Wedding planning

The Nina, The Pinta, And…That Other One Nina didn’t ask to be a bridesmaid.

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There were three boats Columbus sailed – and they roll off the tongue as a group.  “The Nina, The Pinta, The Santa Maria.” We all know (or are part of) groups of girlfriends who are the same way.

So what happens when the trio is not kept whole in a wedding party? Everybody is wearing purple taffeta to the wedding except one gal, bless her heart.  And she likely feels left out.

bridesmaids Palm Springs wedding florist
Bridesmaids – all in a row. Photo by Jennifer Yount

A lot of etiquette books will say be sensitive blah blah blah and give the non bridesmaid friend a job handing out wedding bubbles.  So maybe the being sensitive part isn’t blah blah blah.  But it is more specific to your friend – you have to treat these situations individually.  Don’t just say “you’re really important to me” and shove a stack of programs in her hands.  The best solution of all? Call us biased, but flowers speak volumes.  Special friends not wearing “special” (and oh boy are some of them special) dresses are often thrilled to pieces to be honored with a corsage.  Nothing says you’re in the in-crowd at a wedding like official flowers.

So, Nina, get the Santa Maria a wristlet.  And keep sailing happily along.

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Best In Show: How to “use” Bridal shows to plan a Beautiful Wedding

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Bridal shows.  They’re everywhere these days! From the super high end to the ones advertised with the colorful posters stapled to poles around town, they can all be useful if you know what you’re looking for, and where to look. Some dos and dont’s:

DO have specific areas of research picked out for the day. Wandering from table to table oohing and aahing will win you first class tickets to Indecisive Island. You need to focus on one or two areas and spend time with those vendors.

DON’T have unrealistic expecatations.  A caterer will not bring every hors d’oeuvre they make. Salons won’t schlep haute couture gowns to the Ramada Inn.  Bridal shows are meant to give you a tempting taste the vendors. Make an appointment to experience the whole dish.

Anna, one of our beautiful brides

DO pay attention to the way people relate to you. Having your vendors “get” you is priceless. You can tell a lot about someone by watching how they interact with perspective brides and fellow vendors. If they are pleasant on a long day, greeting tons of people, answering boatloads of questions, you’ve got a real contender.

So do attend the bridal shows, they can be a great overview of the World of Weddings.  Or the Whirl of Weddings.  Depends on the show – and they can both be fun!

PS – We’ll Keep you posted on a show we’ve got coming up with Desert Bride and Kathy Ireland!

Toddling Down The Aisle (Tiara optional): Flower Girl Fails and Finding a Way Around Them

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Toddlers and Tiaras on TLC, like many of their shows, can be compared to a train wreck.  It’s horrifying, but you can’t look away.  The little terrors strutting the T&T stage got us to thinking about a common wedding problem: the Flower Girl Fail. They come in several forms

  •  The Wee One: She’s somebody’s niece, and she’s simply too young. She’s destined to get halfway down the aisle and either scream for mom, or announce over Pachabel’s Canon that she’s made “a wee” in her new tights.  Avoid this one by staying with kids 5 and over.
  • The Ham: Need we explain? She’s a scene stealer – and this is your movie.  They’re fine being cute down the aisle, but then they should be whisked away to the back of the ceremony space.  Avoid leaving them at the front to pull focus with a little dance or other mischief.

    A special moment with the flower girls- they might remember it forever, or might go in one ear and out the other.
    A special moment with the flower girls- they might remember it forever, or might go in one ear and out the other.
  • The Wallflower:  She’s adorable – the picture perfect flower girl – but she’s scared to death and doesn’t really want to do it.  The solution? Don’t make her.  There’s always an enthusiastic little one somewhere in the mix – there’s no need to put anyone in therapy over some petals.

So there you have it – three Flower Girl Fails and how to avoid them.  The most important thing is to remember you’re dealing with a kid, and to be patient.  And be sure to tune into the best TLC train wreck…I mean reality show…we’ve seen lately, “My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding.”

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