consolation prize

The mere reason bridesmaids were invented was to tend to the bride’s every wish, right?

Well, I accepted the challenge of scouting vendors to handcraft hair pieces for our March bridal party upon the bride's wish. They should be black and made of feathers and rhinestones and evoke some old Hollywood glamour. We’d like for the bride’s birdcage veil to sort of coordinate as well. Perhaps a feather fascinator for her too.

Sounds easy, right?

Not exactly because there are just SO many great vendors out there to choose from. I decided to post an alchemy request on etsy to see who could propose the ideal product at our price point.

The bids poured in. 

The final decision was made today and the order was placed. Since there are so many artisans out there, I wanted to give a few of the runners up some blog time by featuring their work.  Which I just love.

Check ‘em out.


Yaneth and Co

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Pick Me Flowers
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
Paper Silk Made
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Rtisan
 

 

Sunshine and Carousels



-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

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

something blue

Something old, Something new,
Something borrowed, Something blue.
And a sixpence in her shoe.

You’ve heard it before but what the hell is a sixpence? That just goes to show how old this poem is since a sixpence coin has been out of commission in England for centuries. Outdated or not, this poem seems to still stand out as a bridal tradition meant to promote good luck and happiness in the marriage.

I got some blogspiration to chat about something blue specifically. (That’s inspiration to blog NOT perspiration to blog.) My friend is contemplating what her something blue should be and wanted a few ideas. The bride’s blue is meant to symbolize purity and fidelity so you’d better have it on! Apparently, back in the Victorian day, some wedding dresses were even blue.

While it is traditional that the something blue is actually ON the bride, I say you can stretch it a little further to something that is WITH the bride during the wedding day such as your wedding flowers or your purse. The delphinium is a great blue accent flower that can subtly be added into your bridal bouquet or opt for blue ribbon on your bouquet.

A very popular something blue right now is the bride’s shoes. Better be something fabulous too!

Other blue accessories might include the bride’s jewelry. Some drop earrings with dazzling blue crystals or sapphires sound nice to me. Bracelet or necklace will do the trick too.  A daring accessory in blue but also stunning could be a shrug or bolero for a chilly evening.

Of course there’s the traditional garter which is screaming 1993 to me but who I am to judge. Rock out with that elastic blue thing on your thigh if you want. If the garter isn’t your style but you want a discrete something blue, go for blue undies. Most wedding gowns have so many layers that your panties won’t show through the light fabric.

Blue ribbon in your hair is also a way old school tradition but you may consider upgrading it with a blue flower, fascinator or headband.  There are literally hundreds of options of incorporating subtle blue into your hair.

Enough from me. Check out fun “something blue” options from my oh-so favorite etsy.

-The perennial bridesmaid


blue clutch by cadybriar

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
blue drop earrings by OtisB

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 



blue shoes by tractordog

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
blue hair fascinator by sophinegiam

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


 
blue bolero by TianaCHE

mama said

I’m on a veil kick this week. There are just so many styles out there. I am not going to list them all in this post. I’d rather address yo’mama’s veil. Many of my friends are telling me about their mom’s dream of having their daughters wear their veil. These dreams have been in place since before these girls were even around. Fast forward 30+ years and mom’s pulling the veil out of preservation. These vintage styles tend to range from finger tip to cathedral in length. Perhaps that’s not your style. How can you let mom down (especially if you’re her ONLY daughter) and not wear the veil?

Consider using it in your bridal bouquet. Swap out the ornate florist ribbon for the tulle of your mom’s bouquet. You can wrap the stems with the veil or actually weave it amongst the flowers. The former veil will still be a feature on you during the ceremony.

One of my friends is doing just that with her mother’s veil. The veil-turned-bouquet will also coordinate with the lace huppah at the ceremony. The bonus is that the lace was an heirloom tablecloth that belonged to the bride’s great-grandmother.

Which brings me to another use for cathedral length; you can use the veil to dress the arch or the huppah that you plan to marry under. You can also incorporate it into a table runner. Are you having a sweetheart table for you and your groom? The veil may be just the right size to decorate the table.

If your mom really wants you to actually wear the veil, you might just be able to without forsaking the veil of your own dreams. Incorporate mom’s veil into your dress. The netting can be used as an overlay on the skirt or panel on the waist. Talk to your seamstress. Most are happy to make customizations when fitting the dress to you.

Think about lining a clutch purse with the netting. This is not an overt shout out to mom but you will know her veil is with you. If you’re lucky enough to have combs or floral accents on your mom’s veil, you should easily be able to accent the outside of your clutch or shoes with the flowers. Plug in that hot glue gun!

-The perennial bridesmaid

birdcage rage

The birdcage veil has become increasingly popular amongst brides over the last few years. Why wouldn’t it? This vintage style is stunning.

Birdcage veils made their first debut on brides in the 1930s and 40s. They traditionally cover the eyes and end at the cheek bone. Some dramatic versions go below the chin, covering the bride’s entire face. But nowadays it’s all in the angle. Consider wearing yours just draping over one eye, accenting the side of your face.

Traditionally these veils are composed of a light Russian or French tulle. Less common, but equally as fabulous, are the varieties of colors you can now find birdcage veils in for your wedding.

Black isn’t just for funerals anymore and pink isn’t reserved for the derby.

Fascinators are often used to keep the veil in place although some brides opt out of this accent all together. Be bold and think outside of the box for your fascinator such as peacock feathers, buttons, bows, silk orchids, Swarovski crystals and fabric. In some cases, all of the above will make one fabulous fascinator.

Are you are ready to rock this retro trend? Check out some of my favorites below from etsy sellers. These aren’t your grandma’s birdcage veils.

-The perennial bridesmaid



traditional

Feather Simplicity

Dotted Darling

Ivory & Crystal

Diamond White

modern

Something Blue

Green Goddess

Precious in Pink


















Rock & Roll