It's been a long time since I featured wedding puppetry (remember this wedding with the male flower girl? Still one of my all-time favorites!), so I couldn't resist this video, which Lauren & Michael produced and played at their Chicago wedding. This is one part of a three-part video Lauren & Michael made, featuring puppet versions of themselves (plus puppies and goats) and a song that will be stuck in your head all day written by Michael:

To view the full video (which features puppet Lauren & Michael acting out their first date) click here!

This question actually came in as a comment on the post about Hannibal & Myshell's wedding video:

This brings a question that I've been wrestling with as a performer – if you or your beloved is a performer by trade, how much of the wedding is a "performance"? I feel like my guests are an audience and I worry that I'm not going to give them a good enough "show" -Leah

This is a great question, and one that I totally relate to. I hope I made it clear in my Authenticity vs. Attention post that this issue is one I wrestle with a lot. Little known Ariel Trivia: I started college as musical theater student on scholarship. I lasted one semester before bailing, but the when you spend your formative years singing and dancing, you can't ever really get rid of the jazz hands.

Continue reading "Planning a sincere-but-theatrical wedding" →

Last week I introduced you to Dana Jay Bein, the wedding industry's premier male flower girl. First seen at Bobby & Clare's puppet wedding, Dana seemed to be such a hit with y'all, that I decided it was time for a gritty 1-on-1 interview with him.

Dana, was this the realization of a long-time dream?
I never thought I'd have flower girl on my resume … but to be honest I'd never ruled it out. That's just the type of person I am. Anything is possible. I'm open to life's opportunities!

Tell us about your journey to male flower girl.
Bobby (groom/giant) has been one of my best friends since college. We're both comedians so laughter and fun is inherently part of whatever we do.

To be honest, until Claire, I never really imagined Bobby as a married man. So when he told me he was engaged, I knew instantly that this wedding would be different. Deep down, I knew Bobby would have a surprise or two in store for the wedding party.

When Bobby approached me about the wedding, I was open minded and definitely prepared for anything he might propose. I'm used to doing outlandish and ridiculous things on a day to day basis so it was likely that he would up the ante for a special occasion.

To be honest, I don't even think he even asked me. I think he just said, "You're our flower girl."

Continue reading "Dana the male flower girl" →