May 2002"That will be one picture to frame forever."
by Valerie Carino
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With a wedding in the Emerald Isle, I expect a reception that befits the best of Irish country nuptials: women in big, colorful hats, people lining up on the street to see just who this brown bride is and, of course, plenty of booze. But I have to admit, being so far away from "planning central" has made me forget that there's even a wedding. It has made me forget that, yes, this is MY wedding and that I should add those special touches wherever I can.
Okay, so I've been the fashion coordinator. But fashion is a looser term for style and that spreads to every part of the wedding. Besides the gowns and tuxedos, I can dress up tables, cakes, cars, and invitations. Why, even my bridesmaids' hair. I found the cutest favors in a catalog the other day: pastel butterfly boxes with candies in them. With the personalization, they would cost around $3 a pop, which isn't worth it if you ask me. But, still I wondered if the craftier side of me could make a decoration similar to that.
Invitations. The ones we've chosen aren't particularly expensive, but with a little sprucing up, I can fake it to appear that they are. The design has a floral border, printed on slick paper, with fancy writing similar to a document that might have been written in Shakespeare's day. Since it won't be printed on your typical heavy stock paper, I figure I could throw some glitter on the invite and then wrap it with an organdy ribbon. I found eight spools on sale for $.58 each. Cheap and charming, don't you think?
My bridesmaids all have different hair. Jen's is long, thick and curly. Arlene's - short like a pixie. Since they're all going to be in various colors of blue and lilac, why not tie them all in with rose pins or butterfly clips? It's the whole Aphrodite meets Tinkerbell look. We'll complete the look with frosty makeup. Think Vanessa Williams or Halle Berry in a pastel gown.
When Damien told me that wedding cakes in Ireland are fruitcakes, I just about freaked. What of my buttercream fantasy? What of my sugar orchids climbing three tiers of almond joy? I didn't win this fight, but I will have the cake topper of my own choosing. I know it's passé. Just like those giant lace-covered sleeves that decorated 80's wedding gowns, cake toppers look cheap.
But I still want one.
After months of searching, I discovered an interracial cake topper on a bridal web site. You'd be surprised at how invisible interracial couples are in product sites, catalogs and magazines. I guess the industry thought we'd never get married.
But on October 19, we'll show them all. Alas, dark-skinned bride topper will finally join her light-skinned prince atop three tiers of fruitcake heaven.
That will be one picture to frame forever.
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