Manolo for the Brides

When I was but a wee lass — this was in the 80s — Barbie wore clothing that looked nothing like the clothing I saw on your average adult. Heck, her clothes were brighter, quirkier, and more frilly than anything I ever saw on a model, rock star, or cartoon character. I don’t think I have to tell you how badly I wanted kid-sized versions of Barbie’s wardrobe.

I guess my tastes haven’t changed all that much, because I think this might be my new favorite wedding dress:

The bride is one Princess Lasertron, aka Megan, aka the maker of fine felt flowers and other cool stuff. Her fabulous custom dress was created by Joi Mahon of Dress Forms Design, a private design studio in Sioux City, Iowa. And the photographs (see more here) were taken by the talented Becky Novacek.

While this dress isn’t exactly wedding-y, I think it’s divine!

Oh, one more unrelated thing! Go have a look at the WaPo article that Jennie linked to in the comments of this post. How do you pull of a sane, stuff-free wedding on public property where weddings are verboten? Read the article to find out!

How was the weather on your wedding day? My big day was sunny and mild with a tiny breeze popping up now and again to keep us all from overheating. In short, it was just the sort of weather I’d been hoping for.

My guess is that Sherry Rohrer and Joe Dunlap will have a far more colorful way of describing the weather on their September 6, 2008 wedding, since it happened in the middle of Tropical Storm Hanna.

Sherry and Joe, may this be the worst weather you face. I wish you many years of great joy together.

I must, however, express my amusement that their wedding colors so perfectly match the colors used by the storefronts behind them.

I’m feeling a little political today, but it turns out that tying weddings and U.S. politics together isn’t easy. Sure, pregnant Bristol Palin is engaged to a self-described redneck, but like they say on the Internet, pics or it didn’t happen. And there are no pics yet, because it hasn’t happened. Nuts. I did find pictures of both the Obama wedding and McCain’s wedding (to Cindy, Not Carol).

The deets: Michelle and Barack’s wedding ceremony was performed by the now infamous Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, Illinois on October 18, 1992.

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Labor Day already? It can’t be! As someone who still measures a year as the period between two Septembers, I cannot tell you how dismayed I am to know that autumn and it’s leaf-dropping chill are just around the corner. I recommend that we all take advantage of temperatures that support water-based activities and do something wonderfully wet…like get married.

Talk about doing your own thing! Oregonians Brian Wilson and Christina Gunn were married under twenty feet of Illinois River water somewhere near the spot where they first dived together. Gunn “said” her I dos in a white veil, a red garter and black neoprene, while Wilson (who also opted for neoprene) wore a red bow tie.

Luckily, the couple found a pastor who is also a diver…or is that a diver who also happens to be a pastor? They wrote their vows on slates and when asked if they promised to be together forever, each held up a sign reading “I do.”

“My family thought it was kind of corny,” said Wilson. “Christina’s family was a little nervous about it because she’s still a novice at diving.”

They eventually jumped on board though.

A small group of family members gathered on the riverbank.

“It’s really different, I’ll tell you,” said Gunn’s grandmother, Genevieve Eppele, who scrambled down the rocks with her husband of 63 years, Fred.

“I told her, ‘Can’t you get married like normal people?’” said Gunn’s mother, Gail Stading.

Good for them, I say. They enjoyed the wedding they wanted, planned it in less than five days, and probably had a total blast. What more could you ask for?

I have a deep love for couples who take the time to really craft weddings that will be meaningful to them in some special way. Whether they stick with time-honored traditions because they love and believe in them or strike out into new territory by rejecting or adapting traditions that don’t suit them, they make the wedding fit them to a tee.

And that’s why I have to sort of love this wedding cake:

According to the article, this couple chose to have a superhero wedding. Why? Because they love comic books and superheroes. The groom wore a green tie and the bride a green sash to signify their mutual love of The Hulk as well as of each other. Standing next to The Hulk atop their wedding cake is Wonder Woman.

Okay, so I wouldn’t have wanted a bright green cake with The Hulk standing on top of it, but it seems to have worked for them.

Speaking of weddings that seem to have worked for the couple involved, here’s an article about a British couple who got married at work…in a grocery store.

As I said, these weddings are not for everyone. The important thing to take away is that there’s plenty of room for imagination and personal expression when you’re planning your wedding. Feel free to choose a theme that’s not exactly standard, an unusual setting, less than traditional vows, or an unexpected form of decoration.

After all, it’s your wedding. You should be clearly visible in it.

Some of the weddings I remember most fondly are the ones I don’t remember much at all. Of course, those are the weddings I attended while in college or just out of college, and the guests were typically young and/or tolerant of our crazy shenanigans. Nowadays I would never ever consider getting sloshed and unruly at someone’s reception…out of respect for the bride and groom and out of respect for myself.

Not everyone agrees with me, however. There are plenty of people out there who think a wedding isn’t a wedding until someone gets tossed through a plate glass window. One couple made news when they took their nuptial party to the extreme…and got tased for their trouble! To each their own, I guess.

After they were wed on the beach, bride Anna Pastuszwska and groom Andy Somora (who is being handcuffed [in the picture]) were Tasered and arrested at the art gallery where their reception took place.

“The short version of the story is they didn’t want to quit their partying,” said Mike Sepic, Berrien County, Mich., chief assistant prosecutor. “If you put this in the class of wedding receptions gone bad, I guess this would take the cake.”

In my opinion, rowdy receptions are all right within reason as long as no one is disturbed by the noise or hurt during the proceedings. Do I love them? No. I’m old enough to appreciate a nice dinner, some swing dancing, and a good slice of cake on their own merits. Do I hate them? I’ll just say this — I hate watching people make fools of themselves, whether they’re a guest, a vendor, or even the bride and groom.

Tell us what you think! And while you’re at is, do share your wild wedding stories because we love ‘em!

I do hope that Sandy Ouellette, owner of Desired Weddings*, will forgive me for using her wonderful photograph. Ouellette wrote that the wedding pictured above was the most exciting wedding she’d ever attended, which I can’t say I find particularly surprising. You simply have to expect the unexpected when the blushing bride is 101 years old and the dashing groom is a young 106.

For the reception, the groom changed into his prison wear because, he said “Now I really have a ball and chain.”

When you’re almost a decade past the century mark, you can get away with almost anything!

*Desired Weddings is worth a look if you’re a plus-sized bride-to-be and in the Putnam, CT area. Ouellette knows what it’s like to walk into a bridal salon and feel out of place. In her personal message on the shop’s web site, she writes: “Did you know that the average size today is 14 and above? Yet, how often have you walked into a bridal shop and couldn’t try on a dress because they didn’t have your size or anything close to it?”

What do you do when, for years, your plans to get married are thwarted by unaccommodating work schedules? If you’re George “Bubba” Mathis and Pamela Christian, you get married at work! The couple always dreamed of getting married on their July 4th anniversary, but it just never worked out. This year, Pamela got the day off at the last minute, but George was scheduled to work the morning shift.

Perhaps it was fate or maybe it was the lure of a post-wedding hash browns, but whatever the reason, the couple decided to tie the knot at Waffle House.

Before walking down the makeshift aisle that led from the back of the Waffle House out to the eatery’s parking lot, the happy bride-to-be chatted with a reporter from the Gwinnett Daily Post.

“Waffle House is as much a part of our lives as our kids are, and we’ve been working together at Waffle House for almost three years now. When he had to work, we just knew then that we were going to have it here.”

Congrats to Pamela and George, and kudos to them for making an unusual venue choice to avoid having to compromise on the date! Though, truth be told, I do have to wonder why their boss wouldn’t just give them the day off.

If you’ve been fretting because there’s no one out there who recognizes the special love that exists between you and your cat/dog/budgie/salamander/ferret, I have some good news to share. While human-animal marriage isn’t legally recognized by any modern nation, there’s finally a site you can visit to formalize your union.

Marry Your Pet is a service that helps people marry pets because, as they put it, “Marriage is for life when your pet is the wife.” Presumably, also the groom, though there aren’t as many crafty rhymes. All you need to do to get married is propose to your pet, wait for he/she/it to accept (I recommend asking just before dinner), fill out a form, PayPal over ten to 200 British pounds, and wait for your marriage certificate to arrive via post.

Not ready to take the plunge? A site founder can help you decide if marriage is right for you. You can also talk to those already married — at least those with thumbs — on the message boards or browse snapshots of happy newlyweds.

Let’s see what people are saying about their new husbands and wives:

She’s the best brood bitch in the world.

Being twins, I do not favour one over the other, so I married both my tabby boys.

She’d have left if I didn’t commit.

Does it count if the bride walks off halfway through?

Ah, young love! It brings a tear to my eye!

Once you’ve tied the knot, don’t think you’re out of options. Should your relationship take a turn for the worse, you can get a quickie divorce on another part of the site. Pet shrinks and councilors promise to make the process as painless as possible for both you and your pet.