I know, I know, this makes LOVE/HATE two days running, which is unusual around here. But every once in a while, something comes along and I just need to hear where others stand on it right away.

In this case, I was pointed in the direction of an article at Jezebel about a wedding missing an important person and how the family dealt with it in the photos.

You see, the groom’s father (at least I’m assuming it’s the groom’s father since they look a lot alike and it’s the groom’s sister who did the alterations to the pics) fell ill and wound up being in the hospital on the wedding day. The wedding went ahead as scheduled, but of course everyone missed the missing father, as you do.

So the groom’s sister sat down with the wedding pics and Photoshopped him into a selection.

How do I feel about this one? Well, if whoever is ill is going to be fine, and if it’s done in this entirely tongue-in-cheek way of adding completely ridiculous images, and if it’s just a few pics mostly for the family… then I kind of LOVE it. Otherwise I think I might HATE it.

But right now I’m finding myself thinking of asking Photoshop wiz Mr. Twistie to take my fave shot of my mother living it up at the Renaissance Fair and digitally adding it to one of our wedding photos. I know she would have had just that great a time at our wedding, had she lived to see the day.

So what do all of you think?

(Image via Brides.com)
When thinking about what the wedding party will look like, many brides have a clear vision right from the start. Some imagine matching dresses, shoes, jewelry, make up, and hairstyles for all. Some think of a single-color free-for-all where she says ‘blue’ and everybody just goes out and gets what they want, and then styles it their own way.

One thing both generally have in common is the assumption that these dresses will be in a solid color… but that’s not in any way required.

I’m not personally all that wild about this particular Betsey Johnson dress worn by the bridal party above… but I really like the idea behind it. I think it might be fun to see more weddings where the bridesmaids wear stripes or floral prints or polka dots. It’s festive, and my guess is that a lot of women who will never, ever, ever on pain of death wear that shell pink chiffon evening gown or the emerald green taffeta ballgown again might actually haul this little sundress out of the closet and wear it for a variety of occasions.

So, yeah, I’m going with LOVE on this trendlette. I’d like to see a lot more of it.

For the past few years, wedding cupcakes have been big business. They’re festive, and everyone can just grab one, obviating the need for someone to stand there cutting cake all night. It’s a practical idea that makes a lot of people smile.

Well, recently another trend has popped up that’s just a little more elaborate, but still does away with that endless cake cutting: the individual wedding cake.

As you can see above, they’re tiny versions of a larger wedding cake. Typically there will be one full tier for the happy couple to cut and serve among the wedding party, while the waiters serve individual small cakes to individual guests.

Even though it reduces the cake cutting fees, this is still more expensive than cupcakes since each cake is more elaborately decorated and a little bit bigger than a cupcake, more often than not.

Is it for everyone? No. I don’t think there’s much of anything that’s for everyone. All the same, I’m coming down on the side of LOVE for this one. They look charming, and there’s something delightfully indulgent about the concept of eating an entire cake by yourself… even a very tiny one.

What about all of you?

(Illustration via Strange Things My Imagination Might Do)

So. This ad. Okay, I get where they came up with the joke. All the same… I can’t help thinking it sounds an awful lot like the kinds of ‘jokes’ I’ve so often heard about sexual assault.

Oversensitive? I’m inclined to think not. All the same, I’d like to know what all of you think.

Clearly, I HATE this one. How do you feel? Why?

My eyes don’t even know quite where to go on this one. Do I focus on the strips of colored… I think it might be lace? hanging down diagonally yet limply from the various layers of the dress? If so, do I watch the ones going left or right? Should I focus on the heinous belt? Or maybe the funky little hat consisting of a blue fabric rose and a sad peacock feather?

I can guarantee one thing: make your friends wear this and they will drink themselves under the tables to forget they ever knew you.

In short: HATE!

Okay, folks, what think you of this gown (named Parker) from Amsale’s Fall 2012 collection?

For my part, I find it rather confused. The bodice is satin with the currently trendy one-strap look and a geometrical crumb catcher. It hits nearly every major trend except for lace.

Then the skirt is simply a huge pouf of tulle.

I think how it really strikes me is unfinished. The lines, while not my personal faves, aren’t awful by any means. Each part has the potential to be kind of amazing… but there’s nothing holding this design together. Perhaps I would like it better if there were some form of embellishment that was used on both parts. Then again, I don’t think a major statement bodice like that can really use embellishing. I think what it needs is a different skirt. And an etherial skirt like that never looks quite right to my eyes with a highly structured bodice, so I think it needs a softer, more romantic top.

In short, I find this a little scattered, with each half having great potential if paired with something that suits it better. I have to go with hate on this.

What say all of you?

So… flower girl as miniature bride. On the upside, apparently if you’re six you can actually have sleeves. On the downside, I gotta go with ‘everything else’ from the tiny, fussy updo to the (I assume) matching veil and tiara to the bodice cut to enhance curves that aren’t there yet to that annoying handbag.

Yeah, I’m going with HATE here. In fact, I’m going with ‘hate that burns like a thousand fiery suns’ on this. Give the kid the handbag for playing dress up, and let her be a kid while she’s being a flower girl. They grow up too fast as it is.