Nailing down a wedding list is not an easy thing. Nailing down the cast of the wedding party is even tougher. You never know who's gonna catch feelings, so sometimes you have to ask a few extra people. A dance instructor in Ohio decided not to make enemies at her studio and invited all 110 students to be in her wedding. In a word: adorable.
Giving a toast at a rehearsal dinner or wedding reception is supposed to be an honor. So why does it cause so many bridesmaids to ruin their $300 taffeta terror-of-a-gown by breaking into a cold sweat? Because there's a lot that can go wrong. I've seen more wedding toasts derailed by a drunken uncle or botched by a nervous maid of honor than I, or the happy couples, care to remember. Before you take the mic, remember a wedding toast is not the time to make any of these mistakes. With emotions running high and wine flowing like water, it's all too easy to get long-winded, overly sentimental, and even inappropriate. The last thing you want is to make your lovely hosts wish they had one of those giant hooks to pull you offstage.
Whether you're a bride, part of the wedding party, or merely a guest who's excited to dress up and get wasted on someone else's tab, the wedding experience is something we're all familiar with. But when I was a bridesmaid in my ex-girlfriend's wedding, I didn't really know what to expect. On a hot summer day, not too long ago, I packed my red chiffon bridesmaid dress and boarded a plane heading north. Landing in Portland, I was greeted by my ex, Anna, the bride, and her nervous-looking, soon-to-be husband, Dean. Dean and I had only met once before when the two of them were on their way to Costa Rica and had a twelve-hour layover in L.A. They crashed at my place, where Dean kept a tight grip around Anna's waist and eyed me suspiciously all night.
Being a bridesmaid gets a bad rap, especially because of 27 Dresses. Personally, I find it to be quite an honor (but ask me again in 23 more dresses). Usually when you're a member of the bridal party, you think of the hassle and expense, but I had so much fun that today, I'm going to remind us all why it's good to be a bridesmaid.
In the newly released wedding flick ('tis the season) The Hangover, we get a glimpse of a Las Vegas bachelor party spent among four guys. We see them in the car, driving out to Vegas in a borrowed luxe car. We see them check into the $4,000-a-night party suite. We see them getting on their sleek going-out clothes (well all of them except for the one socially inept character who throws on jeans and a tee that his pot belly pokes out from).
We're not sure if Virginia Beach resident and bride-to-be Kelly Gray could find a final gal pal to complete the bridal party or she was just looking to make some extra cash, but she put a bridesmaid spot in her upcoming wedding on eBay, according to The New York Times. Usually, people inwardly grumble when asked to be part of the wedding, if you've been in enough, you know the all-too-familiar grumble. The money you'll be spending, the mandatory bachelorette-party attendance. Who would pay to partake? (Sorry, brides.) Weird, right?
