On Buying The Last Issue Of Martha Stewart Weddings I'll Ever Be Able To Buy, At Least Without Buying It "For A Friend"
I was in Hawaii most of last week for work---yeah, yeah, I know, you don't have to say it---and the result has been that I seem to have lost touch with reality a little since getting back. When I woke up this morning, for instance, I realized it was already the second day of August---August!---and do you know what comes after August? A TIME WHEN I NEED TO HAVE MADE AN AWFUL LOT OF PLACE CARDS AND MENUS AND PROGRAMS, THAT'S WHAT.
Hey, I'm getting married next month!
Today we went to the Alameda Flea Market, which I firmly believe to be one of the happiest places on earth, where I bought some very important and productive items for the wedding, including:
a) An enormous jar of 1960s matchbooks ($6), which I plan to put on a table next to a sign saying "Find Your Perfect Match," possibly alongside some sparklers, though I don't know about sparklers yet. On the one hand, it would be awful if someone took an eye out, but on the other hand, without the sparklers, I'd just be giving people matchbooks stolen from the Days Inn during the Nixon administration for no reason.
b) A whole bunch of vintage hankies (50 cents each), which I'm going to wash, iron, and fold, and then put in a basket at the church door for guests to take and dab their eyes with during the ceremony, because I don't know about you but I always end up crying at weddings and I always end up forgetting tissues, and the thing about a summer wedding is that you're not even wearing long sleeves you can use to wipe your nose on, you know? Problem solved!
c) A very old wooden Coca-Cola crate ($10) in which to nestle, amongst ice, the glass bottles of Coke we plan to serve---alongside other non-alcoholic beverages, of course---to all the pregnant people/small children/guests who might, if not watched closely, end up in the pool with a lampshade on their heads. (Everyone else gets booze. Lots and lots of booze. Why, I have four cases of red wine in my kitchen right now and my parents have four cases of white in their garage. May I remind you that we are expecting around 60 guests? We do a party up right, is what I'm saying.)
As you can see, the wedding would never happen without these fiercely important pillars of important importance purchased this weekend. Thank goodness we have them, Internet! Who cares that we haven't yet reached a clear decision on the cake, the flowers, the ceremony music, or the dancing? We have vintage hankies for you to blow your nose into! Let's get married right now!
Aug 03, 2009
Hankies, booze, and presumably a white dress? You're good to go. The rest is just details.
Aug 03, 2009
Your wedding is going to be so incredible! Seriously, the CREATIVITY! It's killing me. I want to get married just so you can plan it. You'd love that, right? ANOTHER wedding to plan.
Aug 03, 2009
You might be the coolest, most creative person I know.
Aug 03, 2009
You know what you should do AFTER the wedding? Become a consignor at the Alameda Flea Market. And then you can re-sell to another bride all those hankies, and the coke crate, and vintage globes, and leftover matches. I think that would be a score for both of you.
Aug 03, 2009
One month! How on earth did THAT happen? All those decisions miraculously get made, somehow. You'll be enjoying that booze in no time!
Aug 03, 2009
Are you sure you don't want to be a wedding planner? All these unbelievably creative and perfect ideas are slaying me.
Aug 03, 2009
I hope you don't mind that I'm the one hiding in the corner as far away from the sparklers as humanly possible. Fire and me just don't mix. In fact, the last wedding I went to where there were sparklers, I vacated to the other side of the yard, and someone still managed to flick a spark all the way over to where I was hiding, it landed on my foot and burnt a HOLE through my big toenail. True story. If that wasn't one of the more painful memories of my life, I don't know what is!
Aug 03, 2009
You think that's a lot of booze? My cousin's wedding is the same weekend as yours and he's got 100 bottles of vodka for 70 guests. And that's just the vodka. We Poles like to stick to the stereotypes.
Aug 03, 2009
i don't want to alarm you, but that doesn't seem like too much red and white wine to at all. even if you're serving champagne/drinks as well. (especially for a wedding.)
next month, huh. seems like only a few weeks ago i read about your romantic engagement in rome. this is exciting! (even for me, and i don't know you.)
Aug 03, 2009
You have thought of all the cutest, most creative details!
I cannot wait to see photos from the glorious event! IN A MONTH! How is it already August? Seriously?
Aug 03, 2009
Is it too late to hire you as my wedding planner for my wedding that took place nearly 3 years ago? It is? Oh.
Aug 03, 2009
What fantastic little details! I love them all.
I will say, just two weeks ago my daughter was a Jr. Bridesmaid in our cousin's wedding and they did sparklers. I was so excited and thought to myself how unique and festive...until they were lit. We were under an awning which held in all of the smoke and freaked out the carriage horse a tad bit. Then the poor photographer got several of the hot sparks down her back as she knelt taking pictures (I will admit, that I like that smell though). I had to constantly be on guard for my children burning themselves by backing into someone else's sparklers or burning others with their sparklers. And I was freaked the whole time that the bride's dress was going to be burned by a spark. Now - if I didn't have children I don't think any of this would have entered my head, except that I've been burned by sparkers before and it hurt. HURT.
Man, I'm a buzz kill - I'm sorry! But seriously, all of these little details are fantastic!
Aug 03, 2009
What cool ideas!
I recently bought some old cheese boxes and a Pabst crate to flip over and use as different levels to place dishes on for the buffet/candy bar. I love using kitchy, vintage things at a party!
Aug 03, 2009
What cool ideas!
I recently bought some old cheese boxes and a Pabst crate to flip over and use as different levels to place dishes on for the buffet/candy bar. I love using kitchy, vintage things at a party!
Aug 03, 2009
Funny! I'm hoping you are having a not-too-formal wedding, 'cause the details that aren't done yet shouldn't cause any stress - UNLESS you've got a future mother-in-law supervising!
Makes me realize my 14 year old will be the same place you are - in 10 years or so. I'm taking notes!
Aug 03, 2009
What you need to do is invite a couple of big name celebs to the wedding, give them hankies, then steal them back during the reception and sell them on ebay to pay for the honeymoon.
"Actual hankie used by Johnny Depp!"
Aug 04, 2009
It's the little personalized details that people remember - nobody remembers what the cake looked like, but everyone will be talking about the cute and thoughtful hankies!
Aug 04, 2009
Wow. You have put an incredible amount of thought into the ceremony/reception. I can only imagine how much you're putting into the marriage itself. I'm impressed, and nostalgic.
Yeah. I didn't give it nearly as much thought. Do you suppose that's why we're almost divorced?
Best of luck and love to you! Can't wait to keep reading about your blessed event.
Aug 04, 2009
I just coordinated a wedding where there were about 150 people with sparklers. DISASTER.
I wouldn't recommend it. The bride and groom were running thru the sparkler tunnel so fast that the photog didn't get a great shot. Not to mention the hot sparks falling on you constantly.
Aug 04, 2009
You had me at bottled Coke. (I'm going to have to remember to NOT drink just Coke, though, as this will be the first time I can take full, alcohol-soaked advantage of being away from the baby for a night. Woo!)
Also, thanks for thinking of those of us who will no doubt cry all over ourselves during the ceremony.
I'm so excited!!!
Aug 04, 2009
WORD to the hankies! I cry at every wedding, even weddings of strangers shown on TLC. In the safety of my own home, curled up on the couch, I can use my sleeve or a paper towel or TP, but at actual weddings? My choices are (1) be that annoying person who keeps sniffling or (2) smear snot all over the back of my hand. So on behalf of all weepy wedding guests, I thank you for having the foresight to include hankies!
I love Martha Stewart Weddings. I used to buy them ages ago (meaning YEARS before we planned our wedding). Once we started planning, I felt free to buy every issue. Right before the wedding, I told my sister that I was going to keep buying them every season and she said, "Eh, you'll get bored with them eventually." That's just crazy talk! There are always favors and tiny paper projects to be admired!
Don't worry about the details. We didn't decide on cake, flowers, or music until the very end either. As long as you don't decide the night before the wedding that you need exotic blooms flown in from Ecuador or a crazy cake with lights and smoke, you'll be fine!
Aug 04, 2009
Holly, next time you're in Hawai`i, please give me a holler! I'd love to show you the cool stuff that tourists never see. My husband and I have been thinking about a little bizness on the side... alternative tourism, if you will. The best part about living here is sharing it with friends, and since a stranger is a friend you haven't met yet... Well, there ya go! Warm aloha from Caroline on O`ahu
Aug 04, 2009
Well it sounds like you have your priorities in order! No really, those are all awesome ideas and the hankies are especially genius.
On another subject altogether: Sarah Brown's post and an impending very long flight, made me realize that if anyone had devised the perfect long flight outfit it would be you. Have you done this? Have you already talked about it? I would LOVE to know. (Because I'm sure you currently have nothing better to do with your time than answer random questions!)
Aug 06, 2009
Seriously, how do you think of this stuff...SERIOUSLY! Screw Martha I think you need to write your own wedding mag
Aug 07, 2009
I love your hankies and matchbooks! My mom's boyfriend scared up some vintage clothespins for us, and dude. I never though I could be so happy about clothespins. Old clothespins!
Aug 07, 2009
Oh, also: I have to admit that I sort of caressed the wedding magazines in the grocery store yesterday. And then defended myself saying I JUST LIKED THE PICTURES, OK!? THE PICTURES ARE PRETTY OMGSHUTUP.
Aug 12, 2009
Just wanted to say, if you're still up in the air about the sparklers to do it. Some friends of mine had them at their wedding and those were the best pictures. The sendoff with sparklers. It was Gorgeous!
Aug 13, 2009
I've got 290 days until my wedding next year, and reading about your projects and ideas is making me feel like a total slacker. I am way too laid back for my own good when it comes to this wedding planning. I LOVE your idea about the hankies! I'm definitely stealing that one.
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