Category: Off Beat

Maybe it’s just me, but I’ve always found the ringbearer’s pillow a bit “precious”, if you know what I mean. A little too soft, a little too satin for my clean, modern sensibility.

Not everyone has the luxury of shopping for their wedding dress in an upscale boutique, flattered and pampered by friends and admiring salespeople. You think trying to find a parking place within a mile of that chic downtown salon is tough? Read what former bride Lisa Haines (now Mrs. Haines-Betteinger) wrote to me:

In this day and age, why should a woman wait for a man to propose? If you don’t think your guy will feel threatened by you popping this all-important question (and why would he?), then plan your approach, pick your moment, and gather your courage. I know one brave woman who recently did just that.

Whose last name will you have after you get married? The bride can keep her last name, take the husband’s surname, hyphenate, come up with an entirely new name…but what about the husband taking the wife’s name? California men, you are now in luck. Michel Bijon, né Buday, has gone to bat for you.

Being an adventure junkie who loves all things untraditional, this is my idea of a really exciting rehearsal dinner on the town! Where do I sign up? Wait, 8 hours without a restroom. Hmmm. Probably not for me!

From the moment you designed your first toilet paper wedding dress for Barbie (admit it, your doll sported Charmin Couture just like mine did!), you’ve been wanting to walk down the aisle equipped with something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue. The old and new? Easy! Something borrowed? That bracelet you’ve been “borrowing” from your sister for the last 3 years should count. But it’s that “something blue” that stops most brides in their satin Jimmy Choos.

The great thing about weddings is, it’s all about personal style. Take wedding dresses, for example. A bridal gown is the ultimate way to express yourself on your wedding day, and each year brides flock to California bridal salons to seek out that one gown that makes them feel stylish and special.

If you’re anything like me, you want the treats you buy for yourself to make you feel unique and special. Or you like to lend a quirky-yet-tasteful finishing touch to everything around you. As one of my lovely dance teachers and mentors once said to me, “to decide to like something is to congratulate yourself.” And what better time or place to surround yourself with what you like than at your wedding reception?