When most women dream of their wedding day transportation, they think of limos, party busses, horse-drawn carriages, classic convertibles, or even helicopters. Jenny Klochko, however, hails originally from the Ukraine where it’s something of a tradition for brides to walk to the church so that everyone can see her and enjoy the festivities vicariously.

And so it was that she chose to take a city bus part of the way to her wedding at the Sutton Register Office in London. She and her bridesmaids walked the rest of the way.

The one downside to her choice? Says the bride:

‘I think they thought it must be a practical joke. No one even offered me their seat.’

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2125534/Bride-Jenny-Klochko-takes-BUS-to-church-Sutton-south-London.html#ixzz1rSuVpman

After the wedding the entire wedding party climbed aboard a party bus chartered for the occasion to take them to the reception in Wimbledon.

I don’t know about any of you, but I rather like the simplicity, practicality, and charm of a bride sharing the joy on public transportation… not that there’s anything at all wrong with a carriage or a limo. But life is a little more whimsical when at any moment a bride and her attendants might join you on a bus ride. I’m in favor of more whimsey in the world.

All the same, I think the groom was right in advising Jenny to give herself two hours’ leeway in case of snafus. You just never know with public transportation in some areas.

Love and chocolate eggs for everyone!

(Illustration via The World’s Best Ever)
In light of a recent incident at a wedding in Ohio, where one guest wound up in jail for assault and intoxicated disorderly conduct, it might be a good idea to discuss the etiquette of dancing at weddings.
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Sorry about the lack of posts this week. The illustration above is not an actual one of my computer, but my trusty, rusty eMac did have to spend a couple days in the sick computer hospital being seen to and overhauled and… maybe I should have just gotten a new computer but, well… anyway. Suffice it to say that when things go wrong at Casa Twistie, they have a way of going really wrong.

And that makes me think about other things going wrong, specifically at weddings. See? How clever was that? We’re back on topic with weddings with a smooth move that would be the envy of many a smooth mover.

But I honestly have seen a couple things go really wrong at weddings over the years. No, there haven’t been any fist fights, and all the couples did wind up actually tying the knot, but there have been snags along the way.

Probably the worst one was the one where there was to be a butterfly release at the end of the ceremony. We were all handed little boxes with butterflies in them and told to open them when the happy couple were pronounced legally joined.

It’s a pretty idea, the butterfly release. Everyone imagines it as a moment when hundreds of beautiful butterflies rise up and fly in a breathtaking exhibit of nature’s majesty.

But that wasn’t what happened. No, a plethora of stunned, confused butterflies tumbled out of their boxes. A few flew off in random directions, buzzing the higher hairdos in the process, a few just flopped out of the boxes and clearly were never going to fly again, and most of the rest staggered in a daze around the aisle with no clue what to do or where to go.

Not exactly breathtaking watching the bride and groom pick their way back up the aisle like the family escaping the house at the end of The Birds.

What about you? Have you ever seen something go seriously wrong at a wedding?

(Illustration via Bridal Guide Magazine)

When Abigail Kirk and Andy Weeks were kicking around ideas about their February 5 wedding, it was important to him that they share a last name, and she said she really didn’t want to use his. They were already planning a Twilight Breaking Dawn wedding because Abigail is a Twihard, so Andy suggested they just change both their last names to Cullen.

And so it was that Abigail wore Alfred Angelo’s commercial version of the gown Bella wore in the film, they used the Breaking Dawn soundtrack throughout their wedding… and then the took the surname of the vampire clan in the books and movies.

What do I think of it? Well, if you’re going to use a theme, I think it’s best to use one that both of you are really into. Andy hasn’t read the Twilight books. Still, if one partner wishes to indulge the other in something that’s meaningful to him or her, I’ve got no beef. And I do think it’s entirely up to the couple in question to decide the whose name to use issue for themselves using their own criteria. I’m down with couples changing their name to one that doesn’t come from either side, if that’s what works for them. So long as they aren’t trying to defraud anyone or evade the long arm of the law with their choice, I think it’s between them and the deity of their choice.

It’s a big old world and a free country, and I wish them well. And that’s about all the opinion I’m going to admit to having… but no power on earth can make me read those books or watch those movies.

Also? There are worse names to change to. I’m a huge Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan, and that one leaves open the option of changing your surname to ‘the Bloody.’

At least Cullen is a name.

(Illustration via Wedding Dress Online)

The other day on the Huffington Post wedding page, in the Ask Amsale column, a bride asked what to do if she doesn’t look good in white.

Amsale tells the bride to look into a gown in ivory, blush, caffe, or champagne.

Those are all good suggestions… as far as they go. But there’s an important thing to keep in mind: what color you wear makes no difference to the legality or spiritual significance of your wedding, or the commitment you feel in your marriage. White or a neutral color is not required to be a bride.

So pick a color you like, look and feel good in. You are still a bride whether you wear white, pink, bright orange, ice blue, kelly green, or purple like the woman in the photo at top of this article. My own beloved mother wore scarlet from head to toe – including her stockings! – at her 1959 wedding to my father. When she died more than thirty years later, they were still in love.

That’s the part that matters. Not what color the dress is.

… The fabulous and wildly lucky Rebecca A!

With just one entry, hers was the one I pulled at random out of Mr. Twistie’s hat (mine were all too shallow for the sheer volume involved; he has a top hat). After the wedding, Rebecca plans to donate both her gown and the tiara to the Brides Against Breast Cancer program.

Rebecca, contact me at gileswenchatyahoodotcom, let me know which tiara you’re choosing, and where you’d like your prize delivered. I’ll get the wonderful folks at USABride your information, and you’ll soon have your prize in hand.

I only wish I could have provided a tiara to each and every person who entered, if only to have the fun of imagining all the different wonderful ways you wanted to enjoy your windfall.

Thanks to everyone who played. I’ll be linking blogs over the weekend.