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

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

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

blues

Bridal blues. You heard of ‘em? After months of wedding plans, tastings, fittings & trials comes the main event and then? The honeymoon? Some brides experience a sort-of depression known as the bridal blues once their wedding is all said and done.

I think I am experiencing bridesmaid blues, if there is such a thing. I’m feeling quite melancholy. Maybe it’s because I’m left here in the rain with no exotic vacation.

I think it is simply because last weekend’s wedding was just so spectacular that I can’t believe it’s actually over! I keep remembering the delicious food and wishing I went back for just one more seafood cake or actually sampled the pasta station. Perhaps I should have had another lemony, signature cocktail affectionately named the Spanktini, a shout out to the groom. I regretfully never made it to the dessert buffet either because I just couldn’t pull myself off of the dance floor. I didn’t even taste the chocolate on chocolate 3-tier, square, monogrammed wedding cake that the bride & groom comically toasted and fed themselves instead of the messy cake smash on one another.

Bummer. It must have been a good party because I don’t miss out on chocolate for much.

The weather turned out to be just right for late March. It was the kind of early spring day that brings the deer out of the woods, the daffodils up and the geese flying…and they did. All of nature and 150 guests circled around the veranda at the Manor House to watch as my brother and sister-in-law exchanged their written vows. The ceremony was so very them. Sweet and nice injected with bits of humor. It was like watching a segment of their comical, everyday banter except they were in formal attire…and there was a photographer capturing every move.

The music was on point as well. Jason Mraz and John Mayer really can create a modern feel at an otherwise traditional outdoor ceremony. And who knew Slick Rick, Beyonce, Rolling Stones, Lil Jon, Dion, U2 & Guns ‘N Roses could be such a good time at the same time at the reception! Did I mention Guns ‘N Roses? Playing the air guitar to Sweet Child of Mine with the groom as we did as kids is definitely a fond memory. I’m just nervous to see the video. Swinging my hair around like Slash might have been cute when I was 7 but perhaps not so much as an adult in a gown. Time will tell.

Everyone looked fabulous.  Especially the bride in a stunning, rouched waste, v-neckline gown with an ornate flower in her hair.  Even my dad, with 2 left feet, had a way with his classic tuxedo. His dressy Chuck Taylor’s really put a spin on the threads that only he can.

Now that the vows have been exchanged; the toasts have been made; the feast has been had; and the newlyweds are on the beach somewhere; it’s time for this bridesmaid to shake the blues! One down, how many more to go this year?

-The perennial bridesmaid

do not play list

You want to create the right atmosphere at your reception.  Music always sets the mood.  Of course you will select your first dance song, father/daughter dance, mother/son, cake & so on but you may want to make a list of what NOT to play.  Be sure to pass a do not play list along to your DJ or band.

This is a work in progress but a few bad/inappropriate songs come to mind that you probably do not want to hear at your reception!

• Who Let the Dogs Out by Baha Men – not only overplayed but referencing “dogs” is not flattering
• Dude Looks Like a Lady by Aerosmith – self explanatory
• My Humps by Black Eyed Peas - keep your humps under raps until the honeymoon
• I Write Sins Not Tragedies (what a beautiful wedding) by Panic at the Disco – this is about infidelity at a wedding, yikes
• Holler Back Girl by Gwen Stefani – if you don’t know what a “holler back girl” is, your wedding day is not the time to learn
• My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion – umm, this song is for her boyfriend who died in the titanic
• Low (Apple Bottom Jeans) by T-Pain/Flo Rida – no need to get low at the reception
• Anything Flo Rida for that matter
• The Macarena by Los del Rio Boys – sooo overplayed
• White Wedding by Billy Idol – pretty sure this a drug reference
• Every Breath You Take by the Police - stalker!

What did I miss?

-The perennial bridesmaid