Wedding Invitations, All in One Pocket Folds, LOVE IT!!

I got a wedding invitation today that blew me away...and it takes a lot to blow me away with anything wedding related.   The invitation was from Wedding Paper Divas and it was in a pocket fold envelope. The invitation was showcased in the top and there were slots for the response card, reception card and map and lodging information.  It was packaged with a ribbon and a sticker with the bride and groom's names on it.  The presentation was so impressive and the idea of opening a folder with everything in one place was one of those head smacking "why didn't I think of that?" great ideas.  

I know where everything related to the wedding is instead of having pieces of it laid out on the dining room table.  Genius!  I can put the envelope it in the car with the map instead of looking for it when we go to the wedding.  

Here is the invitation I  received. The envelope was a champagne color that blended with the brides colors of burgundy and gold.  The ribbon was burgundy and the sticker was a cream or champagne color with burgundy lettering.  I would take a picture of it all together, but I wanted to respect their privacy, so this is the invitation and enclosures:  

In Defense of Chelsea Clinton's Wedding, Its Good For The Economy!

The internet is all buzzing over the cost of Chelsea Clinton's wedding. Yes, the figures throw out are mind boggling. reported between 2 and 6 million dollars. Its all guestimates, no one really knows the cost. Chelsea's parents are millionaires. Her dad is a former president and her mother is secretary of state...and she's an only child. We all know that only children have great weddings. The Clinton's only have to do it once, so they can afford to give her a dream wedding.

Chelsea has managed to stay out of the spotlight, out of trouble and without a whiff of scandal associated with her. Her parents shielded her from the spotlight and all we know of Chelsea is what we see in smiling pictures.

Chelsea's Wedding Is Good For The US Economy!

We've heard her dress MAY be a Vera Wang. Vera Wang dresses are made domestically in Akron, Ohio. Not many wedding dresses are made domestically.

The money spent on food, music, photography, limos, transportation, invitations and whatever will all trickle down into the community. This means jobs for the locals. The money earned will help pay rent, make car payments, pay medical bills, buy school clothes and feed their families.

The news media and tourists wanting to get a close up look at the wedding preparations will inundate the wedding town. They'll buy gasoline, eat at the local restaurants, shop in the local stores and stay in the hotels. They'll bring money into the area which in turn will bring in more workers and those workers will have money for their family's needs.

The wedding guests will have to travel to the wedding and have to have lodgings. They'll also be spending money...maybe they'll rent a car or take a cab or be bussed to the wedding. Maybe they'll spend a few extra days in town sightseeing and relaxing. That means jobs and money going back into the community. Its all a trickle down effect, the end result is that the average Joe will benefit.

None of us will ever get invited to a wedding on this scale, nor will we ever know anyone who has had a wedding on this scale. Yup, it IS mind boggling, especially for those who are trying to scrape together a couple of hundred dollars to pay for their wedding, or pay their rent or feed their kids.

We shouldn't be jealous of Chelsea: she went through hell when her Dad was president. Imagine the most embarrassing thing your parents ever did, then imagine it as headlines all around the world. She had to be mortified, she had to be upset and she had to be really pissed off. Maybe this is Bill's way of making it up to her. Or maybe its just the way a couple feels their child DESERVES to be married in an opulent wedding.

There will always be the people who have money and then the rest of us. The Clinton's earned their money. They are entitled to spend their money any way they want. We'll get to devour every detail of the wedding that gets leaked like we all did when Princess Diana married Prince Charles. We'll get to find out what a couple of millions buy when it comes to a wedding. The locals will get a paycheck. And that is all good.

Stuff Happens!!!

I'm back. Stuff keeps happening. I decided I was going to take a week to smell the roses this summer, no weddings, no bridal shop, no work...just sunshine, relaxation and maybe a sun tan. Stuff happened and I ended having surgery. Not a big deal, but enough to interrupt my rose smelling and relaxation. Recovery interfered with my doing nothing. It introduced daily naps and soap operas into the equasion.

Lightening struck and wiped out my hard drive which was on a surge protector. I had just thankfully backed up the computer. I managed to be able to restore some files and pictures, but lets face it, Punjeeb at tech support couldn't solve all my problems. I kept unplugging the wrong cable, pushing the wrong F key because neither of us understood each other. So, the blog notes, pics and bookmarks are buried somewhere in some microchip in my computer and on my backup.

Meanwhile, back at the bridal shop, the not quite three year old water heater sprung a leak and flooded the basement. The plumbers did their thing and did it very well, but why should a three year old water heater leak? Arrrrgghhh. But that's not the least of it, when the water was turned back on, the pressure blew the water line off the upstairs toilet and no one saw it until the next morning. The water leaked through the kitchen and office areas and damaged the ceiling. Hello, plumber, hello more bills. Luckily, nothing other than the ceiling was damaged...but hey, that's another bill I don't need or want. And cleanup...yuck. And of course, they cannot match the tiles that were damaged, so it means a whole new ceiling.

And my car, my good dependable nothing goes wrong with it car, decided the time was wrong to have major brake and ABS and traction system problems. They can't figure out if it needs kabillions of dollars of repairs of if its just a malfunctioning sensor and partial brake job that is only half a kabillion dollars and another week without a car.

The dog threw up on my new carpet. We replaced it when the kid dropped a bottle of Clorox Clean Up on it and tie dyed the rug. Guess we can relax now that the rug has been christened.

I won't mention a credit card bill that was paid and closed 4 years ago resurfaced. I won't mention that the kid needs tools for school that will cost me twice what I thought.And that he needs car insurance and a car. Lotsa luck on that one, kid.I won't mention that while I was down, the weeds at the bridal shop overtook the landscaping and that it looks like a jungle.

And I'm still smiling and happy. Go figure. My chair is still by the rosebushes waiting for me to take a whiff. And I will before summer is over. My point is that things happen and they will happen during the course of wedding planning. There's always a solution. Keep smiling, this too shall pass. And please, make it soon! ;)

More Weird Strange Wedding Pictures

Brides: don't ask, don't tell. I don't even want to look.





I have no clue why they are wearing painted coffee cans on the sides of their heads and why the bride and groom are wearing Burger King crowns. I couldn't find ONE person to pull this off, gotta hand it to them,
their friends are good sports. But WTF?


Super Man wedding...wish I had a pic of the bride. I hope no one brought Kryptonite to the reception.




Zombie wedding, zombie brides must be required to dress like a wedding cake and have their picture shot from the grave up.


Renting a limo was too expensive obviously. Do I see a seat in the photo? Does it have seat belts?
The only thing I see missing is the keg of beer.


Who did your makeup?


Shreck takes a bride. No, really!


Hello Kitty wedding. I just don't get the fascination with Hello Kitty, but if you are REALLY into it, wouldn't it have been cooler to dress exactly like them?

Russian goth wedding, gotta love the brides fake forehead and the groom's Kiss boots. Her dress from the side is nothing short of scary! Love the juxtaposition of clothing and hair colors.


The Goth groom is wearing more ruffles than the bride. Honey, I've come up with a Goth themed wedding and guess what you are wearing? Don't you just love it? Honey, honey....??




I like this photo..and I like this cake, or is it really a hamburger? Either way, it makes me hungry!




Yabba dabba do...its a Flintstone wedding!


Wilmaaaaaaaaaaa!



Sad to say, I actually know people who would do the John Deere theme and spend longer cleaning and waxing the tractor than planning the wedding. And you know who you are!


Another pale Gothic couple. Kissing the bride with black lipstick....eeeewwwww!

Strange, Weird Weddings

Sometimes you just have to smack your forehead and ask yourself... WTF were they thinking? Y'all know that I love weird strange weddings and weird wedding
pictures. To each his own, but this is a bit out of the realm of normal thought.
Hey, if it works, it works.


Man Marries Pillow

Lee Jin-gyu, 28, from Korea fell in love his 'dakimakura' pillow from Japan, often with a picture of a popular anime character printed on the side. His pillow has an image of Fate Testarossa, from the anime series Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha.


He wed the pillow in a special ceremony. He wed his pillow after dressing it in a a wedding dress for the service in frontof a local priest.

'He is completely obsessed with this pillow and takes it everywhere,' said one friend.

'They go out to the park or the funfair where it will go on all the rides with him. Then when he goes out to eat he takes it with him and it gets its own seat and its own meal,' they added.

Brides Behaving Badly, Could This Be You?

I was on my annual shopping spree armed with all my birthday gift cards and heading to the mall. First stop...the lingerie department at a major department store. I was on a quest for new bras that fit. Why is it EVERY time you find a bra you like they discontinue it? Anyway, I'm in the dressing room trying on bras and there are two brides trying on honeymoon lingerie. They try it on, pop out of the dressing room, take pics of each other in the lingerie and sext it on to their fiances. They didn't buy ANYTHING...this was just a fun time for them. The clerk was busy tending to them and bringing them in more things to try on. They had excuses every time why they didn't want the item. When she left the dressing room, they laughed and took pics. These brides weren't 18 years old, they were late 20 something women dressed in the latest fashions.

I wanted to tell the clerk what was going on and I probably should have. I sure wouldn't want to be the one to buy the thong that they were modeling. Ewwwwwhhhhh.

So I amble downstairs past the jewelry department. I am easily distracted by shiny objects. There is a huge section of bridal jewelry...all with return tags on them. The clerk said to me..."I know what you are thinking, and yes, they wear it and return it. There is nothing we can do. Somethings they pop out a stone and say its defective. Sometimes they tell us it doesn't match their dress. We know better, but the store says we have to take it as a return if its in the time period and they have a receipt." OMG....isn't this a form of stealing? Its sure not borrowing, I know of no department store that has a borrowing policy. That's just wrong on so many levels!!

OK, I'm done venting!!

Weddings, Why Not Accept Professional Advice?

Attention Brides! If you need professional advice, ask for it. Some things are just not do it yourself projects, weddings are one of those. Yes, you can do it yourself, but get some professional advice. Its there, its there for free in many instances just by ASKING the question.

Case in point: Wedding in a park on a Saturday on a spring day. The weather was brutal that day, wind gusts of up to 65 mph, rain, and even some scattered snowflakes. The bride had a picnic reception planned, but the weather didn't cooperate. She had no Plan B in case of rain or cold. She was using her friend as her wedding consultant, this chick had no clue. Her friend talked her out of renting an enclosed park shelter, because as she put it, the extra $50 could go to other things. The park tried to talk to her, the groom tried to talk to her, she wouldn't listen. This was her friends job as a wedding consultant (she had no training at all) and she listened to her friend. The wedding was a bust. It was so cold the bride had to wear a coat over her wedding dress and the groom a hoodie over his tux. The guests sat in their cars and then left. They ended up hauling the food back to their garage, where the remaining guests ate in their garage. The flowers were damaged from the cold, the tablecloths blew off the tables and everything was in chaos. If she had only listened to a pro!

Fast forward: There is another wedding tomorrow at the same park...same scenario. No shelter, no place to go if it rains. Guess what? Its supposed to be cold and rain all day. We have family members in the wedding, they are dreading it because of the weather. Most of them drove for hours to be in the wedding. Who wants to get all dolled up and spend time dodging the rain and the cold? This bride asked me for advice, I gave it to her....get a Plan B for weather and rent the shelter. Her friend talked her out of it. My guess is that all the wives of the guys in the wedding will leave before the ceremony.

Weddings are supposed about the couple, but if you are having a reception, its also about making your guests feel welcome and comfortable.

If a wedding professional is giving you advice, don't assume its because they want to sell you something. It may be that they are trying to put you on the correct path to having an amazing wedding without glitches and without chaos. Ask me, I'll give you advice for free.

Fab Finds! More Cool Wedding Accessories From Etsy

More fabulous wedding finds from Etsy for
all of our 'Zillas. Finding one extraordinary
accessory for your wedding will put your
personal stamp on the days festivities. It
seems like soooooo many of today's weddings
are the same old same old. Same style dress,
same style of bridesmaids..kick it up a notch
by doing something unusual, fun or just amazing.




Love, love, love this wedding garter from
the Garter Lady. Its silk and has a fab
hand rolled wild rose. The cool part besides
the unique design is that there is your
something blue inside the garter. This is
not a garter you throw, this is the garter
you hand down to your daughters. Love it!





Don't want to wear a veil or fascinator?
How about this great peak hat from
Romancing The Veil? This headpiece oozes
southern charm, hence the name Atlanta.
You have hand rolled organza roses,
feathers and Swarovski crystals.





This custom made to your measurement corset is fashioned
in brocade by La Belle Fairy.
You can actually wear this as outerwear because its so pretty,
just add a gorgeous skirt and your wedding attire is complete.
Very unusual, very feminine.




This antique lace petticoat is also by La Belle Fairy.
It is just gorgeous, too pretty to be under a dress.
Line it with a slip or wear over an ivory skirt and
wait for the oooohhhhs and ahhhhhssss. This is so
reminiscent of antique wedding dresses. This would
look awesome with the corset.



This beautiful textile and lace cuff bracelet is
by Greaves Design. This would be amazing with
the antique lace petticoat above. So different than
wearing a pearl bracelet!




OK, the artist calls this "The bride wore what?"
In this case, its real dear skull and antlers,
perfect for the offbeat bride. By Chaos Doll.
the bride that wears this fascinator will be
unforgettable for many years.

Turquoise and Pink Wedding Inspiration Board

As we said, Pantone Color Institute has unveiled
the wedding color of the year for 2010 as the color
turquoise. Accenting turquoise with pink or hot
pink kicks your wedding up a notch. Adding hot pink
gives the wedding a Caribbean feel, making it perfect
for a beach or destination wedding.

Blue Green Turquoise Wedding Inspiration Board

Pantone Color Institute has unveiled the wedding
color of the year for 2010 and the color
is turquoise blue. Leatrice Eiseman, executive director
of the Pantone Color Institute® says
“It is believed to be a protective talisman,
a color of deep compassion and healing,
and a color of faith and truth, inspired by
water and sky.

Every hair color and complexion looks great in
turquoise blue. Bonus! There are a lot of colors that
blend well with turquoise. Another Bonus!
Pictures just pop with turquoise.

We've put together an inspiration board of turquoise
blue with green. The colors give a watercolor effect
and are perfect for every style of wedding from
formal to beach.

Fab Finds! Adorable Unique Handmade Wedding Cake Toppers

Fabulous find for all my 'Zillas out there!
I stumbled upon some of the cutest wedding
cake toppers on Etsy. I think that these are some
of the most creative toppers evah! The designer,
Hilary, is a true artist with a sense of humor that
shows in her art.

If you are looking for a way to personalize your
wedding or wedding cake,
you have to check out Bunny With A Toolbelt.
Be prepared to smile, because we are all grinning
like crazy just looking at her designs. I don't know
which one is my favorite, but the frogs just make
me grin!




You can also follow her on Facebook:
Bunny With A Toolbelt

Quiz: Are You A Bad Bridesmaid?

Have you been accused of being a bad bridesmaid? Take the quiz and find out!

Answers are all true or false.

• Have you clashed with the bride over the wedding?

• Do you hate your bridesmaid dress and have you told everyone how much you hate it?

• Did you refuse to wear the color of the dress the bride picked out because YOU don’t look good in that color?

• Have you publicly trashed the wedding?

• Have you publicly trashed the groom or trashed the groom to other people?
  

• Are you dodging phone calls, texts and emails from the bride?

• Did the bride have to put down the deposit on your bridesmaid dress because you didn’t have the money?

• Did you forget to pay her back?

• Did the other bridesmaids have to hunt you down to plan the wedding shower?

• Did you promise to pay your share of the wedding shower and haven’t paid?

• Did you “forget” to show up at the wedding shower?

• Did you refuse to have your hair or makeup done for the wedding?

• Do you constantly complaining about the wedding expenses?

• Have you decided not to give the couple a wedding gift because just being there is gift enough?

• Are the other bridesmaids watching out for you so you don’t drink excessively at the reception?

• Did you have to be coerced to go to your bridesmaid dress fitting?

• Did you trash the bride and the other maids during your fitting to the seamstress?

• Did you have a hissy fit in the bridal shop because you didn’t want to pay for alterations?

• Have you told the bride that your wedding was better because……. And she should do it your way?

If you have answered true to more than three of these questions, you are a bad bridesmaid. While it’s normal to not love the bridesmaid dress, trashing the bride’s taste in public is bad behavior. When there’s a group of people who have to wear the same dress, not everyone is going to love the dress or the color. A true friend will wear what the bride wants and keep a smile on her face, it’s the bride’s choice, it’s her wedding.


Not paying your share of expenses can make you a bad bridesmaid. If the costs are normal and reasonable, and you agreed, you should pay. If the bride is unreasonable in her requests and expenses, that’s another story. The bridesmaid’s expenses are dress, alterations, shoes, shower and shower gift, bachelorette party and bachelorette party gift and wedding gift. Optional expenses are hair, makeup and accessories.


A bad bridesmaid is someone who didn’t want to be in the wedding and didn’t know how to say no. The time to say no is before the planning and expenses start. “Thank you so much for asking me to be in your wedding. I’m honored you asked, but I can’t afford to be a bridesmaid, and I’d be happier to just be a guest. “ How hard is that? Once you say yes, you’ve committed. Acting out and behaving badly only reflects back on you.


How to be a good bridesmaid:

• Support the bride in her decisions about the wedding.

• Make all dress appointments and deposits in a timely manner.

• Keep in touch with the bride so you stay in the wedding loop.

• Work with the other maids to plan the shower, bachelorette party, etc.

• If you agree to make food or pay for part of the shower, do it.

• Be there when the bride needs a friend, needs to talk or blow off steam.

• Help the bride with your time if she needs help or giving her reassurance and being her friend.

• Show up with a big smile and enjoy the wedding!

Another AMAZING Wedding Give-A-Way! Wedding Gown Blog

My amazing friend Kerrie who has
the Wedding Gown Blog has an
April give a way contest that is out
of this world cool!! She is giving away

• Set of Three Sachets filled with French Lavender Life Mantra's from La Pomme.
• 20 Small Edible Lavender Butterflies from Etsy seller Sugar Robot
• 1 - Vera Wang Purple Palette Fashion Bouquet

The bouquet is REAL flowers and they are stunning.
Click as fast as you can to enter and here.
Entries end April 24th. Good luck!