etiquette

My Little Etiquette Shop: Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!

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Pajarita de un esmoquin
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Wedding attire for guests is a hot topic as people pack for their summer wedding weekend jaunts! A great question today. Without further ado…

Q: My friend’s wedding invitation says “black tie invited.” Can someone please translate? I don’t speak wedding fluently.
-Groomsbuddy

A: Groomsbuddy! We love it! Paired with, say, Bridesgal, we’ve got all new wedding party monikers. “Black-tie invited,” also frequently seen as “black tie optional.” This is basically black tie, but with an out for those who don’t own tuxedos and don’t care to wear one that just came back from a night at the Prom. Face it – after a certain age, men realize that the experience of renting clothing is best left for extravagant costume parties. After all, if you’re going to pay to rent an outfit it might as well come with a peacock feather-plumed hat as opposed to just some cheap cufflinks you don’t even get to keep. All the uncles of America, who’ve owned their tuxedos since their college barbershop quartet days, still get to strut their stuff and order cocktails “shaken, not stirred.” We’ll ask pretty bartenders across the country to hold off rolling their eyes until after the aforementioned uncles go back to their tables.

Everyone getting married this weekend – regardless of what color tie – Mazel Tov!

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Could it Really be that simple? ‘Tis a gift!

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An Issue of Real Simple
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OK, so that’s a bad hymn joke.  But seriously – we love Simple Gifts – and the hymn too. (looking for something for the congregation to sing at your wedding that’s spiritual without having the Lord directly involved? Simple Gifts.  Perfect).

We also love Real Simple magazine and they make life so – well- simple with their gift guides.  We look for wedding gifts, but also handy for “dads & grads.”  Good to help avoid ties and the fly-attracting fruit centerpieces that shall go nameless.  Avoid those at your spring celebrations – for the love of honeydew! Let the fruit keep some dignity.

Shop nice everybody – lots of sales for the holiday start early!  Get a move on!

Summer Gift Guide | Real Simple.

My Little Etiquette Shop: Girls in white dresses – hold the blue satin sashes,

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Sorry Julie Andrews/Maria, we’ve got a bride on our hands who doesn’t want anyone wearing color at her wedding.  So in the coming Oprah-void, for Favorite Things she’ll have to stick to snowflakes and mittens – although this sounds like a summer wedding, so we’ll work on that one.  On to our latest reader dilemma:  Send yours for us to tackle!  Please email us at MyLittleFlowerShopPS@gmail.com, and include the word “etiquette” in the subject line.
Q:
My niece’s wedding invitation arrived and it requests that everyone wear white to her celebration.  I thought it was tacky to wear white to a wedding. Also, telling people what to wear seems bossy, and expensive for families. My kids don’t exactly wear a lot of white. Should I talk to  my niece about maybe not doing that part?
– Bleach Mum
A:
Mum,
There’s two ways to go here, and we’re advocates of family peace and harmony, so we’d actually advise you to stay, well, mum. Speaking up could upset your niece, which I guarantee will upset your sister. Whether or not your niece has put on her bossy pants, your sister is in the midst of planning her daughter’s wedding (trust me – an emotional time for mama bear) so it’s best to roll with the color scheme. As you hinted, your family will likely only use these outfits once – so they don’t have to be high end designer duds. Check out TJ Maxx, Target, or sites like Overstock.com for low priced, good looking options. And then, day of, admire the truly beautiful effect of a large group of people all in white. Should your niece want our opinion, we’d advise against all white flowers. With  monochromatic pastels, however, she’ll knock everyone’s (white) socks off.
Shop Nice!

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