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

 

go ask alice

I have been elbow deep in wedding invitations for a friend. I am just about finished now but working to make the deadline while caring for a sick puppy made me feel a little bit like I was snowed in late last week.

Then it happened. I realized that I was dangerously low on all of those pesky household items. You know the ones. Napkins. Laundry detergent. Soap. TP. Boring. Why do I always run out of everything at the same time?

I had no time or desire to go to Target and stock up. That always leads to at least an hour trip and spending $50 more than I planned on extra things that I didn’t need in the first place.

Then I found it.

Alice.com  My savior.

I think I’m in love.

This site is amazing. You can order all of the household goods online and get FREE shipping to your door in just 2-3 business days. This saves hours of time waiting in line to check out at the store and wading through aisles to find your preferred brands. All of the brands and goods are right there. Online. You can compare prices and quantities. Alice even finds coupons for you!

No, I am not being paid to write this. I wish I was. I felt it was my duty to pass the word on.

It does take a little bit of time to set up “your account”. Once you do that, Alice remembers all of your favorite brands so every time you login you can just click what you need to restock and checkout. She taxes where appropriate based on your zip code so you pay what you would in the store.

Alice has got all of the drug store goods too. Even the make-up.  She's got some non-perishable food and drinks too like granola bars, coffee and tea.  Maybe I will never step foot in commercial store again.

She’s so thoughtful. Alice even takes the liquids and adds extra tape around the caps and puts them in a zip lock bag just in case something crazy happens in shipment.

This has changed my life. I know that’s a bold statement but I don’t see a need to ever step foot in a big box store again. I have gained hours of my life back. Saturday mornings are mine!

Not to mention, I never have to lug the 12 pack of toilet paper into the house while simultaneously carrying a 2 gallon jug of detergent and 6 pack of paper towels. The balancing act is over. The box will be on your door step for you. Free. Really.

Fiance. Wife. Bridesmaid. Whoever. You need to check out this goddess called Alice.com. Thank me later.

-The perennial bridesmaid

yum

I went to a tasty wedding this weekend. It was at Rivercrest Golf Club in Phoenixville, PA. I had heard a ton of mixed reviews about the food at this place so I was anxious to experience it. Let me tell you, all the food was phenomenal. Turns out they got a new chef and he did them good!

Boy, was I full when I left there.

It started out with the cocktail hour. Well it actually started with the nuptials poolside which was really very lovely.  The bride looked beautiful with her birdcage veil and Maggie Sottero dress. Now onto food... Cocktail hour had the norm ample cheese table. Beyond that there were enough stations to make a meal out of. There was the oh-so-trendy mashed potato bar. Have you seen this yet? They served 3 kinds of mashed into a martini glass. Your choice. Then you go to town with toppings. I’m not sure who started this trend. It is popping up at many cocktail hours. It’s cool but heavy for so early in the evening. I totally filled up on it anyway.

Moving over to the scallop station, yes scallops & shrimp! They were being cooked right in front of us. If given the choice when planning a wedding between scallop station & mashed potato bar, I would go scallops all the way. But that’s just me!

What else? 2 bars at either end. A string quartet. More hot food stations with the old standards like m favorite pigs in a blanket. A Chinese food station with wontons, dumplings, egg rolls. Mmm. Needless to say, I tried it all! By the time we sat down for dinner, I could barely eat the filet and crab cakes that were cooked to perfection.

Enough about the food, the wedding itself was a classic affair. The color scheme was black and white with hints of damask patterns and hot pink. Even the cake had a damask pattern iced on it. The cake was great and made onsite. Oops, I brought it back to food!

-The perennial bridesmaid/ foodie

i heart shopping

Even wedding gown shopping.

As I mentioned earlier this week, I spent a good portion of my weekend in bridal shops…4 to be exact. I encountered many types of sales associates or consultants as they’re called in the fancy boutiques. I most definitely formed an opinion on how they can be helpful and how they can be down right annoying to a bride when she’s shopping for the most important garment she’ll ever wear.

Ready for a harsh synopsis of the experience?

When a sales associate can ask what style you like, what your budget is and other important pre-qualifying questions and then turn around and pull 10 gowns that fit that description: that’s helpful!

When an associate says, “There are the dresses. Take a look and let me know what you like.” That can be stressful. There are rows and rows of white fabric, in some cases covered in plastic. We need suggestions. How do we know what styles are where? Not helpful.

When she can tell you exactly how the dress is supposed to look when it’s tailored to your body: helpful.

When she has to ask everyone who works there (not just the seamstress) how the dress is meant to look (trumpet vs. mermaid for example). Not helpful.

Providing accurate product information, prices and timelines on when the dress can be ready by: helpful.

Referring to the designer by nickname and acting like she’s your BFF: not helpful. And annoying.

Intercoms blaring a request for bridal assistance. I guess it’s technically helpful to someone but an overall annoyance.

Fetching yourself water from the water cooler because you’re overheating from the lights combined with the heavy gowns: not helpful.

When she serves you and your entourage wine or champagne: very helpful.

-The perennial bridesmaid

a day in the life

An engaged friend is coming into town to shop for her wedding gown. She lives in a rural area and was hoping to cover a multitude of dresses & designers in a day or so. She asked for my advice on where to go. I have been to my fair share of bridal salons and was happy to put together an itinerary for her.

We dream about trying on wedding dresses as little girls. We discuss it again in high school and college with our friends. As adults, we get to live out that dream. In this instance, we have a head start on the hunt because the bride has already tried a few things on and found out that she likes the mermaid style and prefers straps. It is wise that we visit shops that carry designers who make those styles. I used the Kleinfeld's gown search feature to narrow down our targeted designers. From there I surfaced the following local shops that carry them. A few of my personal fave wedding designers are Maggie Sottero & Nicole Miller, incase you were wondering.

Here’s a snapshot of what we plan to tackle...I can almost taste the champagne!

Day 1

10am
Bridals by Danielle
203 South 13th St.
Philadelphia, PA
215-670-9500
www.phillybride.com
My chosen featured designer: all Jim Hjelm collections including Alvina Valenta & Lazaro

11:30am
Maria Romia Bridal
2100 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA
888-362-2651
http://www.mariaromiabridal.com/
My chosen featured designer: Priscilla of Boston

1pm lunch in Rittenhouse Square

3pm
The Van Cleve Wedding Pavilion
72 E Lancaster Ave
Paoli, PA
610-647-5085
http://www.vanclevecollection.com/
My chosen featured designer: Badgley Mischka

4:30pm
Arielle Bridal Inc.
139 C East Butler Avenue
Ambler, PA
215-542-9902
http://www.ariellebridal.com/
My chosen featured designer: Maggie Sottero


Day2
10am Brunch in Manayunk

12pm
Nicole Miller
4249 Main Street, Philadelphia
(215) 930-0307
http://www.nicolemiller.com/

Feel free to use the itinerary if you are wedding gown shopping in Philadelphia. There are numerous shops & designers in the metro area to visit…too many for just one day!

-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