Today at Conde Nast: Layoffs at Brides

The magazine layoffs are beginning now at Conde Nast.

About a dozen people were laid off today at Brides, the only Conde Nast bridal magazine left standing after the company's elimination of Modern Bride and Elegant Bride on Monday afternoon. All of the layoffs today were on the publishing side, a Conde Nast source said.

According to an insider, the unlucky bunch were informed via e-email that they had to meet with HR reps.

Staffers at Brides were particularly nervous after the news hit late Monday afternoon that their publisher, Alison Adler Matz, had been fired and was replaced by ex-Cookie publisher, Carolyn Kremins.

Here's the really bad news: A source tells us that the employees laid off today received only two weeks severance for every year worked. (Compare that to employees laid off on Monday from Conde Nast who, thanks to the WARN Act, received three months severance.)

Conde Nast CEO Chuck Townsend told us in an interview that all the layoffs this week will represent the majority of what we'll see, in total, at Conde Nast in the next few weeks. This week's total has now been bumped up to about 192.

A Conde Nast spokeswoman declined to comment.