Attack of the Killer Veils

I've heard time and time again that a woman doesn't truly feel like a bride until she dons her veil for the first time. One of the employees of Michelle's Bridal Shoppe even told me a story about a bride who chose her veil first and planned the rest of her wedding day attire around that. For many brides, the veil is an integral part of her wedding day.

So I'm beginning to think I may have a problem.

The thing is, I fully appreciate a beautiful veil. There's something really breathtaking about a cathedral length veil skimming the floor as a bride makes her trek down the aisle. It's just that I don't really like veils on me.


Some lovely full length veils from Romona Keveza.

Gorgeous right?

Well...this is me in a long veil. I like to call it the bride-eating veil....for obvious reasons.



So I blamed this unfortunate tulle explosion on the fact that I'm a pretty petite person, and decided a long veil was just not for me.

However, the sad fact is that a short veil does not automatically reduce the likelihood of poof-overdose.


Also from Romona Keveza. I secretly love all of these looks and wish I could pull them off!

These are some more examples of my previous run-ins with veils of the shorter variety. You can tell by my face in the first picture that I'm a little underwhelmed.



So for now, I'm still undecided and decided to take a little break from the veil hunt, before I'm consumed by my biggest fear...

which would be, of course, these veils:


(I feel like I should mention that Romona Keveza is actually my favorite wedding dress designer...I just strongly believe these veils should stay on the runway!)

Anyone else in my shoes when it comes to the great veil dilemma? Any tips or suggestions of how to overcome my veil phobia? What kind of veil did you choose?

#4

Things I learned from my sister's wedding: #4

Try to get everything done a few days before the actual wedding. Ok, admittedly this is much easier said than done, but try to schedule all your do-it-yourself projects to finish up well in advance of your big day. That way you won't be up the night before tying ribbons and folding programs when you should be sleeping.

My sister got married on a Sunday and the Wednesday before my parents and I showed up at her apartment and helped her finish all the crafty projects, including her favors of Jelly Beans in little bags.



The Seville, my sister's reception venue, requires brides to bring in all their supplies several days in advance so on Thursday we dropped off toasting flutes, place cards, menus & menu holders, cake knife, fake rose petals, and favors. The Seville was super organized and while my sister talked to the manager, I went over the placement of everything with the guy who sets up the room on the day of the wedding.

It was wonderful, then, to get all the wedding clutter and day-of projects out of my sister's house for the rest of the week. I think we were all a little more relaxed knowing there was nothing left to do for the big day!

Bridal University

For all those Central Illinois brides out there (I know there are a few!), this Thursday is the second annual Bridal University in Champaign-Urbana.



This event brings together some of the area's best vendors (including my photographer!) in an informative session on choosing vendors, making the most of each vendor and his/her services, and answering all those plaguing questions. There's also a fashion show and creative workshops meant to "put the fun back in wedding planning."

The event is taking place this Thursday from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at Michelle's Bridal, 2210 N. Willow Rd. in Urbana. Tickets are $10 each, but all the proceeds go to Habitat for Humanity.

If you're feeling a little lost in the wedding plans, or need something to add the fun back in, come to Urbana for the night....or you could always come to meet me! :)

Three Adjectives

I'm happy to say that after all my initial trepidation, we have chosen a DJ! Unfortunately, Mr. Chickadee wasn't able to make it to the first meeting, but his mom and I did sit down with Ben Miller, of Premier Productions, and we were really impressed. We ended chatting for well over the allotted hour, and I was almost late for my engagement pictures!

One thing we discussed at length was what sort of tone I wanted to set at the reception. Ben asked me to identify three adjectives to describe the reception of our dreams. I have to admit, he sort of put me on the spot and with all my background in literature and writing, I came up with some pretty lame adjectives. Still, I maintain that I'd like our reception to embody these three things:

1. Fun - I don't know anyone that doesn't hope for a "fun" reception. For Mr. Chickadee and I, specifically, we want our reception to be like one great big party! We want our guests to dance the night away, which requires a great DJ like Ben to play some of our favorite tunes.

2. Emotional - In addition to a great party, that day will be the celebration of joining our lives in marriage! I want to feel a wide range of emotions that day - from excited to romantic to nostalgic to absolutely ecstatic. I want my guests to experience those emotions as well.

3. Unifying - I take the term "tying the knot" pretty seriously...Mr. Chickadee and I are literally tying a knot between our families. I want all our family and friends to get to know each other and bond that day. I want everyone to feel included and special on our day.

What three adjectives would you use to describe your dream for your wedding day?

10 Biggest Mistakes Guests Make

I stumbled across this article today, written by Miles Stiverson, and thought I'd see what the hive thinks.

According to Stiverson, these are the 10 biggest mistakes guests make at weddings:

1. Not sending RSVPs
2. Sending RSVPs with extra guests
3. Bombarding the bride with phone calls and questions
4. Buying a non-registry gift
5. Showing up late
6. Bringing a big, heavy gift
7. Giving unexpected toasts
8. Requesting songs
9. Drinking too much
10. Crashing your wedding

Would I be a horrible Bee if I admitted to committing one or two of these party fouls? Is it my fault I thought my sister needed a pretty set of Vera Wang toasting flutes for her bridal shower? Can I really be held accountable if I thought the reception was sorely lacking a few Barry Manilow tunes? Should I have been more watchful of Mr. Chickadee's drinks so he didn't end up like this at the end of the night?



Ok, all joking aside, what do you ladies think of this list of rules? What do you find the most heinous offense? Any you think can be taken off the list? Did Stiverson miss anything that ought to be added to the Polite Guest Handbook?