A Rare Event, Indeed
People often ask us how we chose our company name. The short story: a wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and a rare and beautiful event both to host and to enjoy. Finding the great love of your life is a rare event as well, and planning weddings? The best un-job job ever. Likewise, blue moons are few and far between- and tonight one will shine for the first time in 20 years, festively marking New Year’s Eve 2009!
A full moon appears once a month, and there are 12 full moons a year. A blue moon is when the 13th full moon appears in a year, or if there are two full moons in a month. Rarely does the blue moon appear New Year’s Eve; the last on a New Year’s Eve was in 1990.
If you’re out and about toasting the town, you just might be able to catch a glimpse of the bluest and rarest little moon. Other fun ideas for tonight:
Hosting a party? Teach your guests to do the Charleston! Hire a local instructor and maybe he or she will throw in the shag as well.
Build an impossibly huge Champagne fountain? (Entertaining, to say the least.)
Find your inner play-ah?
Bail on the whole shebang, put your feet up, and watch the ball drop from the depths of your sofa (glass of Veuve in hand, of course):
Happy NYE 2009 from the BME team!
Trousseau Moderne
trous·seau, n. [French, from Old French, diminutive of trousse, bundle. See truss.] The possessions, such as clothing and linens, that a bride assembles for her marriage.
Throughout time, single young women have prepared for marriage by building a trousseau, or hope chest chock full of little luxuries, from bed and bath linens for the new home to honeymoon attire to heirloom jewels lovingly given by family members. Particularly popular in the Victorian era, trousseaux were filled with traveling dresses, evening robes, attire for horse and yacht races, and thousands of yards of fine lace for embellishing dresses. (Are you sufficiently ensconced in Pride and Prejudice mode yet?)
Common still today, a modern trousseau can be made up of many fine things- things which make sense for your lifestyle, trinkets that you love, surprises from the women in your family. Below, just a few fun suggestions of ours:
Sumptuous bed linens…
Peacock Alley Cleopatra bedding…
The ultimate dressing robe…
An heirloom quilt from Grandmother to keep you two toasty…
These are both “wedding ring” quilts, which is so very cute…
The perfect earrings for Saturday supper or Sunday church…
Jude Frances black pearl earrings…
Anthropologie Pave Peony earrings…
A fabulous hat for the Derby…
The finest of little bath luxuries…
The best in tabletop(bedside and buffet-side!) for your newlywed status…
Juliska Berry and Thread Placemat…
Sterling vanity set…
More Match pewter accessories…
Antique Sterling Toast Racks…
Scents for the home…
Resort wear and accessories for your tropical honeymoon…
Anthropologie Arabesque scarf…
Bernardo Medieval Woven Sandal…
Trina Turk Surf Hipster Bikini…
Vintage Backgammon set…
The Consummate Southern Libation
Nope, not the mint julep…nor a mason jar o’ moonshine- not even Coca-Cola; we mean the ever-versatile tableside staple, sweet tea. Open any Junior League cookbook and you should find it among the pages, sweetened with real sugar and garnished with fresh mint, a lemon wedge, or left untouched.
Words of wisdom:
1.) When ordering tea south of the Mason Dixon, it’s assumed you mean “sweet tea”.
2.) Tea is year-round. Perfect on the Fourth of July or at Christmas Day brunch, it is always de rigueur.
3.) Find a way to weave in “fixin’ to” and “y’all” whilst ordering, and you’ll be quasi-initiated into sweet-tea-lovin’ society.
4.) When registering for your crystal, don’t forget highball glasses, out of which you can serve Tom Collins and sweet tea! We love these:
William Yeoward, of course…
Another fun thought:
Charleston is home to the last-surviving tea plantation in the States, which is so apropos considering our British heritage and their love affair with the plant and all its glories. The Charleston Tea Plantation, owned by Bigelow Tea, is a charming little day trip for those visiting Chucktown most any time of year.
Located on Wadmalaw Island, the plantation grounds include 127 acres of tea plants. Visitors can tour the grounds on a fun and educational trolley ride to learn more about the plantation and its operating tea factory. We love including these little gems in our clients’ wedding weekend welcome bags:
