You're Invited: Marriage March of the Marionettes!

Modern weddings require so much planning - the venue, the flowers, the DJ, the band, the menu, the guest list, the seating arrangements, the puppet show...  That's right, the puppet show.  It probably goes without saying, but my very favorite part of any wedding is the interactive, musical puppet show.  Lucky for me then that two of my most glamorous pals celebrated their wacky tacky winter wedding within the hallowed walls of the Bob Baker Marionette Theater.

The Bob Baker Marionette Theater - Los Angeles, CA

If you're unfamiliar with this Los Angeles institution, then it is time to rectify that situation right quick.  We have been to holiday shows, birthday parties, and tours at the BBMT; we've even had the chance to perform on the same bill as the Bob Baker Marionettes (some of the very same that were used in the movie, Escape to Witch Mountain) at the Charles Phoenix Wig Wam Pow Wow.  Believe me when I tell you that seeing the marionettes is a life-changing experience that elicits childlike wonder from even the most hard-hearted scrooges among us (read more about the theater in a recent post by Retro Roadmap).  With an ideal couple and an ideal venue, it would have gone against nature not to have a wedding!

"Is this thing on?"
Clad in their ceremonial, pre-wedding vestments,
Jeff and Anna came out to introduce the show and
set the tone for the nuptials.

I've said it before but in this case it bears repeating; I am a huge fan of marriage but not so much of the overblown, cookie-cutter, magazine weddings so prevalent these days.  It is my opinion that a wedding should be an accurate reflection of the couple's personalities.  A wedding should be a celebration of love and friendship, rather than a celebration of overpriced chicken dinners and questionable centerpieces.  Truthfully though, I love love and a wedding in any form makes me happy.  One that begins with a puppet show, however, makes me wish that I was headed for the altar!

Good riddance to speeches, mother-son/father-daughter dances, and endless toasting; I'd rather have sexy pink kittens, Santa Claus, and black-lit burlesque skeletons just dripping in neon fringe!  In the tradition of the best variety shows  of yore, the Christmas-tinged musical revue was a little nice and a little naughty.

I defy anyone to deny the unadulterated joy of a wedding in which the attendants include a wild-eyed opera diva, the Invisible Man, and Denise, the Maid of Honor, escorted by a skunk!  Officiated by the sweet and sinfully-soulful crooner, Monty Vista, the wedding ceremony had the bride (and the congregation) in fits of hysterics!  The faces of everyone in attendance ached for days for all of the smiles and laughter!

In this crazy world, it doesn't happen often enough that two people of the same faith, in this case fundamental wacky tacky Western Orthodoxy, find each other.  In front of a multi-colored streamer curtain and with their loved-ones looking on, Anna (wearing a lustrous, vintage sheath and dramatic, showgirl's headpiece) and Jeff (in a custom-made Charro suit of crimson shantung), were so lucky to have sealed their union in such a holy place!

Once the ceremony had concluded, everyone adjourned to the reception area for dancing and dessert.  Guests of the wedding were charged with bringing a "Wee Cake" to share.  As is my custom, I way over-thought things and did major web-based research to find out just what a "Wee Cake" was.  Was it a thing, a movement, a trend (three of my least favorite things)?  Bucking the slowly-dying cupcake culture of late, a relatively-recent chain of bakeries opened an outpost in our area that sells nothing but bundt cakes.  Its name, you ask - Nothing Bundt Cakes!  I wondered if a Wee Cake was a similarly trademarked product of which I had heretofore remained blissfully unaware.  When, with the help of a few other confounded guests posting queries on Facebook, I finally determined that a "Wee Cake" was little more than a little cake, I formulated my design.  I actually took a shortcut and bought a tiny, lemon-flavored Nothing Bundt Cake cake (surprisingly delicious for store-bought) for my connubial contribution.

The wee cake table was heavy-laden with some outstanding designs but after quite a few compliments, I was feeling pretty proud of my cake.  After all, even with a store-bought foundation, this small cake was no small feat; I draped a bodice, made a veil, arranged a bouquet, painted boots, and sewed miniature pant legs.  I even cut and dyed the hair of a half-doll to match the color of the real bride - all of this before realizing that it was a CONTEST!!!  Quickly labeled "the X-rated cake," I tried to tell everyone that the groom was merely looking for the garter...ahem.

I didn't win; nevertheless, fellow-runner-up, Sue, and I were
perfectly pleased with our consolation prizes - chocolate hippos!

Absolutely sure that no wedding could possibly top the drama, the hilarity, the authenticity, and the pure spectacle of Anna and Jeff's Marriage-March-of-the-Marionettes wedding, wacky tacky issues the marriage-minded among you this simple advice: do yourself a favor and just ELOPE!

Congratulations, you crazy kids!
Thank you so much for allowing us to take part in such a special day.
May the sweetness of your candy bouquet endure in your many happy years together!

Well, are you jealous or what?  Have you ever seen a more wild and wonderful wedding?  Aside from your own, what is the best wedding you have ever attended (did puppets play a part)?  If you are in the midst of planning your own wedding, be sure to send Mr. Tiny an invitation; he travels well and brings the party (and the naughty cake) with him!

"Donald's Diary" (1954)

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Sew What?! A 1930's Garden Party Dress

Wedding season has descended upon us and frankly, I couldn't be happier!  No pressure, but anyone out there who is presented with the opportunity to get married and invite me as a guest, is strongly encouraged to do so; I'd be overjoyed to attend.  Call me nutty, but even for someone so very unattached as myself, weddings give my romantic nature a boost and fill me with hope. 

You probably saw that we were fortunate enough to attend our friends' gorgeous Catalina Island wedding last weekend; this weekend, we were treated to yet another wonderful wedding for our pals, Rob and Ashley.

Rob & Ashley

Situated high atop a verdant hill in Glendale, California's renowned Forest Lawn Cemetery (the site of many celebrity nuptials and many celebrity resting places), the Church of the Recessional was ideally apropos for a couple who has long been noted for their Hollywood high style.  Because they are such a fashionable pair, it only seemed fitting that I create yet another dress for Mary that was suitable for the occasion - a church wedding with an afternoon, garden party reception.

Knowing that the prevailing style of the day would be 1930's and that I had a fittingly Depression-era budget ($0.00)/little time (a week)/an unholy amount of unused material (three hoarders' worth), I did a cannonball into my giant mountain of fabric neatly organized stash and selected a few possibilities.

I ended up choosing an all-over floral print fabric that I had earmarked for a 50's-style day dress; I was mildly hesitant to use it as I was afraid it would read as a weird pastiche of conflicting influences.  On the other hand, it went fortuitously well with the heirloom, pansy brooch from our great-grandmother and the stunning, vintage hat.

Mary's vintage hat came from our favorite, local vintage store, Swellegant Vintage.

One of the hat's beautiful bunches of pansies  - Mr. Tiny likes vintage millinery flowers more than he ought to!!!

Mary & Jennifer (last week's bride)
The dress was appropriately ladylike but still held up to all of Mary's shenanigans.

Benny (last week's groom) & Mary
Honestly, they're even more like brother and sister than Mary and I.

We were elated to see our good friends, Lauren (Wearing History
 Patterns and blog) and her husband, Matt (a dapper groomsman).

The dress, with its eight-gored, tulip-shaped skirt, attached capelet, and neckline bow (can
 you tell that I am crazy for bows?) was finished by a self-fabric belt with a green,
 vintage buckle and green, vintage gloves.  The reception was held at the indescribably-beautiful,
home (built in 1907) of friends; if I was a better photographer, I would have captured
more of its endless charms.  Mary inspects the beautiful flowers as designed by LA Deco Flora.

 During the garden party, however,  I was able to capture all of the garden flowers in full bloom.

At the end of a lovely party, the bride bid us goodbye in her custom-made farewell frock.

Congratulations to Rob and Ashley!  We hope that you continue to find all the fun and frolic that life affords you.  Thank you for letting us celebrate your new life together as husband and wife!  And thanks for another great weekend of celebrating the only thing that truly matters, namely L-O-V-E.

"L-O-V-E" - Nat King Cole

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

A Star-Studded, Desert Wedding

For someone who hates to be hot, it makes very little sense that I am absolutely wild about the desert.  

Until one sees the stunning vistas, then it makes all the sense in the world.

Also, people aren't kidding when they talk about "dry heat" versus humid/sticky heat; there is a noticeable difference - like clinical-strength antiperspirant not being a necessity, for example.  More importantly, there is an atmosphere in the desert that is so uniquely serene and magical that I always jump at the chance to go out and explore its many wonders.  When we received an invitation to a wedding in the desert, we were excited.  When we saw that it was to be the wedding of our friends, Jodi and Swimmy, we were thrilled.

Our journey necessitated us passing through Cabazon.
It will be a cold day in hell Death Valley when Mr. Tiny doesn't
stop to commune with the Cabazon Dinosaurs.

If you've never been to see The Cabazon Dinosaurs, you need to change your schedule and go; it is a wacky tacky must!  The area around them has been built up since the filming of Pee Wee's Big Adventure, but fortunately the Wheel Inn, the truck stop diner that is also featured in the film is still serving great food and homemade salad dressings.

The staff at the Wheel Inn is very nice.
Is it strange that every time we come in, they know why we are there?
"He sat in that stool," they say as we make our way to the bar to plant
ourselves where Pee Wee sat.

I always want to take a souvenir home with me but they're not selling
the spaghetti globe lamps that hang over the counter.

There is no end to great photo-ops out that way.
Mary wore a two-piece squaw dress that looked cool
 against the desert brown stripes and it picked up the
colors of the totem pole. 

We met up with Nick and Cynthia at the Wheel Inn so we could caravan out to the wedding site.  We tried to test out the old TESTO machine but...

...it wouldn't take Nick's nickel.

Our next stop was the site of the wedding, The Shangri-La Cabin, in Joshua Tree.  Have you ever been on the Indian Jones ride at Disneyland?  That is nothing compared to the rutted, uneven, unpaved, dirt road we had to take out to the wedding.  I had never realized the level to which I had taken paved roads for granted until that night.  Driving past spooky hillbillies along the way, the wacky wagon nearly shook itself apart.  In the blackness of the desert past sundown, we were convinced that we were unintentionally cast in a horror movie.  When we finally found the Shangri-La Cabin, I knew the blessed relief the Israelites must've felt after those forty years.

The wedding site was awesome and the ceremony didn't disappoint.  Really, it was everything a wedding should be - romantic, funny, intimate, personal, and fun.  

The gorgeous bride in her custom-made gown.

Jodi and Swimmy were hoisted on chairs as the guests danced the Hora.

The ceremony and reception were held outside under a firmament filled with the brightest stars.  Living in an area suffering from the worst in light pollution, I had forgotten all about stars (seriously, we can see one or two on a good night).  The night sky was beautiful, the music was awesome ( I spent the entire night dancing), and there was a swing set!!!

The desert sky was so big and so close, it felt like we
were "Swingin' on a Star."

We even got to meet our blogging buddy,
Crystal Lee, of Nakedcowgirl Vintage.

I was having so much fun that I failed to get a picture of the delicious wedding cake - a giant corndog!

Cynthia, Mr. Tiny, Jodi, and Nick
Of course I waited to get a picture until the end of the night
when we were untucked, tired from dancing, and stuffed with cake,
 but that doesn't matter because...

Congratulations to Jodi and Swimmy!  You guys are a perfect couple (notice I didn't say a couple of what).  Thank you for including us in your special night and your awesome party!  We expect to be on the guest list for the 50th Anniversary party!


Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Queen Mary: A Royal Wedding

On Saturday, June 23, we were fortunate enough to be guests at the wedding of our good friends Jesse and Emily.  

The happy couple, Emily and Jesse
Don't they look like the perfect cake toppers?

You probably already know Emily as she and her love letter to old Hollywood, The Silver Screen Affair, have been mentioned numerous times in the annals of wacky tacky.  If you're a lover of classic films and Hollywood glamour, then be sure to check out her blog.  Although, it may be kind of quiet around there for a couple of weeks as they are enjoying a tropical honeymoon.

Emily looked picture perfect in a vintage, 50's,
lace wedding gown and handmade veil.
I love this photo of her, pre-nuptials.

The ceremony was held at a beautiful, historic Catholic church and the reception was in The Queen's Salon on the Queen Mary, a stunning steamliner and one of the premier examples of well-preserved Art Deco in Southern California.

Dappled in the light of the afternoon sun, St. John's
was a beautiful setting for a wedding ceremony.

The getaway car complete with tin cans and "Just Married" banner!

The Queen's Salon aboard the Queen Mary - pretty majestic if you ask me.
You can just barely make out Holly, of The Temperamental Broad, on the right.
I should have been taking a lot more pictures, but I was too busy making a fool
of myself on the dance floor.

Why do I always have to sit at the kids' table?

Mary, Amber, Paul, Jordan, Memo, Ben, and Nicole

I didn't really want to do a feature exclusively on the wedding itself because Emily is a pretty private person and their wedding wasn't so much wacky tacky as it was traditional, elegant, and gracious.  For the record, I like both but I have a hard time behaving like a grown up at either!  So, here are a few snaps of our hijinks aboard the R.M.S. Queen Mary featuring the suit that I made Mary for the occasion.

I really have no idea where the inspiration came from on this one except that I love this kooky color combination and sometimes I like to try and challenge myself a little - two days, three pieces, and a  marginal skill set (I have never sewn a proper collar of any kind before).

Apparently I have developed such a reputation for turning
placemats into hats, that everyone immediately assumed
that was the case for this verdant topper.  This was actually a
 vintage hat that I got from a friend a few years ago.

Mr. Tiny & Mary gettin' groovy.
Once I start, I just can't stop.
(photo by Amber U.)

I am the worst kind of shopper.  I have a very specific idea of what I am looking for before I go out shopping and expect whatever it is to be in the store, happily waiting for me to buy it, at a discounted price.  Needless to say, I spend a lot of time disappointed.  Imagine my surprise when my first attempt to find a chartreuse-y colored fabric, with enough weight to be suitable for a suit and enough drape  to make it feminine, was peeking out of a row of totally dissimilar fabric just waiting for me.  It was the right color, the right price, and there was just enough left on the bolt for my project!!!  That NEVER happens.

The green gloves were bought on a road trip to
Hearst Castle and the red baubles were on loan
from a friend.  Here's Mary wishing that she
didn't have to give them back.

There's room for a dumbbell joke in there somewhere.

I have to stick with the dumbbell jokes; after seeing some
 of the pictures of Mary (including this one with the bride),
she has already been referred to as the Jolly Green Giant!

The free bonus of the evening came when were about to leave the party and ran into a group of friends who just happened to be touring the ship that night.  We ended up joining their tour and I'm almost positive from the looks we were receiving, that guests of the hotel were starting to believe that the Queen Mary was indeed haunted!

Congratulations Emily and Jesse!  It was a particularly beautiful wedding and we really appreciate you allowing us to participate in your special day.  We don't even have to wish it for you, we already know that you'll live happily ever after!  

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Rockabilly Prom: A Wedding for Zack & Dollie

In high school I had an actual prom date.  Many years later, I have been reduced to accompanying my sister to the prom.  The "prom" in this case was the wonderful wedding reception of our friends Zack and Dollie.  

Mary wore the dress that I made for her actual high school prom.
I tried my best to look like the nerdy, math teacher/chaperone.

I had some remnants of the lace and ribbon that I used for Mary's prom dress, so I made her a corsage.
Not being a florist, I just had to wing it.  Can fresh flowers be hot glued?  We were about to find out. 

The reception was held at an historic Elks Lodge and was fully
decked out to look like a high school prom circa 1954.

Oh, so it was proof that you wanted that we were at an Elks Lodge.
Taxidermy is always welcome at wacky tacky!

What is a prom without prom photos?  Everyone was treated to photo op's on the beautiful paper moon that Reagan and Dollie built and painted!!!

Our new pals, Adam & Susannah
(photo by Sandra)

Emily & Jesse, the next to get hitched!
(photo by Amber)

Furthermore, what's a 50's prom/wedding reception without prom dresses?  The women brought out their prom best for the occasion!

Emily, Mary, and Amber
Pastel perfection.

At some point during the evening, it became apparent that
shades of blue and green were the most popular.
Emily, Deen, Cara, Mary, and Reagan

That isn't to say that Nicole and Sandra didn't make a splash in their purple and pink!

Dollie and the gang.
If someone stretched the miles and miles of lace, chiffon, and tulle
that were used for all of the frothy 50's prom dresses in attendance, I'm pretty
sure she could have reached the moon - or at least Omaha, Nebraska.

The cake!
Right about now I am second-guessing my choice to abstain.

The happy couple, Dollie & Zack.

The music for the evening was second to none and included The Blue Collar Combo, The Sidewynders, Roy Rapid and The Rhythm Rock Trio, The Dave & Deke Combo, Amber Foxx, Mary Simich, and the unmatched skills of DJ Lucky La Rocka.  It was a dancer's paradise.

The Blue Collar Combo
(photo by Sandra)

Amber Foxx and the boys

Mary penned a brand new song for the newlyweds!!!
(photo by Sandra)

Looking like a real, live crooner, Mr. Tiny even got up to do a number!
(photo by Amber)

The music was getting so wild, and Zack and Dollie were getting so groovy on the dance floor, that Dollie's hat had to go.  I took the hat for her and couldn't help but encourage everybody to take a turn wearing it.  Some folks took the traditional approach and wore it on their heads; others got a bit more creative - I hope Dollie didn't mind.

Then it was time to crown the prom court.  The only thing I was nominated for was official crown holder...

Somehow Mary managed to play the drum rolls AND crown the court!
I love this picture! 

Mary placing the crown on the Queen of the Prom
(and blushing bride), Dollie.

Mr. & Mrs. Simpson taking their rightful place as
prom royalty.

Just because the king and queen had been crowned, didn't mean the party was over.  The music kept going so that meant more DANCING!

For the uninitiated types, there were Bunny Hop instructions at each table!
As if Mr. Tiny needed directions!!!!

I'll give you just one guess who won the dance contest.
I swear that this said "Best Dancer" before it changed to
"BS Dancer" and eventually "B- Dancer."

If I learned one thing at prom, it was to NEVER fall asleep....

...and STAY asleep!!!

Okay, okay, so the hot glue could only withstand so much abuse.
This is the corsage after it fell apart and Mary tried to put it back together
with a little help from Scotch tape and a crepe-paper bow.

Congratulations Zack & Dollie!  Thanks for including us in your special day!

Here's to many, many more happy dances together!
(photo by Amber)

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny