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



what happens in vegas

I promised no stories from the Las Vegas bachelorette party last weekend. I'm breaking that promise to tell you one of the most outlandish and fun things we did there. Maybe not the most but whatever.

After getting off of the plane, we were destined to head straight to a pawn shop . Not just any pawn shop but the pawn shop of the now famous History channel series Pawn Stars. God, I love that show.

Rather than going straight there, we thought it would be better to “get ready” for our first night out in Vegas. That can only mean one thing: Bronzer. Actually, it meant a lot of things but bronzer was the reoccurring accessory, if you will. We turned a shower stall into a spray tanning booth and were instantly transformed into west coast. What snow?

(By the way, don’t try this at home. Seriously. Getting the spray on tan off of a tub doesn’t look easy.)

With our instant bronze and party dresses on, we headed off the strip and into a territory filled with cheesy wedding chapels, bail bonds signs, X-rated gift shops and several pawn shops.

There was a line.

A long line filled with elderly and overweight tourists. It wasn’t anything like a line outside of a trendy club although that is exactly the line we looked like we should have been in. Just when we were reconsidering our outfit choices, we were whisked inside not because we were tourists like all of the others but because we were there for official business.

The bachelorette came prepared to kiss her past good bye. She sold all of the gifts of past boyfriends. After a little negotiating with a couple of guys that I've never seen on the show she collected a tidy lump sum.

Then we went to dinner. On the ex’s dime.

And I waved to Big Hoss who was the only one there filming at the time. No Old Man.

The rest of the weekend was a total bore.

The end.

-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

oh the places you’ll go

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

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

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

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

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

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

-The perennial bridesmaid

perfect ten

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

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

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

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

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

-The perennial bridesmaid

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

one hot disaster

Seriously. There is never a dull moment in this thing I call bridesmaiding. But you already knew that. Hence the need for a blog to hash out all of the details. But this newest catastrophe is just that. A catastrophe of Mother Nature size.

I know I go on and on about the need for planning and being organized and doing things in a timely manner. Blah. Blah. Blah. Sometimes it just doesn’t matter how organized you are or how far in advance you plan because Mother Nature and her natural disasters won’t consult your plans before wrecking havoc on them.

Months ago we booked a cabin in the foothills of the Rockies for a Boulder, CO wedding that I am in next month. The contract was long ago signed, sealed and delivered. Now all I had to do was think about the views I would enjoy and the trails I might be able to explore on the property while on wedding downtime. (And hem my dress.)

Wrong.

We won’t be enjoying the views or the trails. The vacation house was destroyed in the 4 mile canyon wildfires that swept through the area last week. Of course, it is a major loss and shame for the owners of the home who were so friendly and great to work with. I feel terrible for them. I’m sure we’ll find other accommodations but these kind people lost their house. What a tragedy.

The show will go on and the local disaster will not hold a candle to the wedding that will take place. What? Too soon?

-The perennial bridesmaid