DIY Costumes: Heaven and Hell-Devils

Welcome back to our discussion about theme parties!  Yesterday we started discussing the Heaven and Hell party because some of my fraternity friends had one at their house a few weeks ago and they really wanted me to come.  I didn’t go, but it was always a perennial favorite of mine at one of the other chapters.  Let’s continue today.  If you’re a regular reader, you may recognize some of this information from yesterday, so I apologize.

HEAVEN AND HELL

The best part of the Heaven and Hell party is that you have the option of two costumes rather than just one.  This way, you have only half the chance of people having the same costume.  So you have a choice: Devil or Angel.  Both costumes are equally appropriate at a fraternity party.  Today we’ll be discussing the devil in this costume decision.

Devil:  Dressing up as a devil says you’re naughty, so you get the chance to tempt men and potentially be even more devilish than your costume suggests.  But devilish in a coy way.  I definitely think the key to a Heaven and Hell party is behaving coyly.  In this case, it is a sassy kind of coy, which is actually a really fun way of behaving coyly.  The sass is key.

The guys aren’t as good at choosing a costume.  Most of my friends hate dressing up.  Their idea of picking a devil or angel costume is putting on a red or white shirt, respectively.  Some of the more creative ones will wear black or khaki pants to keep the light or dark theme.  If they’re especially costume inclined, they might write “Devil” or “Angel” on their shirts.

might be the guys I hang out with, but if a theme party is overly thematic, they don’t really dress up ever.  If they do, it’s similar to the dress style I noted above.

Really, the only theme parties I ever see guys really dress up for are western themed (it seems like most men own plaid and jeans, apparently), St. Patrick’s Day (green shirts, simple), back to school (polos and backwards hats or whatever they wear normally), Cancun/pool party/etcetera (swim trunks, done), and there’s a few others, but I’m sure you’re pretty much seeing my point here.

The guys I know don’t dress up unless it’s within their normal wardrobe.  Or a toga party, because everyone owns a bed sheet.

Guys, let me request one thing from you if you decide to dress as a devil.  When you go to your Heaven and Hell party, understand that there is a difference between devilishness and asshattery.  Don’t be a huge jerk just because you’re dressed as a devil.  Actually, not being a huge jerk is a generally good rule of thumb, but don’t let the costume make the man in this case.

So, guys, I’m sorry, but that’s about where I’m leaving your costume options.  If you happen to be male and reading this blog and you want other costume ideas, feel free to comment.  I do have them for you, but I’m guessing the number of men reading this and really really wanting to dress up are really low.  The ones that really really want to dress up also probably went and acquired a costume around Halloween anyway.

But really, if you want ideas, I promise I’ve got them if you’re really interested.

As for the ladies, let’s keep going.

As always, your first option is always buying a costume.  It’s January, so I’ll gloss over this one, but for the future, devils and angels are perennial favorites, so you should have an easy time finding either costume if you choose to buy it.  There’s always costume shops open all year, but I can never guarantee a great selection in January.

Now, let’s talk clothing.  There are two main differences between an angel costume and a devil costume, distinctive accessories aside.  These are fit and color.

If you want to be a devil:

If you decide to be a devil, you need to remember two things:  tight or structured and red or black.  Even if you don’t have horns or a tail, those fit and color specifications will ensure you’re recognizable as a devil.  Let’s look at some examples.

Of course, your clothing doesn’t need to be tight all over, but it needs to be tight where it counts.  The following American Apparel dresses would work well as a devil costume.

The last bit to make the outfits are the accessories.  There are “make a devil costume” accessory kits that can be worn with any of the clothing ideas above.

In a pinch, I recommend the following:

Headbands can be used (as I have above) in absence of horns.  You can also attach cardboard or felt to the headband and make your own horns.  Either color the cardboard black or red, or purchase black or red felt.

For a tail, you can either cut cardboard or felt into your desired tail shape.  If you are using cardboard, cover it with black duct tape or color it black or red.  Attach the cardboard with garment tape.  If you are using felt, purchase it in black or red and attach with safety pins.  Try and keep the tail from being oriented in an awkward angle as it could get in the way in a crowded room.  In a pinch, a black or red scarf can also work as a tail.

Gladiator or studded heels and boots would be the style of shoe I would suggest.

Depending on which color you are wearing (black or red), I would go for accessories in the opposite color so that they pop.  I personally prefer black on red, but make your costume your own.

Yesterday, I discussed the angel option for the Heaven and Hell party.

DIY Costumes: Heaven and Hell-Angels

Welcome back to our discussion about theme parties!  Today we are discussing the Heaven and Hell party because some of my fraternity friends had one at their house a few weeks ago and they really wanted me to come.  I didn’t go, but it was always a perennial favorite of mine at one of the other chapters.

HEAVEN AND HELL

The best part of the Heaven and Hell party is that you have the option of two costumes rather than just one.  This way, you have only half the chance of people having the same costume.  Or, at the very least, you only have to compete with half the room based on your “personality type.”  So you have a choice: Devil or Angel.  Both costumes are equally appropriate at a fraternity party.  Today we’ll be discussing the angel in this costume decision.

Angel:  Dressing as an angel says you’re sweet, but can have a naughty side.  Men love to corrupt the sweet ones.  You don’t necessarily have to be sugary sweet in your portrayal, and in fact, you don’t have to act like anything but yourself.  Being an angel simply requires a certain amount of innocent coyness.  Be coy, but not overly blunt while you do it.  And probably do your best not to swear.  This kind of coyness requires sweet attentiveness.  Half the idea of dressing up for a Heaven and Hell party is personality.

The guys aren’t as good at choosing a costume, or adopting a personality.  Most of my friends hate dressing up.  Their idea of picking a devil or angel costume is putting on a red or white shirt, respectively.  Some of the more creative ones will wear black or khaki pants to keep with the light or dark theme.  If they’re especially costume inclined, they might write “Devil” or “Angel” on their shirts.

It might be the guys I hang out with, but if a theme party is overly thematic, they don’t really dress up ever.  If they do, it’s similar to the dress style I noted above.

Really, the only theme parties I ever see guys really dress up for are western themed (it seems like most men own plaid and jeans, apparently), St. Patrick’s Day (green shirts, simple), back to school (polos and backwards hats or whatever they wear normally), Cancun/pool party/etcetera (swim trunks, done), and there’s a few others, but I’m sure you’re pretty much seeing my point here.

The guys I know don’t dress up unless it’s within their normal wardrobe.  Or a toga party, because everyone owns a bed sheet.

But guys, if I can ask one thing.  If you decide to show up at your Heaven and Hell party, just be a nice guy.  Even if you have a certain level of sarcasm or asshattery, you can still be the nice guy you are.  Tap into that.

Anyway, guys, I’m sorry, but that’s about where I’m leaving your costume options.  If you happen to be male and are reading this blog and you want other costume ideas, feel free to comment.  I do have them for you, but I’m guessing the number of men reading this and really really wanting to dress up are really low.  The ones that really really want to dress up also probably went and acquired a costume around Halloween anyway.

But really, if you want ideas, I promise I’ve got them if you’re really interested.

As for the ladies, let’s keep going.

As always, your first option is always buying a costume.  It’s January, so I’ll gloss over this one, but for the future, devils and angels are perennial favorites, so you should have an easy time finding either costume if you choose to buy it.  There’s always costume shops open all year, but I can never guarantee a great selection in January.

Now, let’s talk clothing.  There are two main differences between an angel costume and a devil costume, distinctive accessories aside.  These are fit and color.

If you want to be an angel:

If you decide to be an angel, you need to remember two things:  loose or flowing and white or metallic.  Even if you don’t have wings or a halo, those fit and color specifications will ensure you’re recognizable as an angel.  Let’s look at some examples.

Of course, your clothing doesn’t need to be loose all over, but it needs to be loose where it counts.  The following American Apparel dresses would work well for an angel costume.

The last bit to make the outfits are the accessories.  There are “make an angel costume” accessory kits that can be worn with any of the clothing ideas above.

In a pinch, I recommend the following:

Headbands can be used (as I have above) in absence of a halo.  You can also attach a metallic or white pipe cleaner to a plainer headband and make your own halo.

For wings, you can either cut cardboard or felt into two half-heart pieces.  If you are using cardboard, cover it with tin foil or duct tape.  Attach the cardboard with garment tape.  If you are using felt, purchase it in white or metallic and attach with safety pins.  Try and keep wings small as large wings can be cumbersome in a crowded room.  Place the wings high up on your back.

Open heels (with bows, jeweled detailing, and similar) and pumps would be the style of shoe I would suggest.

If you go with metallics, choose one metallic and stick with it.  If your shoes are gold, choose gold jewelry.  If your clothing is silver, use white accessories.

Tomorrow, we’ll discuss the devil option for the Heaven and Hell party.

For All Those Colorado Girls

I’ve had a pretty Colorado girl type day today, so here’s a video that is both awesome and hilarious.  Enjoy!

I’m totally aware that this has been out since last July, but it is still iconic and relevant.

I spent today climbing in the mountains, going to the gym, and later I’m celebrating Anna’s twenty-first birthday.  Such a great day.

Apathetic Sort of Day

I need to go to the bank, but I don’t really feel like seeing anyone…  Apparently it’s an apathetic sort of day.

This is a short post, but I’ll probably have some more interesting content in the next couple of days.

I could talk about the time I made green cupcakes?

In any case, I’ve started image searching for a new DIY Costumes post, so definitely get excited about that.

And yup, yay we’re back to lame posts.

You should be excited, technically, since up until now, January has been fairly content heavy.  Awesomely content heavy, really…  So it was only a matter of time until I went back to a lame post every now and again.

Thirty Dollar Bar Profit

I was hanging out with Bree yesterday and we started discussing one time we made thirty dollars at a bar.  It’s a short story, but still funny.  Enjoy.

Bree and I went to a bar a couple of years ago on their karaoke night.  Much to our happiness, karaoke night was also ladies’ night, so we were able to drink for about five dollars per round.  I think it was $1.50 wells?

Anyway, we were enjoying ourselves and our drinks when a very hammered gentleman offered to buy us drinks.  We accepted.

Unfortunately, he was also told to leave the bar because of his intoxication.

But, he didn’t want us to go without him buying drinks for us.  So he pulled a few bills out of his wallet and told us to have our next couple rounds on him.

We figured he’d given us ten dollars or something, but long after he left we checked and he had given us sixty dollars.  He hadn’t given us a number or anything and that far into the night, we didn’t plan on spending sixty dollars on our $1.50 wells.

So we split the money between us and had thirty dollars each.

The next day, when we told our friends that we both made thirty dollars at the bar the night before, they all asked “What were you doing?!”

Counterproductive Success

I like to talk about social quotients and social laws of proportionality sometimes here at Help!   I’m Post-Grad.  I haven’t thought of a good name for these as a whole…  But maybe something like “social mathematics” would be an appropriate term?  Social statistics?  I don’t really ever go into stats for anyone, so I don’t know if statistics are an apt description.  I think social mathematics is a good way to describes these things.

Anyway, today is another social mathematics day.  We’ll be discussing counterproductive success.

Steph is the perfect example of counterproductive success.  At any given time in her life, she is unable to be successful on all fronts.  She either is successful in her academic/professional life or she is successful in her personal life.

Steph is very focused on school and career, but during the last few months of 2010, she was in Arizona with Cam.  Now that she’s back in grad school at the alma mater, she is now a good sixteen hour drive from Cam.  This is a bigger picture version, but small things happen in similar instances.  Such as when she was applying for grad schools, she and Cam had a huge fight.  Things like this happen all the time.  I’m curious,  but terrified, to see what happens when Cam eventually proposes…  It’s the way the universe seems to work in this case.

Bree has a similar version of counterproductive success

I don’t really fall under counterproductive success scales, unfortunately.  I don’t know what it is about me, but I’m pretty much an all or nothing kind of girl.  Either everything is amazing or everything is horrible.  I don’t get that nice compromise.  I’m kind of jealous, actually.

What I do get, though, is that whenever I’m either all up or all down, someone else I know is in the exact opposite situation.

There are those people who seem to have their lives completely together and may or may not be ignoring the “personal” aspect, which is probably why their life is all “completely together,” since they’re ignoring half of the total package.  Most of these people are men, so I’m ignoring that, because I’ve been discussing male behavior with Steph and Bree lately and I think it falls into a completely different social mathematics category.  Next time.

I’m pretty sure that ninety percent of the time, counterproductive success only applies to women anyway.  So there’s that too.

But I digress.

Take for instance, Larissa.  Right now we’re on opposite ends of the spectrum.  I’m basically all down and she’s basically all up.  I don’t know how though, and that’s what bothers me.  I think a lot of it is luck, honestly.  But this is the “grass is greener” subtext of counterproductive success.  Some people make things look easy.

I’ve been the one who makes it look easy before, so I don’t really know.

But, I guess the nice thing is that everything looks up eventually.  So I’m putting in the effort now, to be up flawlessly later.

I think that even in this case, success isn’t really just spontaneous, so it does take a lot of hard work.  Except with Larissa right now…  I really think this is all luck or the planets aligning.  I don’t even know.  She seems to be on a lucky streak right now and I am just at a loss.

The Montreal Trip Part Four

I’m sure you were all disappointed when Friday hit and there was nothing new about Montreal.  I pretty much write them as I hear back from my Canadian friend.  Send your backlash to her because I would like to hear from her more often as well.  But at least part four is pretty lengthy?

Last Time (Part Three):  Shawn woke up and had some vodka with his water in the morning.

Anyway, Part Four!…  in which we discuss the entrance fee to Notre Dame, where the stairs lead in the Palais du Congress, and the mountain lion that came to life and ate Seth’s face.

We left the cafe and our first stop of the morning was the Canadian Notre Dame.  I think the full name was Notre Dame de la Basilica or something like that, but I don’t quite remember.  (See, you note my penchant for details and yet I can’t remember names of things very well…)  (Also, this is now twenty-seven hours since Shawn has showered.)

On our way there, we had to walk down a steep hill covered in slush.  Shawn gave Blair a small push and she squeaked before holding on to Seth.  I was holding on to Shawn at the time.  He then proceeded to poke me in the ribs, so I squeaked, and then he gave me a little push.  I slid and squeaked again.  Shawn then proceeded to push me down the hill the entire time we were walking down it.  I kept gripping him tighter.  He never pushed me too hard, because I think at some point he realized that as tightly as I was holding on to him, if he pushed me enough, he would tumble down with me.

So we finally got to Canadian Notre Dame and we took some pictures outside and then we went in.  Mainly we were cold.  Just about anything was good, even though Blair and I did want to see the church.  There was a small entrance with a line guard rail and I started to read the sign in French, not noticing an English translation was below it.  It was written in a choppy two sentence style to reflect what sounded nice in French, so I made it sound better in English while I explained.  Seth had said hello to the woman behind the glass while I was reading.

“Pilgrims are welcome to attend mass on Sunday for worship, but tours are five dollars per person.”

“Isn’t it usually a recommended or suggested donation?”  Seth asked.

“In some churches, probably, but this is a five dollar fee.”

“Five dollars to see a church…”  Shawn was knitting his brow.

“I’m sure there are other churches…”  Seth agreed.

“I want to see it,”  Blair cut in.

“I’ve seen the real Notre Dame in France.  It’s definitely larger and more interesting.”  Shawn continued.

This is the point where I tried to explain to Shawn that “Notre Dame” is just “Our Lady” in French.  That it’s not so much that there’s one Notre Dame and all the others are inferior copies, but that Notre Dame is the most famous church in Paris (and probably one of the most famous churches in the world) and this church in Montreal happens to also be Notre Dame (de la Basilica, or whatever it was).  “Our Lady” is fairly common in names of Catholic churches, if I remember correctly.  (Yeah, I just typed “churches in Denver Our Lady” into google and it gave me over a million hits back, so clearly I’m right.  Although, not that I think there are a million churches, necessarily, but at least quite a few.)

While I was trying to explain this, Blair was repeating that she wanted to go into the church.  Seth was contemplating the five dollars, and Shawn was only half listening to me and continued to repeat that Notre Dame in Paris was better.  I’m sure the woman behind the ticket window was either extremely amused or extremely annoyed by this display.  Maybe both.  Disgusted amusement?  We’ll go with that, disgusted amusement.

So, finally it was decided that five dollars to see a church was just way too much money and we would find something else to do.  Luckily for us, another church was across the street.  Montreal has so many churches.  I know I shouldn’t be surprised because I just told you I googled “churches in Denver Our Lady” and got over a million results (and that’s only searching for Catholic churches that happen to have “Our Lady” in the name).  I think it was mostly that it was right across the street that I have this sentiment.

We walked into the sanctuary and looked at some of the displays.  Shawn, Seth, and I then sat down in one of the pews (farther back in the rows so we were away from the actual worshipers).  Blair took artsy diagonal photos of us sitting in the pew.  I didn’t have my camera out, because it was buried in my purse, but I’m trying to remember if she got a picture of the altar because it was really pretty.

We exited out a different door of the church and came upon the parking lot right in front of it.

“Oh, this is the parking lot we passed last night,” Shawn contemplated.  “Seriously, how do these people get such good parking spots in the middle of the city?”

“Do you want to be clergy?”  Seth asked him.  “I think that’s the only way.”

“Of course I went to school for finance to ultimately end up ordained.  That’s exactly it.”  Shawn’s hangover was making him more bitter than usual, even with his shots.

(Twenty-eight hours since Shawn has showered).

Let’s see…  Shawn, Blair, and I complained about being cold and we ended up in the Palais du Congress.  The building was really interesting because the walls were different colored panels of glass with blinking lights attached.  It was really pretty and made interesting patterns on the floor.  I bet it’s a gorgeous building when it’s sunny, but it was a pretty dreary day (actually, the entire time we were there was fairly dreary).  I think my definition of dreary is pretty skewed though, compared to most people…

There were a bunch of galleries in the Palais du Congress that reminded me of the “Yay! You’re in Colorado!” stores with the taxidermy mountain goats and what have you.  I mentioned that to Shawn and he laughed.

We were all pretty excited by how warm it was.

We also found a sculpture area by one of the doors that had a lot of pink hand/tree sculptures.  We took a bunch of pictures with them, and any Blair took were all the artsy diagonal kind.

We tried to find a set of stairs to get upstairs, but all the escalators, elevators, and stairs were blocked off.  We contemplated that Congress was actually in session, but we couldn’t really fathom that Congress met in a rainbow blinking light building.  We joked that they were trying to block espionage by having stairs that couldn’t lead anywhere.

We got outside and were confused about the crazy construction of the stairs.  They zig-zagged everywhere.

We had spent the morning walking around Old Montreal looking for breakfast, so we decided we would stay in the newer area.  We passed a few posters on museums that Blair suggested and the boys shot her down.  She then asked if we could go to MacGill University, so that’s where we ended up.

We found an interesting building with a coat of arms and decided to check it out.  The classrooms in there were crazy.  They were all bowl-shaped.  Actually, the hallway had a bowl bevel too.  It was really an odd layout.  I just picture buildings for classrooms being built on parallel lines.

We walked around the hallways a bit, looking out of place without backpacks.  I saw no girls carrying their books in their purses or totes and that seemed weird to me also.  (Twenty-eight hours since Shawn had showered.)

Anyway, we ended up in the campus museum.  We studied the “hall of life” (I don’t know what else to call it) and I noted that the descriptions were more detailed in the French than they were in English.  One of them, for instance, said that 500 million years ago, Montreal was an ocean.  The French description then went on to describe the types of creatures located in said ocean.  The English truncated at the ocean.  We don’t need vast descriptions in English, apparently.  A squid in a shell is all that existed in the Montreal ocean.  Actually, if I remembered correctly, it called Montreal a “sea floor” and that really bugged me, because Montreal was still on a continent somewhere, just not in its present location.  It didn’t start as a sea floor and then suddenly end up on land.  Semantics aside.

We then walked into the dinosaur room and Shawn and I complained that our campus museum never had dinosaur bones.  I was commenting that it was more like the “hall of taxidermy.”  Shawn was staring at a triceratops head and mentioning that we would be a light snack for the dinosaurs.

“‘Hall of taxidermy’?”

“All the stuffed woodland creatures on the bottom floor?”

Shawn just stared at me.

“You haven’t been down there much, have you?”

“There’s a really creepy stuffed cat and it’s kind of terrifying in the dark.  You know prospective students don’t want to see a museum anyway.  They want to see the football field and hear about school trivia that no one cares about.”  I laughed.

“You gave tours?”  Seth asked.

Shawn had and he started rambling about that as we entered MacGill University’s “Hall of Taxidermy.”  He reminded me how he took over for my Big many times on early saturday mornings when she had rough fridays.

Shawn looked at the taxidermy animals and asked me “So this is most of our museum?”

“Yup.”

“Terrifying.”

There was a display case with a taxidermy pigeon and I didn’t know how to feel about that, especially with all the fake litter in the pigeon’s display case.  That’s the one that sticks out to me the most.

Some time later, we walked up the stairs to the second floor and that was where we met the taxidermy mountain lion.  Seth had gotten ahead of us and was staring right into its face.

“What are you doing?”  Shawn asked.

“If you stare at the mountain lion long enough, it looks like it could come alive and eat your face.”

“Huh…”  Shawn stared at the mountain lion for a moment and then left Seth to get eaten as we walked upstairs.

“So is that like the cat in our museum?”

“I think it’s smaller.  A cat that big would be even more terrifying.”

This floor was mostly human artifacts.  We discussed feet binding with Blair and looked at the mummies they had for a while.  Shawn commented on the giant anaconda skeleton and I admittedly confessed that I didn’t know they had bones.  We discussed the anaconda movie and I mentioned it had a sequel.  Shawn thought it sounded horrible and I assured him that it was horrible in the most awesome way possible.

We waited so Blair could pee and I looked for my mittens.

Then we went outside and Seth contemplated joining a tour group and asking when the university was founded.  Shawn and Seth also discussed why girls were wearing miniskirts in January without covering their legs and how it looked stupid.  At least the guys go for warmth?

Anyway, we ended up heading back to the hotel after that.  (Twenty-nine hours since Shawn had showered.)

Next Time:  The boys discover poutine, Shawn finally showers, and the final member of our party arrives.

More googles

Looking up search terms that get people to me can be a bit enlightening and a bit terrifying sometimes.

Most people find my blog by searching for pin-up pictures.  Hi, welcome to the blog.  I promise that it has very little to do with pin-ups and I do apologize for that.

On the more terrifying route is “sexy 5th grade girls”…  I don’t even want to know.

But I have gotten a couple searches that led people here that I’d like to address.

Post-Grad Sororities

I’ve gotten this search term twice.  I do want to apologize first that I’m not really an expert on that subject.  I joined my sorority as a freshman in college, spent four wonderful years as a collegiate member, graduated, and now I am an alumna.  I also happen to be a post-graduate.

So, admittedly, I can’t give very good advice on joining an post-graduate sorority.  I would suggest, however, searching for “adult sorority” or “adult sisterhood” instead.  I think that may give anyone who is interested in finding that information more accurate results.

Sorority Recommendation Letter

This varies for each of the 26 NPC sororities, but is generally written by alumnae and sent to the chapter in question.  If you do not know an alumnae of a particular sorority at your school, or any sorority alumnae, your best bet is to go to your area Alumnae Panhellenic.  Many of the larger ones have meet and greets with PNMs and their parents.

Even though you should get your contacts for the letters, you should also spend your senior year keeping your GPA up and participating in all the activities you have been.  Prepare your resume for your letter writers.

Good luck!

Commentary by Deidree and Steph (part three)

Steph sent me an email a little while ago, and I thought you all might enjoy it.  Steph is in red and I am in blue.

A List of Wedding Day Dos and Don’ts, continued (discovered by Steph and relevant because of the number of our friends getting married)

51. If you have an outdoor ceremony be sure to have a backup in case of bad weather

Or just have a tent or something anyway.

52. Don’t stress out over little things

53. Be sure your Maid of honor knows how to bustle your dress

54. Assign someone to attend to your gifts after the reception

55. Be sure the best man has an appropriate toast that includes something about the bride

Ewwww, toast….
“Hey man, I’d do her.  You beat me to it.”  Fin.

56. Make all payments in a timely manner

57. Wear waterproof mascara

Even waterproof mascara isn’t fully waterproof.

58. Get a good nights sleep the night before your wedding

Yeah right.
The day before?  Maybe that would be a better bridal party/mother/MIL activity:  group nap time.

59. Do not let friends or family talk you in to things you don’t want for your wedding

60. Be sure to eat on your wedding day, it’s easy to forget or be too excited but you don’t want to get run down

Don’t have to remind me twice.

61. Consider buying the grooms tux instead of renting, he will have it for a lifetime

To wear to what?!? I doubt he wants to like, display it forever or anything.

I think it depends on how many other things you do that he might need a tux for.  Like if you do a lot of charity receptions and things, I think this makes sense.

62. Don’t leave your guests too long between the ceremony and reception

63. Give each other a wedding gift on your wedding night

Seriously? I think you’ll either be A) too tired to care or B) too “busy” to care

Wedding gift:  I’m naked, are you naked?  Done.

64. Don’t drink too much at your wedding, you want to remember every last moment

Or rather, you don’t want to embarrass yourself in front of your entire family

Or throw up on the groom in front of your new in-laws.

65. Take time to visit with as many guests as possible

66. Be sure to ask about decorating restrictions at your reception facility

67. Be creative and personalize your wedding

Personalize your wedding?  What hokey advice is this?

68. Have your hair done ahead of time with your head piece

69. Do not get haircuts closer than 1 month before your wedding

70. Make appointments with vendors so you are not disappointed if they are unavailable

71. Think about how the wedding colors you select will look at the reception site

72. Do not have drastically different hair and makeup from your everyday look

73. Take time to look around and enjoy everything you have been planning for so long

74. Be sure your photographer knows which guests you really want photos of

75. ENJOY YOURSELF AND HAVE A WONDERFUL TIME!

Commentary by Deidree and Steph (part two)

Steph sent me an email a little while ago, and I thought you all might enjoy it.  Steph is in red and I am in blue.

A List of Wedding Day Dos and Don’ts, continued (discovered by Steph and relevant because of the number of our friends getting married)

26. Register for gifts well in advance of your wedding date

I like the day before for registry myself…

27. Select dresses for your attendants that flatter them all

Very few people follow this rule.

28. Assign someone to collect and return all rented items from your wedding day

29. Preserve your gown…your own daughter or another family member may be able to use it one day

I feel like you should only do this if that’s something you feel strongly about.  I don’t think it’s an obligation

Or if it’s not a dated style…

30. Look at your guests when walking down the aisle with a big smile, you don’t want to miss your own wedding

31. Don’t forget to offer a “vegetarian” option

32. Don’t seat divorced parents at the same table

I think it depends on how well they get along, and how big of a table it is.

Or if they happen to be the parents of the bride and/or groom.

33. Consider hosting a brunch to open gifts with family the day after

Because you really need another occasion to have you as the center of attention?  Seriously? I guess if you want to do something like a bbq you can, but I kinda feel like you might just need a break right after your wedding.

I love brunch, but the only thing I plan on doing the next day is spending time with hubby….  Everyone else can leave me alone for a day or twelve.

34. Take an engagement photo to display near your guest book

I would just use any photo of the two of you.  What’s so special about your engagement photo?  Not much…

You paid extra money to have them taken?  I personally think photos of the bride vomiting on the groom might best showcase their relationship, hahaha….

35. Select favors that reflect your personalities or interests

Again, I really don’t think people need more crap.  Maybe just send a photo with their thank you cards and make a donation to charity in their name.  Or, have your photographer take family portraits at the reception and send them one of those.

Or bags of chocolate.

36. Have scotch tape available at the gift table

So people can wrap presents there?  I don’t understand this one.

37. Make sure you are comfortable with and like all of your vendors

Bridezilla ahoy!

38. Select and book your DJ 6-12 months in advance

39. Do not go over 5 minutes when making a toast

I hate the concept of a toast, but you already knew that.

“The first time I met Steph, she was wearing a dress.  It doesn’t happen that often.  Preserve this moment.”

40. Start working on your tan early, you don’t want to be red or peeling on your big day

Or tanning causes skin cancer….  I mean, what?

41. Store your mementos carefully

42. Have all of your travel documents 6 months in advance

Does this mean like a passport?  I highly recommend this if for nothing but the cost.

43. Assign someone to retrieve your guest book, toasting glasses, pictures and cameras from the tables, you don’t want to come back to find these things lost

44. Offer sparkling cider as well as champagne for the toast, some guests may not drink alcohol 

45. Store your wedding photos carefully 

46. Make important decisions well ahead of time regarding finances, housing, chores, etc…

I’m confused on what this has to do with the wedding…  Housing/chores for the wedding party and guests?

47. Attend bridal shows for ideas for your wedding

Or, you know, books, magazines, websites, and common sense.

Because attending bridal shows is a hobby of mine!  It’s like Wedding Crashers, only I crash shows for my own sick amusement.

48. Don’t skimp on the honeymoon, you will be sorry if you do 

49. Order a small bouquet for the bouquet toss, keep your bouquet as a momento

I really don’t want dead flowers sitting around my house.

For like a week maybe…  Until they die die it might not be bad.

50. Have a tasting for your reception food and your wedding cake

See, this is something I can see the groom and groom’s men actually caring about, but you already knew that.