It's Giveaway Time!

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Confession time...the happy couple stole an idea for their wedding reception from another happy couple's wedding reception. There, it's done. Out in the open.

Ok...well now I feel really bad.

Alright, technically it was the bride and me, not the groom who stole the idea. Truthfully, the groom wasn't even in the same state when we perpetrated the crime.

That's better. I guess.

Here's what happened. The bride, myself and the father of the bride traveled out of town to the wedding of the daughter of two of our closest friends. We had a wonderful time (except the three and a half hours I spent crying in the backseat after the bride hurt my feeling...earlier that morning the comment had been made, "I bet Mrs. Dana never asked Melanie to put green glitter candles on her tables."...just hateful I tell you).

Anyway, the bride, the groom, the wedding, everything was just beautiful. And then, as we headed to our table, we saw them. They were sitting neatly tucked within our napkin, just waiting for us. They were classic. They were retro. They were just about perfect.

They were monogrammed matchbooks.

They were missing piece to the table setting we had been searching for all those long autumn weeks. And then suddenly, as quick as walking into a room, the puzzle was complete. We should have monogrammed matchbooks at the happy couple's reception too!

When we returned, the bride showed the groom the matchbooks we brought home and he thought it was a wonderful idea (I guess that makes him an accomplice after all, ha!) so we set out to order them. The happy couple decided to change it up a bit and split the order. Half matchsticks (in the slide out box) and the other half matchbooks. We decided we would get 150 of each for (you guessed it) a total of 300.

The happy couple ordered 150 matchboxes that evening and the next day I was going to order the matchbooks. The price the happy couple quoted me was decent so I thought the matchbooks might be even a little cheaper. But when I got to the checkout it was way over what the happy couple had paid for the matchboxes! But being in the midst of monogrammed matchbook mania, I hesitated but a moment and then clicked the Place Order button. And then promptly forgot about them.

10 days later as the happy couple and I were standing in the garage, looking at who-knows-what now, Ted stopped by for his daily visit. Ted is our UPS guy. We've become very close. Last week, he and his wife asked me to be in the delivery room with them when their first baby is born.

Ted had stopped by to deliver the matches. In a really, really, really big box. Really big.

Now the happy couple's order was perfect. 150 matchboxes. My order? Notsomuch. And here's where the giveaway comes in...you get to guess just how many matchbooks I actually ordered.

Here's how you play:

Leave (just one!) comment with your guess of (A, B, C or D) and when times up, I'll put all the correct guesses in a bowl and pick a winner!

Whatcha playing for?

(1) One $25 VISA gift card

so here we go.......how many matchbooks did I really order?

A. 350

B. 550

C. 850

D. 1150

Comments will be closed Saturday, January 15, 2012
at 11:00 p.m. Eastern

Bouquets & Rice: Week 16 - Odds & Ends

Well, today is a big day...it's the bride's shower! Another milestone on the way to the wedding. The bride is very excited, so excited that she decided at 10:45 last night that she needed to color her hair for the big day. I went to bed with the same hair color.
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The bride picked out ribbon for the bouquets the other day and after 22 minutes of standing in the middle of the ribbon aisle, in front of hundreds and hundreds of spools of ribbon, discussing the subtle difference between "fern" and "olive" she finally picked a ribbon color.

It was cream.
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The happy couple received their first wedding gift this week. And this is the groom's special gift-opening teeth-technique...

True story...this gift was from a couple of our oldest and dearest friends...and the husband is a dentist.

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Last night as I was falling asleep the thought popped into my head that Christmas is a mere 50 or so days away. Then a few weeks later is the wedding.

I got up and washed a load of clothes. And then I colored my hair.

What'd You Get Me?

In thinking through all the little details that come with planning a wedding, one thing recently came to mind...gifts for the wedding party.

So I got online to see what brides and grooms are giving nowadays as gifts to the bridesmaids, groomsmen, flower girls and so on...and what I found proves once and for all that yes, I live in a bubble.

And I like it in there.

Here's what the bride of today is giving her bridemaids...wonderful, heartfelt gifts like:

1. Pink monogrammed flasks
(you can get the matching cigar holder for just pennies more)
2. Wet bikini bags (the bag isn't wet, just the bikini)
3. Wedding Party Cup Cozy - keeps your drink from sweating all over your dress (and it's perfect if the flasks are back-ordered)

And let's not forget the guys, those lucky groomsmen may be on the receiving end of one of these goodies:

1. Personalized serving tray, in a zazzy zebra print (apparently groomsmen like their dinner served on a tray with their initials printed on it...in lime green...who'd a-thunk it?)
2. High Rollers Leather Dice Cup (dice are extra...and those poor low rollers, I guess they could always use the cup cozy)
3. And as not to be out-gifted by the ladies, a Leather Golf-themed flask (three tees included)

Yep, I would have to say that the pearl necklaces and tie clips the father of the bride and I gave to our wedding party are things of the past. And to think, my bridesmaids have had to carry their bathing suits in a regular bag all these years.