Chiverie

What NOT To Do If You're A Wedding Caterer

I carefully explained to this caterer, as with every other caterer I've spoken with, why we can't have spinach on our menu.  This is what I received today:

   

Here's a suggestion for caterers out there, wedding or otherwise.  When a potential client specifically tells you to leave a food item out of the menu proposal, don't send them a menu full of that one particular item.

Just a thought.

Wedding Cake That Makes You Go "Hmmmm"

I keep looking at this picture and wondering why someone would decorate a wedding cake with condoms that they evidently stole from a midget.

(Does anyone know what those bubbles ARE?  Please comment and let me know!!)

Budget-Friendly Wedding Tip: Using In-Season Flowers

One of the very best ways to save money on flowers for your wedding is to select flowers that are in season in your area.  It makes perfect sense budget-wise - no special ordering, no other-side-of-the-planet shipping costs - and quality-wise - the more local the flowers, the fresher they will be. 

My wedding is in early November, and I live in Northern California.  This is just about the time that the weather starts to turn crisp and cool here, but very mild or even warm weather is not out of the question.  So we don't get much of a "fall" the way some readers from the Midwest or East Coast think of fall... but we do get the advantage of a longer growing season for flowers and produce. 

However, even here, there are limitations.  I adore tulips, but I don't adore their off-season prices.  So I'm thinking of things like mums, anemones, ranunculus, certain lilies, perhaps some cymbidium orchids, greenery - and of course, roses are always available.  (On the other hand, my first wedding was in the summer, and so we had a ridiculous variety to choose from.... and our flowers were gorgeous.) 

A good, honest florist will explain to you what is in season at the time of your wedding, and be prepared to offer you lots of ideas and options for keeping your floral bill reasonable.  You can educate yourself, too, prior to any meeting with a floral designer by visiting local flower marts, calling or visiting wholesale florists in your area, and making good friends with Google.   

To help get you started, I've included several links below.  Happy browsing!

In Season Spring Wedding Flowers
In Season Summer Wedding Flowers
In Season Fall Wedding Flowers
In Season Winter Wedding Flowers
See What Wedding Flowers Are Available By Season
Flowers By Season Guide To Choosing Your Wedding Flowers
Popular Flowers - Different Wedding Flowers By Season
Choosing The Right Wedding Flowers For The Season

Wedding Rental Fees - Money Saving Tip

Last night I got an estimate from a caterer with rentals budgeted at $995.  Holy bridesmaids' garters, Batman!  Do they think we want organic linen tablecloths washed in the tears of orphaned Guatemalan puppies?   

Fortunately, she explained this in her cover email.  See, we're getting married on a Saturday night, and the wedding won't be over until about 10:00 pm.  Because of the late hour, we are paying an after-hours pick up charge.  She said that if they were allowed to leave the rentals at the facility until Monday morning, we would pay $100 instead of $450.

Amazing.  Who knew?  With a budget our size (bitty) $350 makes a difference! 

So... my sisters in bridal HELL, if you want to save some cash on rentals, it appears you can do that by scheduling your wedding to end earlier in the evening.  Or, if you have an amenable venue, see if they'll let things sit for a day.  Unfortunately, ours won't let us do this - but you, friends, might be luckier. 

A bientôt!

Beginnings

I started this blog because I need to vent. 

It's T-minus 123 days (wedding:  11/8/08) and I'm deep in the belly of the carnival funhouse known as the wedding industry. 

I now understand why women go all Bridezilla.

Anyway, in addition to venting, I am also going to share the things I learn and discover along the way.  A few tips and tricks so that perhaps some future bride can avoid feeling like she wants to slowly eviscerate each and every vendor on her list AND their mother.

I named this blog Chiverie for a few reasons.  Chiverie (or charivari, or shivaree as it's known in some parts of North America) is an old French country tradition. I'm a sucker for things French AND old, what can I say?  Supposedly, it is rooted in a pagan practice of making loud noises to drive evil spirits away from the newlyweds.  Later it became more fun.  One source says:

Chiverie is the wedding night prank to interrupt the wedding couple at night by a crowd clanging pots and pans, righing bells and horns.  The bride and groom were expected to appear in their wedding clothes and provide treats for their tormentors.

Some say that this custom was the precursor for the wedding reception.  Throw 'em a party so they'll be too drunk to throw one under your window on your wedding night!  Or, they're going to party in your front yard whether you like it or not, so maybe it's better to do something more organized.

(Interestingly, Bartleby.com says that the word probably derives from the Late Latin for "headache."  Most brides can probably relate to that, no?)

Once widely spread, the charivari morphed into a not-so-nice way to mock an older man who was marrying a much-younger bride, or voice community disapproval for a widow who married too soon after her husband's death. 

Despite what it grew into later, the origin of the chiverie-slash-charivari is, essentially, the after-party. And although it's not too widely practiced in these parts, I hope that some of these tips can help see you through your wedding -- ceremony to reception to chiverie -- with all your hair still connected to your head... and your betrothed's head still connected to his/her body! 

I hope you'll keep reading!  Let the bitching begin!