My Big Fat Greek Wedding part II: My Kid Sister’s Tiny Budget Greek Wedding

Get Me To The Church On Time - Athens-Style
A couple on their way to a wedding in Athens. Courtesy of Flickr

As we hear all over the news, things are a little precarious in Greece at the moment.  So what does that have to do with us in the United States?  And why should it matter to brides planning a wedding?

As a drive down any formerly bustling Main Street will tell you, things are precarious for a great many people and businesses here too.  But for engaged folks, the desire to have a beautiful wedding lives on.  And while our celebrities mindlessly plan expensive celebrations that set the ‘ dream wedding ‘ bar abnormally high, couples create  detailed wedding budget spreadsheets to see if they can afford to have a wedding at all.

Here’s our message to any brides worried about the high costs of a wedding. More often than not, (and for sure in our case) vendors want to help you have your celebration.  We believe in weddings, and beauty and love, or we wouldn’t be involved in this crazy/wonderful business.  And without you – wedding vendors would, in fact, be out of business.  So bring us your budget; big, small or anywhere in between and we’ll let you know what your best bet is – even if we end up referring you on to a colleague.

I read this review recently of a stationery store that sneered at a young woman, assuming she wasn’t their type of client.  As I wrote a few weeks ago, we can’t assume anything – vendors about brides or vice versa – if we’re going to celebrate together. So, to quote Kool and the Gang, Celebrate, Come on!

-Dinah

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

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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Working For The Weekend…On Something Other than your Wedding

Everybody’s working for the weekend. Really? Everybody? Brides tend to focus on their weddings all week – and definitely on the weekends.  It’s prime time for visiting locations, trying on dresses and tasting cakes. But every so often, over the year or so of planning, it’s important to have a wedding-free weekend.  Why? The rewards are many.  These types of breaks…

Non wedding-related goofing around. Good for the relationshp!
– Keep your feet on the ground – the world does not revolve around your wedding, and not being Princess Focus-Puller for a few days keeps up your bridezilla antibodies.
– Keep your relationship intact.  Remember that guy who gave you the shiny ring? He wants his girlfriend back. Your fiancee self is wrapped up in layers of tulle and fondant. Remind him you are who you are (no Ke$ha karaoke please).
– Keep on keeping on. You’ve got miles to go between now and “I do.” In order to stay sane and focused you have to give yourself a break.
There you have it – 3 ways taking a break from wedding planning does right by you.  Now get out there – you worked for this weekend. Make the most of it.