Ladies, Listen Up

It's that time of year. Weddings the Bridal Show is coming to the Nashville Convention Center. Not only is this the largest bridal show in the Mid-South it is also one of the top ten shows in the country!! Go Renee!
I have been a vendor at this show since it started, but this year I am working in conjunction with the producer on a bright shiny new concept. For years I designed wedding cakes and the first question I would ask a bride was " Tell me about your wedding." Simple as that may sound, most brides struggle to put thier vision into words that mean the same thing to everyone that hears them. So we (Renee the show producer and me the Wedding Diva) put our heads together to give you some tools you can use. I'm not going to tell you any more!! You will just have to come to the show on Sunday and meet me, the Wedding Diva at the Pink Book booth.
Besides that six of the region's hottest bridal salons are participating in the Runway Show. The lovely ladies from Faccio's, The White Room, Glitz, Cherished Memories, Brides Boutique, Jacqueline Bridal and Formal and Bridals of Regis Park are bringing their most fabulous gowns to strut for the crowd. And I know the models will look gorgeous- Wedding Dish's very own Angel White is doing the hair. Can't wait.
And talk about freebies. All the magazines will be the handing out the newest edition, the bakeries will have samples for you to try and many of the vendors offer show discounts. And the biggest freebie of all---the first 500 brides will receive a copy of the best local wedding planner around--The Pink Book. It is jam packed with great info, local resources and it is the perfect size to toss in your purse. You have got to get one! There are also prize drawing all day.
I am looking forward to seeing all of you on Sunday. If you are any where in the midsouth it is worth the time for all the wonderful ideas you can pick-up. See you at the show!

Ridiculousness

There is a term in the television industry,” Jumping the shark”. It is used when a show has made that turn so to speak from the sublime to the ridiculous. Even though it is still in production you should count it among the walking dead.

I am afraid that the wedding industry may have jumped the shark.

I ran across a write up of a Colorado wedding in one of my trade journals this week that was so over the top as to be ridiculous. I won’t mention the magazine or who’s wedding it was because obviously these people have really deep pockets and I’m sure much better lawyers than I do.

A gazebo was brought in as the focal point of the ceremony. Ok so far. A loading dock had to be built for the 40-ton crane needed to lift the gazebo in place. That’s some gazebo. I’m still kind of with you at this point but here is where they lose me. In order to take advantage of the new focal point, a sub floor six feet off the ground had to be built for the dining area under the tent. In order to install the floor in this temporary tent they had to uproot ten 30-foot tall canopy trees. Say what? The clients believed “ trees will grow again but this wedding is only once in a lifetime”.

I am not exactly a dedicated environmentalist but even I think that’s ridiculous. Where is the Sierra Club when you need them?

A marriage is once in a lifetime thing, but the wedding is really only a party to celebrate this life event. No matter how fabulous the wedding it is still only a one-time piece of stagecraft. Is this couple any more married than the young kids at the courthouse? No, but they do have one hell of a mess to clean up in the backyard what with the 10 gaping holes and all.

No trees were harmed in the writing of this column.