Weddings… they sure do make chicks crazy, amirite? I’m kidding, of course, but you might assume I wasn’t if you’ve spent any time watching shows like Bridezillas and all the other wacky wedding shows that likely make WE Channel executives oodles of money. The stereotype of the shrilly screaming bride-to-be who needs everyone to know it’s ‘her daaaayyyyyy’ isn’t just a staple of reality TV and Target: Women. Nope, you can find it in fiction, too.

Right now I’m thinking of Bride Wars, which was met with largely negative reviews from critics. As it should have been. You’d think that a chick flick about two friends who are both getting married would feature strong women expressing their feelings and learning about themselves and kicking ass with girl power. Instead, you get a no holds barred chick vs. chick bitchlympics. Granted, the main characters do make up at the end, but they spend a good deal of the movie acting like spoiled bridezillas whose supposedly strong friendship is all but fractured by a clerical error.

Movies like Bride Wars aren’t meant to depict reality, I know, but the whole premise implies that caring independent women are just one wedding mishap away from turning into screaming banshees who will sacrifice their most precious relationships to ensure their ‘special daaaayyyyyy’ stays special. It ticks me off and bums me out at the same time, since I know that 99.9999% of the time, brides-to-be are calm, partial to compromise, and willing to roll with the punches… especially when the people important to them are involved.

So did any of you see Bride Wars? What did YOU think?

Some couples like their smallest wedding attendants to look like miniature versions of the bride, the groom, the bridesmaids, or the groomsmen. Other brides- and grooms-to-be want their flower girls and ring bearers to look like the little kids they actually are, and dress them accordingly. While both options fall within the bounds of tasteful wedding attire, if you fall into the latter camp and are planning to have a ring bearer, check out Me and Matilda. The proprietor of this Etsy shop creates matching made-to-order sets of 8″ x 8″ ring pillows and neckties in any of the washable cotton fabrics in her shop, so you can coordinate your ring bearer’s accessories with your wedding colors. Of course, if you’d like your ring bearer to wear what your grownup attendants are wearing, you can also find made-to-order ties for grownups at Me and Matilda.

You all know how this works. I put a picture before you that begs for a thousand words (or less) to describe it. You send in your best captions via the comments, and next week I declare a winner. We all cheer or jeer as the case may be, and live happily ever after.

And so, without further ado, here’s the image for the week:

Ready…set…snark!

So…my article last week on whether or not people eat cake at weddings has produced an overwhelming response to the effect that cake (or at least dessert) is important to our readers. In fact, it ran about the way I expected: a couple of people who will pass if the quality isn’t up to snuff, one or two people mentioned allergies that make cake eating in public a bit dicey to say the least, someone didn’t have much of a sweet tooth, several who weren’t picky about whether cake was there so long as dessert was offered…and the rest all wanted their cake and to eat it out loud and proud.

You, in short, are a crowd after my own heart.

But now I’m kind of curious about something, and I’d like to ask you another question:

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For those looking for a novel way to display their wedding cupcakes or some other dessert that lends itself to waiting around on a reception table, the authoress of Vintage Flair posted pictures of the stands she made using a Martha Stewart cupcake stand kit.

The kit produces a plain white cupcake stand, which she then covered in vintage ledger paper and decorated with a few dangly vintage earrings. The second, pink cupcake stand was made using scrapbooking paper. If you want to reproduce her handiwork for your wedding or your next party, you don’t need Martha’s help. Any plain cardboard or plastic cupcake stand can serve as the blank slate upon which you project your vision of the perfect cupcake stand.

Astral Sundholm-Hayes, the designer behind Circa Vintage Brides, uses her knowledge of antique clothes, textiles, and high end cutting to create absolutely luscious vintage-look wedding dresses (and even pants sets). This way, brides who want that retro aesthetic don’t have to go slogging through consignment shops and eBay to find that perfect vintage wedding gown, which might not exist anyway.

On the left, we have ‘Marilyn,’ a classic 1950’s style silk taffeta halter neck gown cut to below the knee with fitted panels sculpted around the body. A triple layer net underskirt is included. On the right, we have ‘Ava, a 1940’s classic style silk crepe full length gown. It features a Kimono style top covering shoulders and arms with a slightly open back ending in a full bias cut skirt. Of all Sundholm-Hayes’ designs, I think Marilyn is my favorite, but all of her wedding dresses are worth a peek.

Not a veil person? Or a fan of bareheaded brides? You’ll be happy to know that there are in-between options out there that aren’t yet another bridal tiara or pillbox hat. Tosin Trim, designer for the UK’s Hennumi,creates whimsical and beautiful head pieces for brides using materials like recycled and off-cut fabric, fresh water pearls, Swarovski crystals, feathers, and vintage mother of pearl buttons. The prices are a little steep at around £200, but you can bet that no other bride in your social circle will be wearing the same top o’ the head accessories.