Friday, September 16, 2005
Bridesmaids' Dresses!
Choosing the Bridesmaids' Dresses!
Now that The Dress was underway (although slowly, what with shipping muslin versions back and forth Columbus-Norfolk, the next tast: selecting the Bridesmaids' Dresses. Complicated by the Maid of Honor being in Norfolk, while the Bridesmaids (Shawna and Liz) were in Columbus. So MOTB and The Bridesmaids went shopping, heading to a giant upscale mall north of Columbus, Polaris Fashion Place (www.polarisfashionplace.com/). With a Macy's, a Kaufmann's, a JC Penney, and a Sears, it seemed possible. It's huge, and along a burgeoning commercial strip with a huge outdoor amphitheatre at the east end, and a good art store at the west end. Also a JoAnn's Fabric and More store across the street that we were already fara too familiar with. So off they went. And came back with three possible choices (and remember, TBTB specified olive and ivory as her preferred colors). The selections (all pictured at the Wedding Site):
Dress 1: A favorite of both Shawna (left) and Liz (right); MOTB feared it might be a little too clingy.
Dress 2: MOTB likes the cut and fit, as do TBMs
Unhappily, the dress is pink--not a color TBTB
likes much, we suspect.
Dress 3: TBMs find this far too plain, even with the included embroidered jacket. It is, however, olive--so that's a plus.
Photos are emailed to TBTB, currently somewhere off Finland. After a bit, she responds: Dress Number 3 is the choice. MOTB mollifies TBMs by promising jewelry/necklaces. Then Shawna reveals that she knows a wholesale place, The Flower Factory, that has all sorts of stuff. But only sells (or even allows entrance to) people with vendor's license. Luckily, MOTB has one, for her business. So it's off to Flower Factory (www.flowerfactory.com) --which winds up having and astonishing range of stuff, from really, really kitschy and junky to pretty high quality. MOTB returns with costume jewelry and ideas to decorate the Cultural Arts Center.
Meanwhile FOTB, while waiting for car to be serviced, learns via the television in the waiting room all about the current styles in wedding cakes--and that there's something called the Groom's Cake, for which bakers indulge all sorts of bakery whimsey. All this knowledge courtesy of the Today program, which apparently has selected a lucky couple who are, it seems, allowing the viewers of the Today program to select all the elements of their wedding (I hope they at least get a honeymoon out of the deal). The worst is the groom's cake in the shape of a basket full of crabs--ostensibly because the wedding will take place in Maryland. The other connotation of a groom bring his bride crabs apparently lost on the baker, the Today program folks, and the delighted couple. More about all this folly at www.msnbc.msn.com/id8716116/ --and the basket of crabs won the vote of the viewers nationwide. Hopefully some irony was involved?
It all gets curiouser and curiouser.
Now that The Dress was underway (although slowly, what with shipping muslin versions back and forth Columbus-Norfolk, the next tast: selecting the Bridesmaids' Dresses. Complicated by the Maid of Honor being in Norfolk, while the Bridesmaids (Shawna and Liz) were in Columbus. So MOTB and The Bridesmaids went shopping, heading to a giant upscale mall north of Columbus, Polaris Fashion Place (www.polarisfashionplace.com/). With a Macy's, a Kaufmann's, a JC Penney, and a Sears, it seemed possible. It's huge, and along a burgeoning commercial strip with a huge outdoor amphitheatre at the east end, and a good art store at the west end. Also a JoAnn's Fabric and More store across the street that we were already fara too familiar with. So off they went. And came back with three possible choices (and remember, TBTB specified olive and ivory as her preferred colors). The selections (all pictured at the Wedding Site):
Dress 1: A favorite of both Shawna (left) and Liz (right); MOTB feared it might be a little too clingy. Dress 2: MOTB likes the cut and fit, as do TBMs
Unhappily, the dress is pink--not a color TBTB
likes much, we suspect.
Dress 3: TBMs find this far too plain, even with the included embroidered jacket. It is, however, olive--so that's a plus.
Photos are emailed to TBTB, currently somewhere off Finland. After a bit, she responds: Dress Number 3 is the choice. MOTB mollifies TBMs by promising jewelry/necklaces. Then Shawna reveals that she knows a wholesale place, The Flower Factory, that has all sorts of stuff. But only sells (or even allows entrance to) people with vendor's license. Luckily, MOTB has one, for her business. So it's off to Flower Factory (www.flowerfactory.com) --which winds up having and astonishing range of stuff, from really, really kitschy and junky to pretty high quality. MOTB returns with costume jewelry and ideas to decorate the Cultural Arts Center.
Meanwhile FOTB, while waiting for car to be serviced, learns via the television in the waiting room all about the current styles in wedding cakes--and that there's something called the Groom's Cake, for which bakers indulge all sorts of bakery whimsey. All this knowledge courtesy of the Today program, which apparently has selected a lucky couple who are, it seems, allowing the viewers of the Today program to select all the elements of their wedding (I hope they at least get a honeymoon out of the deal). The worst is the groom's cake in the shape of a basket full of crabs--ostensibly because the wedding will take place in Maryland. The other connotation of a groom bring his bride crabs apparently lost on the baker, the Today program folks, and the delighted couple. More about all this folly at www.msnbc.msn.com/id8716116/ --and the basket of crabs won the vote of the viewers nationwide. Hopefully some irony was involved?
It all gets curiouser and curiouser.
