Apparently the tradition of husband hunting is alive and well, at least in Japan. More than a few of you sent me links to a Reuters story (that also appeared on Jezebel) about a relatively new trend called kon-katsu or kekkon-katsudo,which translates literally as “marriage hunting.”

Kon-katsu is all about pursuing marriage strategically, much in the same way one might pursue a job. And of course, when you’re pursuing anything actively, you’ve got to have the right tools. Triumph International, maker of the solar, postal and chopstick bras, apparently has the one tool unmarried Japanese chicks really need: A crazy-ass countdown clock bra!

This so-called novelty bra “features an electronic nuptial timepiece, putting women seeking spouses literally on the clock. If an engagement ring is inserted into the mechanism, the countdown stops and the bra plays Felix Mendelssohn’s “The Wedding March.” The bra also includes holders for the traditional seal some people use to sign off contracts and a pen for any possible nuptial agreement.”

I do wonder what will happen when the countdown stops and no ring has been inserted into the bra. Does it self-destruct? Is the wearer immediately transported to a convent? Are you forced to marry that nice, but extremely short middle manager who’s the son of one of your mom’s bridge buddies? I think this is the kind of thing bride wannabes need to know before they decide to wear this bra.

Beach weddings are hugely popular. There’s a good reason for this. What could be more festive than sun, sand, blue water, and a big party?

But if a beach wedding is popular, it’s also a bit tricky when it comes to clothes. After all, traditional wedding clothes are all about pomp and circumstance, while beaches are all about relaxing. Yes, you could get married in swimwear. There’s no law against it. You could get married in a strapless, satin, beaded gown with a cathedral train and a big hoop.

There is, however, a path down the middle that makes for a pretty, dignified, fun, festive day and an album full of fabulous pictures. Here are a few tips on choosing just the right look for your big day on the beach.

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The other day, my good friend and compatriot, Fabrisse, brought something hideous to my attention. It’s an upcoming reality show on the CW charmingly entitled ‘Hitched or Ditched.’

Yes, it’s more or less what you would expect: a couple is ‘nominated’ by a fiend…er, friend or relative. Said Nosy Parker has decided that the couple in question is taking too long to march to the altar and needs to be hurried up. The show then badgers the couple, I mean offers them an ultimatum: plan and carry out your dreams for a wedding in one week while subjecting yourself to a series of (most likely extremely humiliating) public personalized tests designed to ‘help’ the couple decide whether they are truly ready to marry. At the end of the week, in the midst of all the pomp and circumstance of their dream wedding, they must decide at the altar whether to marry in that instant, or go their separate ways forever.

Yeah. No pressure there.

Okay, I could barely tolerate this concept in theory if the demand for instant lifelong commitment came from one member of the couple. I would still consider the whole thing manipulative and skeevy in the extreme, but at least I could see some small excuse.

My biggest problem is with the fact that the couple is nominated (read: publicly shamed) into this circus by someone who isn’t one of them. There may be an issue involved that a third party isn’t aware of. After all, pretty much nobody around me and Mr. Twistie had any idea why we waited seven years to get married. There were reasons, and they were good ones, but we didn’t feel like sharing them with the world. I’ve even known couples who adore one another but have realized that sharing a roof and a checking account and a kitchen just isn’t for them.

The fact is, each couple is different. They have to take their relationship at the pace their priorities, circumstances, and needs dictate. It wasn’t anyone else’s decision when it was right for me and Mr. Twistie to marry; it was ours. We made that decision when we were good and ready. You should do the same.

Remember, you and your significant other are the ones having the relationship. You need to tailor it to you. And yes, that includes deciding for yourselves when (or whether) you’re ready to get married.

Finally, we come to the matter of Ashley’s bridesmaids’ dresses. She didn’t have anything to say about that, but I thought I could choose some candidates based on her preferences in the wedding flower and flower girl dress departments. Ashley obviously has a thing for bold, bright colors, and unless she’s planning to opt for bridesmaids in white (hey, it’s been done) it seems likely that she’ll dress her bridesmaids in vivid hues.

It doesn’t get much brighter than these bridesmaids’ dresses from Lynn Lugo. I happen to love the checkerboard frock, though it might look just a touch hokey when worn at a backyard barbecue wedding reception. Then again, maybe not. Plus it would just be a fun dress to have around for future fancy functions.

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Today, I hope to enlist your help in finding Ashley the perfect wedding dress!

I am having a hell of a time finding a dress, so any and all suggestions will be welcomed with open arms. I am tall and relatively thin, so I can wear a lot of things, but I am hoping for something simple with clean lines that falls just to the floor. maybe something Grecian/column-y? I DO NOT EVEN KNOW. This is kind of the thing I have in mind, though I would not be averse to a little bit more floatiness/blinginess. Ideas?

I can safely say that when Ashley says she is tall and slim, she is not kidding around. She has the kind of physique that will look stunning in just about any style of dress, whether it would be perfect on a princess or is slinky as sin. That is to say that she has a lot of leeway where most of us do not! She would indeed look bridetacular in the J. Crew frock linked (or in any of the other clingy J. Crew wedding dresses), though she did suggest to me that she might like something with sleeves.

Then again if I had Ashley’s bod, I might just wear this sassy wedding gown from Thread:

But like I said, I’d like to enlist the help of my uber-wise readership on this one! If you were (or are) a tall, skinny bride-to-be with absolutely no figure flaws to speak of, what would you wear on your wedding day? Bonus points to those commenters who link to wedding gowns with sleeves.

EDIT: I wanted to add that Ashley should definitely check out Wai-Ching Clothing if she is committed to the idea of a custom wedding gown.

And on to Inspiration for Ashley #3!

My two nieces will be flower girls! I’m not sure about their dresses yet – I am thinking about HAWT PANK and SHAWKING PURPLE (they are two and almost 4, and SO SO CRAZY INTO PANK AND PURPLE) – but I know beyond doubt’s dark shadow that they will both be wearing silvery angel wings on their adorable little backs. Because what good is a wedding without little girls wearing angel wings?

As easy as this sounds, there are definitely more pastel flower girl dresses and white flower girl dresses than there are flower girl dresses in colors one could describe as either hawt or shocking. Luckily, a number of online dress shops offer all of their designs in custom fabric choices. In other words, if they carry the fabric, you can get a dress made from it.

Pegeen, for example, offers most of its flower girl dresses in any one of 200 colors. I believe the color above is called “Boing.”

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Today’s Inspiration for Ashley is all about flowers, specifically Gerbera daisies, since Ashley seems partial to them.

The flowers will be BIG and BOLD and in many shades of shocking pink, hot orange, red, yellow, and purple. I want it wild and uncoordinated and OMG LOOK AT ALL THAT COLOR I COULD JUST DIE FROM IT ALL. I am thinking Gerbera daisies for a start, but I don’t know where the finish will be.

Easy enough, since Gerbera daisy bridal bouquets and centerpieces abound. Though bridal bouquets featuring one or two colors of daisy seem to be more common, multicolor examples in line with what Ashley wants can be found. Here is one example in a photo taken by Kellie McCann Photography:

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