The Best Waste of Time Ever May 13, 2008

If you’re anything like me and like to avoid doing work by playing mindless online games, I have a new addiction for you. FreeRice.com is not only endlessly entertaining, but educational and a for worthwhile cause all at the same time. The basic premise is this: the site gives you a word and three definitions. If you pick the right one, a certain amount of rice will be donated to the United Nations World Food Program, if not you have to try again. Of course the goal is to earn as much rice as possible, but you can also develop a killer vocabulary at the same time. So it isn’t really a waste of time at all, although your boss might disagree…

In Honor of Mother’s Day May 12, 2008

Sadly, most manufactured “Mother of the Bride” dresses are sack-like and unflattering, which is a disservice to the woman wearing it more than anything else, because a wedding day is almost if not more emotional for a mom as her daughter. I understand the urge not to overshadow the bride, but I think my Mom deserves to look fabulous too. I completely accept that we have different styles and that ultimately I want her to pick what makes her happy, but I plan to have her try on more than just floor length pastel chiffon sheaths with matching beaded boleros. I have no idea what we’ll end up with, but here are a few ideas I love...

Badgley Mischka, Diane von Furstenburg, Donna Karan, J Crew, JS Collections

“Bollywood meets Hollywood” May 7, 2008

One of my goals in this entire wedding brouhaha (and life in general) is to stay as relaxed as possible, which has become slightly more difficult lately due to our hectic schedules. Fortunately, being a teacher has a way of putting things into perspective. Today, for example, I walked over to a group of my students involved in a frenzied debate over some unimportant disagreement. The climax of the argument was when one student called another student “emo.” Following a stunned silence, Student A stood up, wailed “I am not a two legged flightless bird!” and stalked out in a huff. Seriously. I’m not even making this up.

So In that spirit, if you’re in need of a lighthearted take on weddings you should absolutely rent Bride & Prejudice. It combines two of my favorite things: Bollywood and Jane Austen into something that can only be described as camptastic. I stumbled across this movie on TV last night and was reminded of how dearly I love it, and felt compelled to share!

Weekends of Weddings April 28, 2008

Even my vacations are wedding filled! I’m back for a brief jaunt in Ohio before heading up to Canada this week for our best man’s wedding. We’re staying in a quaint inn with jacuzzi tubs and couple’s massages, smack in the middle of wine country. Sounds pretty good, eh?

This last weekend Drew and I spent at our alma mater. The guys golfed and the girls (2 recently married, 3 getting married within the next year) shopped and had long chats about…you guessed it. Not to mention we’ll be attending 3 other weddings just this summer. So closing in on one year to our wedding, I’m being bombarded from all angles and fortunately I couldn’t be loving it more. I’ve heard that the wedding doldrums or stress always take over eventually, but so far so good!

One of the hot topics this weekend was flowers. Flowers are obviously synonymous with weddings and even though I’m a big proponent of using other elements (branches, candles, water etc) flowers definitely do up the prettiness factor. We’ve already splurged on the location and the photographer so we were brainstorming ways to not be too ridiculous with the decor. Of course I immediately fell in love with orchids (expensive), especially cybidium orchids (even more expensive) which might be somewhat of a hurdle. But I think I still may be able to get the best of both worlds, and one way could be using expensive flowers in sparing but striking arrangements like this fishbowl idea. I think I would choose a differently shaped container, but the mix of simple lines and textures is chic and cheap. More details to come!

A Short Hiatus April 24, 2008

Suddenly my life has become incredibly busy. On top of buying a house, working non-stop,  and coddling our attention starved tabby cat Drew and I are now off on a mini traveling spree. We will be in glorious Meadville, PA this weekend and Canada early next week for an alumni display of ridiculousness and a wedding respectively. Should be a lot of fun and a lot of driving, so thank God for the Prius! I’ll be MIA for a few days since my laptop is slowly and quietly dying (new laptop shopping is another priority) but I’ll be back soon with fresh inspiration from fellow brides to be!

Is Imitation the Sincerest Form of Flattery? April 19, 2008

Miss Penguin’s recent post on Wedding-Bee inspired me to tackle an issue I have been mulling over for quite some time. In the wedding world, when does “borrowing” ideas go too far?

This question is far complicated today than it would have been twenty years ago. Many brides are becoming more focused on individuality and less on tradition. Rather than wanting the same elements in the same order, there is a significant trend (and some might say pressure) to have a unique and personalized wedding. Not to mention, our easy access to all things wedding through the internet and the media makes this goal much more possible.

As far as the internet goes, I think this issue is fairly straightforward. If you do not have some sort of copyright over the particular element of your wedding in question, and especially if you post pictures on the internet, you shouldn’t be angry if someone uses your idea. In fact, one of the most pleasant surprises I’ve had while becoming immersed in wedding planning is the great organic community that internet provides for inspiration. Ideas, pictures, and projects are constantly circulating and in turn sparking more ideas, pictures and projects.

Of course it is one of the unspoken rules of blogdom to always give credit where credit is due (admittedly sometimes this only happens to the best of your ability). I’m a firm believer in this, and I try to label and link accordingly. But I don’t think anyone should become so mired down in researching the first person ever to use a candy buffet or a circular ceremony set up that the creativity of the idea itself is lost.

In the real world, things become a little more sticky. I’m definitely not an advocate of copying your best friend’s wedding down to the last minute detail. Not only is it tacky and a little creepy, but it robs you of a chance to create a wedding that reflects your style (as evidenced by the episode of The Office where Phyllis steals Pam’s wedding). However if there are certain elements of a friend’s wedding that you loved, I see no problem in adapting the idea for your own use. Be honest and positive about it: “Your [insert item here] was gorgeous! I’m thinking about doing something similar, do you have any advice?” There is a classy way to handle that situation from both ends, and it takes equal parts tact and honesty.

Personally, I will take it as a compliment if I see pieces of my wedding popping up elsewhere. And not to get all esoteric but it is very difficult if not impossible to have a truly “original” idea. Just focus on the satisfaction you’ll get from planning a day full of things that make you happy.

image credit: Life in the Office

Of course I had to post this… April 16, 2008

The Knot created a list of 30 Cheeky First Dance songs, a trend that is becoming all the more popular with campy choreography and bridal party participation (check out YouTube for some good examples). Whether your dance is tongue-in-cheek or not, just make sure it has meaning for you. My favorites are in bold!

1. “A Fine Romance” (Joe Derise)
2. “After The Loving” (Englebert Humperdinck)
3. “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” (Ashford & Simpson)
4. “An Old Fashioned Wedding” (from “Annie Get Your Gun”)
5. “Ain’t That A Kick In The Head” (Dean Martin)
6. “Because” (Dave Clark Five)
7. “Could It Be I’m Falling In Love” (The Spinners)
8. “Destination Moon” (Dinah Washington)
9. “Happy Together” (The Turtles)
10. “I Got You Babe” (Sonny & Cher)
11. “I Love You, Always Forever” (Donna Lewis)
12. “I Only Want To Be With You” (Vonda Shepard)
13. “I Say A Little Prayer” (Aretha Franklin)
14. “I Think I Love You” (The Partridge Family)
15. “I’ll Never Fall In Love Again” (Burt Bacharach & Elvis Costello)
16. “I’m A Believer” (The Monkees)
17. “Islands In The Stream” (Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers)
18. “Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off” (Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong)
19. “Love And Marriage” (Frank Sinatra)
20. “Love Is Strange” (Mickey & Sylvia)
21. “Loving You” (Minnie Riperton)
22. “Memories Are Made Of This” (Dean Martin)
23. “Never Knew Love Like This” (The Spinners & Dionne Warwick)
24. “Oh, What A Night” (The Four Seasons)
25. “Orange Colored Sky” (Nat King Cole)
26. “Orange Colored Sky” (Natalie Cole)
27. “She’s An Angel” (They Might Be Giants)
28. “Sometimes When We Touch” (Dan Hill)
29. “With Plenty Of Money And You” (Count Basie & Tony Bennett)
30. “You’re My First, My Last, My Everything” (Barry White)
31. “You’re Nobody ‘Till Somebody Loves You” (Dean Martin)

And we did get a gift of dancing lessons for Christmas, so maybe we’ll have to start practicing our Thriller moves…

I’m it… April 14, 2008

Today has been a good day for a variety of reasons, including the fact that I’ve been tagged by the fabulous Kate of Kate’s Wedding (yes the name is still incorrect in my blogroll and I will fix it - I just thought Katy Stardust’s wedding sounded so cool and David Bowie-esque). So here’s how this works:

1) you link back to the person who tagged you.
2) post these rules on your blog.
3) share six unimportant things about yourself.
4) tag six random people at the end of your entry.
5) let the tagged people know by leaving a comment on their blogs

and without further ado, here are six unimportant and random facts about me!

******

1) When I was 16 I thought my burgundy (with subtle sparkle) knee high combat boots were the coolest thing in the world. And I secretly still do.

2) I’ve always wanted to visit the Mayan ruins. From the ages of 4 to about 10 I was convinced I wanted to be anything ending with “ologist” when I grew up. The archaeologist phase lasted the longest and I spent many happy hours playing Mayaquest (kind of like Oregon Trail) and pretending to discover pottery shards in my backyard.

3) I cannot stand potatoes. People always get a little irate when I tell them this, especially considering I’m Irish but the mealy texture and starchy smell make me intensely nauseous. It is the only food I will not eat.

4) I have an odd penchant for Stevie Nicks. I don’t think there is another person in this world who could pull off the platform boots, teased hair, and mystical floating sleeves with such style. Drew and I always joke that we should finagle a way to have her officiate our wedding, although deep down I think this is a really excellent idea.

5) I’ve driven across the majority of the United States, and had a run-in with a badger in North Dakota in the middle of the night on Friday the 13th that resulted in the car being all but totaled. It sounds like the plot of a campy B horror movie, but it is oh so true. Still I can’t wait to go on another road trip, I absolutely love driving through Montana.

6) I firmly believe that thunder sounds different in Ohio than it does in Seattle, but I have no idea why.

And how I’m tagging…

Loaf from Tales of a Female Husband

The Wedding Fairy at Don’t Be That Bride

Kelly from Glamour This

Rhonda at Life.Love.Lipstick

Tina author of With This Ring, I Thee Obsess

Amanda at Blue Sky Bride

Image Credits: Jupiter Images , Wallpaper Me , Fleetwood Mac , Bay Wolf

The B(ogus) List April 9, 2008

When I first noticed the term “B list” in wedding magazines, I skimmed right over it along with advice on china patterns and the pros and cons of pre-nups. Now that I’m farther along in my planning, it keeps popping up and it seems I can’t ignore the issue any longer. I apologize if the following post seems just a tad bitchy…and by all means if you have had a different experience with this feel free to contradict me.

Let me start by stating for the record what I understand about this concept. You split your guests up into two lists: A listers which are the people that are a) really cool b) will give you sweet presents or c) you really care about and/or obligatory family. These fortunate ones are the people that you immediately invite to the wedding. Then you have your B list. These are people you will invite only if said A list people decline your invitation.

I understand having a budget and feeling conflicted about who to invite. We’ve already done our guest list, and while it was a relatively painless process there were still a few decisions we hesitated over. You want to include everyone without going overboard and still maintain a balance between friends and family. I get that.

The one thing that every advice site/wedding magazine seems to agree on about this topic, is that if you do use the list system, your guests cannot find out. Even if you avoid the mistake of the couple in an article I read (don’t mark large A’s and B’s on the invitation envelopes) chances are your guests will wise up anyway when their invitation arrives much later than everyone else.

However, I really think it should go one step further. Using this system implies to me that you care more about the overall number of guests at your event rather than who those guests are. Its all about priorities. If you have 250 people you feel you MUST invite and your venue only fits 150, maybe you should consider a different venue. On the flip side, if your heart is set on that particular venue then be prepared to make some hard choices. When you’re deep enough into a relationship to be getting married, you know that most things in life take compromise. So don’t make your guests feel like they’re the last kids picked for dodgeball at recess.

Guy Style April 2, 2008

One of our groomsmen recently asked me if he could wear a studded belt with his tux. Why not? My bridesmaids aren’t wearing matching dresses so I’m all for it if the guys want to get into the act.

I haven’t written about fashion from the male perspective yet, because usually it is so much more straightforward. Tuxedos are universally flattering, as are suits. Still, this shouldn’t mean that the boys can’t add their own personal touches. Even subtle options like different ties in the same color family or mismatching boutonnières will add visual interest to your wedding party. Not to mention it’ll avoid the near impossibility of making a group of guys look exactly the same, because inevitably someone always forgets something, or something doesn’t fit at the last minute (which applies to girls as well).

And I’m not going to lie. I’ve always wanted my ring bearer to rock a pair of checkered Vans with his tux.

Image Credits: Vans, Flickr: Valerie Renee, Flickr: Pianoforte, OKC Bride, Etsy, Magic Angels