August 29, 2006
Name Change Kit a Nifty Bride's Gift
Just because you are getting married doesn’t mean you aren’t still one hot liberated woman. For example, you’re probably still planning on driving, voting and paying taxes post-nuptials. But to do so, you’ve got to make your name change legal. And unfortunately, even hyphenating your married name can add up to a whole lot of documentation-unless you get this handy . A godsend to engaged couples everywhere, this name change kit lets you forsake the paper cuts in favor of a CD with all the documents compiled in one convenient place-IRS, Social Security, DMV, the works. So forget the overflowing files, stick the CD in the computer, and do what any liberated woman would do-get your new hubby to fill out the forms for you.
Posted by jade at 10:15 PM
August 25, 2006
Perfect Flower Girl Gift
When squabbles over bridesmaids’ dresses, bachelorette parties, and bridesmaids' gifts become too much to bear, ditch your older attendants and take refuge with your angelic littlest attendant: your flower girl. Unlike your more cynical peers, flower girls are generally adorable fairy creatures who look up to you, idolize you, and make you smile with their sweet ways. To reward them for their darling presence in your wedding, consider this cute little flower girl gift: the book Flower Petals Falling Down: How to be A Flower Girl. Sweet as they are, young attendants can occasionally get confused about their role in the ceremony. This book serves as a gentle reminder, and since it is co-written by two five-time flower girls Shannon Gold and Erica Gold, you can pretty much bet these girls are getting expert advice. Best of all, it comes with an actual basket for your flower girl to practice with. If that’s not adorable, we don’t know what is.
Posted by jade at 11:14 PM
Bejeweled Bridesmaids’ Gifts
Definition of a jewelry box: hideous jumble by which every single bangle, bauble and bead you own molds together in one impenetrable mound of bling. To try and extract one necklace strand is to try and unravel a mystery more complicated than the plot of LOST. Your attendants have enough to worry about on the big day: squeezing into their bridesmaids’ dresses, avoiding underwear lines, choosing comfy shoes. They shouldn’t have to worry about bridesmaid jewelry too! Simplify your girls’ life when you get them these ingenious bridesmaids’ gifts: hand painted jewelry trays with cute compartments for each jewelry genre. Cheeky illustrations signify “rings,” “bracelets” and “earrings” so every lovely accessory is in it’s place and fully accessible. No rummaging necessary! Maybe this will make up for those chartreuse bridesmaids’ dresses...
Posted by jade at 10:54 PM
Bridesmaids' Dresses Holiday?
This just in: Over at Ivillage the aptly-named Grrl Genius is petitioning to make September 15th National Bridesmaids Awareness Day. Not only would this holiday commemorate the noble women who have served in weddings everywhere, it would give you all another valid opportunity to wear your bridesmaids’ dresses. The idea is, on September 15th you wear your bridesmaids’ dresses to work, bars, church, wherever you happen to be going that day. Not only does this earn you mass sympathy, it enables you to bond with bridesmaid’ dresses survivors everywhere and finally come out of the bridesmaids’ dress closet with your scary taffeta skeletons. Apparently, Grrl Genius was inspired by a co-worker who wore her bridesmaid dress to the office once a week because it was the most expensive thing she’d ever bought and she wanted to get full use out of it. You go, Girl! And even if you did somehow luck out with hot bridesmaids’ dresses, well then Sept. 15th is a great time to strut your stuff all over again. Mark your calendars, maids!
Posted by jade at 09:34 PM
August 18, 2006
Mother Of the Bride Gift
With all this fuss over bridesmaids’ gifts and wedding favors, it is important to remember the VIP of the wedding party gift list: none other than the MOB, aka Mother of the Bride. When you got into that hair-pulling squabble over bridesmaids’ dresses, it was mom who gently intervened. When you quarreled with your fiancée or got a case of cold feet, mom was right there with your favorite fuzzy slippers from junior high. For acting as equal parts Wedding Planner, Seamstress and Psychiatrist, get mom a truly special Mother of the Bride gift. This gorgeous sparkling jewelry should help your rejection of her offer to live in the basement go down a little easier....
Posted by jade at 08:56 PM
Three Hidden Concerns of Destination Weddings
Destination weddings are all hot, hot, hot, but amore abroad isn’t all dewy destination wedding dresses and balmy blue waters. There are a few practical considerations to take into account. Here’s out top three. Season: Found a great deal on your dream hotel with an all-inclusive package in Barbados at an amazing reduced price? Awesome! Just make sure it’s not hurricane season first. License: Before you go booking plane tickets and dreaming of tropical bridesmaids’ gifts, find out the laws on how long it takes to get a marriage license in your chosen country. The sultry French Islands require a few weeks’ residency, whereas Anguilla only requires you to be there a day. The Wedding Planner: At home these White Divas are optional, but for a destination wedding they are an essential. In the case of a destination wedding, this is the person who is basically planning your wedding for you, from the reception to the ceremony centerpieces, so don’t be shy about checking references, asking tons of questions, and making sure your personalities click. That said, Bon Voyage Brides and Bridesmaids!
Posted by jade at 08:49 PM
Bad Bridesmaid: Bachelorette Brawls and Taffeta Tantrums
Getting kicked off bridesmaids’ duty: thrilling reprieve or humiliating demotion? For heroine Siri Agrell, it’s a bit of both. Happy to be away from bridezilla but bitter from all the money she wasted on bridesmaids’ dresses and shiny shoes, suddenly Agrell finds herself ejected from the wedding, without so much as a bridesmaids’ gift to show for her trouble. Her crime? Detailing the horrors of modern bridesmaids in a national newspaper. Hurray, you may say! And Agrell’s loads of fan mail may seem to confirm your sentiment. But whether you agree with Agrell’s actions or not, the book Bad Bridesmaid: Bachelorette Brawls and Taffeta Tantrums is a fascinating look at the fired bridesmaid, a status most attendants only dread/dream of. Enjoy this cathartic read for the funny and realistic details that ground this fantastical plot.
Posted by jade at 08:38 PM
August 11, 2006
Bedside Bridesmaids
In a touching tribute to her ailing mother, bride Cindy Gruff requested that her attendants forgo bridesmaids’ dresses and instead gave them lavender scrubs as bridesmaids’ gifts to wear during her unique wedding ceremony. The bride wore white scrubs, the groom black and the groomsmen gray. The wedding party formed a circle on the fifth floor solarium of Underwood-Memorial Hospital where Gruff’s mother Jennie is a cancer patient, as the couple took their vows in Woodbury, New Jersey. Eighty degree weather blessed the happy day.
Posted by jade at 10:52 PM
Friday Bridesmaids' Book: The Bridesmaid’s Survival Guide
There are dozens of books being billed as “perfect bridesmaids’ gifts,” but only a few are actually worth purchasing. This book by nine-time bridesmaid Mary McDermott is an exceptional selection, largely for the “insider” view it provides. Rather than dispensing lofty clichés, McDermott gets deep into the more nuanced side of bridesmaiding, from being the default bridesmaid needed to even out the groomsmen lineup to dealing with undesirable bridesmaids’ dresses. This book isn’t for everyone but it is definitely the Bridget Jones of Bridesmaids’ Books: perfect for the young and single attendant looking to buy a flattering bridesmaids’ dress without blowing her Visa bill in the process. The fiendish cartoon illustrations also add to the fun. Copies of this book would make great bridesmaids’ gifts for younger bridal parties.
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Posted by jade at 09:09 PM
Friday Bridesmaids' Book: The Bridesmaid’s Guerilla Handbook
They say you can’t judge a book by its cover, but we have to say this boisterous montage of stiletto boots and wine bottles had us at merlot. The war-like wedding strategies are a hoot, and we guarantee you will be a much savvier bridesmaid troop post-reading. What ultimately won us over was the way the amusing ironic tone of the book is paired with a priceless stockpile of useful advice. From preparing a bridal emergency kit to debates on bridesmaids’ dresses and worksheets for limited budgets, the Bridesmaid’s Guerilla Handbook is an indispensable guide for surviving the wedding trenches.
Posted by jade at 09:05 PM
August 05, 2006
Help Bridesmaids Save at your Destination Wedding
While most of your travel-savvy pals would jump at the chance to don tropical bridesmaids’ dresses and attend you at your Bora Bora destination wedding, there are always the cautious few that need a little coercion. If you’ve got a reluctant wedding bridesmaid or two, sweeten the pot by helping find cheap airfare and group discount hotel rooms, help pair up single girls to share a room, and (ouch!) say “no gifts” on the wedding invite. Some awesomely beachy bridesmaids’ gifts wouldn’t hurt either...
Posted by jade at 12:09 AM
What’s more expensive than being a bridesmaid?
Here’s a riddle for you: What’s more expensive than being a bridesmaid? Naomi Cambell’s legal bills, the war in Iraq, hybrid cars and....being a best man! According to a recent Morgan Stanley Credit Card survey, the unlikely suspect who accrues the most debt in a wedding party is none other than the best man himself. Despite the absence of expenses like bridesmaids’ dresses and wedding showers, the best man is still tagged with the greatest wedding expenditures, which are estimated to be a “staggering” 530 pounds. From the bachelor party, groomsmen attire and wedding gift, the best man spends significantly more to the bridesmaids’ paltry-by-comparison 324 pounds. Plus, bridesmaids’ gifts are always better than groomsmen gifts.
Posted by jade at 12:04 AM
August 02, 2006
101 Uses For a Bridesmaids Dress
A beekeeper outfit. A taffeta hammock. A matador cape. Over the years, we at bridesmaid.com have done our best to provide you with creative recycling uses for your bridesmaids’ dresses, but we have to say these side-splitting suggestions from the book101 Uses For A Bridesmaids' Dress take the wedding cake. For truly cathartic bridesmaids’ gifts, look no further than this book of outrageously inventive solutions for what to do with the dress they’ll never wear again.
Posted by jade at 10:19 PM
