Year of the Wedding

Forget the year of the rabbit, this is the year of the wedding! The count of couples I know getting married this year has officially hit the double digits. The coolest part is now people that I've been friends with since the diaper days are getting married! My boyfriend Mike has multiple weddings in the family this year. Today he was asked to be a groomsman in his oldest brother's wedding. Needless to say, he was pretty dang thrilled! 

Not to sound too sappy, but being part of someone's wedding is a really special experience, and  a great memory to have for the rest of your life. Unless you really hate that person. In that case... well you could make a voodoo doll or something? If you're the bride or groom, picking out the right people and then asking them can seem like a daunting task. Asking them in person or over the phone is, to me, the best way to go. But if you're A) terrified of human contact, or B) Don't know how to work a phone, then here are some fun ways to ask someone to be part of your bridal party!

Propose to your bridesmaids! Ok don't stop reading yet, I'm not asking you to go all "Sister Wives" on me. There was one bride I read about who's future bridal party was spread out around the country. So she went to a craft store, got jewelry boxes, and put a ring pop inside with a note that said "Will you be my bridesmaid?" Cute right? 

Give them a doll. One of my friends that was getting married last year is in LOVE with Barbies. "Made of plastic, it's fantastic!" She went to Target and found a barbie doll that had a dress that matched her wedding colors. She bought 5 of them, for the five women she was going to ask, made a label that said "Bridesmaid Barbie" and stuck it on the box. Once all that was done she took all of her future bridesmaids out to lunch and gave them the dolls! 

Make a puzzle. Another bride I read about was super into crossword puzzles. She decided she wanted to make a crossword puzzle that had the words "would you be my bridesmaid" on it. She went on her computer and found some website that did it and, ta da!

Costcouture

I think my favorite thing to do as a kid was to go to Costco and run around the store pirating food from the food sample carts. Now that I've grown up and matured...I can't even finish that sentence, that's still one of my favorite things to do.

One of the best things about Costco is that it can save you a whole ton of money if you know what you're doing. Yes, there is a science to shopping at Costco.  Something new you'll be seeing at this mega-retailer shortly? dum dum dum dum wedding dresses! Yeah, you read that right, according to the LA Times , Costco is going to sell wedding dresses. 

The designer, Kristie Kelly, formerly the designer for Disney Bridal before Alfred Angelo took it over, is now starting a new line of affordable couture bridal gowns for Costco. Proclaiming her dress line “Costcouture”. Like Alfred Angelo, the dresses she'll be designing will be affordable for almost any budget. The dresses start at $699 and end at $1,399 and will be sold at trunk shows in Costco stores.

Is this the new beginning of Costco bridal chic? Will other mega retailers soon pick up the trend?? Could there be a new line of Walmart wedding dresses in the near future?!?

I'm not sure what to think about this new endeavor, but man would that be convenient! I mean, you can get your 100 pound bag of dog kibble, month supply of paper towels, and hey! Don't forget the wedding gown!

McWeddings

Fast food junkies rejoice! According to an article by the NYT, you can now be married under the golden arches of McDonalds! Get this though, the service is only done in Hong Kong. I'm floored that America, the land of  the drive-through-window wedding, wasn't the first to adopt this! But I'm sure we'll be seeing Ronald McDonald shelling out marriage licenses soon enough. I'm 100% on board with this, but that's only because I have a sick obsession with McDonald's milkshakes.

You may be wondering, "why would anyone want to get married at a place like that!" Well I'll tell you. It's the cost. Not unlike weddings in America, an average wedding ceremony in China costs $29,200. A wedding at McDonald's starts at $1,280. That includes food. Would anyone like a second helping of McNuggets?  Looking better already, huh? Ok maybe not, but you gotta admit that's a huge difference!

The price of a wedding is stupendous! Especially if you don't have help paying for it, plan on winning the lotto, or have been saving for ten years. It's no wonder that things like McWeddings are popping up. My question is, why aren't there classy places to have a super cheap wedding? Was that an oxymoron?

The Art of the Proposal

There's this wonderful thing about Eugene, well actually Springfield, OR. It's that we have a $2 movie theater. It's the place where movies go between the expensive movie theaters, and dvd. It was rainy and boring at home, so I went to see Meet the Focker's with my boyfriend. In the movie, there is a part where "Kevin"(Owen Wilson) wants to propose to his Paris Hilton esq girlfriend. I won't ruin the movie for you, but think of his proposal idea like the halftime show of the Super Bowl. He tells his proposal plan to "Greg"(Ben Stiller), who says it's too much, that Kevin should just speak from the heart. The next scene we see that Kevin has been dumped for his uninspired proposal.

So, was this girl a materialistic snob or what? Well yes she was, but the point is, if you're going to propose to somebody, know what they like. I guess, know them! Hefty feat maybe, but in the course of a relationship you should be able to know what kind of person they are and what they MIGHT expect from a proposal. When Greg told Kevin to dump his over-the-top proposal and to speak from the heart, he was unintentionally telling Kevin to be Greg, to do what he would have done to ask his wife. Now, should Kevin really have been with this girl? Probably not. She was kind of a she-devil. When it comes down it,  you don't need to change who you've been the entire relationship for the proposal.

Just for fun, checkout this video of extreme proposals. If you feel inclined, share your proposal story in the comments!

Pretend Spring

Dear Winter,
I'm over you.
- L

I am going to ignore the fact that it's a balmy 39* right now, a high for the week, and instead pretend that my Iphone doesn't predict snow-rain again. Not that I don't love snow, I do, but since I've moved to Oregon my once golden tan has faded to the likeness of a albino vampire. Spring break is in 3 weeks. I want my tan back.

In the spirit of "Pretend Spring", I cranked up my heater and threw on some shorts. Sad? Maybe. Ok yes it is sad. Anyways, then I decided to look up some fun Spring wedding trends and share them with y'all.

The best part about Spring? Or worst, if you have allergies, are the FLOWERS! Peonies, like these from a wedding featured on The Knot, are great for bouquets or arrangements. 

Ok, I know I just said that flowers were the best thing about spring, but I was lying. The best part about Spring is sun! Take full advantage of it and have yourself an outdoor wedding or reception. 

What do you get when you have sun? Amazing photos, that's what! This photographer, featured in The Knot, used natural sunlight to create one beautiful photo!

Have any other Spring wedding ideas? Post them in the comments!

Cable Woes

My cables "on demand" won't work. Normally this wouldn't be a problem, but I'm trying to get back into shape and there’re a butt-lode of free exercise shows on there. What's a girl to do? Try Hulu's exercise channels? That resulted in my ginormous cat knocking the computer off the chair when he tried to attack the yoga teacher on the screen. Pay for a gym membership? Been there, done that. I went once and have been paying for it ever since. Maybe I need an Ipad? I think I'd rather pay my rent.
I know I could actually go for a jog, but I live in the land of rain, snow-rain, freezing-rain, and sleet. I won't even got outside for the much needed milk we're out of. This is why I'm currently enjoying a breakfast of gummy bears. Which isn't helping I'm sure. Yes, you read that right, a grown woman is having gummy bears for breakfast.
I'm not looking to loose a ton of weight, just some chub. More so, I would love to finally be able to open one of the jars I swear to God my boyfriend bionically seals. That's when I remembered something my sister had put on her Facebook page awhile back. YOGA BOOTY BALLET!
This led me to look up other fun, and albeit unconventional forms, of working out.
The Shake Weight
Oh the Shake Weight. It's been the target of so many inappropriate jokes, TV spoofs, and innuendos. Yet no one really knows if the thing freaking thing works! I don't know if we'll ever know since everyone is to embarrassed to admit they use it.
Hot Yoga
So, I'm not sure how much fun this one actually is, but I have friends that go religiously. So maybe it rocks! Or maybe it sucks, who knows!
The S Factor
This striptease inspired workout has been gaining popularity in a lot of major cities across the US. Before you guys say gross, remember...Martha Stewart tried it! That may make it grosser for you, I don't know. 

AND I'm BACK!

Snow day, in all it's wondrous glory, got my only class of the day canceled! Of course this is the same day I had registration at 7AM so no sleeping in for me. I'll fill you in now, I am in no way a morning person. I'd rather eat fried toenails than wake up before 10AM, but that's not the point. I had a few minutes to waste before I could log on, so I browsed through MSN's homage. On there I found a funny little article on how people knew that their partner wasn't "the one".

It inspired me. Mostly because I didn't like the stories in the article. I mean, a guy knew the girl wasn't it because he liked Star Wars and she said she liked Ewoks. Maybe it's just me, but that's a little shallow. Also, who doesn't love Ewoks??

So, I decided to come up with a list of reasons NOT to marry someone. Taken from my own personal life, and my hobby of living vicariously through the internet. Feel free to add your own reasons in the comments.

1. If you think you might be marrying a sugar daddy/momma, con women/man, or someone who isn't in love with you. Hugh my man, If she's 20 and you're almost 90...she's probably after more than the family jewels.

2. My favorite, marrying a "fixer upper" and betting on them changing for you. What's a fixer upper you ask? Someone who has drug, alcohol, personality, and/or anger issues. Can people change? Yes. Can you MAKE someone change? No.

3. If you aren't into the idea of marrying the next guest on Jerry Springer. Sure people can have mood swings. But when that crazy gets them landed in jail, or even better, Jerry Springer, you can bet you're going to dealing with that crazy sob for the rest of eternity. Yes, even after the divorce.

4. If you can't communicate. I'll admit it, in real life I'm not very chatty. Being able to hold a conversation with your sig. other isn't what I'm talking about though. If you two can't talk about important things, for example; what makes you upset, happy, what you want out of life. There are going to be big problems down the road. If there aren't already.

5. If you fight all the time but don't get anywhere positive. This goes back to the communication bit. If you two are throwing a scream fest every night and not accomplishing anything positive, then at the very least you need to evaluate yourselves. Or call Dr. Phil or something.

6. If they try to push your family and friends away from you for no apparent reason. Alienating you from the people who know you the best and love you, is a surefire way to a toxic relationship. Sometimes family and friends do get pushed away a little naturally as you begin a relationship, but if your partner's  insisting it's them or the fam. then there's a BIG problem. Unless your family and friends have like murdered their favorite uncle or something.

7. If they take, take, take but never give. Similar to the "fixer upper" these people can't function without you. They demand or expect you to provide them with everything from food, money, housing, to constant companionship, yet provide nothing in return.

8. If you're in a freaky marry-go-round of breaking up, and getting back together. 99.99% of the time it won't work out. In fact, if it hasn't been working out why would you assume it would be different this time? To that .01% out there, mazeltov.