FLOWERS! Lovely To Look At, But…

A-choo.

You’ve paid a florist a small fortune to cover your wedding with flowers. Garlands line the aisles, petals float along the walkway, and centerpieces are crammed full of lilies. Their sublime fragrance effectively masks the aroma of over-Axed groomsmen and the mothballed suit your favorite uncle pulled out of the closet just for the occasion.

The scene is exactly as you had imagined it: perfect. Surrounded by ginormous arrangements, the wedding party is smiling, you’re beaming and the groom is tearing up. But what’s this?  Your man never cries, not even when his team blows a 21-point lead in the fourth quarter of a playoff game.  At first you are so touched by his display of emotion you start to lose your own composure.  But then the source of those tears becomes clear.  The more he sniffs, the more he sniffles.  As his eyes turn red and watery, the sneezing fit starts and the sweet emotion drains just like his sinuses as you realize those aren’t tears of joy but a reaction to the cloud of allergens clogging the air.

I wish I were making this one up, but I’ve seen it happen.  I was more than a little surprised that after a year of planning, the crucial detail of the groom’s allergy got ignored in the drive for The Perfect Wedding.  The poor guy had a lily attached to his lapel like an inhaler designed to incapacitate him before he got to the “I Do” stage.  They had to ditch all the boutonnieres and go flowerless for the ceremony.

Now don’t get me wrong.  As a photographer I LOVE flowers, and what would a wedding be without them?  What could a bride do with her hands as she comes down the aisle if not for the bouquet (balloons? pinwheels? squirt guns?)  They can be used not only to mask the aforementioned odors, but also to disguise unsightly items (holes in the carpet?  tangles of wires?) that might otherwise interfere with the image you have in mind.  And of course they look great in the pictures.

Flowers, Flowers Everywhere!

But as with so many other components of a wedding, it’s important to keep some perspective.  If it turns out your maid of honor is allergic, wouldn’t it be better to minimize the flowers in order to keep her from looking like the world’s biggest drama queen, stealing the spotlight from you as she sniffles, gags, and wheezes through your ceremony?  And do you want her sneezing all over you when you’re getting into your dress?  We’re assuming she’s your BFF and you want to keep it that way.   And bear in mind that everyone will think the flowers are gorgeous even if the shade of magenta in the napkins doesn’t quite match the pink in your bouquet.  I’ve seen brides weep over details like that, forgetting in their bridal haze that flowers are beautiful no matter what.  I’ve stood by as one heroic mother of the bride got the florist to come back and remove some small items from the bouquets after her daughter threw a screaming fit about HATING!!! a particular color (green? who hates green?), a mission critical detail that hadn’t been conveyed to the harried florist.

There’s probably no reason to see if any of your guests has a sensitivity (please check this box for beef, chicken, or allergy?), but it’s not a bad idea to make sure no one in the wedding party is going to be blubbering through your ceremony for all the wrong reasons.  And most of all you want your groom to be able to enjoy that champagne toast without a Benadryl chaser.

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The Dreaded Makeup Overdose: Don’t Let It Happen to You

For those of you who have never participated in theater or made any appearances on television — and therefore missed out on the glorious opportunity to experience layers of pore-clogging makeup caked on your face — a wedding might be one of your first opportunities to have your makeup professionally done. Like a spa day, an hourlong massage or drinking a giant pitcher of beer to stay warm at the Winter Classic (sorry, hockey fans), it’s a fun indulgence that should be, well, indulged once in a while.  You feel glamorous, or possibly just like you’re playing dress-up, but at the least like you deserve an invitation to the Golden Globes. Who doesn’t want to hang out with Channing Tatum while looking entirely fabulous? But I digress. The point is, as anyone who has ever visited a MAC counter knows, makeup makeovers can be lots of fun!

Better to look like your normal self than try to hide your “dramatic” blue eyeliner in the shadows.

HOWEVER. The thing to remember about makeup artists is that, unlike butchers or salad bars, you are not paying them by the ounce. You probably already have a flat fee with them for the day, so there’s no need to let them talk you into trying extra fake eyelashes or this new really fabulous bronzer. Your wedding day is probably not the best time to be a foundation guinea pig — unless you’re marrying one of the contestants on RuPaul’s Drag Race, in which there’s no chance you’ll be the most heavily made-up person in attendance.

The point is, you know yourself better than your makeup artist (unless it’s your mom). If sparkles aren’t your thing, say so. If you absolutely hate how lipstick looks on you, say so. If this is the first time you’ve worn makeup since your college graduation, there’s no need to start guessing which colors of eyeshadow will work best on you. Stick with what you know, and don’t let a stranger with professional familiarity with color palettes take over your entire face. Yes, he or she may be an expert in makeup application, but you’re an expert in your face, and that’s the most important thing here. You do want people to be able to recognize you in your photos, don’t you?

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