4 Subtle But Hilarious Ways Bridal Showers Are Different from Baby Showers

Posted on October 20, 2013 by meredith

No expecting mom would be as happy as I was to receive lingerie at my bridal shower.

On the surface, it’d seem bridal showers and baby showers are indistinguishable from one another. They both tend to be held in some restaurant back room or in someone’s home, they both tend to be women only, and the main events for both are often eating, playing silly games, and opening presents. True, the main difference is pretty darn apparent–the guest of honor is either at the thinnest of her adult life or the heaviest–but do one of the following at the wrong kind of shower and the results would be awkward. Continue reading →

6 Ways You’re Leading on Uninvited Wedding Guests

Posted on August 28, 2013 by meredith

And a 7th: Don't text a picture of your engagement ring to people who neither are invited to your wedding nor ask to see it. It says, "I don't like you, but I want you to know that I have a diamond."

People understand when you can’t invite them to your wedding. With the exception of a house and your children’s college education, your reception is the single most expensive thing you’ll ever fund. But just as there’s a code to which your acquaintances stick (or should stick) regarding what they can and can’t say to you, the bride who’s not inviting them, there are some unspoken rules to which you should adhere–like avoiding these things. Continue reading →

7 Reasons Your Honeymoon May Not Be As Romantic As You’d Think

Posted on August 9, 2013 by meredith

I puked my guts up two hours later.

Don’t get me wrong; I loved my honeymoon. There was plenty of romance to be had as we did nothing but lay on the beach, eat so much that my cute honeymoon clothes were snug by day 3, sleep 10 or 11 hours a night, and repeatedly engage in that other thing all honeymooners do as if they won’t be sharing a bed when they resume living in reality. Still, we, and some of our friends, have encountered some less-than-romantic surprises for which it’s worth mentally preparing. Continue reading →

Spoiler Alert: Almost Everyone on ‘Bridezillas: Where Are They Now’ Is Divorced

Posted on May 18, 2013 by meredith

While we were planning our wedding and for the couple years after when my livelihood depended on writing for brides, I watched a lot of wedding TV shows, including the weekly train wreck known as Bridezillas. These days, I’m more likely to flip to HGTV on a weekend morning to catch house-hunting shows. Today, though, when Love It or List It went to commercial, I changed to We TV (hey, I get to watch this stuff only when Paul’s sleeping—I’ve got to take advantage!). And while what I saw shouldn’t have surprised me, it made me sad. Continue reading →

10 Things the Best Wedding Ceremonies Have in Common

Posted on May 2, 2013 by meredith

I was fortunate enough to go to a fabulous wedding the other day (congrats and mazel, Lauren and Jon!), and even though the music was pumping, the setting was top-notch, and the food was flawless, it’s their ceremony’s that stuck with me. I realized as different as it was from every other of the 22 I’ve attended (yes, I counted), the most enjoyable ones shared some key characteristics. Continue reading →

The 5 Wedding Questions I Get Asked All the Time

Posted on February 3, 2013 by meredith

Having worked for wedding magazines and websites and blogged about weddings, I’ve learned a few things along the way. My friends know this. My Twitter followers do, too. And because the world of weddings can be downright confusing, they often turn to me when they have a planning conundrum or an etiquette question. Some queries pop up more than others. So consider this the FAQs page on my site for brides and wedding guests. Continue reading →

6 Ways to Really Burn Stress on Your Honeymoon

Posted on January 22, 2013 by meredith

No, I don't suggest de-stressing by playing chess with a bad sunburn, as Paul did on our honeymoon.

Maybe you’ll be one of the lucky ones for whom wedding planning is a breeze. Dream venue? Open on your date–and for half the regular price! Family drama? Nope, both sides meet to join hands and sing Cumbaya on a monthly basis. More likely, though, there will be some friction and less-than-ideal circumstances as you plan your party. But the honeymoon you take after you get hitched is the perfect opportunity to send that stress packing, but not in the ways you’d think. Continue reading →

The One Thing I’d Never Fault a Bride for

Posted on January 15, 2013 by meredith

There are a lot of things wedding guests have every right to expect from the couple hosting the reception. That they’ll be fed enough that they don’t have to leave mid-wedding in a hunger-fueled frenzy to hit up a Burger King. That the conditions will be comfortable, as in an A/C is on if it’s 85 degrees out, the heat’s on if it’s 45, and if it’s outdoors, the venue isn’t infested with mosquitoes. That every effort will be made to show them a good time–so there’s music for listening and, with any luck, for dancing too. But there’s at least one expectation that I don’t have. Continue reading →

The Best Way to Guarantee Wedding Guests Show on Time…and One of the Meanest Things You Can Do to Them

Posted on January 7, 2013 by meredith

I love wedding ceremonies, but I wouldn’t have faulted any of our guests if they chose to skip witnessing our vows. Despite brides’ best efforts, ceremonies can be boring. (Besides, I’ve missed the temple portion of bar/bat mitzvahs–listening to someone in the middle of puberty sing in Hebrew at 10 AM on a Saturday can be downright painful.) But other couples want full attendance for the ceremony so badly, they may use this trick I just heard about to get them there. Continue reading →

Holidays That Can Make Good Wedding Days…and One That Doesn’t

Posted on November 29, 2012 by meredith

It seems there are two general schools of thought on hosting a wedding on a holiday: It’s always okay and it’s never okay. Really, though, there are some special days that are better for weddings than others. But even those better holidays come with caveats. Continue reading →