legoland

So this isn’t actually a firsthand 2010 wedding experience but it is too good not to mention. And besides it is only one wedding layer removed. If that doesn’t make sense, it will.

My friend helped her friend out with some of her wedding related tasks. Typically that means making programs, addressing invitations or consulting on hair and make-up. This time it meant playing with legos!

Yup, legos. Just like when you were a kid. They built lego people (I hope that is PC) as pictured below to hold the escort cards. Note the tank in the back carrying the lego bride and groom. So fun!

You could say that a theme in this particular wedding was dorkdom. Or maybe I’m just being offensive. But their save the dates were definitely Star Wars themed. The bride and groom’s heads were photoshopped onto the iconic Star Wars image of Princess Leia and whoever the lead male character was. (I probably just offended Star Wars fans around the globe.)

Then there was the aforementioned lego people.

And finally, the other clue that there was a dorkdom theme going on…their first dance was to the Juno theme song. Remember that one?

It goes something like this…
I don't see what anyone can see, in anyone else
But you

That song is not necessarily dorky but it gets better. They rewrote some of the lyrics and sang them! How perfect is that. Oh and the bride actually called the groom a dork in the song.

So there you have it. A theme of dorkdom. I love originality in wedding planning.

Dorks rule.

-The perennial bridesmaid

tish you

Last month, I went to my very first tish.

What’s a tish you ask?

So did I. The wedding invitation indicated that it was an opportunity to celebrate the bride and the groom individually before the ceremony. Bring a story. A poem. A song. Whatever. Just come to celebrate that person. This is apparently a common practice at Jewish weddings. I think it’s typical for the groom to have a tish in Jewish practice, maybe not the bride. Being that this was my first Jewish or semi-Jewish wedding, it was all Yiddish to me.

I attended the bride’s tish which began about an hour before the ceremony. Friends from near and far gathered around and told stories about the bride as a child, as an adolescent and a young adult. It was a fun hour reminiscing about how she got to that day…her wedding day. The stories were funny and sentimental.

Overall, I was tickled by my first tish.

Fast forward 4 weeks and I found myself at a rehearsal dinner for another young bride and groom who would soon be husband and wife. We went through all of the rehearsal dinner rituals…cocktails, hors d’ oeuvres , dinner and before dessert, speeches. Usually the host, or the groom’s father, says a few words about how delighted he is to welcome the daughter-in-law into the family and how she’s a great match for his son.

At this particular rehearsal dinner, the father of the groom spoke followed by a brave 10 year old who was a junior bridesmaid and the bride’s niece. She spoke about how her aunt is her favorite aunt and how happy she was for the bride.

Then it snowballed.

One person after another stood up and spoke about the couple. They told funny stories and, of course, stories about the beginning. When the couple met and how they got to the current day.

I sat back and listened.

I thought about how much I really like these impromptu speeches pre-wedding. Call it a tish. Call it a celebration. It doesn’t matter. See, the ceremony is totally scripted but these speeches are less planned and seemingly a surprise to the bride and groom. It is fun to hear so many perspectives about the bride and/or the groom in small gatherings before the actual ceremony. I even learned new facts about people that I know rather well. You never knew who will say what!

-The perennial bridesmaid

oh the places you’ll go

Yes, that is a Dr. Suess book. I couldn’t resist after last week.

So I travelled 2/3 of the way cross country to be a bridesmaid in a fabulous wedding in Boulder, CO. What a picturesque setting. The mountains create a beautiful backdrop for a wedding. Or a simple trip to Target. Which I managed to do the morning of the wedding in order to stock the bathroom basket. As I stepped out of Target and saw the grandiose skyline in front of me, I had to catch my breath. These Coloradoans sure have it figured out!

The wedding was story book. Princess meets her prince charming. They fall in love. Travel to exotic places. Kiss and live happily ever after. Really. That’s the kind of couple they are. They literally rode off into the night in a sleek, white Rolls Royce. Who are these charming people? My family. Lucky me.

As it turns out, I have a large family. At the exact moment this story book event was taking place out west, another cousin was being proposed to back east. Yup, at the very same moment. How is that possible? The charming groom-to-be carved “will you marry me” into a pumpkin! That is one jack-o-lantern to remember. Well played.

You think I’m finished? Within hours of the wedding and proposal, another engagement took place. This one was half way around the world! No joke. One of my friends travelled to Greece with her beau. Little did she know, she would leave a boyfriend behind and come back with a fiancé.

Oh the timing of all of these couples’ milestones! Could it have been the 10.10.10 love bug?

-The perennial bridesmaid

perfect ten

10/10/10 is arguably the most popular wedding date this yet. And it’s just days away. Lots of superstitious brides and grooms are getting ready to walk down the aisle on Sunday. I am sure Vegas will be packed and Elvis will be busy.

Ok, I suppose not all the brides and grooms are superstitious. Or are getting married in Las Vegas. Some may just think it’s a really cool date. It is. Just like next year’s big wedding date will be Friday 11/11/11.

This will probably come as no surprise but I have a wedding to attend on 10/10/10. I am a bridesmaid and this marks my first time flying cross country to be in a wedding. Or attend one for that matter. Oh and my last wedding for this year.

I’m looking forward to my trip to beautiful Colorado. I’ve spent the last few days packing, repacking, making lists and checking lists. There’s something about packing for a big vacation that has me reevaluate more than half of the articles in my closet. Anyway. I digress.

10/10/10 here we come! I’ll be signing off for a few days but will be back with some art deco wedding goodness to recap.

-The perennial bridesmaid

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo courtesy of Perfect Postage.  A great resource for unique wedding postage.

speak easy

Last month I gave a speech at my friend’s wedding. I recall writing a panicked post about this event as it approached and I was, um, speechless. Well one sleepless night I managed to get all of my thoughts on paper in some sort of organized fashion. And I delivered the speech at the wedding as requested.

They laughed. They cried. Success, right? Tears and laughter were my goal.

But because I can’t speak in front of an audience off the cuff like the wedding belle, I really needed to prepare. So here’s my advice to all you fearful wedding speech givers out there. I’m pretty sure you won’t find this anywhere else when you google wedding toast or speech. (Trust me. I looked for this kind of guidance.)

Consider the audience you are delivering the speech to. Yes, fourth grade grammar. In other words, do you want to speak to the bride and groom directly in second person for the guests to listen in on? Or do you prefer to speak to the guests about the bride and groom in third person while the couple listens in?

Second person = you fell in love and got married.
Third person = they fell in love and got married.

There’s no right or wrong way to do it really. This is personal preference but absolutely something to think about. Ask yourself who you are addressing.

What else? If you do go the route of writing the speech in advance, write like you speak. If it’s written like a novel or textbook, I think you will lose your audience quickly.

Things that I knew I wanted to avoid… I’ve heard a lot of wedding toasts and a few stick out in my mind. Not for good reasons. Not everyone needs to prepare a speech. Some people are gifted like that. If you are not one of them, prepare something or you may end up a rambling fool. Recognize the difference between a wedding speech and a lecture or church homily. Seriously. I’ve seen it and it’s awkward! On the other end, if you haven’t prepared, it may be too short and therefore, empty. Also awkward.

And finally don’t make the speech all about you. Ok, you should probably introduce yourself somewhere throughout the speech. Obviously interject your tidbits about the couple or your perspective of their relationship. This is where the humor can come in. But I once heard a girl talk all about her and the bride’s (her sister) relationship growing up and how they weren’t actually friends and blah blah. The works. I’m pretty sure she never mentioned the groom. At all. Double Awkward!

I’m no expert on this topic but these are some points that I took into consideration when writing my speech and observing others. Overall, just speak from the heart about your bride and groom. And that’s really all you need to know!

-The perennial bridesmaid

vintage vixen

There is a new trend taking storm in professional photography and gift giving. Lots of ladies are channeling their inner glam and posing vintage pinup style. Not trashy pinup but a classier, flirtatious version.

Professional photography studios specialize in creating your vintage look.  Think Vargas girls. You select a theme and outfit and your hair and make up are done to coordinate. If you are not comfortable in a risqué Marilyn pose, perhaps you can mimic Sandra Dee. The options are endless…what about a sexy Rosie the Riveter look? Hmm.

Are you looking for a day-of wedding gift to give to your groom? This is a really unique gift that will definitely impress! Not to mention that you have probably been following a bridal workout so now is the time to capture your slim physique in this style.

You can also give this gift to your husband for your first wedding anniversary. Paper is the traditional first anniversary gift. And these photographs are printed on paper, right?

Bachelorette parties are taking a liking to this day of pampering. Groups can go together and inspire each other’s vintage themes. This isn’t my cup of tea but it sounds like some ladies are having a good time playing dress up.

And if you are having a vintage themed wedding, you might just want to invite your guy to the photo shoot. Use the professional pics of you both in theme for your save the dates, invitations other aspects of your wedding.

One of my friends inspired this post. Of course I love all things vintage so when I heard about her photo shoot I thought it sounded so fun! She had a wonderful experience with a local vintage pinup photographer plus professional hair & make up artists. Her pictures turned out fabulous! The rollers and red lipstick really suit her. These studios are surfacing all over the country but the popular, booked up photographer in Philly is Celeste Giuliano. Her work is very cool.


-The Perennial Bridesmaid

behind the seams

I picked up my knee length red bridesmaid dress yesterday from the tailor. When I dropped it off it was practically ankle length and the straps were excessively long. The woman pinned, poked and cut the dress to the shape of my body. Yes actually cut it! Right before my eyes. In less than a week it magically fit thanks to my Korean Fairy Godmother.

With a price.

I’ve complained about this before. I know. Waa. But why does properly tailoring a dress have to cost so much? This was the highest yet. The alterations actually cost more than the dress itself in this case!

Don’t get me wrong, properly tailoring your clothes makes a world of difference. This isn’t an area that should be skimped on. (Although, I am guilty of saving some money by say, not taking the side of a dress in as it should be. I am the only one that suffers by looking 10 pounds heavier in the extra satin.)

Not this time though. It properly fits all around. I am going to wear this dress again. Famous last words.

I came to the conclusion that there must be a way to get dress alterations at a lower rate. I’ve tried a few things outside of the brick and mortar tailor shop.   No shop equals less overheard cost according to my theory.

• Naturally, I asked around for an old Italian neighbor who does alterations in her living room - right next to her plastic upholstered sofa. (is that just a Philly thing?) No one had a granny to recommend though.
• I trolled craigslist for a seamstress looking for work. None locally. Does anyone sew anymore?
• My last idea is to find a fashion design student. A senior preferably. Someone who knows what they’re doing and who actually WANTS to alter satin bridesmaid dresses for some extra cash. After all, I live about a mile from one of the nation’s leading fashion colleges. These students must live amongst me, right? Why can’t I find them and save some serious alteration money?

If you have a recommendation of a serious sewer that fits one of the 3 criteria above, I am all ears. I’ve got more dresses to alter…

-The perennial bridesmaid

now booking

It has been a quiet week on the wedding front but hey, it’s only Wednesday!

It may be quiet this week but it looks like January 2011 is booking up quickly. This includes one long weekend in Las Vegas for a bachelorette party. We’ll be staying at the Flamingo because we just couldn’t think of a better place to base this party. We’re also planning on seeing a cheesy Vegas show. Chippendales anyone? Why not?

Needless to say, I am very excited about the upcoming trip! I’ve already began planning what I'm wearing…

-The perennial bridesmaid

One of these days I might just get a picture with the iconic 'Welcome to Las Vegas' sign.

baby, baby

First comes love
Then comes marriage
Then comes the baby in the baby carriage

I took a break from the wedding circuit this weekend to attend back to back baby showers. Literally. Back to back. Just 2 hours apart.

So I learned that jungles are big for the 2010 tykes. Specifically monkeys. They were a feature on each baby’s registry. They had the whole jungle nursery thing going on. Cute.

I also learned a few new shower games. I don’t actually know baby shower games so maybe they’re not new at all but I suspected some originality that I am here to pass on to the world wide web.

Enjoy.

First, Make a Baby. Get your mind out of the gutter. This is a competitive game and grandmas were present. You take play-dough and make a baby. The Mama-to-be then judges the babies. Voila!

Baby Songs. Make a play list of songs that mention baby in them. Really this game could go on all day. Think about all of the baby songs you know. Anyway, make a short playlist. Have guests write down the name and artist of each song. The guest with the most correct guesses wins. And you’ve got yourself some background music for the party. Double voila!

I think you could easily transfer the Baby Song game to a Love Song game for a wedding shower. Make a playlist of songs mentioning love (which really are endless) and have guests record the song and artist throughout the shower.

Oh baby!

-The perennial bridesmaid

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