Planning a wedding is difficult, but let’s not forget about the maid of honor who has a lot of planning to do as well. While Justin and I plan our wedding, I am also serving as maid of honor for my sister’s wedding this May. Being Maid of Honor for a Stock woman would be incredibly simple if we both did not have such nontraditional or alternative tastes. My sister and I are very different. She always wears black and I seem to have way too much brown in the closet. She ordered HBO just so she could watch Sex and the City, sometimes I manage to catch the show on TBS. She never ate her Halloween candy, she only counted it to be sure I wasn’t eating it all since my candy was gone in the first night. The majority of her friends are females while mine are boys. Despite our differences, we also have similarities, and many of them seem to be surfacing throughout our wedding planning.
Let’s talk wedding showers. My sister and I both said we did not want any showers. Before you gasp, let me state that I see both sides of the fence. On the one side (which I tend to favor), wedding showers seem to inconvenience people more than anything. I don’t think I have ever heard a person say how excited they were that they had to spend their Saturday afternoon at a wedding shower. I know the bridesmaids commiserate on the cost of having to attend an engagement party, a shower, a bachelorette party, a dress for the big show, and a present for all parties. Why not eliminate at least one event.
Before anyone gets too red in the face I will acknowledge the other side. Many relatives of the older generation more than appreciate and enjoy these parties because they are introduced to more family and get to visit with those they don’t see as often. Unfortunately, this runs the risk of the bride not knowing the names of some of her relatives that attend her shower, but this is an opportunity for her to learn and meet them as well. Also some girls purely enjoy any celebration surrounding a wedding, though they may be few, I wouldn’t want to disappoint them.
Therefore, two weekends ago I threw a wedding shower for my sister. I was persuaded to do so and in the end I am happy I did. It was a small group of 17 people from both our family and Laura’s new family. Everyone seemed genuinely pleased with the event. We celebrated Laura’s last official step of flying away from the nest at the St. Louis Tea Room silently placed in Tower Grove South on Utah Street. Much of the success is due in part to this charming establishment. Our shower was absolutely not their first. I thanked everyone for coming and they handled the rest. Each guest was provided a delicious hearty lunch that included a unlimited beverage, scones, half bowl of soup, salad, sandwich and side, and a dessert (cost is $16 per person). They even happily provided a vegetarian option for my mom and me. I have to mention that the cream of asparagus soup was exceptional and the salad wasn’t boring.
St. Louis Tea Room is an excellent option for those looking for a nontraditional wedding shower. All guests visit with each other over lunch, and later the bride opens gifts. The lunch itself takes almost two hours, so shower games are your option, but without them the party still feels complete. Stay tuned for the bachelorette party that I am in the process of planning. No genitalia, tiaras, or sashes allowed.
