shore thing

After a leisurely weekend in my favorite New Jersey coastal down of Cape May, I am revved and ready for more wedding goodness to come after taking the weekend off...for the most part. The weather was nice for walking on the beach. Diamond hunting. And beach house renovations. We painted the guest room. The dog even got in on the action and got paint on his butt. This picture is pre-paint…

I just made a late New Year’s resolution to not only take more pictures but to, more importantly, blog more pictures - wedding or not. Because let’s face it, that’s what I like most about blogs. I dunno about you though.

I am currently obsessed with thepioneerwoman.com. She takes some amazing pics out on her family’s ranch in Oklahoma. I spent much of my leisurely beach weekend reading her new book. She’s funny.  You can borrow it when I'm done.

Anyway, back to more pictures. I take a ton of pictures of Wilson.  See him down there?

I will be heading from one beach town to another late this winter.  I am a bridesmaid in my friend’s wedding at the Chesapeake Bay Beach Club in MD.  The venue looks phenom and since we all finally recovered from her Las Vegas bachelorette party nearly 2 and a half weeks later, we should be ready to do it again.  Our recovery time just isn't what it used to be.  So sad, isn't it?

Here’s what I threw together for their wedding stationery. The invitation is a square pocketfold style with 4 inserts including the response card. There is an ivory ribbon and the gold carstock is shimmery. This was labor intensive!

I like to think of it as muted beach club elegance.

Perfect for a winter wedding at the shore.

I have to get back to finishing the coordinating table numbers now. 
And Wilson is back to doing what he usually does...

-The perennial bridesmaid

overload

It is hard to believe it is already Thursday and a new weekend is staring me in the face. I am still recovering from last weekend’s bender.

Not that kind of bender unfortunately.

It was a full-on jam-packed weekend starting with a rager of a baby shower. Balloons hanging from the rafters. Diaper cakes. Banners. Cookies. Games. Music. Like I said, a real rager!

Although baby showers are not in my wedding jurisdiction, I am really spending a lot of time at them. I think I am almost ready to take on the DIY diaper cake. From what I am told, you just need a ton of diapers and rubber bands. Roll ‘em up, group ‘em together and hide all of your mechanics with some ribbon. I think I can handle it.

I aspire to make one this stunning...

The shower was a display shower as all the trendy ones are these days. It makes sense for baby showers, right? Either the boxes are so big that wrapping them is a total waste of paper or the little outfits and things are so cute that you just want them out on display for everyone to peruse. Plus, everybody wants to be green. This particular display shower looked like Christmas for the kid’s first 3 years. They cleaned up!

The theme was “Celebrate the Peanut”. The whole peanut thing is picking up in the baby shower world. It ran full swing in every detail. I provided the centerpieces which were a traditional vase arrangement of cut flowers in the shower’s color scheme. But look closer. I told you peanuts were everywhere so I subtly incorporated actual shelled peanuts into the arrangements. Hopefully people noticed them and you can find them in this picture. I ate some too while arranging.  Maybe next time I will make arrangements full of chocolate...

Having not seen most of my relatives since Christmas, we kept the momentum going. I spent the majority of the weekend with various family members. We covered everything from who’s walking to who walked out and absurd Facebook statuses - one of our favorite topics. Come on, you know you do it too. I suppose I’m good until spring.

Or at least until the next shower anyway.

The weekend also included one of my Nearly-Famous DIY wedding invitation parties. Yes, I just dubbed it that. Does it have a nice ring to it?

One of my 2011 brides got her bridesmaids together so we could hand make the soon-to-be-released invitations. Sorry, no teasers here. I can tell that all 120 are finished, return-addressed and even have coordinating thank you’s. We only ran into one minor (nearly major) hiccup. All was solved and completed by sundown just in time for the super bowl. Let’s just say “the eagle has landed” and leave it at that.

Oh!  And I just might have found the local and inexpensive tailor that I have been searching for thanks to a referral from one mf my SILs.  Stay tuned!

Did Christina Aguilera really mess up the national anthem? I was too busy eating and rounding out the gossip. I found out on Monday who won.

-The perennial bridesmaid

drumroll please

Today is the day I make the big announcement!

Ok so it is actually not that big but at any rate I’d like to share it with you!

I will be spreading my bloggy cheer beyond the 4 cyber walls of 10,000 weddings. That’s right. You’re looking at (sort of) the new (only) Philadelphia DIY Weddings Examiner.

What does that mean?

I haven’t exactly figured it out but I plan to soon. In the meantime, you can read my first DIY article by clicking here.

I’d like to thank God and the academy for making this possible. I’d also like to thank J&J for giving me the inspiration for the content of my first article. The original lovebirds.

You will still find me, the perennial bridesmaid, blogging my unforgiving opinions about real weddings and parties here at 10,000 weddings. You will also find a more polished version (read: third person) at examiner.com with specific Wedding DIY project how-to’s. I will let you know whenever there is new content over there. If you decide to poke around for yourself, go to examiner.com, select Philadelphia, select Family & Home, select Weddings for all Philly wedding content and look for me. Soon I may even have a pic up there.  Of course it could only be a bridesmaid pic in full stage make up.  That would only be right.

That’s all for now. Back to packing for Vegas.

-The perennial bridesmaid

harvest time

As you can probably tell, wedding season has slowed down greatly for me. Rather, it has come to a halt until next year. I am still planning and crafting but not nearly as much as earlier this year. I can tell you that January is booked out the wazoo with celebrations so stay tuned!

In the meantime, I am busying myself with all things I love about the end of the year. From pumpkin patches to wreath making! I am passionate about everything fall harvest and the holidays have to offer.

If you are planning a fall wedding, there are so many great natural resources to decorate with. One of my favorite centerpieces is the ol’ pumpkin. It is such a great standby. Of course, you can use plain pumpkins and gourds to create a harvest tablescape. You can also go the mini route with a bowl full of the smaller pumpkins and gourds. But my favorite is the pumpkin planter!

All you need to do is carve a large pumpkin. Make sure the opening is up top and is at least 6 inches wide. Pull out all of the seeds and mush. Place a seasonal potted plant inside. Try a mum, kale or my favorite, an ornamental pepper. There you have a centerpiece and conversation piece in one. It will look like the plant is growing out of the pumpkin! Feel free to dress it up further with raffia or ribbon. One thing I should mention is that you don’t want to remove the plant from the nursery container it came in. The plastic will help preserve the pumpkin longer. If the soil sits directly in the pumpkin, the pumpkin will rot quickly.

Bonus: use mini pumpkins for your place settings or escort cards. Put the name and table number on cardstock that you attach to the mini’s stem.  This will complement the centerpiece nicely.

I made this centerpiece (with the colorful pepper plant) for added fall decor in my house a few years ago and everyone that stopped by raved over it. Imagine the impact dozens of these can have at your fall harvest wedding! Try it for Thanksgiving this year.

-The perennial bridesmaid

photo: wiki

mmm, chocolate

God, I love getting chocolate as a favor. It never gets old. Don’t let anyone tell you chocolate isn’t a good favor.  The last rehearsal dinner I went to included a personalized favor. It’s nice to get a favor at the pre-wedding dinner although not a requirement.

The favor was mini Hershey bars so I was in heaven but they DIY’d a spin on the bars that made it oh-so personal. The groom’s family printed out the wedding logo on standard business labels and then wrapped each chocolate bar individually. This is an idea I never thought of before but hello! So simple. And much more cost effective than getting those customized M&M’s or customized Hershey Bar labels online. You will pay a premium for those.

The crafty ladies didn’t stop at the chocolate bar labels. They took it further to really personalize this favor. The dinner was held at a brewery and homebrew beer was one of the wedding themes so bottle cap magnets were made with the wedding logo and silly pics of the couple. Bottle caps! Clever. Again.

Here’s a pic of how they neatly packaged it all up in cellophane envelopes.

Remember, a professional wedding logo is not a requirement. You can create a monogram or use your initials and get the same effect. These favors could also be given to guests at a shower or even the wedding.

-The perennial bridesmaid

logo of love

I hope you already read yesterday’s post about the cool wedding I went to this weekend. The details were not missed. But it all began with a wedding logo.

Way back in 2009, the bride and groom commissioned a graphic artist to create this logo. It was meant to include the wedding theme colors: purple & blue and wheat or kraft. And of course it was outlined in polka dots, the primary or initial theme of the wedding. (I later learned that the tandem bike was the “secondary surprise theme”!) Also, note the 2 fonts introduced on this logo. I don't know their names but these 2 fonts were carried out on all wedding print collateral.

There you have it. The birth of a brand. Known as Leigh & Aaron 9.5.10.

Everything was branded. Well, not everything. It was done tastefully. The logo was on the invitation and all colors and polka dots were included. You may recall reviewing the invitation, if not catch up!

The logo image with omitted text was used for the table numbers as pictured yesterday. It was also used to indicate the cake flavors. Oh and also for the ‘just married’ flag. All pictured in yesterday’s post. Go see how many logos you can find...

The photobooth printed out guests’ images in real time with the logo on it! I thought this was really unique. Probably because I’m technically impaired and have no idea how they DIY’d this. It’s the little things that impress guests so think outside of the box.

Other printed materials were not branded with the logo but more so with the chosen colors and fonts. Check out a page of the program.

And the place cards that I referenced yesterday. Even if you’re not going the extra mile and branding your wedding, you can still do something informal like this for the escort cards in your own color scheme. Just hang them up on a clothesline. So simple but refreshingly different.

If you are overwhelmed by this level of wedding marketing, have no fear. You don’t have to brand everything! Perhaps you can come up with a monogram that you like. Just remember to be consistent and use it on several elements of your wedding.

Happy marketing!

-The perennial bridesmaid

in tandem

In order to recap last weekend’s wedding, I feel that I really need to summarize the bride and groom. Here are a few adjectives that describe who they are: Marketer. Hombrewer. Jewish. Natural. Crafty. Ohioan. Theatrical. Bicycler. Laid back. Original.

Keep those in mind.

Ok, now onto the wedding.

Sunday was one of those perfect September days that make you thrilled for fall but also nostalgic for summer.  Not a cloud or hint of humidity in the sky. The grounds of the John J. Audubon Center  made for an excellent natural setting. The couple crafted an original ceremony from beginning to end. It included Jewish traditions such as the huppah and the breaking of the glass as a shout out to the bride’s background. They wrote their own vows and friends read select text from the couples’ favorite poems & books. They had a custom made Ketubah, a Jewish marriage contract shown below, which mimicked a bicycle. The laid back ceremony was accented by a circle of guests seated in chairs and coordinating blankets to observe.

After the breaking of the glass by the groom, guests made their way to the unique barn for cocktail hour. We enjoyed homebrewed beer that was made with love by the groom. The place cards were hand crafted name cards that were pinned to a clothesline complete with photos of the couple on another clothesline above.

And I almost forgot the West Philly Orchestra that played throughout the ceremony, cocktail hour and part of the reception including the horah, another Jewish tradition. The sound of horns brought a little bit of soul, a little bit of funk and a lot of original entertainment to the wedding.

The reception was held in a pavilion just up a trail from the barn and adjacent to the ceremony site. It was donned in purple and wheat accents as that was the color scheme of the event.

The newlyweds made a theatrical entrance on their own tandem bike complete with a ‘just married’ flag! What a fun surprise.

The crafty details that went into this entire wedding were more than I’ve ever seen before. DIY at it’s finest! Let’s see… I mentioned the homebrew beer that was drank well into the night. Each beer had a clever name and description.  they were named for the bride and groom's families.  Even the toast was with a craft champagne beer by the brewmaster groom.

Then there was the cake display. It was actually a cake buffet of about a dozen types all made by friends. Each cake donned a little flag that stated the flavor and baker. The center cake was topped with a tandem bike which was cut by the bride and groom. I'm sorry to say that I didn't sample ANY of these because I was having too much fun on the dance floor.  How did I do this to myself again?

Then there was the homemade favors…they were a little bit of heaven in the form of chocolate and peanut butter called “buckeyes”, a shout out to the groom’s Ohioan roots. They were packaged complete with a poem by the bride about the buckeye and how it relates to the couple.

A DJ took over after a gourmet barbecue dinner and dancing ensued. For those interested in other forms of entertainment, there was a photobooth to cheese it up in, games of cornhole to play and trails of the Audubon to explore.
All and all, it was a laid back yet detail oriented event that truly captured both the bride AND groom’s personalities. These people seriously know how to throw a party!  Thank goodness I am friends with them.

Stay tuned for the next post related to the marketing that surrounded this wedding. What do I mean by that? You will see! Here’s a hint…branding.

-The perennial bridesmaid

the nerve

A close friend asked for my advice the other day on how to politely decline the request to use her house to host a bridal shower. This sounds like a tough one but it actually isn’t. Once you hear more details, you too will agree that she needs to say no.

Let’s call my friend Sally.

Sally was recently married. She chose her family members as her bridesmaids. They threw her a lovely bridal shower. (Not totally relevant to this story.) One of these family members is now engaged and chose to have mostly friends for bridesmaids and did not include Sally. She was fine with this decision. Less responsibility for her, right?

Wrong.

The harem of bridesmaids decided that the shower should be held at a family member’s house so they asked Sally to host! Sweet Sally was put on the spot and quickly agreed. Only a few days passed when she realized that she didn’t really WANT this responsibility nor was her husband too happy with it. After all, she wasn’t asked to be a bridesmaid so why take this huge task on?

My advice? I told her that she needs to tell these girls that she is not able to host the shower at her house. Period. It’s not her responsibility!

The kicker is that some of these other girls have houses where they can hold the shower. Of course, there are other options like having it out somewhere if their budget allows.

The bottom line is that the bridesmaids are responsible for hosting the bridal shower (and the mothers of the bride or groom, if they so choose). That is exactly why a bride choses bridesmaids.  They are essentially friends and family chosen to host events and help the bride throughout the wedding process. 

-The perennial bridesmaid

bridal shower invitation by yours truly
note it says: Hosted by the Bridesmaids

what's in your pocket

Everybody wants a pocket on their wedding invitation these days.  It's currently all the rage.  The pocket stores the response card & envelope, hotel info, directions and whatever other info accompanies the actual invite portion of the invitation.

What did we do before the evolution of the pocket?

Anyway, here's an example of a pocketfold invitation that we put together earlier this year.  It is a 5x7 horizontal layout with the pocket on the bottom.  We went with a modern template.  The script is right aligned and the complementary scroll image is on the left which we hand stamped.  The color scheme matches the colors of the wedding - navy, yellow & ivory.

-The perennial bridesmaid

lovebirds

I sure am behind schedule this week as round 2 of wedding season picks up in full swing. Today a bachelorette party. Next week a wedding. Yesterday bridesmaid dress shopping. Here we go again! Stay tuned for details.

The surface of my refrigerator is beginning to fill up with more wedding & shower invitations, save the dates, thank yous and other cute announcements for this season’s events. Today I wanted to feature a DIY save the date.

It is a 5x7 brushed gold one sided card. The personalization is 2-fold. First, actual engagement photos of the couple are centered up top.  Real pictures! From my understanding, different photos were used on each card. The photographs were taken by Lorraine Daley and her sidekick Greg. The engaged couple chose Ridley Creek State Park in Delaware County, PA. They were lucky enough to get a rare low humidity, cool summer day which as we know ladies, leads to a good hair day!

The couple is working the lovebird theme with the birdcage stamp. In addition, they had a custom stamp made with their deets by Love To Create Stamps. Good choice. I can imagine the endless possibilities on future DIY projects for that stamp.

For a girl’s first wedding DIY project, she did a-okay! I like the lack of mass-produced feel this save the date evokes. Judge for yourself…

-The perennial bridesmaid

shameless plug

The title says it all. 

If you didn't already get the idea, I like to make things.  Wedding DIY projects usually entail invitations, thank yous, announcements, etc.  I've talked about a few projects here and there are others that I will post one of these days.  In the meantime, I have a new, ahem product line, if you will.  Call them bridesmaid cards or whatever you'd like. 

Newly engaged ladies are always so excited about asking their friends and family to be their bridesmaids.  Many times they send a card stating the obvious question.  Customizable bridesmaid cards are available on my etsy shop. 

-The perennial bridesmaid

well rounded

Invitations come in all shapes, sizes, colors and umm, corners. The formal creamy wedding invitation with silver script seems to be going extinct. Everyone is opting for color! Custom monograms. Lace. Textured cardstock. Ribbon. You name it and I’ve probably seen it on one of our DIY assembly lines in the last year. Perhaps you've received one?

Today I am featuring one of these DIY gems because words alone just won’t do it justice!

Well let me try a few words anyway…This invitation is legal size. Tri-fold also known as gate fold. On the front “cover” is the couple’s custom logo that a phenom graphic designer friend put together for them. At first, that’s all you see until you remove the belly band. Oh you’ve never heard that term before as it applies to invitations? The belly band holds it all in the invitation, just like your spanx hold it all in for you.  This belly band is textured with polka dots.

Remove the dotted belly band and you've got yourself an invitation with details about the couple and wedding.  They opted for a totally casual phrase...no last names, no parents' names, just "together with their families".  That safely encompasses everyone that made this union possible!

Moving on to the inside...brace yourself for inserts, maps, details, pockets, response cards and tons of rounded corners!  Have you ever seen such a detailed map?  Since there are a lot of out-of-towners attending this wedding, a custom made map was a necessity.  Made by the groom himself.

There are a total of 3 pockets here.  The picture is not clearly showing that they are all indeed texturized with the polka dots.  The details here are remarkable! 

The response card evokes humor with the following response choices next to decreasingly smaller boxes:

Yes! Save us seats
No, sadly missing out
I'm going to forget to mail this

Overall, the invitation sets the tone of the wedding and party.  Casual yet detail oriented.  Humorous, fun and well rounded!

-The perennial bridesmaid

i’m baa’ack

Did you miss me? I took a relaxing break from the wedding world. I am still trying to enjoy the July sabbatical but don’t want to leave you hanging so here are some reads.

I owe you feedback about the Rockabilly wedding that I attended. I really had no idea as to what to expect. The invitation advised to dress in Rockabilly attire and drive your hot rod to the chapel followed by a pig roast reception in a barn…sounds like a party. I pretty much pictured the final scene of Grease. You know the one where Sandra Dee lets her hair down (literally) and all the guys are in their leather jackets with cuffed jeans. Rizzo has some hot pants on of course. The backdrop includes sexy muscle cars and a carnival like atmosphere.

My vision was relatively on point but the reality included the following: Photo booth. Records. Polka dots. Greasers. Soda shop waiters. Candy cigarettes. Red lipstick. Muscle cars. Leopard print. Chuck Taylors. Crinoline skirts. Red roses. Popcorn machine. Ice cream sundae bar. Mary Janes. Lucky 13 Mechanic Shirts.

All of these elements came together for a memorable second wedding for the couple. Why do I mention that it was their second wedding? It actually seems that was the key to the success of the event and the theme. It seems that the first time around, one can get obsessed with the details of planning a formal event and overall, the need for everything to be perfect. The second wedding was more like a relaxed party than a formal event. The bottom line is, if you build it they will come. They will even dress in theme for you. Have a good time and as they say, don’t sweat the small things.



Because I am not even sure how I can explain without photos, here goes…

What did guests wear? It was all in the fancy foot wear. Every great outfit starts with the shoes. Let's be honest. So rockabilly ladies wore kitten toe heels, leopard flats or Mary Janes. The guys wore Chuck's or vintage leather wing tip shoes alla Buddy Holly.

Yours truly? I combined pink Chuck's with a polka dress.

The cars alone were enough to set the decor.  The bride and groom hopped into a "Just Married" adorned hot rod after exchanging vows.  They were followed by a small fleet of equally hot muscle cars.  They would have been enough to wow even Rizzo.

I am not sure who to give credit to for this adorable cake but it was right in theme.  The polka dots layered on chocolate with red rose detail were just too cute.  Did you notice the cake topper?  Yes, it is a pink pig.  It was a pig roast reception after all.  I told you how the couple didn't need things to be overly fancy and that was the fun of their day!

DIY table centerpieces fit the era dead on.  Black white checkered table clothes were layered with a record that was adorned by a red rose bouquet in an old fashioned ice cream dish.  Similar records were also handed out to the guests upon arriving at the ceremony.  Those records were adorned with the program of the ceremony.  They also doubled as fans for the warm afternoon.  Clever!

For those of you that don't know, Rockabilly is a style that combines both rock 'n roll and hillbilly music, modernly known as country.  Rockabilly was born in the 1950s.  I've recapped so many of the rock 'n roll styles that were incoporated into this event but let me remind you that the reception was held in a barn.  That's where the country side of things come into the theme.  It was a picturesque farm as you can see.  The barn was an amazing venue for a party.

-The perennial bridesmaid

pulling it off or putting it on

Hopefully you read the last 2 posts about the Greek themed honeymoon shower we threw last weekend. I wanted to follow up with some other details that went into the theme to round out this "mini-series" of posts.

Having never thrown a honeymoon shower, I didn’t know what to put on the invitations. I googled a few things but didn’t like much of what was out there. Collectively we came up with the following...

[Bride] and [Groom] will marry soon
Followed by a Greek Honeymoon

Let’s send her to Greece in style!
Out of the box, off the registry…

This verbiage combined with some stellar graphics (which I can't take credit for) seemed to do the trick. Guests came equipped with honeymoon and vacation gifts (see previous blog entry for honeymoon shower gifts).

Polka dots have played a big part in this wedding overall. The bride loves them. We decided it would only be appropriate to work them into the shower as well. It was subtle on the plates and napkins. The fact that they were blue and white also worked to our Greek theme being that they are country’s colors.

The guest of honor got to sit in the Aphrodite chair which was simply a chair lined with tulle and dotted swiss fabric. It may look simple here but once she was in it she literally looked like she was on a cloud channeling her inner goddess, of course

Favors are on of my favorite shower elements to put together. I like to come up with favors that are practical. Fortunately we started the planning early so I was able to pull of my vision. Wine charms are not necessarily a new concept in the favor category but we put a Greek spin on it that played to the theme quite nicely.

After researching significant Greek symbols and their meanings, we settled on the following four which also lend the appropriate symbolism to the upcoming marriage that we are celebrating.








Owl – wisdom, protection, inspiration
Meandros – permanence, stability, infinity
Evil eye – protection and good luck
Selene – goddess of the full moon, womanhood

Here is a tip, these charms were not easy to find. Hit etsy to find an artisan who can create yours for you! Wildbryde was awesome to work with and custom made the charms for us - the only party of the shower we didn't DIY! We added the charms and a few beads to the hoops and voila!

We didn’t just pull of a bridal shower but we put on a themed event! It was easy to hit all of the elements in this shower because of the partnership between the MOB and me. The more communication and organization that goes into these things, the better the execution! Did I mention she’s a great baker too?

-The perennial bridesmaid

how do you spell greece

Where did I leave off? Ahh, dessert.

Before we could actually move onto dessert, we had to have an inevitable bridal shower game. It’s not just any game. We made this one up ourselves so we like to think it is original and more entertaining than the typical games turning up at showers.

Let’s call it “honeymoon girl”. The object of the game is for a guest to answer a correct trivia question. Then they get to put an article of honeymoon attire on the bride for the guests’ sheer entertainment.

By the end of our game “honeymoon girl” had everything on that she needed for the beach and we all had a good laugh! She was a good sport. This game is easily transferable as long as you come up with trivia questions that apply to the couple or their destination. Our questions were related to cities named Athens. Turns out there are tons of Athens beyond just Greece.

Now for dessert – baklava, oh how I wish I had more of that. Chocolate cake, almond cookies, brownies. I am sure I missing something. Check the menu. Did I mention that the brownie was iced in the Greek flag? How cute. Mmm, more baklava please.

We wrapped up the shower with gifts. As you know by now this wasn’t a typical bridal shower so there was no need for buying cutlery and sheets from Macy’s. We asked that the guests bring gifts that were “out of the box, off the registry” so we could send the bride to Greece in style.

We asked and they answered! She got fabulous floppy hats, beach bags, flowing dresses, summer scarves and more practical things like an umbrella, a passport purse, travel guide books, luggage, custom luggage tags, sunscreen, travel games and tons of flip flops. These are all ideal gifts to give at a honeymoon shower. The bride could get on the plane tomorrow to Greece and be set with those presents.

She also received several fun "before and after" gifts like a Greek cookbook and photo albums.

One guest had a creative way of presenting her honeymoon gifts. She lettered 6 blue gift bags with the letters G-R-E-E-C-E. Each bag had a different present that corresponded to the letter on the bag. For example, G – “Get ready for your trip”. The DVD of My Big Fat Greek Wedding was one of the items inside! There are so many ways you can spin these lettered bags to work for you for almost any occasion. It was such a clever idea! I want to try it.

Overall, this shower was as un-bridal shower as a shower can be and that was pleasing! A little bit of creativity and a great theme can really spice things up.

Stay tuned for some details about planning.

-The perennial bridesmaid

defining a honeymoon shower

I’m still recovering from my fantastic weekend that was jam packed with wedding festivities. As promised, I am sharing details. I have been trying to organize them in my brain to present them in a comprehensive manner.
Let’s start with the bridal shower… I am going to break it into a mini-series, if you will.

The bride’s mom and I opted to plan a honeymoon shower. I had heard of this concept but never executed it before. Commonly a honeymoon shower is thrown to prepare the couple for their vacation. The idea is to shower them with travel related gifts rather than items from their registry.

We took it a step further. You could actually say about 3 steps further…

The newlyweds will be vacationing in Greece later this summer. Therefore, we themed the entire shower around Greece. This was not only a surprise for the bride but also a surprise for the guests. They knew they were invited to a honeymoon shower for the bride but didn’t know it would be Greek themed for them as well.

When guests arrived they were presented with apps to munch on like olives, hummus & pita. Once the guest of honor came, we broke into Greek dance. This was led by a very talented little boy appropriately named Alexander. He is a Greek dancer who came prepared in the traditional outfit. Alexander taught us the traditional moves.  Opa!

Think that’s better than bridal bingo? We do.

After we caught our breath from dancing, we toasted to the bride with ouzo. An anise flavored aperitif that I’m sure the bride and groom will sample more of on their honeymoon.

Finally it was time for the delicious main course, which consisted of spanikopita, tzatziki, dolmades, olives, hummus, and many many good things that I do not know how to say, let alone spell. The mother of the bride is such a fabulous cook and baker. She made it all herself from scratch! And no, she is not Greek. Check out her menu below.

Hungry for more? Stay tuned for dessert.

-The perennial bridesmaid

cocktails, cardstock & crinoline

I’ve made it halfway through 2010 ‘the year of the weddings’. I only have minor aches and slight sleep depravation. This feeling is probably evident because it is Monday morning after an insanely busy 48 wedding hours.

It started with an invitation assembly line. 10 crafty ladies with a goal of 140 wedding invitations. Stacks and stacks of cardstock surrounded us. How exciting to know that it would all be transformed into something beautiful.

I woke up early the next day and put on my best 1950s ensemble. With Kinicki on my arm we headed out to rock around the clock at the rockabilly themed wedding. Into the pastures of rural Pennsylvania we went. Soon we were surrounded by more polka dots, muscle cars, greasers, 45s & red crinoline than this century has ever seen. The morning turned into afternoon and the bride and groom turned into husband and wife.

Before we knew it afternoon was evening and it was time for our next stop. June brides share the stage with grads. I soon found myself even further into the country and looking slightly out of place when I brought rockabilly to graduation. The bonfire was burning bright but I was burning out. As tents began to line the landscape, it was time for me to call it quits on Saturday.

Sunday morning came early with another enticing theme on the horizon. The 50s were behind me and a Greek honeymoon shower was ahead. We stacked pita and scooped hummus, sampled baklava and tzatziki, toasted with ouzo but most of all truly surprised a bride to be. She opened gifts for her honeymoon to where else but Greece!

Sunday evening finally arrived. I came home to my weekend’s mail. One package with an invitation for yet another wedding!

My eyelids grew heavy but why was it so hard to sleep? Visions of Greek men in polka dots & red crinoline skirts danced through my head while holding purple cardstock and shouting opa!

Have I lost my mind?

I’m glad to see a well needed vacation in my future. A little down time from the wedding scene might do me some good. But don’t worry because I have enough content from these past 48 hours alone to keep my loyal readers satisfied. Stay tuned for details.

-The perennial bridesmaid

deco'd out

I love a good centerpiece challenge...possibly one of my favorite wedding-related pieces to come up with.

My cousin’s wedding is at a very cool retro theater turned wedding venue in Boulder, CO. This is a perfect choice for the couple who are serious dancers. I can’t wait to see their first dance which is sure to be choreographed and quite memorable as the live band plays.

The bride and groom are embracing the art deco vibe that the place evokes. As a result, they’ve chosen square tables over the typical round tops. There are plenty of sharp edges & straight lines throughout such as squares and stairs.

 

Their color scheme is primarily red with shots of white and black. All of us bridesmaids are wearing red knee length satin dresses. Hope I’ve created a visual of the overall look and feel of this wedding because the next decision to be made is regarding centerpieces. The bride is definitely keen on using the square glass vases that she received from a friend while keeping a minimalist yet striking display.

But how?

My suggestion is to stick with monochromatic, mono-flower and one plain. In other words, craft each arrangement out of just one type of flower in either red or white with the heads all cut on the same plain in a tight cluster. Although these are simple, low arrangements in the clear glass vases, the repetition of solid colors and flowers will create a bold impact full of texture…especially because each table will have a different flower in red or white. Here is the working list that we have so far, to be repeated throughout the theater…

 

Red
Carnations ($)
Tulips ($$)

Deep Red/Black
Black magic roses ($$$)

White
Mini Gerbera daisies ($$)
Peonies ($$$)
Mini calla lilies ($$) 

Carnations actually are quite art deco all on their own, especially in a bold red.

To achieve this look with tulips, you must poke a hole in the stem, just below the flower head. Why? Tulip stems actually continue to grow even after they are cut. If you miss this step, the tulips will look more like a wild flower arrangement than a tight cluster of flower heads.

Black Magic roses are a very cool alternative to your standard red roses like a Charlotte. You get a much richer color out of a Black Magic. Allow the flower heads to open slightly before arranging them.

Peonies may not be available since they’re traditionally a summer flower. The texture is an amazing cross between a rose and carnation, either of which could be subbed in for the peony.

 

Can you picture it?

 

-The perennial bridesmaid