The Suckiest Time in Your Life to Go to Weddings

Posted on December 1, 2014 by meredith

I thought I had been mercifully spared. My pregnancy and my son Jeremy’s first three-and-a-half months of life corresponded with the longest stretch of time I had gone without attending a single wedding since I turned 25. The thought of squishing my bump into a reception-worthy dress and bopping around the dance floor like an awkward manatee was almost as nauseating as the morning sickness. So when the first invite arrived for an event that would take place in my postpartum life, I was thankful for my extended reprieve and excited to get back into the swing of wedding-hopping. But I neglected one key detail. 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 →

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 →

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 →

Can There Be Too Much Food at a Wedding?

Posted on November 20, 2012 by meredith

I didn't eat ALL that...just most of it. Paul ate the rest.

I didn’t realize until I went to a wedding outside of the New York area that it wasn’t normal to have a dozen stations at the cocktail hour, 10 different passed hors d’oeuvres, a four-course sit-down meal, a wedding cake of four tiers (at least), and a dessert buffet with chocolate fountains, cookies, and, of course, more cake. And now, I’m starting to reconsider normal. Continue reading →

Surprising Ways Hurricane Sandy Can Still Affect Your Wedding

Posted on November 6, 2012 by meredith

Hurricane Sandy had the power to knock out wedding venues’ electricity, and worse, flood them to the point of destruction. While losing your venue so soon before your wedding is horrific, it’s an obvious problem, one you’re hyper-aware you need to remedy. Other Sandy effects, like those that follow, aren’t as apparent–and you may not even know about them until it’s too late. Continue reading →

The Meanest Things Brides Can Do to Each Other

Posted on July 19, 2012 by meredith

Brides have to stick together. After all, no one better understands why it’s of the utmost importance that you have Vanda orchids and not Dendrobium orchids in your centerpieces. So let’s not piss each other off, okay? See if you agree with me that these are the cruelest things women getting married can do to each other. Continue reading →

I Found the Coolest Wedding Venue in the World! But…

Posted on May 31, 2012 by meredith

Paul and I decided to do something special for Memorial Day Weekend this year because it was the first time since 2008 that we didn’t have a wedding that weekend–and in 2008, I had my bachelorette party around the holiday, so it really had been a long while since we were free. So we drove up to Albany to visit our friends and their baby Grady. Then, we headed up to Montreal. And guess what I found… Continue reading →

What Not to Do as a Plus-One at a Wedding

Posted on April 18, 2012 by meredith

For the first time ever, I’m going to a wedding that I wasn’t technically invited to. My sister got the invite, and since she’s not seeing anyone and I live a quick cab ride away from the venue, I’m coming along as her guest–which made me think of some things I wish plus-ones didn’t do at weddings. Continue reading →