Bride to Bride Brought to you by Weddingbee.com, this blog features real brides and their very real experiences. Here, you'll see what other brides, just like you, are thinking, doing and finding as they prepare for their special day.

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November 3, 2008

Tutorial: Bird Cage Veil

I am so happy to write a guest blog for Bridal Guide!

Today I will be covering one of my favorite topics: sewing. I love to sew, and wedding planning has been a great excuse to get behind my sewing machine! I have also done a lot of wedding-related sewing for my friends as they get married. I recently made a bird cage veil for my friend Kaylie, who got married on Halloween. Kaylie wanted a vintage-inspired veil, so I knew a bird cage veil would be perfect! Here's a peek at the finished product:

Supplies:
1/2 yard white or ivory russian netting
1/4 yard white or ivory tulle
White or ivory thread
Hand sewing needles
Sewing machine
Sharp scissors
Parchment paper (my secret ingredient!)
Sewing pins
Silk flower
Pearl beads
Hot glue gun (wash your hands after using, most cords for glue guns contain lead)
Hot glue sticks
Bobby pins
Head of a friend (attached, of course!)

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Posted by Miss Taffy at 11:21 a.m. | Comments (0)

October 27, 2008

It Never Hurts to Ask: Negotiation Tips for the Hapless Haggler

I'm not gonna lie...negotiating used to intimidate me to no end. I'd stutter, lose my words, blush and periodically melt into a puddle of self-deprecating goo. I'd look at my future fiancé and sheepishly say, "You talk." It took baby steps and several years of practice, but starting small, I began to conquer the fear and, eventually, came to enjoy the art. I'm now proud to say I take the helm in almost all of our negotiations—wedding or otherwise.

In my research, I've noticed that many bridal resources encourage negotiation, but few offer solid suggestions on how to best approach the game. I want you brides to feel empowered to fight for what you want, so today I want to share some of my best tricks for handling the mighty task of haggling.

Many brides are intimidated by the thought of negotiating, but a bride in charge of "wearing the pants" (if you'll pardon the antiquated phrase) has one of three possible effects: 1. It commands respect 2. It serves as a disarming distraction, or 3. It doesn't faze the vendor at all. None of those reactions put you at risk, so why not give it a go? Now, let's be straight. I'm not talking about pushy bridezilla pants. I'm talking about respectful, savvy negotiator pants. Trust me ladies, they're much more flattering on you.

The key principle I operate upon in many life situations, is one my parents taught me growing up: It never hurts to ask. The worst they could say is no, right? But they could surprise you with a yes...and wouldn't you rather be sure, than miss an opportunity due to shyness? This is the hallmark of my approach to negotiation.

If above is the entree to a negotiation, it is crucial to have a good side dish: Be nice. It will make or break your deal. People like to help nice people. They may not reciprocate. They might even act like you'll be lucky if they deign to accept your booking, but don't be distracted by their style. Always keep cool, positive and strong.

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Posted by Miss Meatball at 4:51 p.m. | Comments (1)

September 23, 2008

Red Carpet Inspirations for a White Aisle Event

I'm usually not a big fan of awards shows, with their gaudy sets, the awkward banter between presenters, the tedious speechifying that leads to abrupt (and even more awkward) orchestral interventions. Sure, people (for the most part) are better dressed, but it's basically senior prom and the candidates' forum for freshmen class president amped up and rolled into one. 10 out of 10 on the awkward scale. No higher than 3 on the entertainment meter. What I do love, however, are the post-show fashion recaps—on E!, in blogs (oh how I heart the caustic wit of the Fug Girls), and in magazines like Instyle and People.

As I was perusing the Emmy recaps this year, it struck me that for the first time the recaps could actually be relevant. My wedding day will be the one time that I a) get my hair done by a professional, b) employ the services of a makeup artist, c) wear a custom-fitted dress, and d) have hundreds of pictures taken of me. So I thought I'd share with you some lessons/inspirations I took from the red carpet this year.

1) Careful with the bronzer. Olivia Wilde looks gorgeous here in her Reem Acra dress—which I love particularly because its embellished sheer sleeves are reminiscent of the ones on my own gown—but the overuse of bronzer is making her face look muddy. I use Bare Escentuals' "warmth" for my daily makeup regimen and would likely have been tempted to apply it a bit more heavy-handedly on wedding day. Olivia, you saved me.

All photos from Instyle.com

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Posted by Miss Cocoa at 6:35 p.m. | Comments (0)

August 1, 2008

For Love or Country

My fiancé and I moved to Vancouver, BC, from California less than a year ago and started planning our wedding shortly thereafter. Planning has been a little lonely since most of our friends and family are thousands of miles away, but we were super excited to finally be able to get legally wed! You see, my fiancé and I are a same-sex couple and we've had to travel many miles to be able to stay together as a couple.

In February 2004, we watched the news with sheer glee as marriage licenses began to be issued to same-sex couples. Del Martin, 83, and Phyllis Lyon, 79, a couple that had been together for 51-years were the first to be married. Their photo was on the front page of the newspaper on Valentine's Day:

We wanted so badly to drive up and join the thousands of same-sex couples that were flocking to San Francisco City Hall. Unfortunately, we couldn't because at the time my fiancé, who is not a U.S. citizen, was on a student visa and if she showed "intent to stay" in the U.S., which getting married would, her visa could be revoked. We sent flowers to city hall, but we stayed home.

My fiancé eventually got a work visa. However, there is a time limit on how long you can stay in the U.S. as a foreign worker. Marriage offers 1,138 federal benefits and responsibilities, one of which is the right to sponsor your foreign spouse for a green card. Instead, binational same-sex couples like us are forced to live apart, out stay their visas and live outside the law, or immigrate to a country that will allow them to remain together.

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Posted by Miss Gingerbread at 12:39 p.m. | Comments (1)

July 21, 2008

International Marriage Traditions

Not a lot has been written on intercultural marriages in the blogosphere, probably because in many ways, every single marriage is an instance of two different cultures attempting to blend together. Whether it is regional culture, familial culture, national culture or religious culture, each couple must find ways to merge and honor their own belief systems and backgrounds.

I became fascinated with all things folklore related after taking a few classes at my University, and in the middle of writing papers I took some time to research Polish wedding traditions in some of the textbooks I was reading. The customs they spoke of were so unique and meaningful, I knew that I wanted to find ways to incorporate some of them into my own wedding.

All of this cultural research has led me to think about where my own family comes from. I have Danish ancestors and my fiancé has Polish ancestors, so I have begun to look into wedding traditions from both countries. Here are some of the things I am thinking about incorporating.

Danish Traditions

1. Danish weddings serve marzipan cake as the wedding cake. It's made with almonds and marzipan and decorated with a sugar paste icing. I'm planning on having a cake buffet instead of one wedding cake, so a cake like this would be a possibility.

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Posted by Miss Avocado at 3:25 p.m. | Comments (1)

July 10, 2008

Affordable Wedding Dresses

While the economy is spiraling out of control and oil prices continue to skyrocket, rumors have begun spinning 'round that the wedding industry is raising its rates as well.

I’m happy to report that you don’t have to spend a fortune on your wedding day to make it the stylish, romantic, amazing event that you and your loved ones will remember for years to come. You can do it on a budget, even a small one.

For instance, that $10,000 Oscar de la Renta gown Katherine Hiegel rocked during her Christmas nuptials last year? Not necessary! You can grab yourself a gown with a style that mirrors your personal taste—no matter how unique—at rock-bottom prices. You just need to know what your options are and where to look.

The Non-Wedding Wedding Dress

Sure, you may not be able to afford the Vera Wang gown of your dreams, but if a designer dress is your wish, it's totally doable! Many designers that cater to the stars create masterpieces for the red carpet in white, silver and ivory. The price tags don't carry that wedding premium, but the fabulous cuts and fashion-forward details are still there. If you're looking for a Non-Wedding Wedding Dress, check out: Nordstrom, Gilt Groupe or Bluefly.

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Posted by Miss Pomegranate at 10:50 a.m. | Comments (1)

June 19, 2008

My Big Fat Geek Wedding

Growing up, I was never a girly girl. I never wanted to put on dresses or wear my mom's makeup or have the perfect hairdo. No, I was at the other end of the spectrum. I was the girl who wanted to wear pants. Who wanted to climb trees. Who wanted to play with He-Man action figures with the neighborhood boys. I never thought this was all that weird until I, an only child, entered school and was surrounded by a bunch of girls who looked at me like I was from Mars. I got teased for having short hair, for wearing jeans and for liking "boy things." So, to make life easier for myself, I learned to blend in. I grew my hair out, I added a few more skirts to my wardrobe, and I eventually learned to apply makeup. I was infiltrating enemy lines and the uniform of girl was my camouflage.

However, as I grew older, I realized that all this girly fuss wasn't worth the trouble, so I reverted back to my natural state. I was a geek who liked different things and, if other people didn't like or understand that, that was okay.

Much to my joy, when I was 21 years old, I met a guy who had been a closet nerd, too. A Star Wars fan and a Lego fiend, he had hidden his atypical interests from his past girlfriends for fear of being made fun of. But now that we'd found each other, we put our dorkishness out in the open and celebrated the unconventional things we liked. We went to Renaissance festivals, we quoted Monty Python at each other, and we spent our first Valentine's Day in bed together watching The Last Crusade and debating the merits of Indiana Jones versus Han Solo. It was the golden age of geekdom for both of us and we loved it.

My fiance and I dressed up for Harry Potter night at the bookstore he used to work at. He was a quidditch player and I was a Beauxbatons-style groupie.

Unfortunately, three years later, when we decided to get hitched, we faced offbeat oppression yet again when we went to plan the wedding. Everywhere I turned, things seemed to be frilly and ultra feminine, and everyone I spoke to seemed to reinforce these ideas.

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Posted by Miss Hummingbird at 4:13 p.m. | Comments (3)

June 6, 2008

Looking Back

This is a story about old friends, distance, nostalgia, and the sentimentality of being a bride.

Sian and I met in the second grade when she was just the girl with the funny name and I was the new kid. Before the year was over, we were best friends. We had slumber parties every weekend during which we performed a radio show on my "TalkBoy" tape recorder (remember those?), invented our own magical kingdom (which we subsequently defended from unspeakable evil), and formed a club named of our first and last initials (we were the sole members).

Look at how small we were when we met in Brownie Girl Scouts!

As the years passed, we lost our last baby teeth, got our first periods, and started daydreaming about what it meant to be an "adult." We were inseparable, a dynamic duo.

Throughout our childhoods, we shunned the idea of marriage. My parents were consistently unhappy with each other and her two loving moms were a constant source of small-town controversy. Instead of finding spouses, we decided that we’d just buy the biggest RV we could afford and drive around the country together until we got sick of it. Then, we'd buy a house and some cats and grow old as spinsters.

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Posted by Miss Cherry Pie at 11:37 a.m. | Comments (4)