The Zen of Wedding Registries: Two Toasters and a Backstreet Boy

Vocal group, Backstreet Boys became one of the...
Image via Wikipedia

Oh no! Aunt Ida and your BFF both brought a toaster to your shower. Panic! Registry Drama!

Wait- don’t get all worked up.  Breathe deeply and contemplate The Zen of Registries.  Personal testimony – the Backstreet Boys completely changed my perspective on the headaches of wedding registries.  Read on.

In the year 2000, at a monastery high on a mountaintop in the Himalayas…ok,ok, a bit much.

In the year 2000, on the 7th floor of a downtown Los Angeles office building,  WeddingChannel.com received a call from a giggling teenage girl asking to go to the Backstreet Boys’ wedding.  We had no idea that Brian (and his fellow Backstreeter Kevin Richardson) were both registered,  and we were unprepared for the deluge of lovesick calls that followed.  Our Macy’s counterparts were  swamped with fake orders.  After a million phone calls to managers and agents, and one conversation with Brian himself, we got it straightened out.

Are you still in the lotus position, and concentrating on your breathing? Imagine trying to untangle that mess.  Think back to your toasters.  Do they merit high anxiety? And the most important question to contemplate: Can you believe I got to talk to an actual Backstreet Boy on the phone?  OMG, you guys!!!!

The Zen of Registries: Two Toasters and a Backstreet Boy

Vocal group, Backstreet Boys became one of the...
Image via Wikipedia

Oh no! Aunt Ida and your BFF both brought a toaster to your shower. Panic! Registry Drama!

Wait- don’t get all worked up.  Breathe deeply and contemplate The Zen of Registries.  Personal testimony – the Backstreet Boys completely changed my perspective on the headaches of wedding registries.  Read on.

In the year 2000, at a monastery high on a mountaintop in the Himalayas…ok,ok, a bit much.

In the year 2000, on the 7th floor of a downtown Los Angeles office building,  WeddingChannel.com received a call from a giggling teenage girl asking to go to the Backstreet Boys’ wedding.  We had no idea that Brian (and his fellow Backstreeter Kevin Richardson) were both registered,  and we were unprepared for the deluge of lovesick calls that followed.  Our Macy’s counterparts were  swamped with fake orders.  After a million phone calls to managers and agents, and one conversation with Brian himself, we got it straightened out.

Are you still in the lotus position, and concentrating on your breathing? Imagine trying to untangle that mess.  Think back to your toasters.  Do they merit high anxiety? And the most important question to contemplate: Can you believe I got to talk to an actual Backstreet Boy on the phone?  OMG, you guys!!!!

A Reality TV Bride Tells All: why I said “yes.”

When my then fiancé, and I announced that our wedding was going to be taped for a TLC reality show, people were more than a little surprised.  Everyone was convinced we were adding to an already stressful time.  In fact, saying “yes” to TLC was one of our best decisions. Let me tell you why.

The last weeks before the wedding were a whirlwind.  There was one oasis: shooting the show. Stephen and I spent two hours talking and “being cute” together.  We walked down a street near the beach hand in hand, trailed by a camera, giggling. We sat on a beautiful, sunny,  patio, reading to each other. We talked about how we fell in love.  That afternoon was a brief shelter from the crazy wedding planning storm: we got to reconnect, and remember that under the tulle and the tablecloths, was our unique love story.

The bride and groom, showcasing our use of succulents in a bridal bouquet and boutonniere
incidentally, showcasing our use of succulents in a bridal bouquet and boutonniere

I treasure those two hours, every moment.  The lights, the cameras, and the questions that reminded me why I had said “yes.”

Note – Credit where credit is due: I got, hands down, the most amazing hair and make-up team in Southern California.  Dana and her team from Design Visage in Orange County made me feel like a movie star. Thanks ladies!