Don’t Look At Wedding Planning As an Excuse to Overspend
Weddings expensive? And how. But that doesn’t mean you have to toss your budget out the window to have a great ceremony and reception. Prioritizing is one way to get the things you really want while conveniently ignoring all of the ads telling you that you must have X, Y, or Z. And as tempting as it is to put wedding expenses on your credit card or take out a loan, spend the money you have, not the money you wish you had.

Don’t Let Wedding Planning Become Your Life
Weddings get more and more stressful when you spend less and less time doing the things you love. If you want to plan your wedding 24/7 because you love event planning and you’re good at it, fab. But if you hate putting together even a tiny party, it’s time to delegate wedding planning tasks and figure out where you can cut out all those unnecessary to-dos that are giving you a stress headache. Favors? Don’t need ‘em. Fancy menus? Ditto. And so on, and so forth.

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In today’s edition of LOVE/HATE, I thought it would be fun to take a look at Sevruga by Ian Stuart Bridal. But it’s not the wedding dress itself I want you to be looking at – even though I rather like this gown with its full skirt and strapless corset bodice that is draped and beaded with Swarovski crystals, tiny sequins and bugle beads. Take a look, if you will, at those detached sleeves. Available to match the antique pink, aubergine, and ivory gowns, these sleeves almost seem like the commitmentphobe’s answer to the mutton sleeve. Sure, they’re not a true mutton, but they definitely have that feel – and the bride can wear them or remove them depending on how she feels (or whether her arm poufs are in danger of getting a salad dressing bath during the reception).

I say HATE, but I’m also no fan of gloves on brides or huge sleeves on wedding dresses. What, my lovely ladies (and gents), do you think of these full-bodied detachable sleeves?

When you ask a newly engaged individual how his or her partner proposed, the last thing you expect to hear (okay, maybe second-to-last) is “They proposed via sneaker.” But someone somewhere did just that if these custom sneaks from Slipoffs are any indication.

The nice folks at Slipoffs will put pretty much anything you want on a pair of Vans or any other canvas shoe. They’ll even work with you to create a design if you’re planning to propose via sneaker and the right words just won’t spring to mind or you want to make, let’s say, a set of bride-to-be and groom-to-be Chucks.

Pets as wedding attendants is nothing new, but I have to share this video of a four-footed ring bearer who executes her roll with great skill and dignity. Well, except for tongue kissing the groom!

Knees and ankles really get the shaft when it comes to wedding dresses, most of which cover everything from the decolletage down to the toes. (Sheer panels excepted, of course.) Brides who do go in search of short wedding dresses often find themselves facing hanger after hanger of frocks that look like the bastard children of a standard length dress and a pair of scissors. Or, slightly better, nothing but retro wedding dresses that are fine for those looking for that vintage-look but not so great if you’re not.

It is rare indeed to find that wonderful animal, the short wedding dress that looks as if it was meant to be short and isn’t meant to look just like the dress your mother wore in 1964. It doesn’t matter why you’re looking for a short wedding dress — easier to move in? having a low-key city hall wedding? you’re a mega klutz who can’t wear a long skirt to save your life? — I’m of the opinion that you should be able to find one that suits your tastes and looks beautiful on you.

My current faves in the short wedding dresses category come from Charlotte Balbier. Noelle and Ruby are absolutely adorable, and would be perfect for an outdoor wedding in the afternoon or even a reception dress for the bride who dreads dancing in her huge ballgown. And I’d suggest they’re perfect for the bride who is eloping. They could also look cute on bridesmaids, though they might be a little much. Are these Charlotte Balbier dresses for everyone? Absolutely not, but then, what wedding dress is? For some bride, though, Noelle or Ruby might just be the answer to her prayers.

… or the father of the groom! Weddings, as I’m sure we all know, tend to be about the ladies, at least insofar as we’re constantly being told that weddings are supposed to be about the ladies. There’s the bride, of course, and her mother and grandmothers. And the typical attendants chosen by brides are the maid of honor, bridesmaids, and one or more flower girls (as opposed to the less common man of honor and bridesmen). There’s a groom floating around in that estrogen bath somewhere, but his role is perceived as obvious. Less clear these days is the role of the father of the bride. Once upon a time he might have been the one writing the checks to wedding vendors, but nowadays brides and grooms are paying for some or all of their weddings.

So what are those dads doing while their kiddies are knee-deep in wedding planning mags, anyway? Sometimes the father of the bride and the father of the groom take that old, annoying advice given to guys and simply stand back and shut up. But it turns out that there are dads who don’t want to be relegated to playing the part of another piece of background scenery! And these dads are often left wondering what exactly they should be contributing to the wedding planning process. With that in mind, here are three out of the ordinary ways the father of the bride and father of the groom can help out:

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Oh my little chickadees! Did I attend a great wedding yesterday or what?

This was a perfect pairing. I’ve come to the conclusion that there is an unbeatable combination when it comes to planning a fabulous wedding to be remembered for years to come: a chef and a musician.

Mr. Twistie and I met Bryan about five years ago when Mr. Twistie joined a band Bryan plays in. We both immediately liked him. He’s quiet and mellow with a wickedly sly sense of humor. In fact, he’s so quiet we didn’t start hearing about Julie for a long, long time even though they were already getting together back then.
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Hail unto thee, caption lovers!

Last week I slapped you all with this deathless image:
and asked for great captions.

Two of you bravely answered the call. You both did well, Grasshoppers. Alas! There can be but one winner. This week it’s Susan for this deeply, deeply disturbing – yet wickedly funny – entry:

I expected your Grandma’s ring, but not still on Grandma’s finger.

Congratulations, Susan! And thanks to both of you who played.