Thursday, December 30, 2010

How controlling can brides be?

The answer: very. Evidence: The Smith-Bailey wedding.
"The bride chose a cake shaped like a Florida Gator football helmet as the groom's cake."
I thought the whole point was that the groom's cake was one of the few decisions the groom gets to make. Oh, well. He probably wouldn't have been more creative either.

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Thank you, Steel Magnolias!

So far, I've read about a bride's color being "blush" (seems wrong without bashful). But this takes the cake. Literally. It's a catfish made of red velvet cake for the Barnett-Berry wedding (page A13), made in the shape of a catfish (the groom is the owner of Berry's Catfish House in Magee, after all). I can only imagine the scene once this was cut into. Almost as good as an armadillo. 

Monday, July 5, 2010

Find of the Century

I was in Greenwood for a wonderful weekend of relaxation and food consumption, but stopped in Turnrow Books to browse, and looked in the small used book section. There they were: 2 huge piles of old Mississippi Magazines. And mixed in: the Wedding Registers issues. Every year from 1994 until 2004 except one. Unfortunately, 2005 wasn't there, which is my favorite one. I miss it.
Anyway, a brief preview.

I really love this 1993 bride's hair and veil. I spent a few hours at the Alluvian Spa checking out the 1994 issue. I promise MANY more gems to come.

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Where is Planned Parrenthood when you need it?

I got a flyer in the mail the other week from Baptist Hospital. It's for their classes for the public. I'll retype here: 

Bridal Nerves
When you're a bride-to-be, there's a lot to be happy about. There are a few things that make us nervous, too. Like the first visit to the OB/GYN and adjusting to birth control pills. Join OB/GYNs of the Woman's Clinic and OB-GYN Associates for girl talk and answers from the experts in this class just for brides-to-be.

1. When my brother picked me up in New Orleans 10 years ago to drive me to college, he told me we were stepping back in time 40 years. There are many times he has been wrong. But occasionally (unfortunately), he's right.
2. From purely a health professional viewpoint, this concerns me, because it can make women feel one of two ways:
a. I don't need to go to the OB/GYN until I get married (wrong: even if one has never been sexually active, one should begin to get PAP-smears at the age of 21. Also, there is more to the OB/GYN visit than discussing birth control.
b. That brides should be a virgin. (Also wrong)
3. It bothers me that the only birth control options are pills. We are lucky that women can now chose between patches, vaginal rings, injections, IUDs, condoms, female condoms, diaphragms, tubal ligation, and more when deciding birth control options. And if your MD only discusses pills, find a new one.
Full disclosure: The Woman's Clinic is where my OB/GYN is. He's actually pretty good, and willing to discuss all options. But my previous MD there was TERRIBLE and spent visits making me feel guilty for personal decisions that I feel totally comfortable about.
4. If I were a virginal bride-to-be, I could think of nothing less natural/comfortable than sitting in a room with a bunch of brides-to-be having "girl talk" with a bunch of strangers. The only way this could possibly be fun would be if they had a copy of the old game from the 80s called Girl Talk Girl Talk Wikipedia entry

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Everyone would react the same way, right?

I was in clinic this morning with one of my students, and she told me she got engaged this weekend. My first question:
Do you think you'll put your announcement in Mississippi Magazine?


Hours later, I realize that probably wasn't the best reaction.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

A little feedback never hurt anyone


Earlier today I was told that my blog needed some pictures. So as I was reading the MrS. Magazine (which might be a better name for it), I saw this ad. The same friend who recommended the pictures, also found this store years ago, when she was preparing for her wedding, and was traumatized by the name of the shop. I'm traumatized by the picture. Is the model posing to be named the Year's Best "Whore with a Heart"? Or thinking about the dime-store novel she just read? Or just wondering why her dress is made of fans?

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

I love this couple

Seriously. (want proof? I woke up and drove back from AL in time for the wedding. AND I DVR'd the SC-Clemsux game and didn't watch it until AFTER several hours of celebrating their wedding).
Anna and Walter rock. Which makes my comments a little different than the usual post. You can read the story of Anna and Walter in this JFP artilce. I'm also happy to say I was there, I seen it with my own 2 eyes. And it was just that special of a wedding. Perhaps my favorite touches:
1. Carolina played the music on an old piano. A piano with a few missing keys. Which meant that she had to give up on some of the songs. Which was actually pretty awesome, and a nice relaxing way to start things off.
2. The happy couple left to Snoopy music. (full details in the article). How cool is that?!?
3. Anna and Walter were bailing on several Monday-night Soup Nights prior to their wedding. I was beginning to wonder if they no longer liked us, but then I found out they were taking dance lessons. Their first dance was adorable. (And if you're wondering, Anna's the one with a touch of soul)
4. Cupcakes. I like em enough, but the BF was happy for days, enjoying the red velvet cupcakes he sneaked out of there.
5. There were lots of other awesome details (especially the owl theme which was cool). But I'll leave you to read the article.

Sunday, January 3, 2010

I got a bone to pick

I've got two concerns for the Rawlings-Edwards wedding (p. A 257).
1. The text says the bridesmaids' dresses has "cashmere-colored bodices." What color, exactly is cashmere?
2. The wedding took place on January 17, 2009 in Oxford. The bride planned ahead and wore a fur coat, as seen in both pictures. But apparently, she hates her bridesmaids, because she only let them wear strapless dresses (with cashmere-colored bodices). I just looked it up, and that day, the high was 44 degrees, low was 23. Mean, mean bride.

I hate the word...

"Tussie-mussie"

That's all I have to say about that.

Iron Bowl

The Morrison-Heegard wedding (A241) had an Alabama-Auburn-themed rehearsal dinner.


As a child, I remember not understanding how my Kindergarten teacher could be married to her husband. One went to Auburn, the other Alabama. It's not a friendly rivalry Why would one want to focus on this during the rehearsal dinner? It seems like something a couple could work on getting through, but their families are deeply embarrassed, I'm sure. I know I would have been afraid for my brothers if they had ever brought home an Alabama fan.

Let them eat cake!

NYE wasn't all about wedding announcements (in fact, I forgot the magazines at home, and had to run home to pick them back up). But I did have a few conversations of the "best of" weddings. One was with my friend Melia, who writes the "Hitched" series for the JFP. She shared some insights with me about the Boteler-Sabins wedding (A7-8, but you can see Melia's write up here: JFP article). I loved this one b/c of the excellent groom's cakes; there were actually 4 cakes. One was made into the shape of a pistol in a carrying case, and the others were shaped as targets. If the cake itself wasn't enough, apparently, they decorated the table with shotgun shells. In my mind, there were people trying to eat those as well, b/c they "looked so realistic". It makes me happy to think about, people taking a big bite out of plastic.

The Boteler-Sabins wedding wasn't the only wedding with a great cake. There is of course the Coleman-Norman "honeymoon cake" (page A21-22 and seen on page 160). I think this one really just bothers me b/c it's supposed to be Louis Vuitton luggage. I don't like products that cost money but advertise for someone else, and to me, weddings should be the one place safe from product placement. I don't want to attend a "Victoria's Secret" lingerie shower, or even worse, see the couple depart for the honeymoon wearing identical "Gap" t-shirts.

Back to the cakes. Thomas Rollins (of the Gong-Rollins wedding, A43-44) worries me. He had 4 cakes, with logos/emblems of the US Marine Corps, Phi Delta Theta, MSU, and MC School of Law. I'm concerned about his ability to make decisions. I just hope they have quadruplets, in case he has multiple names he wants to name a child.

In case you were needing other ideas for wedding cakes, you can borrow from the Coker-Vance wedding (A145) and have a cake that looks like stacked motorcycle tires. (Although, honestly, do people recognize the difference between motorcycle and other tires when they are made of cake?) This couple also confused me by giving cookies shaped as miniature wedding cakes. I need more description. Were these sugar cookies? Or some sort of cookie that can be made into tiers? Their write-up had an abundance of space at the bottom, and they really should have written a little more on this subject.

Since I've only read up to the M weddings, I have one last cake to share for now. It was adorned with the groom's cattle brand. I just wish I knew what it looked like. The groom (McVay-Johns, p 233) does look like how I imagine a man with his cattle brand on his cake to look like. He's got on a cowboy hat. I think his belt buckle is hidden by his vest. Giddy-up!