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



rabbit, rabbit, rabbit

It’s the first of March and as the superstition goes…you will be brought luck by saying rabbit 3 times (or is it 2?) on the first day of the month. You know what I mean. Well rabbits make me think spring is finally around the corner after a long, snowy winter.

I can barely wait.

With spring, comes spring cleaning. I got a head start on that because I will be moving later this spring so purging the closet has been my hobby as of late. Where am I moving to you ask? Oh that part is still up in the air but I will be moving by May. Promise you. Plowing through all of the old junk has felt so exhilarating!

Then the undeniable happened. I ran full speed into the row of garment bags buried deep in the back of my closet. The yards of plastic house my collection of bridesmaid dresses. That includes Spring collection 2007…Fall collection 2008…Every season 2010. You get the idea. I am pondering what to do with these. I cherish the one-time-wears. Seriously, I do.  Does that mean I really lug them to another house just to be buried in the back of another closet?

While I ponder this decision, I thought I’d feature a dress here and there for you. (Ignore my mannequin’s graffiti. Or just think of it as a badass cleave tattoo.)

I was just a girl when I wore this celadon number in May 2007. It was my first run as a bridesmaid. I teetered down the aisle nervous that I’d trip over my own feet. My skin was itchy due to the layer of crinoline under the satin tea-length skirt. As for the bride and groom, they have lived happily ever after starting their married life out at the Burger King drive-thru after their reception. No joke. They are expecting baby number two this summer.

The new release of the summer edition of Flea Market Style magazine is another sure sign that spring is coming. And summer too for that matter.

I picked up my cherished issue yesterday and have read it cover to cover drooling over the vintage finds. I have also spent the last 24 hours dreaming about creating a potting shed from all recycled and repurposed materials and then hosting a casual Mother’s Day brunch in it. Then I remembered that I’m not very good with a hammer and I don’t actually know where I will be living come Mother’s Day. At any rate, the magazine is very inspiring for DIY projects that can easily be transferable into wedding entertaining.



Another new release that I just heard about is Three Sisters Marketplace. It is an online 'Main Street' where artisans can sell their handmade goods & connect with students who can sign up for classes.  Sounds a little like etsy, right? I thought so too but etsy doesn't offer classes. Well, I’m doing my part to spread the word. It may be another good avenue to find some handmade wedding favors! Or even sell your own crafts. Plus Three Sisters is Philly based so of course I love local.

And finally my first wedding of 2011 is on the horizon. I wrapped up the table numbers to coordinate with the gold invitations.  Remember the muted beach club elegant invitations? These sassy numbers are out the door.

Happy almost-Spring! (I hope I haven’t taunted Mother Nature too much with this anti-winter post.)

-The perennial bridesmaid

 

vegas, STDs and babies

I took a bit of a sabbatical from all of the blogging to realize I missed ranting and raving about weddings and how I typically spend my weekends – at showers playing bridal bingo. Therefore, I am back and kicking off my return with a bang! 2011’s first bachelorette party is about to begin. Vegas. This weekend.

Can’t Wait!  (insert Bart Scott/Jets voice - google it if you don't know)

But as they say…what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas so you probably won’t hear much else about that trip.

I will have a big blog announcement coming soon though. Stay tuned my loyal readers…er, mom. Anyone else out there?

In the meantime, I have updated the wedding countdowns and, well, they never seem to end. We’re counting far into 2012 already. You should see my fridge. The save the dates continue to arrive. 

It seems that the 4x6 postcard style save the date has made a major comeback for 2011. Magnet save the dates are apparently so 2000 and late. I’ve got none.

Oh baby!

Baby? Yes they’re due to arrive daily in 2011.  It's evident that everyone is living happily ever after out there.  I’m attending so many showers; I’ve got to start wearing rain gear. Sorry. That was lame. Anyway, more stories to come on that front.  (Get it? Front?  I can't stop myself.)

And for the first time in my history as a bridesmaid, I am going to attempt to wear a bridesmaid dress again!  The challenge is to wear the dress long in March and then cut it and wear it short in May.  Can I pull it off?  I know the suspense is killing you but you'll have to wait and see!

For now, let’s hope my flight to luxurious 60 degree weather is not delayed due to more frigid snow.

-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

going global

Man, I love weddings but they are seriously popping up left and right. In the last 2 weeks, 2 great friends got engaged! Yay!

The first proposal was on the back of a boat at sunset. How romantic! Having known both the guy and girl separately for years and now watching them unite forever is truly awesome!

The second proposal occurred 2 nights ago. He popped the question at the exact location of where they first met. All of their friends were in on the surprise so they were there to take pictures. Mexico 2011 here we come!

Love is in the air this weekend. On the same day, in 2 different time zones I have a couples shower and a wedding. Obviously, I can’t be in 2 places so I am attending the wedding and, yes, giving a speech! Although, I am a bridesmaid in the wedding that the shower is being held for, I will just have to be there in spirit. Bummer.

Finally, dresses. I need to pick up a bridesmaid dress this afternoon and place an order for another one for a March wedding. The collection is growing. So far, I haven’t worn the same color twice in a wedding!

Looks like I am facing 2011 head on! It is shaping up to be the biggest wedding year yet with 7-8 on the horizon so far. I'm updating the countdowns on the right as quickly as possible! There seem to be more destinations playing into these wedding themes too. That should make for some interesting posts.

Stay tuned.

-The perennial bridesmaid

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

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

white wedding

Last Friday I was a bridesmaid in my first all white wedding. This was a relatively new style concept to me considering the age old rule that I have lived by.

Do not wear white to a wedding unless you are the bride!

Has this cardinal dress code rule been tossed? Not exactly. While a guest should still not make that fashion faux pas, it appears that the bridal party can. You know why? Because what they bride says goes!

In Friday’s case we were all instructed to wear an ivory, tea length dress that was distinctly vintage-inspired. Mine had a bit of 1950s flair with an A-line skirt covered in appliqué flower like designs…my favorite feature. It also had a boat neck with a deep V which was a nice alternative to the closet of strapless dresses I already have. Other than 50s, some of the other girl’s dresses seemed to capture 1940s styles…think form fitting, pleats & brooches.

We went with vintage themed to coordinate with the grand old mansion that the reception was held at. The bridal party complemented the décor not just in our dresses but also with our flapper-esque blue feather headbands. The blue tied in the only other accent color and the feather gave us one identifying, same feature. When allowing your bridal party to select their own dresses, I think it is important to have a similar accessory on each girl.

The groomsmen also went with the theme. Not in white but in formal, vintage-inspired tuxedos with tails. Haven’t seen those in awhile but it only seemed right on point with the rest of us.

Although, the bride’s gown was a new Maggie Sottero, it evoked lots of lace and beading detail reminiscent of the 20s and 30s. She looked stunning and stood out amongst her white-clad entourage. There was no mistaking the bride in this bunch!

Fortunately, we had perfect weather. June in Philadelphia can be traditionally hot and humid which is a combination that doesn’t agree with me! The humidity and heat went away for a few days and sent calm, early spring-like weather instead which was perfect for outdoor photos overlooking the river and sunset.

Apparently this white wedding trend is hot. I have already heard about another all white wedding taking place this summer. Maybe we can blame it on P.Diddy and his “white parties”. Either way, this is a refreshing option for summer weddings. Just don’t spill anything on your dress.

-The perennial bridesmaid


Check out some of the pictures that inspired the white wedding bride to execute her idea.

whirlwind wedding weekend

And no one even got married.

It all started Friday afternoon with my first trip ever to David’s Bridal. How did I avoid this bridal warehouse all of this time? There’s an overwhelming amount of racks and rows of satin, lace, taffeta, silk, chiffon, etc, etc. And women in black suits with clipboards. And dyeable shoes. I thought they left with the 90s?

Needless to say, I learned a few new things.

I went in to try on 8 pre-determined knee-length options of apple red bridesmaid dresses for a 10.10.10 wedding. I’ve narrowed my choices down to 2 in just 45 minutes and a total of 4 DB sales associates with clipboards that I got passed between. I threw out all of my strapless options simply because I have a closet full of those already and want to own something different.

To be continued…as I weigh between scoop neck and v-neck.

Day 2 was spent on a bridal dress shopping marathon around the greater city of Philadelphia with our 3.12.11 bride. The verdict is still out on this one but the very first dress of the day set the bar pretty high. Not much could compare. I learned about fit-and-flair gowns and the difference between mermaids and trumpets…yes I am still talking dresses here. I also learned why bridal shops serve you wine while watching your friends try on gowns; since I nearly bought a $400 designer cocktail dress just-because. I’m sure I have a wedding that I could wear it to, right?

Later that evening I was at a birthday party (just happened to be for a newlywed) where I was surrounded by more brides and grooms-to-be. 4 sets to be exact. Naturally weddings and bachelorette parties were a topic of the night. It’s an epidemic!

Finally, Sunday arrived. I was honored to be asked to be a bridesmaid for the 10th time.

-The perennial bridesmaid

maid of mom

I’ve noticed an increasingly popular trend – moms as bridesmaids. Endearing. It really is. I only have one thing to say about it.

PLEASE DON’T HAVE HER WEAR A BRIDESMAID DRESS.

Is that too much to ask?

If you’ve worn a bridesmaid dress, you probably know what I’m talking about. They’re suitable for a 20, 30 and even 40 year old but the pastel, strapless tea length gown is not the best look for your middle aged mom. Not saying she can’t pull off the sweetheart top but, come on, she is the mother of the bride as well. Give her the option to wear a tasteful evening gown that coordinates with the other girls. Heck, give the other bridesmaids a tasteful evening gown too.

It makes sense to choose your mom as maid of honor. Now you don’t have to play favorites with your best gal pals. If you pick your mom, no hard feelings.

Overall, mom can play the mother of the bride role as well as bridesmaid or maid of honor to you. Just have her wear the mother of the bride dress!

-The perennial bridesmaid

undergarments

Remember when underwear was fun to wear? As an adult dressing formally, underwear brings a completely different ball game. There are no cute cartoons on your undergarments. They tend to be hideous beige or black and purely functional in order to hide some things and hold other things. They defy gravity.

I always have a difficult time trying to figure out which one I should wear under my bridesmaid gowns. I know that I’m not the only one. I'm not afraid to go there so let’s review our options.

Do you wear the thing that looks like giant biker shorts? You know the one that starts under your bosom and extends down to your knee. It promises to smooth your stomach and thighs but on the way down it crushes your ribs. You have to do a series of squats just to get the thing on. By then you’ve worked up a sweat and your make up is running.

Or do you go with the bathing suit-like one? There are a few variations and cuts. Some are strapless; some have wide straps; some offer multiple straps which just confuse me all together. So you’re basically wearing a bathing suit under a gown, cocktail hour wraps up and, of course, you have to go. Now what? You encounter the same problem on the beach when you have to go. Now add a dress over the bathing suit. There is just no easy way…you miss the salad course figuring out how to handle this situation.

What about the convertible bra thingy? I have one that claims to have the ability to be worn 100 different ways. Oh really? Do all 100 ways actually help the girls out? Doubt it. It looks like a bikini top that has gone through a shredder because there are multiple straps hanging off at all angles. You can clip the straps in wherever you want so they are not visible under different dress cuts. Better hope none of those straps fling off mid-ceremony. I have experienced this and it’s not pretty! It’s actually very awkward and suddenly things are not symmetrical like you planned.

There is another large strap that came with this 100 way bra that I have yet to figure out. It is intended for a low back dress. It is a long wide piece of spandex that is intended to be wrapped around your stomach and then hooked in above somewhere to provide some support. Fabulous. Now I need to put the biker shorts on over that to cover up the lines that this spandex contraption has created. Doubling up on spandex is never good.

Just writing about this is restricting my airflow.

Why do we put ourselves through it? I understand beauty is pain but barely breathing to nip in a few inches is a near death experience. Save your life and free your wobbly bits.

-The perennial bridesmaid

the perfect fit

My first bridesmaid dress for 2010 has arrived! I waited until I got home to put it on because in my experience it usually falls off the top, slides down the back or adds three sizes to the hips on the first try. No one needs to see any of that. To my surprise, this dress fit perfectly! Everything is covered that should be and the length is almost perfect. The right heels will fix that. Up until now, I thought that the bridesmaid dress designers were in cahoots with the tailors & seamstresses in my neighborhood.

They see me coming with a plastic garment bag in tow and start laughing with dollar signs in their eyes.

A few years ago I took a green number to a dry cleaner/seamstress to have the strapless top taken in just a pinch. It fit like it should but the work seemed a little shotty and I was shocked to find out the going rate to sew a few inches of fabric. Not to mention this lady was flaky and kept postponing my pick up date. That obviously made me panic and have nightmares that consisted of me in my underwear at the wedding. Finally, after 3 weeks, $60 and 2 inches I was on my way with the altered dress.

Fast forward a year and I had a spaghetti strap dress with triangle tops that flopped right over when I put it on and exposed everything! This was a tailor emergency and I needed to step it up a notch. I went to a divo tailor in my neighborhood that everyone raved over. He hemmed all of the girl’s designer jeans in town and personally tailored Phillies’ Shane Victorino’s threads as well. He had to be good with that rep. I was happily surprised to see that his only employee was a grandma with very broken English stitching away in the back. Perhaps it was his grandma. Either way, I liked it. Something about this scene seemed very authentic to me. This team could handle all of my bridesmaid alterations moving forward...hopefully. This had to be the answer that I was searching for!

Two weeks later I went back for the spaghetti strap dress. I put it on and jumped up on the pedestal in front of the mirror. Hmm, it fit better in the hips than before but something was wrong…I was more exposed than before I started! Was it possible that they took too much fabric off? I begrudgingly handed over $75 to grandma’s boss anyway. The divo told me that he would be happy to alter an old bridesmaid dress into “couture”. He went on to show me his photo of him and Shane posing amongst rows of garment bags in his tailor shop.

I haven’t gone back.

I threw in the towel and self consciously wore the over altered spaghetti strap number. What was a girl to do? Drink her insecurities away at the reception? Seemed like the right answer to me. So I over served my over exposed self.

-The perennial bridesmaid

bravo, bravo!

There’s been a lot of chatter lately about what to do with all of those old bridesmaid dresses. Well, I guess I have been the one doing all of the chattering. I’ve thought about donating them to a prom drive but I seem to miss it every spring and I have thought about reselling them. I’ve reviewed a few websites that seem to have less traffic than the boardwalk in the wintertime. And then I heard about Bravo Bride. The site is attractive and looks professional. The idea is that you can buy and sell all things wedding. Not only does it allow a perennial bridesmaid the opportunity to post my old cast offs for sale but it is also a great place for the budget conscious or just plain frugal bride. You can find discounted accessories, favors, dresses, shoes, I can go on. It is like an online consignment shop for all things weddings! Might as well go green and grab some of these recycled wedding goods, right girls?

I’ve posted one dress. Maybe I will add another. There are almost a 1000 bridesmaid dresses for sale on this site so I’m sure my odds are not that high of a sale anytime soon but the postings remain active for 18 months. Best of all, it is FREE! Seriously. You can choose to spend money by upgrading your listing but it is still guilt-free because a portion of that fee goes to American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women Foundation. I like that.

Bravo Bride offers the opportunity to buy used wedding gowns and rings. I am not sure how I feel about buying a previously owned wedding gown or ring. Actually I AM sure about how I feel. It seems that there could be some bad karma associated with a stranger’s ring. I can only assume that something went wrong and wouldn’t want to introduce that into my life. Nonetheless, it is an option for those who don’t care about bad karma. Not everything has been previously worn or used. Some of the items appear to be a surplus from another’s wedding such as favors, silk flowers and even the card box. If you’re looking for a deal, definitely check this site out. If you have experience buying or selling here, lemme know.

-The perennial bridesmaid

vintage dresses

Ah, vintage! A topic that is near and dear to my heart. Combine vintage and weddings and I am a happy girl! You can imagine my glee when I learned last week that my June 2010 bridesmaid dress would no longer be a strapless, tea length gown but a vintage dress of my choice! No, not a vintage bridesmaid dress; no hoop skirts, no poofy sleeves and no pastels. We’re talking a feminine mid-century dress that is personal to each bridesmaid. The wedding is taking place at an historic riverfront estate, Glen Foerd, in Northeast Philadelphia. The bride has decided that she’d like to continue the antique feel of the estate by incorporating vintage styled bridesmaids. We can select a white dress of our choice and we’ll be accessorized in blue accents. Although the estate evokes an Edwardian charm, we plan to wear a more modern vintage. I have images of the perfect dress in mind - A-line halter style or a belted shirt waist type with a ruffle. A bonus would be to find a dress that I love enough to wear to the rockabilly themed wedding I am attending just two weeks later... The quest for the perfect dress(es) begins! Suggestions welcome.

-The perennial bridesmaid