Girls & Boys (to copy Jonniker and title my post after a song)

First off, this post is totally gender-divided, with the first bit primarily for the ladies and the next for the gents. My apologies to the feminist movement, any guys out there who are planning their weddings and ...everyone else. I think it's also a testament to the (potential) power of blogging, linking, commenting and sometimes, just screwing around with the Google.

That being said: As a wedding planner, I struggle with the "Wedding Industry" as a whole.
"What a crock!" some of you are exclaiming, "she perpetuates the Wedding Industry! She's hawking those eight-pound magazines like a New York hot dog guy! She obsesses over invitation ink colors and envelope textures!" This may be true, but wait, wait just a minute here - allow me to explain myself. Yes, for some people, hiring a planner is more of a luxury than a necessity.

My clients, to a person, have all thanked me for a) Keeping them, their relatives and guests happy and oblivious of any issues b) Not allowing them to waste their money on any of that Godawful Wedding Crap c) Occasionally, gently reminding them that, in the end, it is (or should be) about the Marriage, not just the Wedding.

I often cruise around online, looking for "alternative" wedding website. It was my delicious, buttercream-y surprise to discover Ariel Meadow Stallings' blog, Offbeat Bride and to get a copy of her book, Offbeat Bride (Taffeta-free alternatives for independent brides)

Yes, I am totally encouraging consumerism: Buy This Book!

And as for the lads (and ladies who like the Lakers) - I am not the sports fan in the family, as you all know. However, this story here is so completely hysterical, even I am amused by it. Charles Barclay has challenged Dick Bavetta (video here) to a footrace, because he claims Dick is old and slow. If you aren't familiar with him, Dick Bavetta is an iconic basketball referee, the Chick Hearn of refs. He is a spry, lean guy with the age spots and sideways grin of someone who has Seen it All. The players, by and large, respect his calls and don't talk back to him very much. He responded to Barclays' challenge by offering to donate $5,000 to "Charity" under the name of the winner. I can't wait to see this.

The Veteran The Challenger

VS.