Archive for March, 2012

Let There Be Pie!

Wednesday, March 14th, 2012

Happy Pi Day!

(Image via Pie&)

I don’t know about you, but I’m a big fan of pie. I’ll eat it any time of day or night. I love both sweet and savory pies. Blueberry? I’m there! Steak and Kidney? Equally there!

In fact, when Mr. Twistie and I were married, we didn’t have a cake. We had individual fruit tarts. They were delicious and festive and just a little quirky. Very us.


(Image via Achatz Handemade Pie Co.)

Mmmm…pie. Save a slice for me!

Not To Coin a Phrase Or Anything

Tuesday, March 13th, 2012


When it comes to choosing wedding rings, there are a lot of decisions to be made: what material, who will and won’t wear one, to sparkle or not to sparkle… and the list goes on.

But one groom took the question even further: he decided to make them himself.

David Curtis and Jessica Stonex fell in love while working with the homeless through their church. They’d known one another from childhood, but finding they shared values and priorities sealed the deal.

One of those values? Deliberate simplicity. So when they decided to marry, they didn’t want to go out and buy fancy gold rings or involve diamonds. But they did want rings to symbolize their union. What to do? David remembered a story he’d heard about a friends’ grandfather who hammered his wife’s wedding ring from a silver coin. David and Jessica knew they’d found their answer.

David set out to find real silver coins, which meant they had to be minted before 1964, the year alloys started being added. The pure silver would be more malleable and thus better for jewelry making by hand.

A Ben Franklin fifty cent piece was perfect for Jessica’s finger, and David found a silver dollar would suit his hand nicely.

Then came the painstaking work of hammering them out into rings.

“You can’t hit it too hard,” he said. “You have to be slow and steady, and make small taps. It’s kind of a metaphor for marriage.”

In the end, though, David and Jessica have a pair of unique rings that reflect not only their beliefs (the words ‘Liberty’ and ‘In God We Trust’ can be read inside the bands), but their unique bond as well.

As Jessica says:

“Every time I look at my ring, I think, ‘Man, my husband spent 20 hours making this ring to bless me with.’ ”

What more can you say after that?

Quickie Question: To Favor or Not To Favor?

Monday, March 12th, 2012


(Illustration via Exclusively Weddings, where you can buy the organza favor bags for $3.95 per 10)
Favors.

Some people can’t imagine a wedding without them. Others consider them a pointless expense. Me? I gave favors. They were Jordan almonds tied up in squares of tulle. I did buy the tulle pre-cut, but I just bought a reel of ribbon and bulk candy. I only bought the tulle pre-cut because I’m not the world’s best at cutting a straight line and I found them pretty cheap.

And I’m going to come clean: I gave favors mostly because I love Jordan almonds, and this was a great excuse to buy a whole bunch. I knew that a fair number would be left behind, because Jordan almonds are one of those things that most people either love or loathe. So I figured those who loved them would enjoy getting a few, and those who loathed them would leave them behind, whereupon I could eat them.

But if I hadn’t found a good deal on both the almonds and those tulle squares… yeah, I wouldn’t have bothered.

My experience as an avid wedding-attender for more than forty years is that if the favor isn’t edible… an awful lot get left behind by guests who can’t imagine a use for them. Chocolates, cookies, spice blends, or little pots of homemade jam are often actually popular. Even if the guest doesn’t want them, they know someone who will be thrilled to get them. But what exactly does one do in years to come with a wineglass painted with someone else’s name and wedding date on it?

As a guest, if the favor isn’t edible (or otherwise easily consumable, like pretty soaps), I usually manage to artfully ‘forget’ to take it. I don’t need a toy prize for coming to your wedding, and I don’t need extra clutter. Casa Twistie is already more than cluttered enough, thank you very much.

As a wedding blogger, if a bride is looking for a place to cut the budget, favors are in my top five places to trim without causing any problem. Favors are optional. Favors cost money. I’ll merrily tell people not to bother at all with them.

All the same, I gave favors and have enjoyed quite a few over the years. Mostly, I admit, of the chocolate or Jordan almond variety, but I have liked them.

What about all of you? Did you give favors? Do you plan to give favors?

Oh, and if I were getting married now and had the budget to do this, I would absolutely give candy bars from this company. Just reading over the flavors is making me hungry!

‘Disaster’ or DISASTER

Sunday, March 11th, 2012


There are a lot of guides out on the web, on television, in books, etc. on how to avoid wedding disasters. Goodness knows the subject has come up once or seventeen times here!

But one thing I have noticed is that a lot of these guides aren’t really talking about serious disasters. They’re talking about minor to middling snafus that truly can be planned for and dealt with. And even then, some of them are full of questionable advice.
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I Wonder if Fred and Wilma Got Married Here, Too

Friday, March 9th, 2012


Ever dreamed of getting married among the dinosaurs? Apparently Scott and Amanda Peters did more than dream. They got married among the dinos in Cabazon, near Palm Springs, and had their picture taken inside the T-rex head.

I don’t know about you guys, but I’m seriously starting to think about springing plots… er… plans for a vow reaffirmation on Mr. Twistie if I can figure out a way to fit this place into the budget for it.

Quickie Question: Big Blow Out or Intimate Celebration?

Thursday, March 8th, 2012


Some couples have no real choice when it comes to the size of their wedding celebration. For instance, when Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer way back when, it was a State Event. Even if their dream had been the two of them and the minimum required witnesses on a beach somewhere, it didn’t matter. The heir to the British throne was getting married and it was going to be a huge blowout.

But you don’t have to be famous for that to be the case. I’ve known a couple brides who had larger weddings than they really wanted because of family pressures or cultural traditions. And I’ve also known a few couples who wound up having smaller weddings than they really would have preferred due to budgetary constraints or other more complicated issues.

After all, not everyone wants bare bones any more than everyone wants massive hooplah.

Me? I loved the wedding Mr. Twistie and I had. In the end, it was roughly a hundred people on a picnic in the woods. I never wanted anything more pomp and circumstancial. I never wanted anything quieter or less populous. I wanted to share the day with the people who meant the most to us, but I wanted things pretty low key, because that’s the kind of people Mr. Twistie and I are at heart.

But I’ve had a great time at gigantic weddings with lots of tradition, and I’ve had an equally great time at tiny weddings with only a handful of people and no great consideration of the expected. In the end, I think the thing that made each of these weddings so good was that the couples holding them were having the weddings they wanted.

So, if the decision were left completely in your hands, how big would your wedding be?

How To Get the Best Out of Your Vendors

Wednesday, March 7th, 2012


Anyone who has ever read an article I wrote on this blog probably knows I’m a huge fan of the handmade, the homemade, and the alternately sourced in weddings. My own wedding was mostly done that way, and I would do it again even if I had a much, much bigger budget than I had back then.

All the same, when it comes right down to it, nearly every couple will hire at least one or two professionals. Whether they do flowers, food, photography, music, or just general bridal party wrangling, there are things you can do to make sure the experience is good for all parties concerned.

After all, you don’t want to be the cautionary boogeyman tale your caterer or beautician tells their colleagues!
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