GameTime

As I was thinking about all the things I absolutely loathe about this picture, I realized that what I hated most were the things that we, at WB, complain about all the time.

Instead of being super repetitive we're gonna leave this one to you, dear readers.

What are the TOP 4 (believe me, there are more) things that we DISLIKE about this wedding party?

What are the TOP 2 (there are barely 2) things that we LIKE (well, find acceptable given what we're working with) about this wedding party?

For those loyal WB fans out there (youknowwhoyouare), this will easy.

Don't be shy and leave your answers in the comments below. As always, click on the picture for the larger version.

(Obviously, you don't have to give all 6 answers. We'll take anything!)

Don't forget to check back on Monday, December 27th 2010 for the answers!

So, READY...

SET...

JUDGE!!!

And from all of us at WB: Happy Holidays!

xox

UPDATE:

So. Even though only one devoted and loyal reader shared her answers with us (Thanks Val-Z!! You did a such a great job!!), we know that the rest of you were just waiting for the right moment to show your cards (right?? riiiight).

And now...the moment you've all been waiting for...the RESULTS!

DISLIKE:

1. matchy-matchy hell

2. inclusion of a junior freakin' bridesmaid

3. fur. fur shawls. fur/mexican poncho hybrid on the JFB.

4. tacky bouquets (flower/color/composition)

LIKE:

1. MOH in her purple dress (safe and maybe a little boring, but I'll take it)

2. flower girl's flowered headpiece (ouf. adorbs)

Thanks for playing!

WB, j'écoute

Remember when we showed you this?


Girl, you got it.

Thank you for listening.

Bridal Flop

Time for a reader pop quiz. This one's easy: we know you can get it.

Q: What's worse than flip-flops on a bridesmaid?

(see answer key if necessary)

edirb eht no spolf-pilf detnecca :A

10 points if you got it right.

Some take the High Road

while we take the low road, and we'll be in Scotland before them ...

I just googled "Scottish folk music" and stumbled upon a list of great classics, not any of which tells a happy tale of long-lived, felicitous love. Why so glum, sugar plums? Do all your bonnie lasses really leave you for their gypsy rovers? Hardly likely. More plausible: none of you insular bards ever came across this unlikely source of inspirational wedding-ceremony bliss:

and that's just the beginning.

So, this wedding is perfect, we decided. But for the sake of the argument, we'll throw in a formal evaluation. What's more: we'll do it à la TLC's "Four Weddings" (because, let's be honest, who are we if not judges and TLC whores?).

The show rates weddings based on the following four categories:

1) dress

2) venue

3) food

4) overall experience

We might have to substitute "food" with "miscellanea" because although our senses are acute, they're not so sharp that we can pronounce judgment on things they've never experienced.

Humour us.

And let's begin:

1) dress

I dare any of you to find me a single flaw with this dress. One. Single. Flaw. Just one. The fit: impeccable. Design: not so ornate that it induces epileptic seizure, but not so boring that it inspires sleep. The detailing is tasteful, the cut complimentary, the overall look divine. And while we're at it, let's talk about the bouquet. Didn't we tell you long ago that we loved an orchid variant on the single-stem arrangement? Yes. Yes we did. Sometimes, readers, you make us so proud, our eyes hurt with love. They HURT with pure, unadulterated love.

10 (+2 point bonus for feathered headpiece)

2) venue

See above, really, x2. I'm not sure this couple could have managed to find a more genuinely - and not cheesily - picturesque location for their wedding. Nor do I think they could have managed to make a small ceremony in something that doesn't look like a church so becoming. These chairs are a nice alternative to pews. This space - from the stone to the wood panelling - is understated but stately. There is so much class in this place that I may never teach again.

10

3) miscellanea

I'm not quite sure where to begin, but let's start with the groom. Let's talk about how dashing he looks in his kilt. Let's discuss the tears he is openly and unapologetically wiping away. Let's talk about his matching ring bearer.

Let's all agree that without knowing him, we would probably marry this groom in a heartbeat if he weren't already taken.

Let's talk, next, about this bride's ring. We've more than once lamented the fall of the conventional look to this streamlined "minimalism" we occasionally hate. And if this bride weren't so distinctly and obviously athletic, if her nails were not so naturally manicured, and if she didn't strike us as such a sophisticated, 30-something composition of grace and style, we would probably hate her ring. But we don't. We love it. We want it.

We also want our bridesmaids to look this cute drinking from their groomsmen's flasks on our wedding days. We want them to wear dresses that, because tailored to their bodies but still uniform to our scheme, look good on them. We want them to be just as pretty as we are (okay, maybe not JUST as pretty, but close) on our big day. We want everyone to be fortunately accessoried and coiffed. We do. We look forward to it.

10

4) overall experience

I mean, in case it wasn't clear, we give this wedding 100%. Even the photographers' introductory blurb to their festivities spoke of a down-to-earth sincerity and natural comfort to this production that not only set everyone at ease, but insured every guest's enjoyment from start to finish.

Well-done, couple. You can take 100% from WB to the bank -- readers may never see one again.

Something Blue

Monochrome bouquet, done well:

Pretty, unexpectedly classic.

5 points.

Matching (but not overly matchy) boutonniers:

3 points.

Total: 8

Take it. Be happy with it. Be grateful that we're not taking points away for this:

Closer, Let me Whisper in Your Ear ...

CCB: I found another one.

celia: Another what?

CCB: Oh, you'll see ...

celia: Ah. One of THESE.

CCB: Do you see what I mean?

celia: Boresville ....

CCB: It's not even that. I mean, whatever, ok, the dress is boring, but it's safe, at least. It's really this that I can't stomach.

celia: No one should have to shoulder that burden. Don't feel bad about it.

CCB: But it makes me so sad when they don't listen to us ...

celia: I know ...

CCB: Didn't we warn them about sleeves and boleros (even though this one has a fun collar)?

celia: We did ...

CCB: And didn't we explain to them how to do monochrome white bouquets?

celia: We did that, too.

CCB: Didn't we spend an ENTIRE EPIC GUIDE explaining it?

celia: oy. I see where this is going ...

CCB: Please pardon my vent, but I'm really frustrated right now. This is a failure of unacceptable proportion.

celia: I know. But it's not our fault - we're good teachers.

CCB: We are.

celia: Some kids just don't study.

CCB: I guess you're right.

celia: They can't all be wedding- planning heroes like we are ...

CCB: No. They certainly can't.

(Luke)warm Palette

Although it was eons ago, some of you may remember our post "Pop, Quiz, Hotshot" and the bride who (indirectly and unwittingly) submitted her wedding photos for our evaluation. You've been waiting for another pop quiz. We know it. We feel it. Well, wait no more.

In our most recent "Pink" post, you learned how NOT to do the girliest colour of all-time. We love it when our readers listen to us, which is why we more or less commend you, bride, on your incorporation of prototypical femininity on your big day. See:

Your bridesmaids' dresses are more or less the same colour as the ones in our previous post, only their flowers, rather than being an attempt at "matchy-matchiness," delve into the orange that will become a larger part of your overall scheme later on. Solid.

We like that your reception revolved around a family of related colours happily married. We like the peach tablecloths and the pink gerber daisies, if only because they are so nicely held together by the hanging chinese lanterns.

We appreciate that your parents didn't try to mirror each other exactly or disappear in the wedding party: we like a tasteful print on a MOB, and full-length florals are all the rage this season. We question the coordination (with anything other than your mother's dress) of the yellow boutonnier on your father, but we generally approve of this look.

We commend your effort to include some punchy colour in your own ensemble: the ruby in your necklace (which we like as a stand-alone piece -- well done) picks up perfectly the gamut of pinks in your bouquet, and jazzes up a dress that otherwise falls rather flat (sorry).

Overall, we think you've done well, but we would have liked to see you take a few more chances with your construct as a whole. If you are going to go pink in the way you went pink, you kind of have to commit to a certain level of ridiculous-contemporary of which we only see glimpses.

It is difficult, indeed, to harmonise the traditional with the more modern, and you gave it a solid try - we aren't even offended by the beige suit on your groom given your countryside venue. We give you a healthy 80% for presentation and overall vision.

Pas pire, hotshot.

Pop Quiz, Hotshot

Dear WB,

I have been a faithful reader for months, so when it came time for me to plan my special day, you, most naturally, were my very first point of reference. I thought I might submit some pictures to you for some feedback on how I did at following "the rules" (but not in a "What not to Wear" kind of way). Would you mind having a look and getting back to me?

Many thanks,
Hellenic Bride

------------------------------------

Dear Hellenic Bride,

Many thanks for your faithful readership! celia and I are most glad to critique (constructively) your look. Here goes ...


We see a number of things here. First, an asymetric cut to your gown, a lightly feathered strap with matching rhinestone work in the bodice, and a neutral bouquet - all things we have advocated in recent months. Good work on picking up on these neo-basics and making them yours. We don't know you at all, so we can't say what kind of person you are, but we would have liked to see you go a little bigger with these decisions - a *little* more drama in the strap, for example, would have done the trick.

Permit us to ask: who tailored your gown? We hope you didn't pay them terribly much.

Also, although we commend your decision to stick to a white bouquet, we wonder if you are actually holding asparagus. Is your bouquet made of asparagus? That's kind of what it looks like. I mean, kudos if you were going for originality - edible arrangements are all the rage these days. But, seriously? Asparagus? If you must incorporate it at all, save it for the centerpiece, girl.


A feathered headpiece? NOW we're talking! We love its strategic placement and its coordination (without being matchy-matchy) with the feathered strap. Well-done!


We also appreciate what you've done with your hair. We love a classic side-sweep that does not throw us back to 1994. (Well, to be honest, we love it even then).

In general, Hellenic Bride, it looks like you have opted for the nebulous middle-ground between strictly traditional and flashily contemporary. We think you've done well overall: 85%

Looking forward to friendly referrals,
WB