Manolo for the Brides » Wedded Wednesday

With these links, I thee (hopefully) amuse

Christa Terry — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 09:00:06 +0000

You know how sometimes your inbox gets so full that you’re tempted to just delete it all and start afresh? That happens to me all the time, but I just can’t do it because half of the stuff I’m sitting on came to my attention because you were nice enough to e-mail me about it. The other half is stuff I stumbled upon on my own and bookmarked while researching things like unusual guestbooks, wicked cool tuxes, and barbecuing brides.

This explains, in a nuptial nutshell, why I’ll occasionally sit down and compose a post made up mainly of links like those outlined below.

Fairytale wedding? No thanks! Plenty of modern brides are marrying their Prince Charmings but staying true to their Cinderella roots, according to the Post and Courier. But don’t expect to stop hearing about the proverbial $30,000 just yet — the average cost of a wedding has only gone down by $28. That’s what, one less boutonnière?
If we’re going to have a serious discussion about scaling back, how about we start with the dress? Usually I hit up Nordstrom when I want to spend a lot (not a little) on a dress, but now I know, thanks to Dream Wedding on a Budget, that brides can do it the other way around. Introducing the $98 wedding gown!
“Makes The Perfect Wedding Present!” No, oh goodness, no. It most certainly does not.
Thank goodness we have MSN to remind all the single ladies not to become raging witches when their friends tie the knot, am I right? (PLEASE NOTE THAT WAS SOME SERIOUS SARCASM!) The article’s author experienced a mix of jealousy, loneliness, anxiety, depression, confusion, and even terror when her best gal pal got engaged. She claims that the majority of XX-carrying humans feel the same, but I have my doubts. Care to weigh in?
The Wedding Report says that California same-sex marriages could generate $1 billion the first year. I’m going to guess that the sound I’m hearing is the thunderous footsteps of a raging stampede of vendors desperately rushing to target an untapped demographic.
And finally, a drawing that I believe originally appeared in Indexed by Jessica Hagy:

When I can’t decide what to post about, you can bet it’s Wedded Wednesday

Christa Terry — Wed, 07 May 2008 14:22:27 +0000

iDo, iDo, iDo, iDo? With just about a month until iDo: Planning Your Wedding with Nothing But ‘Net hits your local bookshop (ask for it by name!) I decided to do a search for the title and see what came up. Among other things, I found a WSJ article sporting the same title…apparently, indecisive brides- and grooms-to-be are now letting guests make decisions via web poll?

Los Angeles lawyers Melissa and Eric Bakewell were the first among their friends to conduct online wedding polls. For their August 2006 wedding, they registered at Crate and Barrel, did a foxtrot during the first dance and served mojitotini cocktails and white-chocolate cake, all choices directed by majority vote.

I’m going to take a wild guess here and say that couples are putting polls on their wedding web sites as a “value add,” like picture slideshows and quizzes, rather than a revolutionary new way to make decisions.

Grays, gunmetals, pewters, and silver are hot right now. So here are two dresses for two bridesmaids who are taking part in what are obviously two very different weddings:

Bridenapping is still common in various parts of the world, but at least efforts are being made to end this nasty “tradition.” A recent push to ban bridenapping took place in Chechnya, where religious leaders in Russia’s North Caucasus republic want to eradicate all non-consensual bridal abductions…versus the playacted ones that occasionally unfold.

“Abductions of brides contradict the norms of Shariah law and the traditions and customs of the Chechen people,” Sultan Mirzayev said, adding that the tradition should be abolished.

Finally, after reading this article about the hoops an LA fellow had to jump through to take his wife’s last name, I started to wonder how one could politely refer to his previous moniker. Regularly reading Jezebel has introduced me to the fact that some people are strongly opposed to the term “maiden name” because of the implications underlying it.

I have two questions for you: What’s a less dicey way to inquire about maiden names, if in fact you know someone has changed their name? Previous name? Unmarried name? Prenuptial name? And is there an equivalent term that’s just for men?

Happily Wedded Wednesday

Christa Terry — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 12:47:16 +0000

Marriage should ideally stay strong through thick and through thin, with emphasis on the thick, according to a study released by the Obesity Society. During a five-year period, newlyweds in their early 20s gain six to nine pounds more than their peers who are single and dating. Well, shucks. Comfort…cooking together…I’m not seeing the problem here. For better or for girth, my fanny.

Salon–with help from Deborah Merrill, author of Mothers-in-Law and Daughters-in-Law: Understanding the Relationship and What Makes Them Friends or Foe–puts the monster-in-law myth to bed once and for all in this Broadsheet piece. It’s cool to dig your MIL!

Saying it with flowers is easiest when you can do it from home, in your jammies. If you like knowing where your cut flowers come from (and why…and to a certain extent how), have a gander at 1-800-FLOWERS‘ Fields of the World bouquets. Whether or not you send someone you love a bouquet, you’ll learn some interesting flower-related factoids. For example, orange ‘Mok OJ’ and yellow ‘Mok Jitty’ orchids come from Thailand. And you can have a hand in choosing the company’s next worldly field destination by voting in the Fields of the World contest. Choose the photo you like best–each was taken and submitted by someone who reeaaally likes flowers. The winning photo will adorn a billboard in Times Square. Me, I like lotus blossoms.

And finally, Diana comes this sorry tale about a minister who stands accused of helping herself to wedding gifts in the form of Home Depot cards. There’s no surveillance camera in this story…in fact, the couple in question married at home. Kitty and Shawn Sonnenschein hoped that the Rev. Shey-Rima Silveira wasn’t the culprit, but there could be no other explanation once the gift cards were traced. Silveira later claimed the wedding party gave her the stolen cards. Sure, honey, sure.