Yes, folks, it’s time once again to play Twistie’s Sunday Caption Madness!
Take a look at the photo below, and hit me with your best shot for it. When I return next Saturday, I will declare a winner. What fabulous prize do you win? Um…well…bragging rights, I guess. But it’s still fun to play.
Give me your best caption for this photo:
Best of luck to all of you!
Last week I discussed the question of wedding stress in general terms. All very well and good, but it didn’t contain much practical advice on how to cope when it starts seeming like too much. Well, that’s why I’m revisiting the topic today.
The sad fact is that there is no one-size-fits-all advice for this question because there are so many different potential stressors and so many different ways of coping with them. Still, there are some general notes that can be helpful in a wide variety of situations.
In meandering the internet looking for items of interest to our fine readers here at Manolo for the Brides, I came across a rather wonderful site with all sorts of lovely books online. It just so happens that one of the books archived there is the 1922 edition of Emily Post, and the section on weddings contains a great many gems of wisdom, as well as proof of two widely diverging theories: there’s nothing new under the sun, and the past is a foreign country.
As illustration of the second of these fine theories, I offer up this passage on compiling a guest list for a wedding:
In the cities where a Social Register or other Visiting Book is published, people of social prominence find it easiest to read it through, marking “XX” in front of the names to be asked to the house, and another mark, such as a dash, in front of those to be asked to the church only, or to have announcements sent them. Other names which do not appear in the printed list may be written as “thought of” at the top or bottom of pages. In country places and smaller cities, or where a published list is not available, or of sufficient use, the best assistant is the telephone book.
Who can fail to be simultaneously amused, charmed, and deeply alarmed by the concept of starting with the city phone book when compiling a guest list for a wedding? Clearly this is a very different world from the one we live in today.
When I announced my engagement, I was amazed at the number of people whose first response wasn’t ‘congratulations,’ or ‘you must be so happy,’ but rather ‘you must be so stressed out,’ or ‘take my advice; go to Vegas now or the stress will kill you.’ To this day, I still don’t understand that response one bit. I had a great time planning my wedding, and the one thing that caused me the most annoyance in the entire process was the fact that Mr. Twistie couldn’t be convinced to care about the details so long as the result was what we were married, while I honestly wanted his personality reflected in the day at least as much as mine was. Somehow, though, we both survived and even had a great time at our own party.
A great deal has been written about the duties and obligations of members of the bridal party. Less, however, seems to have been written about handling them so they are still your friends once the birdseed and rose petals have been swept up and life returns to normal. Here are a few tips to help you be remembered as the best bride ever by your nearest and dearest.
Once an engagement is announced and a date set, the burning question of bridal attendants must be decided. This is often a bone of contention in wedding planning. How many should you pick? Who should be Maid of Honor? Is your three year old cousin really too young to be a flower girl? What about your slightly awkward twelve-year-old niece whom you adore? Is there a role for her? Do you really have to have your snotty sister in the wedding party? Can you put your foot down and tell your intended that his friend who still thinks fake dog poo is hilarious cannot be Best Man?
