You guys know the drill. I post a photo. You give me your best captions. Next saturday, I declare a winner. So take a look at this gem and hit me with your best shots. I’ll sit back here with an egg nog and some Christmas cookies and try to remember to swallow before I laugh.
Every now and again, a story comes along that really exemplifies what a good marriage is. The December 20th edition of the Yellow Springs News Online brings us one of these tales in their profile of Ed and Nancy Vernot. Ed and Nancy have not let a little thing like her incapacitating stroke and subsequent move to a nursing home stop them having a marriage many would envy.
I’ve been meaning to write a bit about floral preservation for ages upon ages, but it seems like every time I go looking for interesting floral preservation methods I stumble upon something even more interesting and my commitment to the topic of preservation goes straight out the window. In a moment, I’m going to tell you about what is by far the most fascinating preservation method I’ve found. First, however, I’m going to share a little bit of offensiveness I found on Keepsake Floral’s web site:
For every bride considering the possibility of preserving her wedding bouquet for years of future enjoyment, there may be someone who tries to discourage her from doing so. Whether it is the bride-to-be’s fiancé (who wants to save some money to buy a beer stein or autographed baseball), a friend or even the bride’s own florist (who may be unaware of the developments in previous years regarding preservation), there can be numerous road blocks for a bride trying to find out more information.
Um…what?! This sort of thing is on par with vendors who tell brides-to-be not to tell their fiancés how much things cost because, “men just don’t understand these things.”
And what’s the deal with the beer stein or the autographed baseball? Maybe Mr. So-and-so wants to save money to buy a new stove or a washing machine…why assume he wants to spend the bouquet preservation money on something so dumbly stereotypical? Shame on you, Keepsake Floral. Does this tick anyone else off or is it just me?
Anyhow, what you see above is not a pile of burnt sugar cubes, charcoal, or rabbit droppings. They’re beads–specifically beads made out of a number of different sorts of florals. The owner of From Blossom to Bead will take your bouquet and turn it into jewelry, a rosary, or a picture frame.
In a process similar to papermaking, the petals are mashed into pulp with several “secret” organic ingredients, formed, allowed to dry, and then strung with other beads to for a one of a kind, handmade heirloom quality piece.
Luxe jewelry it’s not, but if you’re into baubles with a natural, organic look, flower beads may appeal to you. It is an interesting idea. Personally, I don’t think these beads are any more or less extravagant than a fancy glass preserved floral display, but they are significantly uglier…and I’m not just saying that because I want to save some money for a beer stein and an autographed baseball!
Susan Piver, author of The Hard Questions: 100 Essential Questions to Ask Before You Say “I Do” (a reeeeaaaaally great book), write up an abbreviated list of questions that engaged couples ought to discuss before tying the knot. Some highlights:
Question 2: Who is responsible for keeping our house and yard cared for and organized? Are we different in our needs for cleanliness and organization?
Question 3: How much money do we earn together? Now? In one year? In five years? Ten? Who is responsible for which portion? Now? In one year? Five? Ten?
Question 6: How much time will each of us spend at work, and during what hours? Do we begin work early? Will we prefer to work into the evening?
Question 7: If one of us doesn’t want to work, under what circumstances, if any, would that be okay?
Question 8: How ambitious are you? Are we comfortable with the other’s level of ambition?
Before I got hitched, I made sure to ask The Beard whether he wanted kids and how many he might like to have because I’ve known too many couples for whom the possibility of children became a point of contention. Luckily, we were on the same page. What questions did you absolutely need to ask before agreeing to to commit to your partner?
Love ‘em? Hate ‘em? I love two and hate two, but my opinions and yours don’t always gel. Would you wear any of them? None of them? Do tell!
At my aunt’s wedding in 2006, the individuals charged with decorating the reception space scattered a great many faux rose petals indoors and outdoors. The plastic petals that landed on carpet and tile were easily swept up at the end of the event. As for the fate of those that landed outdoors…who can say? My guess is that they blew away in the wind and found their way into some sorry gutter somewhere.
Not exactly the environmentally friendly choice, eh? For outdoor tossing, you’re better off going with something like fresh or freeze dried rose petals, lavender buds, or “ecofetti,” a biodegradable, water soluble confetti wedding toss created by Ecoparti. The third option flutters gently to the ground like traditional confetti, but can be hosed away or left where it falls to be cleaned up by the next rainfall.
Ecofetti is the new safe and accepted wedding toss with no cleanup worries. Water-soluble and completely biodegradable confetti – either hose it away or let nature help with the cleanup…The perfect alternative to rice or birdseed, no slipping or staining, and ecofetti flutters easily to the ground. The vibrant colors are lighter and fluffier than the pastels – the pastels look more like colored rice!
I’m of the opinion that dried petals are best because they’re natural and relative easy to fish out of one’s bodice after landing in inappropriate places, but if you’re dead set on something more confetti-ish you could do worse than ecofetti.
What did your guests toss at your nuptial celebration?
In my most humble opinion, there are far too many bridal books out there that push the “princess for a day” message. La la la, it’s your day, don’t worry about your budget, your loved ones, or something as silly as, say, the weather. Oh, and if you don’t feel a sense of perfect bliss as you tie the knot, you’ve obviously done something very wrong.
Um, yuck? If you know a bride-to-be who’s just a little sick of all the hype, do her a favor and present her one of the books below the next time she shows up on your doorstep because she needs to rant about how she feels alienated by the ubergirly bridal guides her FMIL gave her for her birthday.
Or maybe you’re a bride-to-be who needs a little help going green or wants to hear from an expert that, yes, it’s okay to buck tradition. After all, getting hitched is a rite of passage…not an all-purpose excuse to toss common sense out the window or go megashopping.
Of course, if you don’t fancy any of the books above, you’ll just have to wait until June when my book comes out!
If you want to get married at the Lyndale United Church of Christ…you can’t.
