Two Feet and Four Paws

I am the proud pet parent of a 3 year old male Schipperke (dog) "Bear" who my fiance and I have raised since he was a wee pup at 7 weeks old. He's been with us through thick and thin and is the joy of our lives. Some pet parents choose to have their pet included in their nuptials as the ring bearer or flower girl. Before including your furry companion in your bridal party, check with the venue first (unless it's at home) if pets are allowed. If so, think really hard having your dog in the wedding, especially if your dog has some issues that could hinder the wedding or worse.

Did I see a cat?! Where is it?! Lemme at it!

Not every pet will be able to sit still and behave for a period of time without getting distracted. There are some pets that will behave, but once you turn your back it could be an entirely different story.

This sure beats dog biscuits!

No two pets are the same and if there are multiple pets, be careful with pairing them if they weren't raised in the same home . I do not recommend including your four legged companion if they have issues with separation, crowds and/or children (if you plan on having any at the wedding).

Hey, what am I chopped liver?!!!

Moral of the story: Best friend doesn't always mean they'll be on their best behavior.

Mommie Dearest

A fellow member of a forum I frequent once said that a wedding is a dictatorship, not a democracy. Truer words could not be spoken. Despite the burgeoning rise of couples footing the bill for their wedding, there are still a few mothers and/or fathers of the bride or groom that do for most of all of the bills. It is nice to help, but the helping can morph into controlling over time. Most talk about the bridezilla, but there is one creature that is just as bad,if not worse than bridezilla. That creature is the momzilla. The momzilla could be the mother of the bride or groom and will have no qualms on letting you know her opinions and demands. Forget that it's your wedding, in her mind it's HER wedding. Money isn't the only reason she uses to justify her controlling and overbearing ways, it could be because she had no say in hers and wants to live vicariously through you. She drives everyone around her and can drive a wedge between the bride and groom with her ways.

Momzilla vs. The Bride

Momzillas obsess over the wedding over anything else but there are some that strong arm their way in the wedding plans.

The Dictator.

The wedding plans are not the only thing momzillas voice their opinions over, it's also the bride or groom's choice of partners. Some momzillas are more subtle than others when it comes down to showing her displeasure with her future son or daughter-in-law.

Save that for a funeral.

Way to upstage the bride. How rude!

The two worst faux pas the mother of the bride or groom could ever make are wearing solid black or white to the wedding.

Before anybody gets steamrolled and their feelings hurt, the best thing to do is talk things over and let Mom know that you are open to her opionions and/or advice and let her have some involvement in your plans and do let her know if and when she is overstepping her boundaries.


Moral of the Story: Helping does not equal dictating.

Stark Raving Bride and Groom

Planning a wedding is a joyful and stressful time. There's so much to do and only so much time before the big day. Typically the father and/or mother of the bride was the one to foot the bill for the wedding, while the bride did the planning. Now that has changed with the bride and groom both footing the bill and planning the wedding. It can be stressful, but there are ways to release it without hurting anyone's feelings in the process. Unfortunately that isn't always true with some brides. Even as a fellow bride-to-be, I still can't fathom how someone can go from normal to the the monster we all know as bridezilla. We all want our wedding to be wonderful, but some brides demand total perfection and refuse to accept anything less, even if it means drastic measures and seems tactless and downright rude in everyone else's eyes. If bridezilla's expectations aren't met, you can be sure that she will incur her wrath on all who stand in her way.

The My Super Sweet 16 girls on Mtv have nothing on her.

It's easy to get consumed with the wedding plans, but the most consuming of all bridezillas are their egos. The things that come out of a bridezillas mouth always have the words "me" "I" "mine" or "my" in it..

Megalomania much?

Now there is a small, but growing amount of these monsters lurking from the shadows called the Groomzilla. It's bad when you have bridezilla, but when bride and groomzilla unite, be afraid....be very very afraid.

The groom of doom.

Moral of the story: Keep your cool and perspective. This day may be about you, but don't forget that there is no I in We. A wedding is only one day, but marriage is a lifetime.

Guests Gone Bad

For any special event, it is wise to be on your best behavior and don your finest attire for the occasion. Depending on the occasion, you must follow the proper protocol to be on the good graces of the bride and groom and other important figures and if you want to continue to be invited to other functions they will host.

During the ceremony, cell phones or any electronics need to be on vibrate, silent or completely shut off. Unless that call is an emergency, do not answer it and leave the ceremony site if you need to talk on your cell phone.


Way to draw attention to yourself. Not only will you be getting the evil eye from the other guests, but the officiant and bridal party too. Worse, they will hear your not so private conversation.


Some couples choose not to include children on the guest list for various reasons: budget, capacity restrictions or because of the behavior. If the bride and groom wish to include children on the guest list, there are a few things parents must follow with small children and . During the ceremony, instruct the child to keep quiet and sit still. That can be a hard feat for children, but one way to keep them busy, quiet and happy is to bring coloring books or a pad of paper for them to doodle on . As for potty breaks, instruct the child to whisper to you when they need to go, so there are no loud interruptions during the ceremony. It's okay to let your child play at the reception, but keep a watchful eye so they won't cause trouble.


It's bad enough to hear a cellphone go off, but it's worse with children. Even a fellow parent would give the death glare if another parent can't keep little precious quiet.


Babies are a different story, but proper etiquette still must be followed. If the baby starts to cry, quietly excuse yourself from the ceremony and go to another room to soothe the baby.

Nothing is more piercing to the ears than a loud baby.

Having a drink or two is okay, provided that you are on your best behavior and not causing a scene. Some can tolerate alcohol more than others, but the bad behavior that comes with it is the intolerable part for anyone with an inebriated guest.

The hangover won't be the only thing she'll be regretting in the morning.

Lewd or crude remarks, verbal or physical fights, harassment, or loose inhibitions like blurting out that the groom once slept with some strippers while you're drunk are bound to haunt you. That haunting may result in you being snubbed from future events or ruining whatever relationship you have with your fellow guests and/or the bride and groom.


Moral of the story: Tactfulness get you anywhere.

With This Ring I Thee Wed.....

For centuries, wedding rings are the symbol of fidelity,undying love and a union between two people . Years ago they were once simple and understated but made a bold statement. Now, wedding rings make a bold statement in so many ways with couples having more options to choose from in having a unique wedding ring. Couples now have the option of choosing many different etchings, stones, metals other than gold or two tone metal rings, natural or antique finish. Couples can also opt for eco-friendly rings that are made of conflict free metals and/or stones, recycled metals or wood. This is one of the few parts of wedding planning where both the bride and groom are involved. Being unique is fine, but being the one that sticks out like a sore thumb is not.




Coming to a hardware store near you: wedding rings. At least with these you can link them together so you won't lose them.


Sometimes function overrides fashion, depending on the bride and groom's lifestyle which can be another factor in choosing the right wedding ring.

Too bad these rings can't be used to really hook up an ethernet connection or for phone jack.



Some couples opt for plain metal wedding bands with etchings, filigree edges or a simple band with or without a couple of small stones.

I may love Hello Kitty, but this is where I draw the line.

Moral of the Story: When you pick out your rings, think of how it would look now and years later before buying them.

The Snow Beast Cometh

Some brides like to really feel like a princess for a day and one of the many ways they do that is by either donning a tiara, a long veil, figure hugging gown with a long train or a big gown with all the frills. What you choose to wear for the wedding could draw attention to you in a good or bad way, but besides that could make you miserable .


Big poofy gowns may still be popular, but there are some more form fitting gowns that can display the same amount of extravagance.


I wonder how she was able to put on her gown without having to hold her breath or even be able to move during the wedding. The Groom or her father must've gone through more layers of her veil than Salome did in her dance to take it off.

Poofy dresses aren't the only extravagant bridal garb, puffy veils were all the rage in the mid-late 1980s to the early 1990's.



This is the true meaning of excess and the bride's veil and headpiece look like it's devouring her her head.


Real life brides aren't the only ones who have sinned a great deal in the eyes of the fashion gods.




If any bride in real life wore the same or similarly designed gowns as these dolls, they would need an entourage to get in and out of these gowns.


Moral of the story: Sometimes choosing function is better than fashion.

Deck The Halls

What sets off an event more than anything is the decor, regardless of the theme, formality or color scheme. Simplicity and elegance is key in wedding decor and there are several ways to cut costs for ceremony and reception decorations. One way is to make the centerpieces yourself or buy ribbon kits for the aisle or wedding arch at craft stores. Depending on your venue for the reception and/or catering, your vendor may offer services to help with some of the decorations, like the centerpieces or renting out table linens,tents and/or chair covers. Silk flowers can look great (provided they are of good quality and arranged nicely) while dramatically slashing costs and great for those who have allergies. Another alternative is balloon bouquets for the table centerpieces. Now, I will emphasize my credo that less is more with decor and style.

Every bride wants to have that fairy tale wedding like Cinderella. It could be a cute and romantic motif, but as long as it doesn't go from a wedding to a little girl's party.




The cake was supposed to be the focal point of the table, but the enormous balloon carriage ran that over.


The old wedding tradition is to have something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, which can be a number of things.


Apparently we've hit a new low in using something old and something borrowed.


Topiaries can be great center pieces for most themes and color schemes whether fresh flowers are used or not. I will advise again for the artistically inept not to attempt making their own decorations.


We are experiencing a northern exposure of the foam ball sparsely decorated with pumpkin candy corn.


I love dolls and what girl doesn't. I will admit that even the artistically adept are inclined to making a few decorating blunders as well.


This is best suited for your grandmas bathroom dolls...particularly the toilet paper roll cover dolls.


Moral of the Story: High quality and low quantity are the keys to a beautifully decorated wedding ceremony and reception.