The FAC brides whose weddings I was in (3 or 4; I can't remember any more) gave crap bridesmaids gifts. I went shopping with one bride for the gifts, which were really ugly $10 rhinestone earrings from Claire's that we were expected to wear with the dresses.

Heh. Earrings and gloves were my gifts to my bridal party.

But were the earrings just unrelentingly ugly? If not, then good gift.

Gus, stay out of Ohio.

Have I mentioned that I've been having a recurring dream that DH and I are having another wedding because the first one wasn't right?

Deep breath. Letting it go!

Thanks, Emily, that's reassuring. (And Tep. I thought they were pretty, so that will have to do)

But were the earrings just unrelentingly ugly? If not, then good gift.

Possibly--at least close up. They hold up in the photos, but are possibly something they'd never wear again. Everyone either had short hair or was wearing their hair up. Their dresses had sort of a portrait collar/off the shoulder thing going on. They thought dangly earrings and bare necks, would look better than studs and a necklace. I think my friend Karen went with me when I bought them, but it was so long ago, I disremember.

We were just all so weddinged out, I seem to remember either knowing or thinking they were just as glad not to get another trinkety gift, and not have to pay for the gloves and earrings.

Shopping for their dresses was fun, though. We all loved a particular dress by Watters and Watters. It looked great on everyone, they had it in the colors I wanted, and was just really sort of elegant. It was also either a hundred or $150.00 more than a suitable dress by the now defunct House of Bianchi, which all decided was much more sensible budget-wise, and was nice enough, if not the dress we adored.

But were the earrings just unrelentingly ugly?

Also, were the bridesmaids' ears pierced? One friend of mine was ordered to have her previously unpierced ears done because the 'zilla was planning on getting earrings as a bridesmaid's gift and didn't want to have to get something different.

On the monkey story, I'm a little unclear as to the subject of the second sentence:

"The larger of the two monkeys jumped in the truck, tore his pants and bit him on the leg. He just made a total fool of himself."

WHO made a total fool of himself? The monkey? The dude who got bitten? CAN a monkey make a fool of itself? I'm thinking no.

Yeah. And did the monkey tear his own pants?

OK, that's fairly obviously not true, but still... monkey pants!

One friend of mine was ordered to have her previously unpierced ears done because the 'zilla was planning on getting earrings as a bridesmaid's gift and didn't want to have to get something different.

That's just craxy.

My ears were pierced once, but years of trying to find earrings that didn't make me break out in horrible eczema, I gave up and let them fill in.

So that Japanese lunch counter I go to replaced it's usual pickled-round-yellow-things condiments with pickled green things covered in mucus. I assume it's okra.

We all loved a particular dress by Watters and Watters.

We had a Watter and Watters dress in the Really Expensive Wedding, and it was the only bridesmaid dress that ever looked good on me. It was a 2-piece dress with a beaded top that had a scoop neck, and a full dupioni silk skirt. I think I still have the skirt (not that it fits anymore).