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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What’s Love Got to Do With It? Getting to the heart of your wedding.

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Tina Turner is, obviously not a wedding professional.  We in the business of sending brides down perfectly designed aisles know what Love has to do with it and yes I will be using a capital L because Love is not to be trifled with where brides are concerned.  Love, is essential to weddings, and not just in the painfully obvious way that first comes to mind; vows and eternity-  we’ve gotten that memo. There’s other Love in the air during the planning process.  All that running around looking at invitations and tasting cakes and other ways brides work on their weddings? It’s for those they Love.  They want to throw one heck of a party – for all of you.  Tying 150 tiny bows on favor boxes ? How could that be anything but Love?
On the big day: we wedding professionals get the backstage view, but so can wedding guests if you look hard enough. The Love is best captured in between the big “moments.” Sure you want to catch the cake cutting and the first dance. But also look for the bride’s Mom bustling her gown – the two of them full of excitement. Love. Or the groom’s brother bringing a flash of their childhood mischief to a photo shoot – Love.  The My Little Flower Shop Design Team and their assistants smiling proudly at the end of a job well done-  that’s a whole lot of Love.
Weddings are wild crazy rollercoaster rides that brides get off. They breathe deeply and move on with their new lives.  Wedding Professionals, for our part,  stay on the platform; eagerly awaiting the next go-round. We Love what we do. We infuse Love into everything we create- everyone whose work touches your wedding should. So right down to the petals tossed as you leave, what’s love got to do with it? If you’re working with the right team?    Everything.
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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.
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