Category: holidays

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Plans of Planning

NOTE: This post inspired by Pippin & Pearl’s post from this morning.  The opinions expressed are my own, but have been influenced by every wedding I’ve ever attended (or was unable to attend because the couples in question eloped to Las Vegas with little-to-no notice. Aherm.)  

Don't freak out; I was just modeling it for a friend. This was so long ago that I didn't have a mannequin available for such purposes.
Don’t freak out; I was just modeling it for a friend. This was taken before Tiddleywink Vintage had a mannequin available for such purposes.

Someday, I’ll get married. That’s the plan, anyway. And with each wedding at which I’m present, I make mental notes. Band too genre-specific/DJ hiring too stressful: use an iTunes playlist. Awkward, cliquish socializing: invite only your closest friends/relatives. Starving vegetarians: serve at least a 70:30 ratio of meat-free food. Disappointed parents who missed the event due to surprise elopement: just don’t do that. The most down-to-earth, smart, sane people I know getting caught up in the spiral of wedding planning: keep it simple. No, not etch-your-own-beribboned-mason-jars simple, but REALLY simple. Still, it’s a special event, and should be treated accordingly. I think I found what I’ll eventually be looking for in a book I recently enjoyed reading called Let’s Bring Back: An Encyclopedia of Forgotten-Yet-Delightful, Chic, Useful, Curious, and Otherwise Commendable Things from Times Gone By, by Leslie Blume. She writes:

MORNING WEDDINGS The typical American wedding used to follow along these lines: a ceremony in the morning, followed by a wedding breakfast or luncheon at the bride’s parents’ house. The guest list: relatives and intimate friends. The couple would then leave for their honeymoon in the early afternoon. Compared to the expensive fanfare of today’s circus-like weddings (the average American wedding reportedly costs upward of $20,000), the simplicity of this old ritual is very appealing.

The book also includes a “Small Wedding Luncheon” menu taken from the 1966 edition of The New York Times Menu Cook Book. Punch, an assortment of chilled salads, rolls. Cake, coffee, and strawberries served in sparkling wine. Now, that’s more my style. Assuming I get married in this neck of the woods, I already have a cake bakery picked out. Given my careers-slash-hobbies, I’ll still stress over the perfect dress and invitation. But hopefully not much else.

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To Chris From Velda

I’m not a Valentine’s Day person. For one thing, I have about a 30/70 history of being with a Significant Other on any given year. To date, my most memorable Valentine’s Day gift was the single rose given to me by a college friend who was giving out roses to all of his single friends so we didn’t feel so left out. When I was with The Last Guy, we skipped V-Day altogether and instead celebrated our adoration for each other on Presidents’ Day (typically the same weekend, it was kind of our little joke). But I like hearts. And things that are red. So I wind up with stuff like this.

I honestly don’t recall how I wound up with this assortment of vintage valentines, other than knowing that I didn’t acquire them all at once. I am, however, sharing them all at once, and in as close to chronological order as I can suss out. Enjoy!

Armored tanks and love. They go together like…um…I’m at a loss.

Tank
on back: Chris .H. from Velda

You can’t beat me as a valentine! The bear’s arm (and eyes) shift back and forth. The message is obscured from every angle, but the type is great.

Drummer Bear
on back: Grandma from Ruth (in very tidy penmanship)

I’m a sucker for cats, and puns, so this one may be my favorite. You’re so purr-ty!

Purrty
on back: To Chris from (illegible)

Jumping ahead to—I’m pretty sure—the ’60s, we have this jaunty-capped painter.

Painter

When was the last time you heard “woolgathering” used in conversation? (For my younger readers: it’s akin to daydreaming.) Yes, it’s a pink ram. Why not?

Woolgathering

A lion “cuddles” a pair of lads. Um, okay.

Roar

The valentine writers are wearing a bit thin in the pun department.

Gift

The writers have now given up entirely. And the awkward, paper-saving die cut emphasizes how cheap these sentiments are getting.

Sitting Pretty

Looking very Cindy-Lou Who, this angel is cute…but wouldn’t a robot or alien (née Martian) have been more appropriate?

Angel

That’s all I have, kids. If you want to print one of these for your sweetie, click on the image to see a larger version.

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Nothing Like The Last Minute

New Year shenanigans running the gamut from glamorous to goofy, 2007–8.

Because I have pretty, dress-up clothes that I used to wear regularly.

Because I don’t think my champagne flutes have been used since the Coopers moved to OKC.

Because the Significant Other received a family-sized ham from his employer for Christmas, and it’s taking up not inconsiderable space in the fridge.

Because the last time I had people over was in July.

Because I was absent from my friends’ Christmas party due to caring for Significant Other during his 18-hour bout of food poisoning.

Because I miss my friends.

Morning, Dec. 26th (via text): “Do we have plans for New Year’s Eve? Should I invite some friends over?”

No response.

Evening, Dec. 26th (in person): “So, do we have plans for New Year’s Eve that I don’t know or have forgotten about?”
“Yeah, stay in and safely away from all the crazies out there.”
“I like that plan. Should we invite some of our friends over to ‘stay in’ with us?”
“Maybe. We’ll see.”

So, to any of my friends who would typically get invited to my our place for NYE—and you know who you are—if you don’t already have other plans, well, you may still not. But feel free to give me a holler on Monday and maybe, you know, swing by. There’s this ham, see.