August 9, 2011 · 9:13 PM

The Other Other Royal Wedding

Forgive me for not covering the royal wedding of Zara Phillips, I had another royal wedding on the brain — that of my little sister, Sam.

Sam and her new husband Aaron were married on July 22, and it was a fantastic day.


Sam and Aaron were engaged in November 2009, so this one was a long time coming.  We were all so thrilled and ready for this day, and we had a great time getting ready for it.

Sam hooked all of the bridesmaids up with the best bridesmaid gift I’ve ever received — a leather jewelry travel wrap, flip-flops for the dance floor, and a can of Sophia Coppola champagne to settle the pre-ceremony jitters.

Don’t we look relaxed?

Sam had the genius idea of choosing Tart dresses that can be wrapped dozens of ways so each bridesmaid looked unique.

But who cares about the bridesmaids?  The only one anyone wanted to see was the bride!

She was stunning, and the ceremony was really beautiful.

…and brief — just the way Sam and Aaron wanted it.  That thing was over in less than 20 minutes.

But that doesn’t mean it didn’t make me wish I’d carried tissues down the aisle instead of flowers.  When Sarge (Aaron’s nickname in our family) read his vows to Sam, I worried I would lose it — tears or wobbly heels, I wasn’t sure which would bring me down first.

Luckily, before I could fall apart, we were all cheering as they recessed down the aisle and headed for a celebratory photo session.

Some formal, some….not so formal.

That’s when it hit me the relief I was feeling;  I hadn’t realized that I was subconsciously holding my breath the entire day, wanting so badly for everything to go well.  After the ceremony many guests asked, “How are you feeling?” and I kept replying, “Relieved!  Everything went so well!”

And it only got better: dinner was delicious, the music was rocking, and everyone kicked up their heels for a good time on the dance floor.  In the middle of dancing around ecstatically, I tried to tell each out-of-towner how grateful my family was that they had traveled so far to celebrate with us.  Something about twisting and shouting made me realize how fantastic it was to have them there.  I looked around the dance floor so grateful to God for such incredible friends and family: Amy and Brian, Sarah and Casey, Beth, Debbie and Amy, and Grandma, Tom and Jackson.

Erin and I each gave a toast honoring our little sister, and it felt really special sharing about our unique relationships and our hopes for her future with Sarge.

Everyone says that your wedding day flies by in a blur, but no one warned me that it feels the same if you are a family member of the bride.  The entire reception felt like 45 minutes to me — it absolutely raced forward, and I kept trying to breathe it all in before it passed.

The most important thing, the best part to watch, was how much fun Sam and Aaron were having.  They were beaming the entire evening, totally overjoyed over their new marriage.  It was such bliss to witness.

After running down a sparkler-filled aisle to their classic Rolls Royce, they flew to Puerta Vallarta for a week of recovery.  That’s my word for a honeymoon– it’s therapy after planning a wedding.

They’re back now and settling into newlywed life in their new condo in Bothell.  From what they tell me, all is well.

Congratulations, Stanley and Sarge!

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July 18, 2011 · 1:03 PM

Shower with Care

I am pleased to announce the publication of my second guest post for Clise Etiquette!

The topic this time?  Bridal and baby shower etiquette — true minefields of social awkwardness.

The author of the blog, Arden Clise, is the well-known Seattle authority on business etiquette.  As the founder of Clise Etiquette, Arden works as an etiquette consultant, speaker and business etiquette columnist for the Puget Sound Business Journal. 

Many thanks to Arden for so generously allowing me to share her space again.

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July 6, 2011 · 2:38 PM

Yawn (Amid Scandal)

Prince Albert II married Charlene Wittstock last weekend, and it really didn’t rise above expectations.

At least I prepared you — when you saw her signing her marriage license in the legal ceremony, her pantsuit didn’t alarm, did it? 

Thanks to some decent WBO fashion sleuthing, you were totally prepared for a wide-legged, powder-blue pantsuit.  Though it hasn’t been condemned adequately in the fashion blogs, the fact that you can’t find a full-length picture of it anywhere speaks volumes.  It’s like the Monaco police are trolling the internet, deleting the offense.

Despite the Eagles concert, fireworks show, celebrity chefs and oceans of champagne, the occasion failed to herald the kind of attention Wills and Kate received.  In fact, the event fell so low on the British royalty priority list that they only sent Prince Edward as a rep. 

(You know, Prince Edward, the youngest of Queen Elizabeth’s children, the groom in another forgettable royal wedding, the Earl of Wessex…OK I know you stopped reading half a sentence ago.)

Let’s take a look at the Armani dress in the religious ceremony the following day:

According to a press release, Armani explains his design:  “The idea was to go for a completely modern look, without an obvious sense of nostalgia or revivalism.”  I’m not sure what that means, except that apparently it took a lot of work.  According to multiple sources the dress took 2,500 hours to create and featured 40,000 Swarovski crystals and 20,000 mother of pearl teardrops.  The veil alone took 100 hours to embroider.

And yet…it doesn’t wow me.  It is certainly beautiful, but it didn’t send me to the moon the way Kate’s did.  I’m pretty sure it’s the chest and stomach area — something about that just doesn’t win me over.

As for Albert, he looks like he’s on a float in an age-inappropriate Disney World parade, dressed as an unattractive version of Prince Eric in The Little Mermaid. 

But it’s not like anyone was looking at him anyway.

I will say the ceremony setting was beautiful, and the castle was a picturesque backdrop.

Something is amiss, however, when the bride is  the only one at the wedding who sheds a tear.

Though I don’t think we have to struggle to suppose what brought the waterworks.  It was widely reported that just days before the ceremony, yet another woman hit Prince Albert with a paternity claim.  According to The Telegraph, “Monaco officials privately admitted there is “truth” in a rumour that Albert faces a paternity test.”

Nothing like a paternity test to get you excited for the big day!

Did I mention the woman accusing him hasn’t had the child yet?  She’s still pregnant…I’m no mathematician, but I’m pretty sure that didn’t happen prior to Charlene and Albert’s four-year relationship.

See?  Even princesses have to deal with baby mama drama.

In the end, Charlene may be getting the last laugh.  After all, her new name is Her Serene Highness, Princess Charlene.  Even Duchess Kate isn’t an actual princess by title (though when you’re guaranteed to be queen one day, who’s counting?).

I, for one, am rooting for her, and will raise a glass in the hope that all of Prince Albert’s future children are Princess Charlene’s.

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