The Center Of It All - Well Sort Of

Centerpieces are but one element that should carry the theme (wait, there's a theme?!) of the reception throughout the night. They can can either tie everything together, provide an unnecessary barricade or fall flat and be overlooked. There are a myriad of options out there ranging from candles like hurricane candles and candleabras to vases overflowing with your choice of flowers to centerpieces with both candles AND flowers. I have not doubt that most florists can assemble something to most people's liking (& budget!). I, however, am not like most people.

With that being said, I may be a bit opinionated when it come to planning this wedding but I expect what I want - It's that simple. Almost a year from the date and I have no idea what the perfect centerpiece will be - yet. Here are some of the points to consider:

* size (small, short, tall, narrow, etc.)
* style (candles, flowers, potted, vase, other fauna, etc.)
* motif (classic, modern, country, symmetric and uniform, etc.)
* table layout (size, shape, # of seats, etc.)
* season (ours is a fall wedding)
* time of day (afternoon, evening, night, etc.)
* locations (tables, washrooms, cocktail location, welcome table, ceremony, etc.)
* HER bouquet (flowers, color)
* clean up (or will the guests just take them home?)
...and last but not least
* cost


Above all else I think a centerpiece shouldn't be overwhelming. I want guests to be able to see each other either across from one another at the table or across the dance floor. Height is key for me. I'm not sure what the perfect height is but I would sacrifice girth for height no question. The problem then becomes one of stability. Tables get bumped into (for drunken and/or other reasons) and a centerpiece toppling over during the night is not an option.

Resources are out there but they are limited. I've found these to be helpful at first glance:

* Better Homes & Gardens
* The Knot (Obvsiously)
* Centerpiece Building Blocks
* The Wedding Channel


While there is plenty of time to argue - achem - negotiate over the details here are a few that I'd like to use as inspiration:

Wedding Questions Of The Day

Q - I wonder how I should wear my hair that day?

The Bride conglomerate at Conde Nast doesn't seem to have much.


Q - If I had to rename this blog what should I call it?

A Chaordic Affair to Formember.


Q - What should the wedding cake taste like?

Buttercream. Chocolate. Rocky Road ice cream. Fondant. Vanilla-almond.


Q - How can we reduce the green footprint of the wedding?

Adopt an animal through the World Wildlife Fund.

Purchase carbon credits for the travel related to our affair.

An eco-limo; a Prius limousine. Yes, that's correct. A car that I could shoehorn into my own trunk and use as an emergency escape pod is now the Eco Limo calling card.

Use ecofetti - now that's a splash of colour if I do say so myself.

Reducing The Size Of Our "Footprint"

Every time I bring up the topic of ways we can incorporate green aspects into the wedding, Coco goes off, rightfully, on a tangent about recycling. To be honest, we do not recycle and I blame it fully on the fact that we just don't know what the rules are in our 'hood.

Fitting, via Brownstoner to OnlyTheBlogKnowsBrooklyn, I've learned that Park Slope (aka The Slope) is #1 in the city. The Department of Sanitation rates the highest PS with a 30% recycling rate, that's capturing 60-65% of recyclable waste. Sadly, we do not contribute to this feat. This post provides some great tips and links directly to the newly created Office of Recycling Outreach and Education. You can read about it here if you're interested. Tell me I'm not the only one who didn't know that people shouldn't be using blue bags anymore - at least in PS??!

I'll see what we can do as far as our building is concerned. Changes need to happen.

Wedding News

Whoa. Thank heavens were not getting married in Wisconsin. Turns out this mouse of a photographer skipped out on giving the wedded couples the wedding day pics after collecting their cheddar. Ouch. Even more disturbing (gasp!) he pocketed the sales tax and never passed it along to the state. Double ouch. Dirty rat. Read about it here.


Green weddings are all the rage this year. Green is definitely the new black. (You've heard it hear first!!) It seems this couple from down under is taking it a bit too far. 101 ways to use to elephant dung. Must make the stamps stick better, no?? Who on earth do they think they are - Bear Grylls??

For real though, Bear is sick. Can't wait for the new season to kick off.

Green with Envy

For as long as I can remember Coco's been green. Not the green referenced by Cleopatra where "...My salad days, / When I was green in judgment, cold in blood..." harked youthful inexperience, enthusiasm, idealism, innocence and indiscretion - we all know how perfectly green in that sense Coco can be, and is, but the green that speaks to her fascination with global warming, being socially responsible and making sure we own a Prius at some point.

In keeping green we've got the following:

-The Times had an interesting article on a recently wed couple that sought to have aspects of their wedding green. I wouldn't say that this article was the impetus for this post but it definitely contributed.

-The Green Guide

-Ask Ethan @ Spiked!

-Grist

I'm going to start thinking about ways we can make our wedding greener than the black-and-white she wants it to be. I think we may be a bit limited by her tastes and expectations but even the smallest influence of green is better than none at all, right? I think so.

I'm not sure if it was the result of last semester's ethics course or if I just happened upon it in my web travels, but Treehugger is a pretty sweet site dedicated to all things green. Don't worry, it's not as granola as the name might suggest and Birkenstocks are not a requisite to enter. They sponsor some forward-thinking contests on sustainability, my favorite being the Cradle-to-Cradle umbrella. Poke around on this site long enough and you'll be itching to help make this world a greener place. The wedding they profile is a bit out there but I commend Laura and Darren for making it happen. Think it helps that its in New Zealand?

We'll have to give this some thought. Any other green ideas come to mind??

Weddings Headlines

Well, its been almost a week since my last post and never did I think that the pure adrenaline rush associated with planning a wedding would wean. Gasp. Ne'er did I dreamth that the fair maiden Coco wouldth also be disinterestedth. As such, I've been given the task of selecting the officiant. Oh, goody. We've also been very busy keeping each other warm - NY is damn cold right now! But in keeping with wedding news I've got this medley of information to report:

As the US s-l-o-w-l-y aligns itself with what Kyoto supporters have affirmed for years, the world's scientists have again made a statement - the warming of the climate "is unequivocal". Although I'm glad that some couples are taking matters into their own hands, isn't this just really adding to the problem? Come on - think about it.


Am I the only one who thinks that we have a shot of joining this select group of wedding couples since you-know-who works you-know-where? It just reeks of 'we have the inside track', doesn't it. I thought so, too.

For those of you who haven't caught up on all things Jackass, Bam is again manipulating MTV into another audience shocker. How does the wife-to-be let is happen day in and day out??

OMG. Remember my blurb on one bride-to-be's bad hair day? (Read about it here. ) Well, it turns out the whole thing was a H-O-A-X. I don't know about you but 1) I am LIVID, and 2) I hate being duped....especially on YouTube. Can I call them bastards if they're girls. Well they are. Arrgghh. I feel like a fool - a naive fool. Oh, and get this - they're Canadian. Figures. They're already cursed so I guess it's fair. I'll sum it up in one sentence: What in the world are Canadians doing on Good Morning America?

All Canadian bashing aside (after all they did bring us The Tragically Hip), some good business threads are being discussed as a result. This. Or this. If I were going for my Phd and not my MBA I think I would say "I smell Thesis." I bet he thinks I should get one.