fab four on the farm

This past weekend was one of those weekends that leave you melancholy on Monday when the reality of adulthood sets in. I got to spend the entire weekend with 3 of my closest college friends. There was a point in our lives when we spent every day together. Every crapateria meal (that's not a typo). Every Wednesday at the dive bar drinking dollar Natural Lights (vom). And every Thursday at an apartment party. At that point it was hard to believe that in the future we’d live separate lives in different states and only see each other a few times a year.

Fast forward ten years and we were attending the first “Fab Four” wedding. Not only were we in attendance but the 3 of us were bridesmaids to our 4th. We wore black floor length gowns and carried light palette bouquets that were accented with flowers with black centers such as anemones, gerbera daisies and poppies to complement the dresses and the classic color scheme.

I am still laughing today at some of our new memories from the weekend.  We found ourselves planted on the Eastern shore of Maryland.  Although not far from the city, we were worlds away.

Back to the wedding…it was not actually on the farm.  Or near the farm.  We visited Grams and Pop’s farm after the wedding.  Luckily we arrived just after they chased the escaped pigs back into their pen so I could get this cozy shot of them.  I’m not sure this city girl would’ve been much help corralling pigs anyway.

Oh yeah. The wedding. It was on the Chesapeake Bay just before sunset. The Father of the Bride broke the ice like I’ve never seen before during a wedding ceremony. When asked “who gives this woman away” , he pulled out a receipt, actually a no return policy, and had the groom sign. He tore off the carbon copy and gave it to the groom while he held onto the original. It was comical although I'm not sure the bride agrees. 

Check out the ring bearer’s pillow that the MOB made. Isn’t it just the sweetest?

And the flower girl’s dress next to the bride’s.  There were about 100 buttons that all had to be fastened down the back of the gown but it was worth it.  She looked stunning…

And in case you were following along with the paper goods that I created for this wedding...here is the table number with the complementing, monogrammed favor box.  The box was filled with yummy chocolates which I have to admit I finished before the night was over!

So sad it's over but glad we get to do it all over again in just 10 months!  This weekend we were asked to be bridesmaids in the 2nd Fab Four wedding which is quickly approaching.  Before we know it we'll be dress shopping and jet setting all over again!

And now a word from our sponsor...Wilson.

-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

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.

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

smokin'

Most people select a glossy ivory wedding card from Hallmark and insert some cash or a fat check when going to a wedding. This is pretty standard and it’s what most expect to receive as a wedding gift. Often the couple is registered at a few home stores. It’s easy to select a gift for the couple if you don’t want to just give cash. And of course, some wedding goers get creative and shop off the registry for a crystal frame, vase or the like for the couple’s gift. The adventurous may even give a wine of the month gift which was my personal favorite gift to give in 2008.

But no one has ever given the gift I am about to tell you about before now. I suppose I should never say never! But seriously…

My friends were like 2 kids on Christmas morning unwrapping their wedding gifts the morning after their reception. They tore through numerous cards and saved the wrapped gift boxes for last. The came to a large rectangular box, opened the card and saw that it was from the groom’s uncle and family. The paper came off to reveal a Pamper’s box. Surely they didn’t receive diapers as a gift. Upon further review, the gift was inside. You’ll never believe it…

Hot Sauce.

A variety of hot sauce. Yep, the kind you put on wings. Unbelievable. Strangest wedding gift ever! I could understand if there was some kind of inside joke. Maybe the couple loves wings or hosts a wing eating contest every year or the wedding was barbecue style as opposed to the actual formal wedding that it was. But no, there was no common denominator. It was just a totally random diaper box full of condiments from a family of six. Pun intended?

Who doesn't love hot sauce?   I’m nearly speechless.

-The perennial bridesmaid


Hot Sauce by ChefKnifeRevolution

black is back

Remember a few years ago when everyone was saying “ohmigod, green is the new black” and then “pink is totally the new black”. Every color was suddenly the new black meaning you could wear it with anything. I never really knew what happened to black. Where did it go?

Well, guess what… Black is back!

Thank god. It is slimming. It is elegant. It is also versatile.

This past Saturday I logged in a full day of bridesmaid dress shopping for a March wedding. We tried on short, long, strapless, wide straps, one straps, cocktail dresses, gowns, sheaths, sacks, you name it. It was exhausting!

It came down to the very last one we tried on. It wasn’t what we thought we were out to get but sure enough it looked great on everyone. The bride was happy with it and even the groom gave the thumbs up. We found the dress at Priscilla of Boston. It is a sweetheart cut, long chiffon dress in classic black. The idea of wearing black to a formal, evening wedding just makes sense to me.

I have noticed that black bridesmaid dresses have been popping up at a few of the weddings I have attended lately. I love it! It couldn’t look better than trying to put several girls with different skin tones in watermelon, teal or sage. And you can totally wear black again, ha!

Black is black and its back. Alleluia!

-The perennial bridesmaid

unveiling

The bride has just made her way down the aisle and is standing next to her groom. The officiate is a stately man with a strong voice and forced sense of humor. He is standing right in front of the couple with his broad back to the audience.

My clever and naively humorous boyfriend says in what he thinks is a whisper but I perceive as a stage whisper, “The priest looks like he is going to spit on them. Is that why she wears a veil?”

What? No that is not why she wears a veil! My immediate “I’ll explain later!” hushed him for the moment.

But it occurred to me that I never did explain why a bride wears a veil.

Where did the tradition come from?

The olden days of course. These wedding traditions all came for centuries prior. Some of them don’t make sense anymore but we still carry them out anyway.

Most, if not all, marriages were arranged back in the day. Arranged to the point that the man hadn’t even seen his bride until they were getting married. Unfortunately, women back then were treated as property so typically their father was getting something in return for his daughter. Perhaps land or animals. If the man’s daughter was not attractive, he had to literally hide that fact under a veil. No sense in sending the groom running or the whole business deal could fall apart. Nauseating.

But even the attractive ancient brides wore a veil because it was considered bad luck for the bride and groom to see each other on their wedding day, even during the exchange of vows. To an extent, that tradition stands true today. At the end of the ceremony, the man would lift the veil to show that the woman was his subordinate.

And that is where this great tradition of wearing a bridal veil comes from. Romantic isn’t it? Kind of makes you want to rethink your veil. Oh and if you think that is bad, stay tuned for why bride’s traditionally carry flowers. It is even more romantic.

-The perennial bridesmaid

baseballette

It feels a little bit like January 2nd today. I woke up still sleep deprived, slightly dehydrated and sad that the festivities are over. But it’s Monday so here I am, attempting to work and stop relishing in the fun of what went down this weekend. Clearly I am failing at that attempt so here is the recap.

The long planned and awaited baseball bachelorette party took place on Saturday. Fortunately, we had a warm and sunny August afternoon that called for, what else, but barbecue and beer? We claimed a rare shady, grassy knoll in the concrete jungle that surrounds Citizens Bank Park as our own. We set up what I like to think of as a gourmet tailgate spread complete with a fruit tray, olives, champagne, baked goods, dips, chocolate and veggie burgers.

This obviously wasn’t your boyfriend’s tailgate. It was a bachelorette party.

I do have to admit that the boys make putting a tailgate party together look quite easy. Schlepping cases of beer, keeping things cold, remembering all appropriate cooking utensils and actually grilling on the pavement can be more laborious than I ever imagined. We managed though and the fun was well worth it.

True to baseball form, we had our own 25 man roster. It was the largest bachelorette party that I’ve ever planned or attended but this goes to show the character of the bachelorette. Friends travelled up and down the east coast to make the event and some even flew cross country. In addition, all 25 had a uniform of matching tees with funny baseball puns custom designed by our resident graphic designer and assembled by another great friend of the bride. The bachelorette got to wear a special white Phillies cap donned with the inevitable tulle veil. That was the worst of the bachelorette swag.

Or perhaps the garter was.

The goal of the game was to make an appearance on the jumbotron. (Actually that is my goal at every Phillies game.) Some of our party managed to make an appearance sans the bachelorette. How bitter sweet!

Oh well, the impromptu hoola hoop dance party was fun anyway.

It truly took a team to pull off this event. The Phillies lost but the bride won everyone over!

-The perennial bridesmaid

photo courtesy: nadine friedman

icing on the cake

In an era when reality televison and cooking shows have combined to produce offspring such as Cake Boss and Ace of Cakes, it is no wonder that wedding cakes are huge again. Pun intended. Cakes don’t seem to be an area where couples cut corners, layers or tiers for that matter.

By now you have probably heard about Chelsea Clinton’s lavish wedding last weekend. Her wedding cake alone was allegedly nine tiers, 500 pounds and 4 feet tall. It took 9 people to put it together! Did I mention that it was gluten free?

My friend is having a wedding cake buffet at her September reception. This entails about a dozen friends all putting their best cake forward to offer a tasty variety for dessert. Each cake will be displayed on its own cake stand and will be neatly labeled with the type of cake and any necessary dietary info. Yum! I will be sure to sample and follow up on that cake buffet.

Another cake I’d like to feature was one that we had thought up for a bridal shower a couple of years ago. The bride was wearing a cherished pair of blue Manolo Blahnik shoes on her wedding day. (Carrie was actually wearing these in white when she married Big for you Sex & the City fans.) To make a long story short, the shoes were hard to find in the right shade of blue and size that the bride wanted. The bridal party all knew what the shoes meant to her so we decided to preview them at her shower…in cake form. She loved it! A very skilled baker put this together.

Now I’m hungry.

-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

brazilian getaway

I feel a rant coming on…

In the last 2 weeks, 2 of my friends with weddings in less than 2 months experienced bad service from their bands. Don’t flake on a bride this close to her big day!

Exhibit A: The lead band member and main business contact left the country. Yup, he just relocated…to Brazil. He cashed their deposit check and bounced with no update to who-knows-how-many customers. Fortunately, the couple contacted him and he promptly replied with a new lead who he said will be in touch. The original consultation was with this Brazilian-seeking band mate though. He took notes on what songs should be played and what songs they needed to learn. This conversation may have to happen again with band lead #2. How frustrating.

Exhibit B: The string quartet lady is MIA. My other friend had her consultation back in June with this band lead. She took notes and filled out the required forms. She also cashed the deposit check. The bride followed up with her a few weeks later as discussed and nothing. Did she flee to Brazil too? The bride persistently emailed and left messages for what turned into weeks. Serious panic set in so she called in the big guns…the Mother of the bride began calling. They have even threatened to report their business. The wedding is just weeks away. Do they find a new band?

I have no solution to suggest to brides in this situation. I’m just ranting. But if you are in the wedding biz, I’d assume you know how frantic brides (and some grooms) get in the weeks closing in on their wedding. Customer service prior to the event is just as important as the tunes you will play at the event. If you are not a good business person, you may want to have someone manage that end for you.

Future brides and grooms, beware!

-The perennial bridesmaid

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Drum Kit by TimWilson on Etsy

put out the fire

Today’s guest blogger is my favorite floral designer who specializes in weddings and events. She always has insight into what’s hot and what’s not in the wedding world. Take it away, Renee…


Unity Ceremonies aren't just for candles anymore!

You’ve all seen the traditional unity candle march. Moms come down the aisle, each mom lights a taper candle, then during the ceremony the bride and groom “unite” by using said taper candles to light a larger pillar candle. While this is a lovely notion, involving the moms and the “eternal flame of love”, it’s a little boring. Today’s brides are looking for the non-traditional spin on everything: “What’s everyone else doing? Now, how can I do it differently??”

As someone who speaks with brides regularly, I’ve pretty much heard it all. But every now and again I hear something new, something totally different and, I’ll admit it, I get excited all over again about this business we call weddings. Recently, one of my brides let me in on what she is doing for her unity ceremony which got me so excited, I decided to research some other alternatives in a quest to find out what else I might be missing! More on this bride and her ceremony in a minute.

First, here are some other unity ceremony ideas, sans the candle:

Rose Ceremony: There are lots of variations on this but it generally involves 2 single stem roses, each held by the bride and the groom. Then they exchange the roses and are unified! I’ve also seen the rose being exchanged between the families, which is very similar to the Sign of Peace rose exchange that is done in some church ceremonies.

Water Ceremony: The bride and groom each have a bottle of colored water. At the same time they pour their water into a larger vessel, creating a new color of water. Think back to grade school art class. Red and yellow make orange, blue and yellow make green, etc. Then this new bottle of water can be placed on the mantle to look at forever!

Sand Ceremony: This is essentially the same as the water ceremony; however, colored sand is used in place of the water. These both hearken to the fact that neither water particles, nor sand particles, can be easily separated. Leaving the bride and groom metaphorically united for all of time.

Breaking Bread Ceremony: This one involves food which is always a plus in my book. There is a small loaf of bread that acts as the unifier. The bride and groom each tear off a piece and eat it. This can also be done with the families to unify everyone.

There are some others which you can research in your spare time: Salt Ceremony, Garland/Lei Ceremony, Circling, Celtic Oathing Stone, Truce Bell or the very fun sounding Lasso Ceremony. But the one that I am so excited about, the reason I was compelled to guest blog about this all in the first place is the…

Wine Ceremony! The bride and groom both have a carafe of wine, one white and one red. They both pour the wine into a glass creating a blush wine, then take a sip! For a very small event this can be done so that each guest has a sip at the reception toast. Or that the bridal party members have a glass at the cocktail hour. I just love the idea of this; maybe it’s my love of wine, or the fact that I hate nick-knack clutter (see Sand/Water ceremony above).

Whatever unifies you, take a minute to customize it. Make it special for the bridal party and the guests. This small ceremony is a very important part of a much larger ceremony. Don’t overlook it!

keep on rockin

Did you think I was done with the Rockabilly wedding biz? Not yet! I didn’t even tell you about what a Rockabilly bride wears! Based on yesterday’s post, I assume you have a good idea of the atmosphere and décor of a Rockabilly wedding reception.  Now, rewind to the ceremony.

Conveniently the church was lined in red carpet. Red was one of the accents colors of the entire wedding plus black and white. The pews were decorated in retro paper flowers. Nice touch.

The groomsmen wore dark pants with mechanic style short sleeve button downs and slicked hair. They really worked the greaser/muscle car part of the theme. For the actual ceremony, they put on black blazers and red ties. You sure can dress them up. The groom had a similar outfit on but opted for a white tie.




















Since the bride and groom each have a young son, there were two adorable ring bearers to dress up for the occasion. They were wearing dark pants with a personalized retro bowling shirt. For the ceremony, they too wore a jacket and tie. Their outfits were pulled together with classic black Chuck Taylors.  Seriously, how cute is he?

The bridesmaids were dressed in retro black dresses with white polka dots that were filled out with red crinoline skirts underneath. The red peaked through just right. They also wore red flowers in their hair.  But the bride’s dress was my favorite. There is something about a short wedding dress that is just so glamorous. Maybe it is the surprise of the untraditional. I don’t know but it’s cool! She wore a white Vivien of Holloway 1950s style halter that stopped at the knee and was also filled out with the red crinoline skirt. She accessorized with a birdcage veil, of course, and red strappy shoes, black belt & pearls. She was definitely a Rockabilly bride!

Their vision became a reality...

-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

first dance

I witnessed one of my favorite “first dances” at a wedding. And no, it didn’t involve the bride and groom jumping into a choreographed routine or dancing to a hip hop song. It was a simple slow dance to words that made prefect sense to the newlyweds. And it was memorable for the guests.

Have you ever seen the Adam Sandler hit “The Wedding Singer”? If so, you probably remember the song that Robbie Hart sung at the end about growing old together. The lyrics are sheer genius because they mention every day tokens of love such as doing the dishes, giving up the remote and taking care of you when you’re drunk.

Although the words are meaningful, its comedian Adam Sandler singing so naturally it is funny. (Have you heard his Hanukah song?) But that is the fun of it. Why take yourself so seriously especially if you two are not the serious types. Select a song that captures who you are together.

For the bride and groom that I saw dance to this, it made perfect sense! The words were dead on for them and the length of the song didn’t hurt either at just over two minutes.  Plus, they're a little bit silly together and so is this song. All of the guests got a chuckle and gave them around of applause as Adam wrapped up “Grow Old with You”.

-The perennial bridesmaid


“Grow Old With You”
 

I wanna make you smile whenever you're sad

Carry you around when your arthritis is bad
All I wanna do is grow old with you

I'll get your medicine when your tummy aches
Build you a fire if the furnace breaks
Oh it could be so nice, growing old with you

I'll miss you
Kiss you
Give you my coat when you are cold

Need you
Feed you
Even let ya hold the remote control

So let me do the dishes in our kitchen sink

Put you to bed when you've had too much to drink

I could be the man who grows old with you

I wanna grow old with you

i heart ac

Oh, Atlantic City, oh how I’ve missed you.

The sight of gotti-like hairstyles.
The sound of slot machines providing false hope.
The smell of stale cigarette smoke.
Oh, Atlantic City. The ultimate bachelorette party destination on the east side of the Delaware River.

The afternoon began with beach bar cocktails… and an AC eyeful. There’s such great people watching there, especially outside of the casinos. I love to see the crazies that walk among us (as I hold tightly onto my belongings).

Oh, Atlantic City, how I love thee.

The day progressed down the boardwalk bringing us to the Tropicana for more cocktails in the Quarter. As day turned to night, we realized it was time to get ready for the main event: our reserved Jacuzzi at the pool at Harrah’s. The bachelorette requested a Jersey inspired entourage. (Think: Snooki) Once we over bronzed and over accessorized, we were ready to go. Our private hot tub was waiting for us. We all jumped in and toasted to the bachelorette. In under a week, she will be walking down the aisle.

In what seemed like just a few hours later, the MOH and I awoke in our hotel room recapping the series of events that followed that initial toast…hot tub, pool, wheel chair ride back to the room, does it get any better.

Atlantic City, you never let the ladies down.


-The perennial bridesmaid