We Have A Winner!

Lord help me but I ordered 850...and that means the answer is C...and our winner is...Cathy B from Atlanta!

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

Ain't It Pretty?

Yes I thought these would look lovely around the handmade napkins the bride is making. Kinda going along with the natural, Tuscan theme the happy couple has decided on.

No?

Not even with prettier beads? Maybe glittery ones?

*sigh*

Well, it was worth a shot...one of these days the bride is going to say slip up and say "yes"...

That means the correct answer is A! And our winner is Michelle F.! Congrats!

It's Giveaway Time! And It's A Short One!

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We took a small break from wedding planning to attend to some other family activities here of late and the break has been a good one and a needed one.

But that doesn't mean I haven't had any bad ideas.

Lately, we've been working on tableware and there are alot of choices to make. Real china, plastic plates, linen napkins, paper napkins, tablecloths, runners, water goblets, serving plates, salt & pepper shakers...

And silverware. Don't get me started on silverware.

So the bride and I have scouring over pictures and websites, searching for the perfect "look" for the reception tables. And along the way, I've had a few of my own ideas...including one below...

Here's how you play:

Read the three statements below and choose the one you think I actually "discussed" with the bride. One of the statements is absolutely true. I really thought it was a good idea. And then it was thrown out like a stack of used cocktail napkins.

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

Whatcha playing for? How about a gift card to a place where the tables always look great?

(1) One $25 Gift Card to Maggiano's

so here we go.......which one of the following do you think I recently suggested to the bride?

I thought it would be a great idea to have...

A. Grapevine napkin rings with plastic beads woven into the vines, just to pretty them up

B. On each table, have a stack of red plastic cups with a black magic marker nearby, in order to write the guests names on them

C. Sprinkle glitter. Everywhere. Gives each table that romantic "sprinkled with pixie dust" effect

Comments will be closed tonight, Saturday September 10, 2011
at 11:00 p.m. Eastern

And We Have Our Winner!

Congratulations Jessica K!

We're Havin' A Heat Wave! A Tropical Heat Wave...Not Really...Just A Giveaway!

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I'm having a giveaway today just to have one! No bad ideas to guess, all you have to do is just leave a comment! And the topic? What else...weddings!

Leave a comment about weddings. It can be a favorite memory of your wedding or even someone else's. Maybe it's something from a royal wedding or a sibling's ceremony. Your neighbor's granddaughter's wedding or the recent Kardashian circus wedding.

One of my favorite things about a wedding was something special Mark and I did at the end of our ceremony. Before we walked down the aisle, we each gave a long stemmed rose to our mothers. Mark gave one to my mother and I gave one to his. Just a way of saying we were truly family now.

Another special moment happened at our friends Kara and George's wedding. The entire wedding party was in place and before the bride came down the aisle, the bride's brother, who was performing the ceremony, instructed the groom about his new role as her husband. When he finished, he told the groom to turn and "behold your bride". And there she was, waiting to walk down the aisle to him. Wow.

Or seeing the groom's first initial beaded onto the train of the bride's gown. That was pretty neat. Ok, so I wasn't there in person for that wedding.

It was Fergie and Prince Andrew's wedding.

And we all know how that turned out.

But still, I really liked the monogram.

So what's been a favorite part of a wedding for you?

Someone's special vows? The cake being smushed into the groom's face? Cute flower girls and ring bearers? Just name it!

And here's the prize!

(1) one $25 VISA gift card

Just leave a comment (just one!) and when time is up, I'll pick a winner out of the hat. It's just that easy!

Comments will be closed on Sunday, August 28, 2011 at 11:00 p.m. Eastern

It's An Easy Giveaway!

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Oops! I missed the Friday giveaway! But I had a really good reason...it was the maid of honor's birthday yesterday and we celebrated by going to dinner and then for ice cream...

Ok, so I not only had one bad idea this week, I had two. Yes, two (it was a banner week). And it's your turn to guess which two they are...

We've been talking some about the reception this past week and all the details that need to be figured out. And I'm all about easy. Whatever's the easy way, I'm your gal. So which TWO of the following statements were my ideas for an "easy reception"...and what are you playing for?

How about...

(1) one $30 gift card to Subway

can't get much easier for dinner that that!

Here's how you play:

Read the three statements below and choose the TWO you think I actually "discussed" with the bride. TWO of the statements are absolutely true. I really thought they were a good idea. And then they were turned down quicker than Speedy Gonzales grabbing a piece of cheese.

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

so here we go.......which TWO of the following ideas do you think I suggested to the bride last week?

I thought it would be a great idea to...

A. Who needs a sit-down dinner at the reception? How about all bars, all the time...coffee bar, candy bar, pizza bar, cake pop bar, salad bar, juice bar...the possibilities are endless. 

B.  Instead of the wedding cake, have a smores lounge...in one corner of the reception hall: campfire, lawn chairs, marshmallows, chocolate bars (oooh another bar!) graham crackers...the works.

C.  Instead of the wedding cake, I make cupcakes. For 250 people. The night before the wedding.

Comments will be closed on Sunday, August 21, 2011 at 11:00 p.m. Eastern

Our Winner!

According to Marie Claire magazine two of the top 11 craziest wedding trends for 2011 are...

*Requiring bridesmaids to have plastic surgery
*Life size bride wedding cakes

So that means our fake wedding trend is A, receptions being catered by fast food restaurants! And our winner is Lori B.! And our prize this week is (1) one $25 gift card to Wendy's!

So be very careful...you could end up at a wedding where all the bridesmaids can't blink because of the botox and your piece of wedding cake may look like the bride's elbow. Bridezillas for sure :)

It's A Miracle, But We're Still Having A Giveaway Anyway

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I didn't have any bad wedding ideas this week.

It's a miracle.

Well, it's not really a miracle in the biblical sense of the word but all in all a week without any bad wedding ideas from me is something special.

But...I still wanted to have a giveaway this week. So in honor of my tiny victory (and much to the bride's relief) this week's bad wedding idea giveaway is all about...

  Wedding Trends

I wrote a post this past week about the latest wedding trends (actually some have been around for a while, it's just when I planned my wedding, the latest trends included wedding dresses like this...

 and bridesmaid dresses that looked like this...)

 

So I'm probably not the greatest barometer of the latest and most current wedding trends. But that being said, I've done some homework and I've found a few wedding trends that are pretty...umm, well they're unusual...

But here's the catch...two out the three trends are true, and you need to pick which wedding trend is a fake, a falsehood, a fabrication, a fable, a fallacy, a fib...just pick the one that's not true.

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

so here we go.......which one of the following do you think is the false wedding trend...

A. Receptions being catered by fast food restaurants.

Instead of your choice of chicken or salmon you get your choice of  La-Nuggets (with all the honey mustard sauce you can handle) or a Captain Pete's fried shrimp sandwich! Toasting with champagne? Naw, cookies n' cream shakes for the house! And that pesky wedding cake? Replaced by fried fruit pies in convenient cardboard sleeves!

B. Required plastic surgery for bridesmaids.

Just thinking how you go about telling someone they need plastic surgery in order to be in your wedding is mind boggling. Good thing my mind is boggled. I think it might go a little something like this:

Bride: Susie, I've know you all my life. You're my best friend. I can't imagine having anyone but you standing next to me as I marry the man of my dreams. Would you do me the honor of being my maid of honor?

Susie: Oh, yes! I would love to be your maid of honor! We have so much to plan! Where do you want to start? Looking for gowns? Choosing your colors?

Bride: How about we start with those crow's feet you've been sportin'. You're gonna have to get some "help" with those babies. I've made you an appointment with Dr. Botox next Thursday.

C.  Having a life size wedding cake of the bride.

Yes, a life size cake, that looks like the bride in her wedding gown. Does the number of guests who get a piece of cake depend on the dress size of the bride? (ouch, kinda catty) What happens if the cake looks better than the bride? (oooh, another swipe, meow) Do you save and freeze her head to eat on your first anniversary? (hiss)

So there's your choices...and what are you playing for? Well, that's a surprise! I'll announce it when I list the winner!

Comments will be closed on Saturday, August 13, 2011 at 11:00 p.m. Eastern

They're Gold. They're Green. They're Glittery. What More Could You Ask For? (Oh, And We Have A Winner Too)

As we were walking down the aisle of the craft store, we rounded the corner and that's when I saw them.

Hanging on a rack, just waiting for me to discover them. Like Christopher Columbus. Like Lewis & Clark. Like that guy who discovered the Milky Way...I can never remember his name...

Anyway, there they were...

They were gold.
They were green.
They were glittery.

Really, really glittery.

As I reached for the gold glittered green candles (try saying that fast three times...gold glittered green candles, gold glittered green candles, gold glittered green candles...) the bride looked at me as if to say, "What do you think you're doing?"

But feeling a little like Gollum and his ring, I was drawn to them. They were calling out to me. With a wide grin and a glazed look in my eyes, I turned to the bride, and while nodding my head said, "Oh Kaitlin, what do you think of these?"

*sigh*

She passed on the gold glittered green candles. Needless to say, I was disappointed. But I don't think I helped my cause any. When I asked her what she thought of the candles, I was holding them next to my cheek, slightly petting them and by that point had called them, "Precious" at least four times.

As we turned the corner and headed down the next aisle, I looked back at the gold glittered green candles, and for just a second I thought I heard them whisper, "please, please take us with you. you know you want too"

I've got to stop watching "Lord of the Rings" every night.

And that means the correct statement is B! And our winner is Mary!

"Name That Bad Idea" Giveaway - All That Sparkles & Shines

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Okie dokie, it's Friday again and this week our "Name That Bad Idea" giveaway has a little sparkle to it...a little glitz, a little glamour...and of course, totally tasteful (Ha! *cough, *cough oops, sorry...just spit out my coffee)

We've spend a lot of time in stores looking for items to decorate the church and reception hall. And while this isn't unusual, something strange has begun happening to me.

I've become unexpectedly drawn to shiny, glittery, sparkly objects.

Usually my taste runs to the low key (ok, boring) and the bride definitely has subtle taste but this wedding planning stuff has done something to my DNA. Last weekend, we were walking down an aisle in a craft store when suddenly I stopped in my tracks, lifted my nose into the air, took a sniff and said "I smell a Bedazzler two aisles over".

Which can only mean one thing...shiny, glittery, sparkly bad ideas.

So that means you get the chance to choose which shiny, glittery, sparkly bad idea I shared with the bride is actually true. And what is the giveaway this week? Well, how about you pick something shiny, glittery and sparkly for yourself? The prize is:

(1) One $25 VISA gift card

Here's how you play:

Read the three statements below and choose the one you think I actually "discussed" with the bride. One of the statements is absolutely true. I really thought it was a good idea. And then it was toss out like a mirrored disco ball at a square dance. 

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

so here we go.......which one of the following do you think I suggested to the bride last week?

I thought it would be a great idea to...

A. Put shiny satin bows in the bridesmaids hair...orange shiny satin bows

B. Purchase long, green tapered candles that have been rolled in gold glitter (the kind we used for school projects) for all the reception tables

C. Have the bride wear a sparkly top with "Future Mrs. B." embroidered across the back at the rehearsal dinner.

Comments will be closed on Saturday, August 6, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern

We Have A Winner!

The happy couple has decided on the color scheme of their wedding. And they are a beautiful combination of colors that will compliment the day perfectly. 

But that didn't stop me from suggesting the following...

"Since the wedding has an Italian theme, why not decorate using the colors on the Italian flag? Plus (brace yourself, here comes another great idea) since the wedding is so close to Christmas, we could probably get a lot of items on sale for the wedding in those colors, cause you know, they're Christmas colors too. (not done yet, here comes another one) Oh my gosh! What do you think about using actual flags to decorate for the reception? We could even put little flags on the tables! Whaddya think?"

As I began to hear the sound of crickets chirping, I realized that the bride wasn't quite catching my vision. 

And she was also giving me the stink-eye. (That precious look that only a daughter can give a mother when she thinks her mother has just uttered what might be the most ridiculous idea she's ever heard).

So my idea about incorporating the Italian flag colors into the wedding was "non va bene" (not good) but turns out,  it's "molto buona" (very good) for someone!

And that means the correct answer was A! And our winner is Jenette!

btw...I'm really loving the Lady & the Tramp idea...hmmm, might just have to bring that up during Sunday dinner tomorrow....

It's Time For Another Edition Of "Name That Bad Idea!"

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It's Friday and you know what that means...no, it doesn't mean playing hooky from work and going to the craft store to look at fabric swatches for napkins...hmmm...

oops, sorry, got a little distracted there, thinking about napkins...

Ok, so it's Friday and that means it's Giveaway time!

Last week we had a post called "Name That Bad Idea" and I thought we'd continue the fun this week with another chance to win a gift card!

Yes, you get another chance to choose which bad idea I shared with the bride is actually true. And this week's idea choices have a theme...an Italian theme in honor of the groom's heritage.

And what's the prize this week you ask? Well, since we have an Italian theme this week, how about some Italian food? The prize is:

(1) one $25 gift card to Carrabba's

Here's how you play:

Read the three statements below and choose the one you think I actually "discussed" with the bride. One of the statements is absolutely true. I really thought it was a good idea. And then it was thrown out like a pot of bad spaghetti sauce. 

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

so here we go.......which one of the following do you think I suggested to the bride last week?

I thought it would be a great idea to...

A. Change the colors of the wedding to the colors of the Italian flag

B. Since our honeymoon 25 years ago was a disaster, take us with them on their honeymoon to Italy

C. Re-create the spaghetti & meatball eating scene from "Lady & The Tramp" for their Save-the-Date cards

Comments will be closed on Saturday, July 30, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern

And The Winner Is...

So the other day Mark found some items for sale online.
Wedding items. (drool, drool)
Burlap wedding items (drool, dro...wait, what?)

Yes, Mark was looking at wedding items online (why he was looking at wedding stuff on a Saturday morning I don't know) but nevertheless he was and he found some special wedding items that were priced right. He then sorted them by price, printed, color coded and collated them, and then proudly presented them to me and the bride.

"40 burlap table runners" read one ad that caught my eye. And of course I thought these would be perfect for the reception tables. It's a Tuscan theme, natural colors, a kinda garden motif. But the bride thought otherwise. I believe her exact words were:

"Feed sacks really wasn't the look I was shooting for at our reception."

Oh well. Maybe I should have suggested the butter sculpture of the dog instead.

And so that means the answer is B! And our winner is Sherry!

Coming up: The Wedding Gown - Take Two

Name That Bad Idea & You Could Win A Prize!

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Over the last couple of weeks since our daughter has become engaged, there have been a quite a few discussions around the kitchen table that begin like this..."What do you think about doing this for ___________ " 

It's like Mad-Libs, just fill in the blank (the wedding, reception, honeymoon, rest home for your mother) 

And for the most part, those moments have gone pretty smoothly. The bride and groom have been patient even when I've suggested something completely weird. I just like to throw ideas out there when they come to me. I get an idea and then suddenly there is this sense of urgency that I gotta tell somebody or the idea is gonna vanish (this happens more often than I'd like to admit, get an idea and *poof* it's gone).

And since we're planning a wedding, guess who gets to hear those ideas? Yep, the bride (and sometimes the groom if she's not in the room at the moment, poor fella)

Now I understand that she has specific ideas about what she wants the wedding and reception to look like, the atmosphere, the lighting and all those special touches. And for heaven's sake, I know we all have different tastes.

I just didn't know how bad my taste was until now.

So in honor of bad ideas everywhere, we're going to play a game. And somebody gets to win a prize!

So let's get ready to play...drum roll please..."Name The Bad Idea!"

Here's how you play:

Read the three statements below and choose the one you think I actually "discussed" with the Bride. One of the statements is absolutely true. I really thought it was a good idea. And then it was shot down like a turkey the week before Thanksgiving. 

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

And what's the prize?

(1) One $15 dollar gift card to Starbucks

so here we go.......which one of the following do you think I suggested to the Bride last week?

I thought it would be a great idea to...

A. Crochet gloves for all the bridesmaids to wear during the ceremony 

B. Purchase burlap runners for the reception tables, sight unseen online

C. Figure out a way to get a butter sculpture made of our dog Lucy for the reception

Comments will be closed on Saturday, July 23, 2011 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern