I admit it. I’ve never liked wedding veils. I just generally don’t. I never even considered wearing one at my own wedding. They aren’t my style.

On the other hand, I’ve known many a bride who wouldn’t have felt she was getting married without one. It’s traditional, after all, and many women consider them romantic. Who am I to say they’re not?

One thing I think a lot of us will agree on, though, is that wedding veils are darn expensive. I wouldn’t argue the price tag on one trimmed with antique, hand made lace and held in place with a tiara richly bejeweled with sapphires and rubies…but it’s easy to plonk down upwards of $150 on a square of tulle with a bit of ribbon trim and a couple plastic combs to hold it in place. That makes my thrify heart wheeze.

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Guestbooks are easy to find because any blank book of a certain size will provide your loved ones with a space in which they can wish you well. Really fine guestbooks, however, come at a premium because they take time to make and are practically slaved over by their creators. Bookbinding is an art form, though may don’t usually regard it as such. You can’t tell me, however, that the guestbooks below don’t qualify as art.

That shine on the cover? It’s not varnish or lacquer…the craftsman behind these beauties sands and sands and sands and then waxes and waxes and waxes so that the finish will be just right. Would that I could afford one…I have no need of a guestbook myself, but I suppose I could sketch in it or something.

Audrey, who hangs out on Craftster and is is mega crafty herself, pointed me toward a selection of wedding photos posted on the aforementioned boards by one Showmehelen. When I looked at the small sampling of wedding pics Showmehelen posted on Craftster, I immediately became entirely too envious and vowed to begin taking all sorts of creative classes.

See her guestbook, rings, super-fly headgear, bouquet, and decor in the post referenced above. Find advice on replicating the guestbook here. Then go check out her invitations and favors here. Once you’ve done all that, have a second look at her utterly freakin’ stunning post-morning ceremony ceremony garb:

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For some odd reason, I love it when ugly and expensive collide. When I saw the link for ‘wedding dome’ in my bookmarks, I got a little excited. I bookmark so much stuff that I forget what half of it is, and I thought I might have found a company that rents collapsible geodesic domes instead of tents. Oh, how wrong I was.

Wedding dome referred to French wedding domes. A few hundred years back, the domes were used to present the wedding rings to French brides- and grooms-to-be and to store the garter (or some other piece of nuptial paraphernalia) after the wedding.

The dome you see before you is obviously an antique, and it seems the tradition of the wedding dome has not lived on into the present day. Pity, that. Ha ha, just kidding. Ormolu (i.e. gilt bronze) coupled with mirrors, velvet, and birdies under glass is just not my bag, baby.

If you want to make your own wedding dome and you’re crafty by nature, I can’t see it being that difficult. My Antique Mall has put together a short symbolism guide that can help you choose components.

Oak Leaves = Longevity of Union
Sheaves of Wheat = The gift of Life
Rectangular Mirrors = Years of Engagement
Diamond Shaped Mirrors = Fertility
Large Central Mirror = Reflection of the Soul
Clusters of Grapes = Prosperity
Roses or Daisies = Love
Cherries = Protection from Bad Fortune
Ivy = Attachment to each other
Chestnut Tree Leaves = Links to Others

But if you’d prefer to get married in a geodesic dome and you’re handy by nature, this site will help you build one.

As was discussed in my recent post about the well dressed pate, it isn’t always easy to find classy, upscale headgear. I myself have a larger than average head and am often dismayed to find that I cannot squeeze into the nicer off the rack hats I come across. Now, let’s fantasize that you’re to attend or participate in an outdoor wedding in a traditionally hot clime in the height of summer.

What do you do? WHAT DO YOU DO?

One infrequently explored option is the parasol — perhaps infrequent because we’re NOT all lucky enough to have a well-stocked parasol shop nearby. But if the only thing holding you back is the inconvenience of finding a pretty umbrella to provide you with the shade you need to survive, Bella Umbrella is about to come to your rescue.

For the bride, an ecru lace canopy with a light wooden handle.

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The recent discourse on appropriate dress over at the Shoe Blog put me in a mind to contemplate hats. At my own wedding, I asked my mother and her ladywife to pick out some stylish headwear for the ceremony. I suppose they are lucky that I had not yet discovered the French wedding hat tradition, for I no doubt would have requested that they spend obscene amounts of money outfitting their heads.

According to photographer Bertrand Celce, who snapped the photo below, the wedding hat must be “original, classy, and elegant.”

Whoever invented this tradition was inspired, and a wedding without hats would not be a real wedding…or at least wouldn’t deserve that we try our best for the best of all days. Don’t forget that the groom and the bride often met at a previous wedding a few months before. And this particular hat on that particular face wasn’t neutral on that special day. Is there a better reason to care for the hats?

To see more of these uber fantastic hats, many of which are architectural wonders that stimulate the mind as well as the eye, have a peek at this blog entry by Tom Sanford. I think that I shall have to find myself a gorgeous and eye-catching hat to wear at the next wedding I attend so I can begin spreading the wedding hat tradition among my friends and peers.

At some point in history, nipples ceased to exist. All right, we all still have nipples, but it’s apparently de rigueur nowadays to use all sorts of devices to feign niplessness. Wearing something slinky and sleek on your wedding day? Better hope it’s warm where you’re headed. If not, brace yourself for comments about leaving the headlights on and Tic Tacs. Or buy yourself some Nippies…

Nippies for brides are lacy, sparkly, or satiny fabric appliqués that stick right to your nips so you can wear barely there fashions without letting people know that you are secretly in possession of (gasp) nipples. Safe medical adhesives ensure six to eight hours of sticktoitiveness, whether you’re walking down the aisle or getting your freak on on the dance floor.

It beats having to bust out the band aids, I guess.