Category: Wedding

Man. I am hungry.

Alternative wedding ideas

Wisebread.com has some alternative wedding ideas on how to save money on your big day. And by “alternative”, what it really is is an article about one bride and groom decided to do for their day and they want you to copy them. No real ring, by a used dress, wear crappy shoes, don’t register for gifts (which is fine for this couple because the bride is Chinese and money is given at weddings – not gifts), get married at city hall, don’t use a DJ but enlist the help of your friends, yadda yadda yadda. Basically, these are the same ideas I’ve heard a million times so there’s nothing new here. I’d really like to say that the real meat behind this story is saying it’s okay to have the wedding you want to have but I don’t think that’s it. Rather, it’s just reporting on his bride’s big day.

Get Married magazine

You’ve already seen the video and if you’re anything like us, your family members and friends have started to bug you and say you need to do something like that too. My bride responds perfectly to those people. A groom and bride can do what they want, however, what is with those guys suits? I think I just hate that color of suit or tux or whatever they’re wearing. I know it’s the summer but, come on, there’s very few people who can pull off that color. Also, I dislike the cut immensely – they look like squares to me. People watch that video and notice the dancing. I watch that video and I judge what the guys are wearing. That is why my wedding will not be a show.

Illustrated Invites

I like the idea of illustrated invites. If I was any sort of graphic designer, I might do something like this. The part I really like, however, is the “Declines with No Regret” option. Perfect.

Okay, I agree with the Knot. This is genius.

It reminds me of Harry Potter and the moving photographs. I know I know, I’m talking about Harry Potter and, at one point, I was very anti-Harry Potter. But times change and I grew up. So this photobooth idea is where a backdrop with fake photo frames surrounded by real family portraits so that every picture taken is like being part of the family. AWWWW. It makes the old grumpy punk in me get misty eye.

But this is when the old grumpy punk in me starts getting creative. I would allow only family portraits in my photobooth backdrop to be embarassing family photos. Pictures of me in glasses and awful 3rd grade hair? Check. The pictures of any of my family members drunk and in a pose ala Jon Gosselin’s new girlfriend? Check. Photos of my stylish aunts wearing shoulder pads bigger than the current linebackers of the Denver Broncos wear? Check. Muahahaha.

It’s amazing I’m not single, isn’t it?

I think a Marc Jacobs accessory would be awesome for my wedding day. Le sigh.

A commenter brought up a good point a few posts ago – he mentioned that us grooms-to-be tend to not have any focus when it comes to the Bridal Industry. We’re told where we have to stand, what kind of suit or tux we’re suppose to wear, and we’re also told what “entertainment bar” we’re suppose to go to on our Bachelor party but we’re ignored when it comes to the nitty gritty of the actual wedding process. The current trendy advice given to grooms-to-be is to look at the wedding day “things”, find one or two that you like, and take those over from your bride-to-be. If you like to take pictures, find the photographer. If you like to eat cake, pick the cake. Then, once you’re done with your little bit, go ahead and pat yourself on the back while your bride showers you with love, affection, and thanks for helping her out in one small way. After that, you go play a round of golf or fire up the video games and let your bride stress out over escort cards.

Sure, there are plenty of brides-to-be who, when it comes to the wedding, want complete control. They’re stressing themselves out because they’re managing every aspect of their weddings. They’re even taught that they SHOULD be this way. I’m not here to argue what’s right or wrong about that – in the end, society teaches us a lot of things and gives us a lot of social and cultural baggage that can be either good or bad – but why, through the entire wedding day process, are grooms given the advice to merely only take care of one thing? Why, on our wedding day, are we patted on the back for taking a very minor role in its planning? That’s like patting us on the back for taking out the trash or cleaning up after ourselves. Why cheer something we should be doing anyways?

So I’ve thought about ways for a groom, for myself, to help my fiancee through the wedding day planning thingamajig. I consider myself engaged in it – though I sometimes feel I could be doing more. This entire blog is devoted to me trying to figure out weddings and what my bride and I are going to have at our big day. I’ve looked at my own wedding planning and seen how grooms-to-be react to their own wedding planning, and I think I’ve come up with an easy trick on how to help the process go as smoothly as possible. Besides not being the idiot who drags his feet and acts like getting married or having a wedding is the worse thing in the world, the one trick is to merely never say “I don’t care” even if you really “don’t care” about something.

It doesn’t mean you have to care as much as other people about chair covers or the food or whether you have napkin rings at your reception. If it doesn’t matter to you, it doesn’t matter to you and there’s nothing wrong with that. But saying “I don’t care” when your bride-to-be asks you your opinion is the dumbest thing in the world you could possibly say. Why? Because if your bride-to-be is asking you a question or is pointing something out to you, she obviously does care about it to some degree. It matters to her. You might not think it’s important but it’s obviously been brought up. Saying “I don’t care” does not typically mean that you don’t care – it is one of those phrases that implies that the other person shouldn’t care either. And when your bride is asking for your opinion, saying “I don’t care” is almost like saying “This is unimportant. Why do you care?” and I have never seen anyone, when confronted with that way of thinking, ever not get more stressed out, angry, or upset than they were before.

So how do you not say “I don’t care”? You can’t merely substitute another phrase for it. Rather, you have to engage in what’s going on a little more. If your bride asks your opinion on red tablecloths or white for the Guest Book table and you don’t have the foggiest feeling either way about which one to pick, actually pick one and give a reason why. “I like the red one because it matches my college colors” or “I like the white one because it reminds me of ice cream”. And if she decides later to go with a purple one, that’s okay. You weren’t emotionally invested in it to begin with so if the decision changes later, it’s no skin off your back.

But, and I can already hear you grooms saying this, “if she’s not going to follow my opinion, than why should she ask in the first place?” That’s a valid point and I know a million grooms who have felt this way at one point but I’m going to break it down for you right now and say that you need to man up and stop being a child. Being listened to does not mean being followed. Stating an opinion about something you don’t care about doesn’t mean that you get to care about that opinion later. If you actually did care, you’d be more insistent on the decision making process and you’d make sure that the purple polka dotted tablecloth would be ready to go on your wedding day. If you care, say it. If you don’t, state a preference anyways because when you do that, what you’re really doing is telling your bride (or your wedding planner or whoever) that you value them and their spending the time and effort to think about something that you aren’t thinking about. And then you can go back to watching the Denver Broncos lose 10 games this season and realize that you really should have made that tablecloth blue and orange. Ah well. When you renew your vows, you can do that then.

Desperate Brides

At least one of them have sleeves though I can’t really say I like the show. [faded youth]

Lupe Vélez Mantilla Gallery

Lovely. [tex[t]-mex]

Lingerie Shower Invitations

Women running around in their underwear, drinking champagne, and singing. Cable TV doesn’t necessarily lie to me now, does it? [bridal buzz]

Escort Cards

I still have no idea what Escort cards are, why they’re used, and what purpose they serve, but I like the ones with the knights and horses on them. [wedding bee]

I Do Temporary Tattoos

Silly and fun, temporary tattoos are the way to go. But I warn you, based on my recent personal experience with blue cupcakes that used too much blue food coloring, just be careful. It’s unnerving seeing things that are blue and green that shouldn’t be blue and green. [manolo brides]

Argh! Why am I up so early?

Coors Light Grooms Cake

No. No. No. A thousand times no. Being an alcoholic is not a badge of honor and should not be bragged about especially if what you like to drink is shitty beer. Grooms, if your drink of choice is Coors Light, I have to question your taste in all sorts of things.

Never Mind the Carats

Women are losing out on their carats due to the recession! You know how to realize that this survey isn’t 100% true? Go to New York City and hang around where the ladies who lunch hang out. Look around and notice their rings. Once you get to the 3.5/4 carat range, it’s hard to realize if a woman is actually getting a smaller engagement ring now because, well, they’re all just HUGE. From an outsider’s perspective, you can’t tell the if she lost out on carats. But if she really wanted a 4 and only got a 3.5, a pox on his house, amirite ladies?

Cake to Go

Here’s a way to send spare cake home with your guests. At my fiancee’s sisters wedding, extra cake was sent home in the following way: it was piled into large foil containers and then every guest was asked “Do you want 20 lbs of cake?” As you can bet, very few people said yes. I like the idea of having a crafty way to trick your guests into taking a slice of cake home with them but, better yet, you could always just SERVE the cake is individual containers like that. That way, you guarantee everyone having a piece and you can minimize the amount of excess you have left over. With little excess, no worries about who is going to take the cake, so to speak.

Vintage Wedding Signs

I like the idea of vintage wedding signs. Though I’m not sure where the line is between “vintage signs” and “using trendy fonts to fake a vintage sign” is.

Candy Buffet Overload

There is way too much going on in this candy buffet or else the photographer is awful at their job. I can’t tell either way.

WE’RE ON THE HOME STRETCH!!! And I’ve been trying to not comment on the Forever Yours ads but, omg, please pick a different background next time. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE. And a non-white girl might be nice.

And did you know kissing predates recorded history? But since it wasn’t recorded, we don’t know. History is hard.

The countdown calendar is on page 199. Nothing too exciting. I’m suppose to select and order my wedding gown it seems. I hope they have something in my size.

Page 207 brings us dress reviews and is all about ultra-feminine styles. I’m not sure about the dresses – still not down with only strapless being viable options now aday, but I love what they’re wearing in their hair. They look like cupcakes. And the guy on page 211 looks more like a waiter than the groom. Kinky.

The Runway reaport is all about glitter and…too many gals in dreses on one page. It’s too much. I’m getting bridal overload. I don’t know if I can handle this. One shoulder straps seem to be very in at the moment as well. Halters too. Turtle Necks are going to be next. I just know it.

FINALLY! CAKES! On Page 223. YESSSSSSSSSS. I am a fat man trapped in a skinny body.

I want one of each. No, two of each. White fondant covered in flowers. Esquist pipping. Butterflies. A motorcycle. Okay, maybe not the motorcycle. And the Cinderella castle might be a little too much too. And blue and white polka dotted cake looks less like pearls and more like a science experiment for a bad sci-fi movie but I could eat one of those caramel-covered cream puff towers all day long. In fact, I’d see it and probably miss my own wedding. I’d have to be rolled down the aisle. But it would be delicious. DELICIOUS.

I’m not down with beach themed cakes because I’m not down with beach themed weddings. What can I say? I grew up in the middle of the country. Fabric ribbon is in and has been for awhile. I know that. I still think it’s pretty.

And after the cakes, we get to the random, non-dress ads which are boring. Also all the local ads which are depressing. I don’t know why. They just are. Almost as depressing as all the special advertising features for honeymoon locations. The sand, the sun, the water. All depressing because I don’t have a job to afford it. Ah well. Some day. Some day.

Wait. What. The magazine is upside down now! You mean I have to turn it over? There is a special housewares section attached to the back of the magazine? Let me look. A doughnut shaped vase. Ah no. Cheesecake? Yes. Incense? No. Red plates? Yes. Fresh china? How can it be fresh? Did it arrive straight from the factory in China? But I can’t get tired of looking at the china I registered for. Awesome.

And that’s it. I’m done! YES.

Grooms can do the work too

Melissa Rycroft has the right idea. Her fiancee is doing all the planning. Good job Melissa!

Lower East Side Wedding Chapel

Because New York City isn’t hipster enough already.

As close as you can get to leaving the bride at the altar without doing that

Canceling your $2 million dollar wedding 2 hours before the wedding isn’t smart but it’s probably cheaper than the eventual divorce. And why you were letting your wedding get to the $2 million mark if you weren’t going to go through with it, I don’t know. I just don’t know. Way to go Richard Jefferson.

Ah the Recession special part of the magazine. 3 couples, 3 weddings, 3 “low prices”. One paid 15k, another 6k, still another 4k. They all, supposedly, had budgets that were 300% higher than their final tally. Couple 1 cut their expenses by cutting their guest list from 200 to 50. That’s pretty much the only cost cutting tip they did and, to be honest, if you can cut your wedding guest list from 200 to 50, maybe it shouldn’t have been 200 to begin with, just sayin’. However, the pictures look nice, their cake looks Martha Stewart worthy, and I’m with them, I’ll splurge on the photography any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

The next couple saved their money by keeping their guest list at 120 but modifying their ideas about flowers. The bride wanted tons of flowers but instead of real ones, the bride and her sister used silk flowers. And being in the middle of Texas meant that their food/drink expenses would be lower than say, NYC, and they were able to skimp on photographers, DJ’s, and her dress only cost slightly more than the groom’s suit. Not bad not bad.

The 3rd couple kept it simple by having only 30 guests, and they had cupcakes rather than your standard wedding cake. So the big tip is to have a small wedding party. Makes complete sense, doesn’t it?

My 5000 guests will not be denied however though. Not.Be.Denied.

And the face of the gal in the Casablanca Bridal ad is freaking me out. That doesn’t say come hither. That says bad photoshop job. But the Sarah Danielle ad with the mother in the big hat – brilliant idea. Big church hats for all moms everywhere. I like it. In fact, I might demand it. A hat so big, it knocks two people out when my mom is walked down the aisle. YES.

Page 162 is all about negotiating with vendors. You know how I’m handling that? By not having any vendors. Costco and online shopping, for the win.

25 Big-Day glitches to avoid. #2 is about guests complaining about not getting a full meal at meal time. Duh. #5 is about the local power grid, #7 about the weather, and #12 is about being a jerk and playing your music late at night. Honestly, most of these sound less glitches and more brides and grooms forgetting that even though the wedding is about them, there are other people who will be there. Common sense and being thoughtful. What’s wrong with that?

Page 184 and we’re at Kristen Sueoka and Brad Hoover’s wedding. Held in Carmel Valley, California at a ranch with 150 guests. They “saved” money by buying the alcohol and stocking it themselves. And the wedding was Eco Friendly though I guess they didn’t care about the carbon credits the guests would need to fly to the wedding. Wait Wait Wait. The groom brewed 5 special ales FOR HIS OWN WEDDING. I don’t need to read anything else. In fact, I could care less how much this cost. This groom took charge, did something he loves, and made this wedding personal. He was engaged. ENGAGED. And I hope the bride loves home brew equipment because that takes up space. And I like his suit though I wish it was a tad darker. Their cake was nice with strawberries on top. And I like how he’s not wearing a vest. I know that, personally, the rest of the wedding details would annoy me for purely personal style issues and how it’s not really my scene, but, man, this guy, he’s awesome. They should be interviewing him for this magazine. Well done sir. Well done.

And the gals in the Eden Bridals ads look like they’re sneaking off to go to the bathroom. Not sexy. Not sexy at all.

Page 58 is all about questions and answers. Only one of them applies to me. Someone asks if it’s okay to have a 150 person wedding, where 75 are out of towners, and not given them a full meal. Diane Forden, Editor in Chief, answers in a polite way and basically says “yes”. I would have answered in a not polite way and with a lot more sass. “DUH. They’re coming to see you get married not to get a free chicken-or-fish meal!” Or maybe they’re coming to get drunk and knock over the cake before the cake ceremony. That I can see.

Also, anyone else notice how white the models in this magazine are? 1/3 of the population is of color and we can’t even get into a bridal magazine. How ridiculous is this? Don’t we work? Don’t we have jobs? Don’t we watch – OMG CHEAP WEDDING FAVORS. I, no, all my guests, need a crystal multi-colored wine stopper. In fact, this might be my favorite part of the magazine. So much ridiculous cheesy pieces of crap, so little time. It’s like a grown up version of Oriental Trading.

And now off to invitations which, I should care about. I’m a web designer by trade. Fonts, type, graphics, layout, design – these things I care about. But for wedding invitations? Not so much. I haven’t figured out why yet. Maybe it’s because I never have received a wedding invitation in the mail that wasn’t eaten by the Postal Service. Corners dinged, things trashed, and then a hundred little pieces of paper fall out that reminds me of receiving my bank statements. I do like #4 in the SPICE IT UP category though. And #4 in the Green section. And #4 in Blue. I sense a theme here…

Oh hey, page #84, a guide to being a groom. And the model looks like a Ken doll. But an ethnically vague guy is on the next page in the Men’s Warehouse ad. SE SI PUEDE! Anyways, the comments for the groom are pretty good but seem to me to be more things Brides should know rather than the other way around. They’re all rules that guys should know instinctively from just wearing a suit once in awhile or seeing their dad’s get dressed while growing up. But if they don’t know this, they shouldn’t be reading about the proper fit of a tuxedo jacket or where a boutonniere should be pinned in a woman’s bridal magazine. He should be ashamed of himself for being a slob and should go into the nearest Barneys and ask for help and knowledge. It’s okay guys. We can do this. We can do this together.

And I don’t find the joke about pleats on the trousers funny at all. You should NOT be wearing pleats. Only flat fronts. If you’re wearing pleats, in any of your pants, you should not be allowed out of the house!

Ugh. Mother of the Bride looks. It helps if your models are actually over the age of 30 unless your target market is unwed mothers.

On page 92 is a section about party rings and tells you that you should pick your party ring (what the hell is a party ring?) based on your star sign. I’m sorry Bridal Guide but Taurus is apr 20- may 20, not the 21 to 21. And I don’t think that ring would be one my bride would pick. I like it though. I probably could rock it. Maybe I should have some party cufflinks but I don’t know if you can put those on tshirts.

David’s Bridal. Please. Stop. The. Kissing. Of. Kids. In. Ads. Precious Moments is proof that sin is an all prevailing force in the world. Though it beats the House of Brides ads which give off a creepy XXX lounge feel.

Page 110 has an interview with Vatana Watters, a designer of bridal gowns. She recommends to pay attention to your inner voice. My inner voice is telling me if I see another strapless dress on someone who should not be wearing strapless dresses, I will give said woman a turtle neck sweater for a wedding present. And I don’t even care if I’m invited to the wedding or not. I will just show up and give it to them. Ugh. STRAP REVOLUTION 4 LYFE.

Wedding day makeup..yadda yadda yadda. Alfred Angelo’s bridal models look 15. Cake Jewelry is my favorite Jewelry. And I like seeing my alma matter quotes in the Fast Fact part of Health and Fitness. The average desired weight loss is 23 lbs for 70% of brides? I’m at the thinnest I’ve ever been after losing over 30 lbs and keeping it off for 4 years. I know, I know, I’m a guy, it could be easier for me but I recently saw pictures of me when I was fat and all I could say is FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT. Here’s my tip. Brown bag your lunch, drink more water, stop drinking, and eat less. Change your lifestyle, count calories, and workout. You can do it!

Okay. What is this. Why is the only diversity when it comes to women are the flower girls? Really. Shame shame shame Wedding Industry. Shame Shame Shame.

[to be continued]