ‘I just want you to know that my son, who ran track with you, lost his mother and didn’t get to share that kind of moment, but found happiness in the fact that you did.’”
Despite their sadness, the Manning family has found solace in that dance, as well as what it’s meant to other families who have had to cope with cancer.
“I've never been so proud of my family and so very proud of my amazing mother,” Kristie said. “I've always known how strong she was, how much she loved us and how much she dedicated her whole life to us, but to be a part of that moment that highlighted all those things was just magical. Even when I was little and someone would ask me who my hero was, I'd say my mother, but nothing made that more true than that moment. I don't know if any more words or stories about her could truly do that woman justice. I think that moment, which I'm so happy to share with the world, says it all.”
Her sister agreed. “While the weeks leading up to it were ugly, and the next couple of days were indescribable, that evening she forced us to remember how much she has always loved us,” Chamberlain said. “And that continues to make me happy. Every moment of support, love and passion were displayed on the dance floor.

“I know I will live my life trying to be even half the mother she was.”

Outlander’s Ronald D. Moore and Others Break Down Claire and Jamie’s Big Wedding Night

One of the biggest influences on Outlander's much-anticipated wedding-night episode was an actual marriage: the one between showrunner Ronald D. Moore and the Starz drama's costume designer Terry Dresbach. Not only is their real-life romance echoed in some of the dialogue, but the structure of the episode was determined in part at Dresbach's suggestion. "I do have a little sway with my husband," she said in a recent interview with Vulture.
Dresbach said that she made a few suggestions to her husband "probably when we were sitting in bed" as he started mapping out the episode. "We could start talking at 10 at night," she recalled, "and then by 1 a.m., the lights are out and we might still be arguing, with one of us going, 'No, Jack Randall wouldn't do that!'" For this particular episode, their argument centered on how much non-wedding plot to pack in, because Moore’s thought had been to mix in a few other stories. "So I said, 'No, the wedding night has to be a full episode and nothing else! It can't be Jack Randall and the wedding. It has to be just the wedding,''" Dresbach said.
Her suggestion paralleled how the wedding night plays out in the source material. "In the book, you're with Jamie and Claire throughout this whole night of encounters and conversation and hesitation and everything in between," said author Diana Gabaldon. But Moore knew that depicting it that way wouldn't work on TV. "It's a just a long, long night," Moore said. "In the book, it's fairly linear, and it's a lot of storytelling, a lot of getting-to-know-you, with first sex, second sex, third sex, all of that. But it's a very long, long night until the morning. The show would become a very long night stuck in that room." And Gabaldon agreed with him. "To do that in a visual context would be rather monotonous," she said.
So, Moore and writer Anne Kenney set about trying to find the right balance for the episode that leaned heavily on the wedding night but also advanced other elements of the plot. They settled on tackling it with a non-linear structure, so that soon after the show opened, the wedding was over and the bride and groom were already in the wedding chamber. "The audience would go, 'Oh, shit! We missed it!'" Moore explained. "Fans of the book would be going, 'What?!'" And from there, they came up with the idea of flashbacks to both provide anticipation of the wedding itself as well, and to break up the wedding chamber scenes, "so you didn't feel too claustrophobic being in the room forever with the two characters just talking and having sex," Moore said.
"The structure of that was just brilliant," said Gabaldon of the flashback interpolations placed between the couple's conversations and sex interludes, including the stories of the dress and the ring and the wedding itself. "Jamie asks Claire, 'Do you actually remember your own wedding day?' because she's so hung-over!" Gabaldon laughed. With the flashbacks thus placed, Moore was able to "let the sex develop naturally," he said. "I had a way to break some of the tension, let the air out of it, get outside the room, and come back."
Dresbach estimated it would have taken one person 3,000 hours to make Claire's wedding dress, because the embroidery of the metal strips had to be done by hand. As it was, the dress took her team three or four months to complete, from concept to finish. One hiccup was having to re-design the dress after they locked down the filming location, because Dresbach wanted the dress to contrast with the heavy dark wood and masculine environment of the room. "You also want to feel like if you blew hard enough, the clothes would float off of her," she said. "You want to reach out and touch her, and feel the suspense of not touching. And then off it goes."
But Moore also wanted to prolong Claire's disrobing, so that more anticipation would build up to her first sexual encounter with Jamie. "The first time he touches her breast, that's a moment," said Moore. "Her touching his ass, that's a moment. The first time means something." And it was important that her dress stay on as long as possible for higher-minded reasons as well. "Ron and I watch so much TV where it's just another half-naked woman, just another pair of breasts, and it becomes furniture," Dresbach said. "The sensuality is lost. But this was romantic and sexy."
Well, except for the very first sexual encounter maybe. "It's just, 'Hey, let's just get it over with,'" laughed Moore. "It's sort of abrupt, with that Oh my god, was that it? quality to it." The brevity, of couse, had to reflect that their marriage came about for legal reasons; it also served to remind us that Jamie was a virgin. "He's never been with a woman to this extent," actor Sam Heughan said. "She's a more experienced woman, who is very strong and knows what she wants, and he's a young virgin. So the first time, of course, is going to be awesome."
While the scene marked the first time the characters had had sex with each other, the actors who play Claire and Jamie had already done a love scene together — a more intense scene that we won't see until episode nine whenOutlander returns from hiatus. (This happened due to logistics regarding sets and locations.) "It was great, because by the time we got to the wedding night scenes in episode seven, Sam and I had become such good friends, and we'd really sort of built this bond together, and that really helped," Caitriona Balfe told Vulture.
What probably didn't help, however, was how hot the room was. "It was like a sauna in there!" laughed Balfe. "Once you have all the lights going, it just heats up, and it's quite unbearable." Even when they weren't wearing a ton of clothing, or when all Heughan had on was his modesty pouch. "I think I lost it at one point in the urinal," he recalled. "It was not my proudest moment, to have to tell everyone that. But I did find another one!"
Moore decided not to have full frontal nudity in the episode, but that doesn't mean there won't be in other love scenes between the newlyweds. "It didn't feel like it was what the wedding night was about, so no full monty shot," he said. "It's more about moving to an emotional place. As they keep talking, something else starts to develop, like a more real sexual thing for the second encounter, and by the end, clearly, she's falling for him."
Still, Claire struggles to give in to her feelings for Jamie completely, because she feels like she's betraying her husband Frank. "It's a very complicated moment, because she's being forced to marry Jamie against her will," Balfe said. Consequently, the first time they have sex, she feels guilty. The second time, she's more relaxed. "And by the third time, they've really sort of pledged themselves to each other," she said. "You see how their relationship developed over the space of one night, how they allowed themselves to fall in love."
"It's the heart of the show, what happens on the wedding night," Moore said. "I think couples will enjoy it, because it's neither a male fantasy of a sex scene, nor is it a gauzy boudoir bodice ripper. It feels kind of true. It feels like, 'This is how it is.'"

One moment that made Dresbach tear up comes when Jamie describes seeing Claire at the wedding ceremony. He says that when he saw her for the first time, it was if he had stepped outside on a cloudy day, and suddenly the sun had come out. "It's so beautiful," she said, "and it's the very first thing Ron had ever said to me, outside of 'What costume are you doing next?' This was back when we were working together on Carnivàle. And when I saw it in the show, it was all over for me. I cried, it was so romantic. It was a tribute to us."

Andrea Bocelli performing, 60 guests and HER family footing the bill: New details of George Clooney's Venice wedding to Amal Alamuddin emerge

He recently let slip that he is planning to marry his lawyer fiancée Amal Alamuddin in the romantic city of Venice.
And it seems George Clooney is planning to keep his nuptials classy and low key, with only 60 guests invited, according to a new report in Us Weekly.
'He wanted just 60 genuine friends and family,' a source told the publication,' adding that his Ocean's Eleven co-star Matt Damon and his wife Luciana along with best pal Rande Gerber and his wife Cindy Crawford have made the cut.
But it is still unclear if Brad Pitt and wife Angelina Jolie will be among the guests.
On September 26, George, 53, and Amal, 36, will reportedly hold a 'casual' dinner at the Hotel Cipriani where suites start at $1490 per night.
The next morning, the couple plan to don formal attire and head to the Aman Canal Grande Venice hotel to tie the knot at 11am, according to the website.
Built in 1550, the 24-room, seven-star Aman Canal Grande in the Palazzo Papadopoli offers rooms ranging in price from £1,000 to £3,200 a night and has some of the best views of the city.
'It's all very classy,' said the source who added that Amal's younger sister Tala would be the bride's maid of honour, while George's friend Gerber is expected to be his best man.
Us reports the bridal party will tuck into both Italian and Lebanese dishes - Amal was born in Beirut while opera singer Andrea Bocelli will perform.
Perhaps more remarkably, despite Clooney being worth $180 million, Amal's family are said to be 'paying for most' of the lavish wedding, according to the insider.
And as for the bride's dress, Amal has apparently been spotted at the headquarters of Alexander McQueen, the fashion label that created Kate Middleton’s wedding dress.
The British based human-rights lawyer spent an hour and a half at the firm’s offices in Clerkenwell, East London, with her mother, the respected journalist Baria Alamuddin.
Meanwhile Rande was spotted loading more than 50 cases of tequila onto a private jet in Los Angeles on Monday.
TMZ report that the husband of Cindy Crawford was spotted loading cases of Casamigos tequila which is the brand owned by he and business partner George.
'I would just like to say to my bride-to-be Amal that I love you very much and I can’t wait to be your husband,' he said.
An eyewitness told E! News: 'She seemed so touched and overwhelmed and at that moment they looked right at each other and it was as if there was no one else in the room.'
It was during the same speech that George let slip that his upcoming nuptials will in fact be taking place in Venice, and not Lake Como as it was previously suspected.
'I met my bride-to-be in Italy, and I will be married in Italy soon, in a couple of weeks. In Venice, of all places,' the 53-year-old divulged.

The star took his blushing soon-to-be bride as his date to the black-tie gala, which was thrown on September 7 in support of the Andres Bocelli Foundation and The Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center.

Wedding reception at Orchard Park Country Club ends with ugly brawl

Seven different police agencies were called to help break up a brawl that broke out at a country club wedding reception Saturday night that had family members screaming that they hated each other hours after witnessing a couple exchange their marriage vows.
“Things were said that can never be taken back,” said a shocked witness who watched the fight unfold.
A manager at the Orchard Park Country Club repeatedly denied Sunday afternoon that any incident had occurred, despite confirmed reports by Orchard Park police, witnesses at the event, and bystanders who saw town and state police cars in front of the building.
The fights took place at the end of an otherwise beautiful wedding and reception held at the Country Club for a couple who live in the town. A witness who worked at the event but asked not to be identified said roughly 200 guests attended, and the fracas unfolded after the official reception ended at 11 p.m.
“I’m telling you, there was blood everywhere,” he said. “There was holes punched in the walls. Words couldn’t describe it. Just when you thought it was over, another fight started.”
Lt. Patrick Fitzgerald, who was shift commander Saturday night, confirmed the witness’ statements and said that the later brawl followed a more minor incident earlier in the evening. Police were called at 10:18 p.m. regarding a member of the wedding party who was accused of touching a woman inappropriately and wound up getting punched in the face.
The aggressor was escorted off the premises, Fitzgerald said.
It wasn’t until the reception was over and people were preparing to leave, however, that a fight ensued that ultimately engulfed dozens of family members and other guests.
Orchard Park police reported that shortly after 11 p.m., police received multiple 911 calls regarding a large fight at the club.
When they responded, officers encountered “a large crowd inside and outside of the venue where the fighting was still ongoing.” Damage was reported throughout the building.
Because of the large scale nature of the brawl, Fitzgerald said, additional police assistance was requested, and officers from the Town of Hamburg, Town of West Seneca, Village of East Aurora, Town of Cheektowaga, Erie County Sheriff’s Office and State Police responded and assisted the Orchard Park police in breaking up the fights, treating the injured and removing people from the club.
The Orchard Park Fire Company and Orchard Park EMS also responded and treated several people. A 39-year-old man, whose name was not released, suffered a head injury and was taken to Erie County Medical Center. All others refused further medical assistance.
A manager at the Orchard Park Country Club, who declined to give his name, said Sunday afternoon that no incident of any kind occurred the night before and that no police were called. He also said he was upset that The Buffalo News was reporting unsubstantiated claims.
When informed that the police directly provided the information and that the report indicated damage to the club, the manager responded that he had no idea why the police would state such a thing.
“Look around,” he said. “Does it look like there was any damage?”
The club’s main lounge and dining areas showed no signs of any altercation. Chairs, tables, pillows and lounge furniture stood neatly and attractively arranged inside the single-story main building.
But the wedding reception was held in a side banquet room that was not viewed Sunday. Fitzgerald said damage included holes in walls, blood, broken crystal bowls and glasses and damage to property in the main banquet area, hallways and basement.
“For them to say nothing happened is 100 percent wrong,” he said.
What started out as a single fight wound up becoming multiple fights laced with screaming and profanity that engulfed dozens of people as more people jumped in to intercede and wound up being sucked into the fray.
A witness at the reception said employees at the club appeared helpless to keep the fighting among guests and bridal party members from escalating.
The bride was hustled outside to a back patio to shield her from the scene while the bridegroom remained inside, desperately yelling at everyone to leave, the witness said.
“No one was safe,” he said.
The main banquet manager, who had left the event shortly after the first dance, which is customary, returned to the scene after the police arrived and angrily demanded to know why she hadn’t been contacted right away. Fitzgerald said the general manager and his wife also showed up later that night to confer with police and find out what happened.
The witness also said he was shocked that he didn’t see police inside the banquet room until about half an hour after the fighting started.
Fitzgerald said police responded much sooner than that but initially focused their attention on a guest with a head injury who was in the basement and ultimately taken to Erie County Medical Center for treatment. The victim’s name was not released, but Fitzgerald said the injury did not appear to be severe.
Despite interviews with staff, police were unable to identify exactly who or what caused the fights, Fitzgerald said. No one was arrested, though Fitzgerald said police have offered to work with the general manager and review surveillance tapes to determine who might be held responsible for starting the fights.
He added that much of the physical fighting was quelled within the first 15 minutes of officers’ arrival, though verbal exchanges among intoxicated guests continued as police tried to usher people home. No names have yet been released regarding the incident.
“There were intoxicated individuals who were not helping us at all and had to be sent along with a sober individual,” Fitzgerald said.
Not unlike a Buffalo Bills game, he added, after reflecting on the other trouble makers the Orchard Park Police were busy dealing with Sunday.

“They were just a little better dressed, I guess,” he said.

Coach breaks golden football rule, moves game for daughter's wedding

You think fall weddings are inconvenient for college football fans? Imagine being a coach with a daughter who has her heart set on a Saturday in late September.
That was Wagner College coach Walt Hameline's dilemma, when his youngest daughter, Kelly, told him last fall the place she chose as the site of her big day had few dates available -- and the one she picked was Sept. 20, the same day Wagner was scheduled to play Monmouth University.
"How can you do this?" Hameline said was his reaction. "What are you thinking about? It's football season. Ever since she was a baby she went to every football game."
With the help of an old friend, Hameline was able to reschedule the game. Wagner, an FCS school in Staten Island, visits its old Northeast Conference rival on the Jersey Shore on Saturday, giving the Seahawks an open date on Sept. 20 and keeping peace in the Hameline family.
"It's her wedding present and a lot of presents to follow throughout life," Hameline said in a phone interview Friday.
Hameline is in his 34th season as head coach at Wagner. He has a career record of 217-136-2, fifth among active FCS coaches in career victories, and is also the school's athletic director.
Sometimes it pays to be your own boss.
Last Kelly Hameline, 28, let her father know that she had found the perfect place to have her wedding -- "The most expensive place you can find," Walt Hameline said -- on Long Beach Island, New Jersey.
Turns out, the bill was only Hameline's second-biggest problem.
"There was only like, one or two dates (available)," he said.
Still, Hameline could hardly believe what his daughter was asking.
"There's always been a golden rule in our family," he said. "Once football season starts, my wife, my family, they go to the games and we do nothing else."
Not this time.
After last season was over, Hameline reached out to Monmouth coach Kevin Callahan. The two had crossed paths and become friends as young assistant coaches in the late 1970s, and when Hameline became head coach at Wagner, Callahan was the first coach he hired.
"It was kind of funny," Callahan said, recalling the conversation with a laugh. "In typical Walt fashion he goes, `Hey, hey, hey, you gotta help me out.' My first thought was, what's he up to here? Let me figure this out."
Callahan was in the process of filling Sept. 20 on Monmouth's schedule, but was able to move the Wagner game, lock it in and build the team's remaining schedule around it.
"We had the flexibility to make it work. I was more than happy to do it," said Callahan, who has been coach at Monmouth for 22 years.
So while Callahan won't be attending the wedding -- the Hawks play at Duquesne that day -- he's covered for a gift.
And Kelly Hameline, who lives in the Chicago area, will be at the Wagner-Monmouth game Saturday.
As for Hameline, he's just happy his daughter's wedding didn't conflict with Wagner's game last week at Florida International, an FBS school. He said Wagner was paid $240,000 for that trip to South Florida.

"Let's get this straight," Hameline said, "I wasn't calling FIU up."

Jessa Duggar and Ben Seewald's wedding gift list: ice cream maker, Mr & Mrs luggage tags, and ... shower cleaner?!

Recently engaged couple Jessa Duggar and Ben Seewald have a great selection of practical and whimsical items available through their Bed, Bath & Beyond gift registry.
Jessa and Ben became engaged on Aug. 14—their 11-month anniversary. They plan to marry on Nov. 1.
Most of the items on the couple's registry are for the kitchen. Cereal bowls, flatware, rocks glasses, and stockpots are still available for purchase, as well as large and small dish drainers, a lemon squeezer, and an egg poacher.
At least one of the household members must be a coffee lover, because a Keurig home brewing system, water filters, 36 K-cup drawer, and the Perfect Pod EZ-Cup were requested by the couple. Jessa, 21, and Ben, 19, might also enjoy watching infomercials, as several products from the "call now and get a second one free" variety are on the registry: the Dessert Bullet from the makers of the Magic Bullet, the Ninja MEGA Kitchen System, and the Nutribullet.
On the whimsical side, the couple requested a University of Arkansas 4x6-inch metal frame. Both Jessa and Ben are fans of the Razorbacks, and have shared photos of themselves attending the school's games. The Duggar family of "19 Kids and Counting" live in Tontitown, Arkansas, and Ben lives in their guest house. Ben is also completing online college courses, and wants to become a pastor or missionary, according to his Facebook profile.
Although honeymoon plans have not been announced, the couple will be ready for stylish travel with a turquoise Nicole Miller luggage set, a Traveler's Club 4-Wheel Spinner, and Benrus Scout backpacks. The whimsy continues with adorable "Mr. & Mrs." And "Bride & Groom" bag tags.
The soon-to-be Seewalds put plenty of quilts, pillows, and towels on their registry, and will save a few bucks if their wedding guests purchase the shower cleaner, OxiClean, carpet stain remover, and other household items they requested.

The priciest items on the registry are a Moe's Home Collection 5-Level Shelf for $660.99, and a 3-panel Dressing Mirror Screen for $259.99.

Jessa Duggar and Ben Seewald register their wedding wishlist at Bed Bath & Beyond

With their big day less than two months away, Jessa Duggar and Ben Seewald have created their wedding registry - and it's significantly more modest than the average wedding wishlist.
The 19 Kids and Counting star, 21, and her fiance's registry at Bed Bath & Beyond includes a $5 serving spoon, a $12 dish drainer and a set of two ice trays for just $3.
Ben revealed today that he and his bride-to-be are trying to keep their wedding plans simple, and judging by the registry items it seems they've stuck to their goal.
'We have most of our planning done,' the 19-year-old told People. 'When you're planning a wedding, you can make it complicated or make it simple, and we are trying to make ours simple.
'There are some things that have to be done right before the wedding, but for the most part, we're ready.'
Other items on the list include a $2.99 strawberry huller, a four-pack of K-Cup coffee capsules for $9.99 and a $3.99 mesh drawer organizer.
On the pricier end of the spectrum, they also requested a $500 set of stainless steel cookware items and a $400 set of knives.
The couple, who got engaged in August after courting for 11 months, are set to wed on November 1.
The announcement of their engagement came just two months after Jessa's sister Jill, 23, married her fiance Derick Dillard in June.
And last month, Jill and Derick revealed that they're expecting their first child. Jill is due in March
Ben and Jessa's bridal registry is something of a contrast to that of Jill and Derick's, which they revealed in June.
On it, the couple asked for an assortment of strange gifts from Wal-Mart that included a shotgun and a rifle, as well as Fruit Loops, Raisin Bran and Hershey's Cookies and Creme cereals.
Shortly after Ben proposed to Jessa on August 14, she changed her Instagram handle to Jessa Seewald, taking his last name.
'We do have a lot in common,' she has previously said of her husband-to-be. 'He is a mellow personality, very romantic and very sweet.
'I am very cut and dried. And my sisters are coaching me on sweet romantic things to say.'
Today, she shared a video of her .75-carat diamond engagement ring, showing it off at every angle.

'My beautiful engagement ring! .75 carat diamond - 18 karat gold band. Gorgeous!' she captioned the Instagram clip.

Snoop Dogg crashes wedding

A typical job for a wedding photographer turned into anything but, when Snoop Dogg got involved.
Also known as Snoop Lion, the rapper was staying at the Hard Rock Hotel in downtown Chicago, where the wedding was taking place. So he decided to pop in and join the celebration.
The wedding dress, the cake, the guest, and the music. All wedding day essentials and the photographer was there to capture the moment.
Chris Seibel has been taking photos for eight years now. Over the course of his time at Allusion Photography he's shot many weddings.
"It was a Hindu wedding, beautiful wedding, the details of it," said Seibel.
But his most recent gig tops them all over Labor Day weekend he shot a Hindu wedding in Chicago.
"Sitting by the window a couple big armored vehicles pulled up. They were BMW's, you knew something was up. You knew a celebrity was coming in," said Seibel.
When an unexpected guest arrived at the hotel.
"He was wearing a purple and gold jumpsuit, you knew it was him," said Seibel.
And while most wedding crashers tend to get a bad rap, this one was more than welcome to join the party. That guest just so happened to be rapper Snoop Dogg.
"The groom's mom she's a huge fan, she just grew up with him," said Seibel. "She's like I'll do whatever it takes, you got to get him in on the wedding."
The couple stood next to snoop to take a picture that would soon go viral.
"Snoop was laughing so much because my bride and groom wouldn't get close to him, they were so nervous," said Seibel.
Soon after, snoop posted the picture to Instagram. It got nearly 30,000 likes.
"We took a couple shots and he's like hey dog and he reaches in his pocket grabs his cell phone and he wanted me to take a couple shots with his own cell phone so that was quite an honor too," said Seibel.
An unforgettable memory the Mr. and Mrs. will have forever.

"It was a surprise, it was cool," said Seibel.

Anyone want a wedding photo of Ashlee Simpson and Evan Ross?

Congratulations to Ashlee Simpson and Evan Ross, son of singer Diana Ross, who married at the diva’s Connecticut home on Saturday. Sadly, any hopes Simpson had of financing an extravagant honeymoon by selling exclusive pictures to a celeb magazine had to stop, in the name of reality. No one cared.
“The Simpsons have a long history of selling pictures to magazines,” an insider tells Confidenti@l. “When Jessicawas at the peak of her success with Nick Lachey, her dad made an exclusive several-part deal with OK! magazine. Just a few months ago, Jessica sold her most recent wedding pictures to People for $300,000. But now it seems no one cares about Ashlee anymore.”
As Simpson, 29, and Ross, 26, exchanged their vows, they were surrounded by family and friends, including Jessica, who served as a matron of honor; Ashlee's 5-year-old son, Bronx;and the legendary mother of the groom.
One would think the mere presence of the supreme Supreme would be enough to help Ashlee’s photos fetch big bucks, but that doesn’t appear to have been the case.
“The only outlet that had expressed any real interest is People,” another insider said. “But they made it clear that a picture of the two sisters together would be better than a picture of Ashlee alone or with her groom. And (People) will not guarantee a cover.”
An hour after Confidenti@l contacted Simpson's rep Janet Ringwood for comment, wedding photos were suddenly, and not exclusively, released for sale to any magazines or papers that were interested — in the late afternoon on Labor Day!
We’re also told that Ashlee had considered releasing the pictures via social media. The couple had announced their engagement on Jan. 13 via Twitter.
“The love of my life said YES!!!!!!” Ross announced, with Simpson adding, “My baby love and I are ENGAGED!!! Hallelujah Hawaii!!!”
Following the engagement, Simpson’s divorced mother, Tina, threw the couple a party in March at her home. Jessica threw Ashlee a bridal shower at her home in August.
“It’s not just the money — Ashlee wanted her wedding to be as important as her sister’s,” adds a source close to the bride. “She’s always been in Jessica's shadow and wanted this to be her time to shine. She would give the images away to get a cover, even if it means sharing one with her maid of honor.”

After being reached out to once more, this time regarding the wedding-photo fire sale, Simpson’s rep didn’t get back to us.