Kids say the darndest things: Marriage edition

Thanks to Mrs. Onion at Weddingbee for sharing this wonderful story at Divine Caroline, about kids views on love and marriage. Definitely read it for a chuckle!

A few of my favorites:

How would you make your marriage work?
"Tell your wife she looks pretty, even if she looks like a truck."
Ricky, age 10

How can you tell if two people are married?
"You might have to guess, based on whether they seem to be yelling at the same kids."
Derrick, age 8

How do you decide whom to marry?
"No person really decides before they grow up who they are going to marry. God decides it all way before, and you get to find out later who you're stuck with."
Kristen, age 10

Pittsburgh flair: Heinz Chapel weddings

One of the most popular locations for ceremonies in Pittsburgh, Heinz Memorial Chapel is a gorgeous setting for weddings. Couples have been saying "I do" at this historic chapel in Oakland since 1946 (check out this great story about three generations of brides who wed at Heinz Chapel).

Of course, since it is such a popular venue, having your wedding there can be tricky business. You or an immediate family member must be affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh in some way (as a student, alumni, faculty, staff or board member) or be an employee of Heinz. Booking your desired date and time at the chapel might be a bit challenging, especially on popular dates. To secure your spot, take the advice of some former Heinz Chapel brides:

• Call Heinz Chapel on the first of the month, 12 months before your wedding, at 8:30 a.m. (so if you're having a July 18, 2009, wedding, you'll want to call on July 1, 2008).
• Recruit several family members to call as well to increase your chances to get through (you'll often face busy signals and will need to keep redialing).
• Try calling from an on campus phone at Pitt. Many brides swear you'll have a better chance to get through.

Of course, if you can be flexible with your date and especially with your time, you'll have an easier time. Many Friday and Saturday morning time slots remain open, and if you pick an off-season date, you can often find Saturday afternoon and evening ceremonies available.

If you're getting married at Heinz Chapel, remember that you'll face some restrictions since so many couple marry there each weekend, most notably with time and decorations. The benefits, however, far out way the restrictions, as you'll be sure to have a beautiful ceremony with great memories (and photographs!) to last a lifetime.

Images from Heinz Memorial Chapel

New poll: How will you (did you) spend the holidays as an engaged couple?

Holidays can be a complicated time for couples, whether they're dating, engaged or married. You want to be to together, but you've got two families who want to spend time with you too. Many couples' families live in different cities (and the couple may be out of town as well), making some difficult choices for the couple.

So I want to know how you plan to spend the holidays with your fiance and your families. Married folks, feel free to vote on how you spent the season back when you were engaged. Vote on the poll in the left sidebar.

Poll results: Did your fiance ask your parents for permission to propose?

Our latest two-week poll has closed, and the results are in: 60 percent of your fiances asked your parents for permission to marry. I'm kind of surprised by the results, because personally, I thought asking the parents had become the exception rather than the rule. But, until the last few days of the poll, almost all of you had selected yes. I guess we've got some traditional guys out there!

Results:

• Yes, he asked: 60 percent
• No, he didn't: 40 percent

Thanks for voting. . .the next poll will be up shortly!

Second marriages: Getting the kids involved

The other night, I was watching an Ace Of Cakes repeat that the TiVo had caught, and one of the featured cakes was a very interesting wedding cake. The couple, both married previously, dropped their two kids off at the bakery with free reign to design whatever kind of wedding cake they wanted.

The kids rose to the challenge and came up with a cake featuring a Jeep, a skunk and green gorilla for the bride and groom, and four pairs of boots. Surely there was some sort of inside joke here, which didn't get explained on the show, but the bake shop worried about the parents liking their cake, which was about as far from traditional as you can get. The parents loved it though, and clearly understood the insides jokes none of us were privy to.

(Try as I might to find you a picture of this crazy cake, I couldn't do it. You can see other Charm City Cakes or watch the TV listing for repeats of Ace of Cakes' "Wishes Granted" episode.)

What I loved most about this story was how thoughtful the parents were to make sure that their children were an important part of the wedding. A marriage with kids involved is about a lot more than the couple, and it's definitely important to make the kids feel like they're part of the celebration. And what better way to include them than by letting them choose probably every kid's favorite part of the wedding--the cake?? It didn't matter how crazy the cake would be; only that the kids created something that represented their new family.

Image from Food Network

Fab 5: Bright, bold centerpieces

Happy December everyone! We got our first real snowfall of the season yesterday through this morning, and after getting stuck in a white-out snow squall on the turnpike last night, I could use a little brightening up! So I give you five deliciously colorful centerpieces to brighten up your table.

1. Hot Pink
   
   I used fuchsia at my own wedding, so it will always hold a soft place in my heart. This bright pink floral arrangement, balanced with a bit of green from the pears underneath, sits atop pink table linens.
   Image from Wedding Channel
   
   
2. Faux Floral
   
   For a more abstract touch, decorate your tabletop with works of art, like this metal flowers sculpture painted bright blue, green and yellow.
   Image from The Knot
   
   
3. Fluorescent Flowers
   
   Whoa! Yeah, this is bright. On top of a black tablecloth, these babies practically glow. (Tip: If you're using this color scheme, please let your bridesmaids wear black dresses--unless you want them to hate you.)
   Image from Wedding Channel
   
   
4. Mix-matched Blooms
   
   Arrange a few, small mismatched vases on your table and fill them each with a different brightly colored bloom or two for a casual feel.
   Image from The Knot
   
   
5. Bold Hues
   
   Top your table with a large bowl of boldly red carnations, and they'll just pop off a pale aqua and white color scheme.
   Image from Martha Stewart Weddings