That grabbed your attention, right? Sorry...nothing juicy in this post, just a bit of a rant and maybe some advice to any brides and grooms to be out there.
Tuxes. No, you don't need them. They are not necessary. Miss Manners is not going to appear and banish you to wedding etiquette hell. Slowly but surely tuxes are fading out and I, for one, could not be happier with that.
Most men aren't accustomed to wearing a tux on a regular basis. Therefore, it's not comfortable. It doesn't fit right. It's not "fitted" to you; don't even let the tux shop say that it is. It's made of material that typically doesn't breathe very well, especially in summer heat.
I love the options of wearing a nice suit. A suit you've invested in, had tailored, and looks sharp!
I love the option of those outdoor, backyard, or casual weddings with a nice pair of pants and a nice button-up shirt with tie.
I love the option of a short-sleeved shirt paired with pants for a beach wedding.
But most of all I love the fact that there are all these options!
Take a suit for example. You can still formalize it if need be with a pocket square and a nice shirt with cuff links and a silk tie. The male attendants can also be in nice suits with coordinating colors. And when a bridal party has their groomsmen in black suits....guess what? You can usually let them wear their own black suit or choose one of their own to purchase.
I love that a suit means being able to bring color in with the shirt or tie. I love that it means being able to do a possible stripe or checked pattern on the shirt, bringing some texture and additional style elements to the wedding party.
Now, I understand that there are going to be weddings out there that are just too formal for any of these options or couples that have envisioned tuxes and aren't going to budge on it. That's fine! My only point is to let everyone know that you don't need to do tuxes just because that's what has always been done.
Give your men a break. Show him some options. I guarantee he'll be eternally grateful to know there's more than just the black tux out there for him on his special day.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Wedding Season
Well, it's here. May typically kicks off what I refer to as Wedding Season. Obviously, I do weddings year-round, but it never feels quite like the season for marital bliss until May hits for some reason.
Yesterday marked the big kick-off day! Rose & Sam united at Schlitz Audubon Center in the afternoon. Under a sky of blue and a full sun beating down. Just hours before they were calling for showers, but we lucked out! Thank goodness, because the thought of me running around in the rain dragging over a 100 chairs from the grass to the pavilion was not something I even wanted to think about.
Rose & Sam live in Virginia because she's a Navy nurse. Within a year they will be moving to Italy for her next Navy assignment. ITALY!!! How fun. They were going to announce this big news at the reception. I bet it was a hit. Don't worry, they told their parents first so they wouldn't freak out right then and there.
Back to the ceremony. I didn't get to stay for the entire ceremony because I had to race to Joey Buona's to do their entire set up for the reception. But one thing that stood out about their ceremony was they did a wine ceremony in lieu of a unity candle. I wish I could tell you the words that went along with it, but it's a very sweet inclusion in the ceremony and definitely something that most guests have not seen. And yes....you get to drink some wine during the ceremony!
Another unique element was during the honoring of the parents (roses to both mothers and the groom's father and the presentation of a yellow rose on the chair that would have been the bride's father, who passed away) the string trio played Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol. I love when a traditional piece of the ceremony is coupled with a song that is current and modern. If you are not familiar with this song or this band, for that matter, I highly encourage you to check them out. They are one of my favorites and have been ever since they first released a CD a few years back. Heck, even my mom has purchased their CD's!
The reception had a ton of set up. And the Joey's staff did not help with anything. Not saying they had to or anything, but it was definitely my show and my show alone. With 2 hours to set everything up I knew I'd have to be in high gear. 90 minutes later, very sore feet, and a tad outta breath I was done. Rose really created every single thing for this reception, right down to the hydrangea centerpieces. Menu cards, table numbers, placecards, wishing tree, you name it she did it. And it was well worth it. The end result was beautiful; a mixture of creams, whites, bronze, and chocolate brown. It all came together beautifully. Everything was topped off with votive candles glowing and a million rose petals. She had endless bags of rose petals and I covered every square inch that I could find. It was a romantic setting that's for sure.
Rose even ran upstairs in between the ceremony and reception while they were out taking pictures to check it out. She was thrilled!
I didn't take many May weddings this year and I didn't take a single Memorial Day weekend wedding due to last year's debacle with 3 weddings in 3 days and me being one tired and sick Wedding Planner after it was all said and done. So, my next wedding is not until June 14, however it is a Month of Coordination so the work for that has already began.
Helllllo Wedding Season. May you be kind and fulfilling to me this year.
Yesterday marked the big kick-off day! Rose & Sam united at Schlitz Audubon Center in the afternoon. Under a sky of blue and a full sun beating down. Just hours before they were calling for showers, but we lucked out! Thank goodness, because the thought of me running around in the rain dragging over a 100 chairs from the grass to the pavilion was not something I even wanted to think about.
Rose & Sam live in Virginia because she's a Navy nurse. Within a year they will be moving to Italy for her next Navy assignment. ITALY!!! How fun. They were going to announce this big news at the reception. I bet it was a hit. Don't worry, they told their parents first so they wouldn't freak out right then and there.
Back to the ceremony. I didn't get to stay for the entire ceremony because I had to race to Joey Buona's to do their entire set up for the reception. But one thing that stood out about their ceremony was they did a wine ceremony in lieu of a unity candle. I wish I could tell you the words that went along with it, but it's a very sweet inclusion in the ceremony and definitely something that most guests have not seen. And yes....you get to drink some wine during the ceremony!
Another unique element was during the honoring of the parents (roses to both mothers and the groom's father and the presentation of a yellow rose on the chair that would have been the bride's father, who passed away) the string trio played Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol. I love when a traditional piece of the ceremony is coupled with a song that is current and modern. If you are not familiar with this song or this band, for that matter, I highly encourage you to check them out. They are one of my favorites and have been ever since they first released a CD a few years back. Heck, even my mom has purchased their CD's!
The reception had a ton of set up. And the Joey's staff did not help with anything. Not saying they had to or anything, but it was definitely my show and my show alone. With 2 hours to set everything up I knew I'd have to be in high gear. 90 minutes later, very sore feet, and a tad outta breath I was done. Rose really created every single thing for this reception, right down to the hydrangea centerpieces. Menu cards, table numbers, placecards, wishing tree, you name it she did it. And it was well worth it. The end result was beautiful; a mixture of creams, whites, bronze, and chocolate brown. It all came together beautifully. Everything was topped off with votive candles glowing and a million rose petals. She had endless bags of rose petals and I covered every square inch that I could find. It was a romantic setting that's for sure.
Rose even ran upstairs in between the ceremony and reception while they were out taking pictures to check it out. She was thrilled!
I didn't take many May weddings this year and I didn't take a single Memorial Day weekend wedding due to last year's debacle with 3 weddings in 3 days and me being one tired and sick Wedding Planner after it was all said and done. So, my next wedding is not until June 14, however it is a Month of Coordination so the work for that has already began.
Helllllo Wedding Season. May you be kind and fulfilling to me this year.
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