She may be skilled in the ways of beach volleyball…

But even Olympians make dumb ring-related mistakes. The safest place for your wedding ring is often on your finger, but not when you make a living doing something that can involve flinging the ring into an immense pile of sand. A word to the wise.

Something to watch out for at the bridal shop

You may (quite reasonably) think the Federal Trade Commission’s Textile Act has nothing to do with you–you’re not a carpet salesperson, a purveyor of scarves, or a silkworm.

However, this law has a lot to do with brides because it prohibits retailers from removing tags or labels that contain information about garment manufacturers, fiber content, country of origin, and care instructions. The first one–manufacturers–is the one you’re concerned about, as it’s the one bridal shops most often clip away to prevent you from browsing in their stores and then taking your price-shopping self elsewhere. It’s much harder to shop around on a dress you fall in love with if you don’t know who the heck manufactured it.

Reputable shops don’t do this–if you encounter one that does, walk out the door and take your browsing elsewhere.

Good news for gay chickies

Gov signs bill approving marriages for out-of-state gay couples. Woo-hoo! It’s about time.

This is very cute…

I’m willing to bet she didn’t have a Botox party beforehand. Click here.

Two new wedding trends I hate

Well, a trend and a show, I guess.

Let’s take the show first–Bulging Brides. Good God. The name more or less says it all, but for the uninitiated, the idea is that a “Dream Team” whips imperfect (read: real) women into shape, and into their dresses, just in time for the big day. I’d be more inclined to forgive it if there were a companion “Gluttonous Grooms” show…the whole thing is noxious because it reinforces the increasingly accepted notion that brides must be supernaturally thin (and buff to boot) in order to be acceptable.

In other disconcerting news, check out this recent New York Times article–Botox for brides and bridesmaids alike!

If you’re engaged, it goes without saying that someone wants to marry you just as you are–just as you are *right now*–in all your flawed, possibly un-buff, possibly somewhat wrinkled glory. Everyone wants to look their best on their wedding day, of course, but the self-Stepfordization tactics are a little scary. You don’t want to morph into someone unrecognizable (and, worse still, something ultimately un-maintainable).

Hey chickies!

weddingchickie.com is joining the 21st century with a blog…stay tuned here for updates.