Hair-dos...and don'ts

Bridal hair can be tricky. Tricky for the bride. And tricky for any and all members of the bridal party. So what's a girl to do? (Bridal books barely offer any help.)

For starters, how about checking out the Wedding Bashers’ guide to bridal hair!

HAIR GUIDE

by: WB

DO keep it classic, but DO NOT be boring. Drama, people. D-R-A-M-A. You don’t want to put your guests to sleep. This Bride got the idea. She kept it classic with a chignon, but turned to the trendy side of things with a gorgeous braid. So interesting! So fabulous!

DO keep it simple. A sleek and sophisticated look CAN be wedding appropriate (not everything has to be curly, soft and cascading)! Check out this Bride. With her short haircut, she could have gone the wavy route. Instead, she chose a 60s-styled curled in bob. And instead of wearing an overpowering veil, she opted for a delicate headband. We love it!

DO opt for something a little fun. DO NOT be afraid to be different. How lovely is this Bridesmaid’s look? The braid! The loopy waves! The golden headpiece! There is nothing about it that is “stuffy” or “stiff”. And there is nothing about it that we don’t love!

Speaking of stuffy and stiff.....

DO NOT go for the “tight and flat” look. Not sure what we mean? Here is a good example. This Bride went for the tightest bun we have possibly ever seen. It even gives her head a weird shape! Also, why would anyone want bangs so flat on their forehead it looks like they were pasted on with Crazy-Glue? Why? And don’t even get us started on that pointy catastrophe sitting at the top of her head. The whole look is so incredibly stiff, she could poke somebody’s eye out. Watch out, guests.

DO NOT be predictable. How many times have you seen a bride wear this boring hairstyle? Bangs flattened to the side. Hair in contrived waves. Half of it pinned up. The other half left "loose" and “cascading”. Tacky tiara firmly fastened on top of head. Awful veil attached to the back. Here are two (out of far too many) examples. If we catch one more bride with this look, our eyes may actually start bleeding. We blame Ken Paves.

Is it written in the stars?

Bachelorette parties.
They can be fun.
They can be disasters.
They can be delicious, sinful, wholesome, or
*other*

but should they go zodiac?

Who doesn't love astrology? What bride, if she considers herself in any part a "Renaissance woman," wouldn't die to know what the heavens hold for her and her soon-to-be-husband a short time before their lifetime commitment to Each Others' Virtues and Vices? I have lots of friends who practically *live* by the zodiac (or at least like to pretend to), so I ask, of all the things you *could* do at a bachelorette party, is this idea (below) a good one?

"It's in the Stars (and the Cards)

If the bride knows her Sun and Moon signs, plus her fiance's rising sign, we can predict with almost perfect accuracy that she'll love a New Age party. Hire a tarot card reader and an astrologer to do everyone's chart. This idea can be a big hit -- and not just with the starry-eyed bride. Who doesn't want to know what the future holds?"

I mean, I suppose knowing the timespan of your marriage might help you prepare for its eventual end, by death, divorce, or whatever else. I wouldn't suggest this approach for anyone prone to Runaway Bride Syndrome, however.

Have your say - vote today!

And while you're at it, TELL US WHAT YOU THINK: be the first to leave a comment on this or any other blog entry, and stand ready to win a special, secret, Wedding Bashers prize.

We're serious.
Don't you wish you knew what it was?

Last week's poll on party favours for children revealed a 100% "hate it" result - thank goodness the little people are not yet taking over the world.

Good, old-fashioned, 21st-century drama

We've been on a "nice" kick recently, and neither of us knows why. We're both angry individuals, but lately, we can't seem to find much but good, tasteful detail in the wedding photos we've been browsing.

Take, for example, the neck-wear on these girls.


THIS, ladies, is the kind of drama you want. I don't even know what to say about it - I think it speaks for itself. These necklaces are gorgeous, work perfectly, and you can see why.

A+

When Autumn Leaves Start to Fall ...

I love this bride and everything about her, from her short, satin-lined veil to her simple but oh-so-classy and still interesting (because asymetrical, and slightly off-the-shoulder) dress, to her proportionate accessories, appropriately tamed hair, and stunning fall bouquet. I. love. it all.

No one cares

We found this gem listed as one of the "Top Ten Trends" in weddings. We're all about planning and organization, but this is just plain irritating.

Wedding Newsletters

Many brides are beginning to send out wedding newsletters to keep family and friends up to date with news and plans. Newsletters can save you from making numerous phone calls. You can send one out every other month via e-mail. You can included information such as when bridesmaids and groomsmen need to get together for fittings, give information about yourself and the groom, a schedule of events for the wedding weekend and much more. Use it to your advantage!

Oh, Please

Wedding favours. Many people consider it vital to send their guests off with *some* small gift as a token of their appreciation for their participation in the day's joy - and we support. If tasteful and/or practical, wedding favours can be great additions to any home. They don't have to be big or even conventional to be effective: I once received a little olive dish with three associated olive-studded pronged toothpicks, and have more than once put it to good use.

But let's not get confused or side-tracked: wedding favours are, in fact, tokens, aimed, as much as possible, at being gender-neutral, and intended to please the greatest amount of guests present.

Weddings are utilitarian enterprises.

What do we do, then, when, because many of our friends are already married and have young to pre-teenaged children, a considerable slice of the guests at our Big Day are under 12 years old?

Are wedding favours - think DIY kits, candy, or a plethora of plush - for children a good idea, or even acceptable?



Tell us what you think this week.

Many people are going this route, as a recent internet search revealed to me. We think it's kind of any bride to be so considerate of her company that she would go out of her way to ensure that even the miniature people witnessing her next step into adulthood would get some tangible fun out of doing so. But we also think that having wedding favours for children is kind of a little ridiculous. It would be a GREAT thought to tailor the gifts intended for the children in the bridal party - flower girls, ring bearers - to their individual tastes and interests. We support that. But going any further would be both unnecessary and unpleasant for the bride and her chief executive staff of organisers. Besides, how many people would even think to commend you for helping their children collect cavities?

I say all this maybe only because I am accustomed to Italian-North American weddings, which take the word "excess" to disproportionate embarrassment. There, having wedding favours - for the children of 300+ almost always whiny, overly judgmental, and nearly never supportive or satisfied guests - could only turn into a showy (and potentially grotesque) display of wasted energy.

Save the cutesy for the Baptism or Christening, Christians.

We'd love to hear your piece, though, so vote today and have your say. Love it or hate it?

Your votes last week revealed a 66% "need to see more of it" result - we'll try to find other avant-garde bakers to showcase ...

MOG v. MOH

I simply cannot decide which is worse.

A MOG (mother of the groom) who decided that it was OK to wear a dress that is practically white (and generally inappropriate).

Or a MOH (maid of honor) who decided that it was OK to wear a leopard print dress with CUT-OUTS at the waist (nope. your eyes are not deceiving you. that is, in fact, actual flesh you see), thus forcing the Best Man to wear and ghastly leopard print tie.

Maybe we should just blame the Bride for having agreed to all this crazy.

Unacceptable.