Posts Tagged: Weddings

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Bachelorette Gifts From G-Rated To R-Rated

My bachelorette party was a three-day, extremely raucous affair involving bull-riding, beer-chugging contest-winning (left), and being "rescued" by off-duty firemen at clubs. By the time Sunday brunch rolled around, we were all such sleep-deprived, hungover zombies that we basically just sat there inhaling our eggs in silence (which is, by the way, why I recommend doing the bridal shower/brunch thing before the bachelorette festivities rather than the day after).

[Oop. Just noticed my oh-so-adorable souvenir straw in that photo. Ah, well.]

It was one of the best weekends of my entire life, but not everybody's idea of a "Best Weekend" involves tequila shots and pole dancing (I know, hard to believe, but it's true). Maybe the guest of honor is just on the shy side; maybe she's inviting family members, coworkers, or underage friends; or maybe her religious beliefs prevent her from engaging in more "typical" ladies' night out festivities. In such cases, handing over a pair of pasties may feel a little inappropriate - but you'd still probably like to get her something at least vaguely thematic.

Below, my suggestions for the bachelorette in your life who's more Princess Diaries than Fatal Attraction (you probably have the PG-13 and R categories covered - anything lingerie-related works nicely - but I included some fun picks for those ladies, too).

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Recycled Wedding Dress Ideas

Reader Anna recently sent me an email asking if I knew of any places that will take your wedding dress and transform the fabric into a photo album cover. This is actually something I've never heard of...but what a neat idea for someone who doesn't want to hang onto a fifty-pound box o' dress (or who wants to cut off the lower bit to make it into a cocktail dress).

My advice to Anna was to contact a cleaning/tailoring service that specializes in wedding dresses to see if they can do it, or if they know someone who can. Madame Paulette is the #1 wedding-dress preservation specialist in NYC, so I'd start there (or try any of these). But I thought I'd post her question here in case any of you had some more concrete advice for her.

More Wedding Dress Re-Imaginings (some of these would only use a small piece, so you could keep the majority of the dress intact):

- Christening outfit for future (or existing) baby

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Wedding Etiquette: Declining A Gift

Q. Hi Jordan!

Etiquette question: my husband and i did not sign up for a wedding registry and we made sure to tell people to please refrain from getting us gifts. Will people be offended if we don't deposit their checks? Also, my mother in law got us HIDEOUS CHINA - the biggest set of china ever. Can we stash it in the attic and forget about it?

A. First, let's talk "No Gifts" policies. While the intention behind them is absolutely noble ("your presence in our lives is the gift"), they still raise two issues: 1) Technically, you're not supposed to "expect" wedding gifts, and traditional etiquette rules hold that addressing the gift issue at all is rude (I'm not actually on board with this one; I think that most guests will appreciate some direction when it comes to gifts - just put the registry information or "In lieu of gifts..." request on your wedding website rather than on the actual invitation - or spread the news by word of mouth), and 2) Even if you elope, some people will get you gifts anyway.

Guaranteed. And I am certain of this because...I would. If a close friend got married and asked me not to get them a present, I may skew towards inexpensive/handmade, but I would absolutely feel compelled to give them something.


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