Weddings, dresses, and other lovely things

Do you, like me, love pretty pictures of other people's wedding? Are you secretly gad that over a dozen of your high school/college friends got married this summer because it means oodles more Facebook albums to stalk? Do you often find yourself on a Friday night glued to TLC's Say Yes to the Dress? Do you remember A Wedding Story and wish they would show re-runs of that too?

If so, then you may know that wedding photographers' websites are a great way to get your fix of atsy shots of bouquets, veils, and heartfelt vows. I'm recently smitten with Elizabeth Messina's blog, Kiss the Groom. Her pictures are totally gorgeous.
Plus, you can get a customized version of her "Kissing Tree" illustration emailed to you. All you have to do is enter your first name, an affectionate verb (sort of like Mad Libs), and the name of the person, pet, snack food, tv show, whatever, that you love in some way.
Now, as lovely as all this is, I did notice a large number of couture gowns and Christian Laboutin heels on Ms. Messina's blog. (If there are any guys reading this, Christian Laboutin is French for "expensive designer shoes with red soles.") Which means I won't be attending any such wedding any time soon. And that's just fine with me.

Last week I got to embark on a more realistic wedding adventure that a total blast. One of my classmates, L., is getting married next June, and she invited us girls to tag along on some dress shopping trips. We were pleasantly surprised that it was nothing like you see on TV. The salespeople did not expect L. to "say yes to the dress" that day. Nobody accused us of "wasting their time" or "playing dress up." Instead, they acknowledged that this was a big decision, and encouraged L to go home and think it over. We were also pleased to see that there are lots of beautiful, expensive looking gowns available for even well under $900. Sure, we saw some glorified prom dresses and taffeta tents, too. But we loved all of L's choices and are sure she'll look gorgeous in whatever dress she picks!