Weddings from Hell

I never watch Dr. Phil, or even pay attention to what's on his show or what he's up to. So that's why it's escaped me that he's been doing wedding-themed shows all week long. The series culminates in today's "Hell Wedding." Now, that's something that I probably have to watch. What sort of wedding blogger would I be otherwise?

“My wedding was hell because my husband showed up to our wedding drunk. It was completely disastrous,” says Janae. “I tried to call him because he was late, and he was stumbling over his words. I was panicked. I was a nervous wreck.”

This is not what you want on your wedding day, no matter how traditional or anti-bride you might be.

Check your local listings! It's going to be awesomely gruesome, I'm sure.

(Image from DrPhil.com)

Glamour's 20 Wedding Do's and Don'ts

We here at Flaming Tulle are on holiday break, but that doesn't mean our minds aren't on blogging. It just means we're not sitting in front of computers. Vicky has parents, in-laws, and a toddler to deal with. I found out a week ago that I have to move to D.C. by the end of January so I'm in the throes of moving madness.

But weddings are still on our minds, at least part-time. While sitting around this morning half working, half waiting for maintenance guys to pop in, half flipping through tv channels, I came across Glamour's 20 Wedding Do's and Don'ts on the Style channel. While it's partly a montage of celebrities and celebrity designers and quippy sound bites, they're actually giving some good advice. Don't make your bridesmaids spend a lot of money on ugly dresses. Did you know that even Vera Wang has a closet full of ugly bridesmaids dresses? Make sure your veil doesn't look like mosquito netting. If you splurge on your dress, make sure you don't skimp in another important aspect of the wedding. One person noted that a $15K wedding dress and a cash bar are incredibly tacky. That same person noted that men should buy their tuxedoes: If you're grown up enough to get married, you're grown up enough to own a tuxedo. (They can be affordable! For serious! They're often cheaper than wedding dresses.)

And of course, what celebrity wedding discussion would be complete without mention of one of my absolute favorite wedding dresses, the Gwen Stefani gown. It's still tops on everyone's list for all-time great gowns. It's beautiful and actually quite big and pouffy while still complementing the style of the woman who's wearing it.

If you get a hankering for one of those end of the year countdown shows, Glamour's 20 Wedding Do's and Don'ts is an entertaining hour.

Say Yes to the Dress- Recap- Part Deux

I know. How can I possibly keep watching this show? My husband cringes, mutters under his breath and leaves the room when Say Yes to the Dress comes on the TV. I DVR it now and watch it when he's not around. Why do I continue to watch a show with absolutely no plot, no fascinating characters, no drama (they try but ehh) and is basically a veritable white-out on screen?

Simply put, I love wedding gowns. All types. Even the ugly ones. I like to see the new styles and I even like the crinkly sound the plastic bags make when they are plucked from the warehouse racks. I could care less if Claudia is fired or what sort of drama might be happening in Audrey's life to make her hair look so disheveled at times. I admit I do love Keasha. I would want her helping me find my dress. The brides themselves are boring. Even that Dad who was convinced another girl had his daughters dress. Relax dude. Heads do not need to roll over a dress! To me they are just the bit players and the real star of the show is obviously the dress. Do I care that it is just one big advertisement for Kleinfeld's? Not really. It is but I'm never going there. I wouldn't because a.) I don't live in NY and b.) I think it's stupid to FLY to buy a dress from a store that doesn't actually MAKE your dress. If they MADE dresses it would be a different story. Their designers? Whatever. Go to Italy. Go to David's Bridal. Do what you can and want.

Speaking of that what is with all these brides choosing that corset Like A Virgin dress? Ugh. I want to propel myself into their living rooms in 2025 and ask them if they still think they should have said yes to that dress. Talk about dating themselves. It's going to be like one of those pearl drop headpieces circa 1986 looking back at them with a puff-sleeved dress. No one looked good in that. Not even Laura Spencer on General Hospital. I digress though.

I keep watching Say Yes to the Dress. I won't miss it when it's gone but it's a nice filler while folding laundry late at night. Wedding gowns are a thing of beauty and dreams. They are wishful thinking and transformations. It cheers me to see families cry over a thing of beauty that is their child in a massive piece of "crinkled paper" confection. I love seeing the grandmothers from the old country see their American grand-daughter all decked out. In this way I'm a total sucker for sap.

Say Yes to the Dress- Recap

It's official. I'm addicted. Two episodes in of Say Yes to the Dress and I am happy to report TLC has made me a junkie. I'm already fiending for another viewing and it is only Wednesday.

The premise: Follow brides and bridal consultants as they work together to find that one perfect dress (or in the case of Camille three perfect dresses but who is counting!) at Kleinfelds in New York. You even get a peek into the alterations department and the running of the brides they do each year.

I think for me it is admittedly just oggling all the beautiful dresses. Always a sucker for something beautiful I can't stop myself from watching. I don't care about the brides, their sometimes over bearing friends, and their tearful families. I find myself more into the consultants. I'm still not sure how this show is going to continue with more episodes and brides only looking at dresses. So far all the brides have committed to their dresses in under five minutes. Ah the beauty of editing. There hasn't been any real drama. You don't get emotionally invested in anything but admiring the dress and finding one to say 'yes' to which I guess is the point.




All I know is that I want Keasha to dress me and mermaid dresses have become very popular this year. Stay tuned!

Say Yes to the Dress

I don't normally like to plug things but this caught my eye, and it's TLC which I can kind of be a junkie for, starting on Friday at 10 is 'Say Yes to the Dress'. The show will take 13 weeks to follow three different brides as they plan and plot their way to Kleinfeld's Bridal store in NYC to find that perfect dress. Will they have success? Well I guess we have to watch to find out. My DVR is set!

I did a bit more research on the show to find out how can it take 13 weeks of a show to find a dress in one store. I mean really. Two weekends in one store is all I'm giving a bride before I deem them on the road to Bridezillahood. Yet the show is promising a docu-soap look at behind the scenes of the store and how they go from helping a bride choose the dress of her dreams and one that looks good on her to fittings, alterations, and more. I love this stuff! Plus you get background on the brides and their own stories. Fascinating television? Maybe only to us but I'm game.

Who is with me?


*Image from TLC's website and Say Yes to the Dress.