Shameless Plug or Brilliant Idea?

Looking for the right accessories for your bridesmaids can sometimes be challenging and although such a topic sentence invites a lengthy discussion on whether shoes should be coordinated and if gold or silver dangle earrings are appropriate with an emerald dress I am going to focus on something else... Head bands. Grace is one of the most creative ladies I know and having planned a bridal shower with her while she was working on her masters I know she is multi-talented. Her latest creation can be found here:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheNovelist

and I want to encourage you all to check it out because the possibilities are endless here.

There are a perfect gift for brides to give to bridesmaids to wear at the wedding, to be included as thank you presents for participating in the wedding, matching bachelorette accessories, bridal shower party favors... need I go on? Check them out I promise you will not be disappointed.

The Dress

No not the bride's dress, because let's face it, she already knows what she wants so just get ready to smile and congratulate her. I am talking about the bridesmaid dress. The reason for the movie 27 dresses, the thing that you always laugh about after that fact but curse low under your breathe as the teller swipes your card and you watch yourself paying for the dress. In lieu of shortening it and wearing it again, really?

Please, surprise me... show me one example of this actually happening. Here are some fun ways to get through the issue and dare I say use your dress again?

Here are a few shots of Grace and I in the thick of it with our June 2010 bride 

Yes sometimes it is difficult to accept purchasing a dress that maybe isn't what you would have picked but, do you like the bride? 

You know you could always be honest...no not mean, but come prepared. As in, do some of your own research on styles or specific dresses. Show up at the salon early and peek around, maybe even hide a few... And being a passive aggressive sort myself I know that this can be difficult, trying to explain the horrors of a specific dress the your friend has become convinced is perfect for all body types,  but it is your opportunity to be as involved as you want to be. Ask her where she plans to look for dresses, what sort of styles she likes, or colors. For example: hey have you checked out JCrew they have great quality dresses for the same price range as (fill in the blank).
Let her know that you are not really thrilled with the cut or material in the dress she has shown your pictures of but are more than willing to try it on with a bunch of others.

1. what's your budget look like? if the bride is paying than that's a smaller argument and say thank you

2. what's your color scheme?

3. do you want the bridesmaids to match?  it appears that brides are phasing out of this, recognizing that women don't look the same in the same dress (see all pictures)

No matter what happens it is guaranteed to be a memorial experience.

Bridal Showers Can Be Fun

April 2010 "Literary Themed" Bridal Shower

Perfect for the friend who has any interest in books, romance or education.

The plan: throw a shower that was memorable and anything but ordinary for a good friend 

Guest list: montage of friends, family and co-workers

Location: Small Spanish Restaurant 

The Catch: making the theme accessible to all involved. Oh sure, not a problem for your average Jane but when half of the guests are Puerto Rican and did not grow up with the same cultural references Grace and I needed to think creatively of how to integrate our brides' guests.


What we used to create the environment:

Old hard cover books from second hand stores- the poor cashier man never would have let us out of the store if he had know what we planned

Colored Vases, Branches from the woods outside bride's house, Decorative flowers made from pages in the books

Framed collages of colored pictures in books

White candles with favorite book quotes melted on

How we kept everyone entertained:
We created our own "Create your own Adventure Story" based on the happy couple's destined meeting through their engagement. I read this story out loud to everyone and at specific points we had each table vote on what was the most likely scenario, for example:
Jane and Greg were a bit nervous on their first date but going to 
a) the zoo
b) the movies
c) a skate park
d) the museum
was the perfect way to break the ice since they both love it so much.
Depending on your audience you can be really detailed with the information or keep it general. Just remember to run the 'facts' by the bride :)


Well what do you think?
Please feel free to give feed back or ask questions about the shower!