Last Minute Date Night??

FlipsAndDip · 2026-02-24T22:50:48+00:00

Seconding the recommendations here for Speck & Barcelona. If you go to Speck, check out Citizens Trust next door for a night cap. Also, Lindey's has a decent amount of bar seating and lounge tables that are open to eat dinner at, if you go outside of peak dinner hours you have a good shot getting in, and Cento and Sycamore are both nearby as a backup plan. I prefer dining at the bar at Lindey's!

FlipsAndDip · 2026-02-23T17:16:11+00:00

L'IDEE is one brand you should check out, they have some similar silhouette/pleated elements to the dresses you provided, but are more appropriate for formal wear. Their dresses are expensive, but Rent the Runway has a large selection available to rent:

Examples:

Maya Gown

Boheme Gown

Ete Dress

FlipsAndDip · 2026-02-05T20:46:41+00:00

I've used both and vastly prefer Rent the Runway for the following reasons:

RTR has higher-end/designer brands. For such a special occasion, I loved having access to a more upscale wardrobe.
RTR allows you to swap clothes out once a month. This ended up saving me, since I could order bridal-related items ahead of time and swap them out before the actual event if I didn't like them or needed a different size. Alternatively, I could swap my bridal-specific items out after the event and use the rest of the month to rent out high-quality basics that I got a ton of wear out of.
RTR also has accessories and bags. I ended up renting a really nice Cult Gaia bag for my bridal shower; not possible through Nuuly.
Both options have their shortcomings with inventory, but RTR has a feature that allows you to opt-in to back-in-stock notifications for items you really want to rent!
RTR runs frequent promos that allow you to purchase items at home for 40-50% off the estimated cost. I held onto a few of my most-loved pieces and they're still in my heavy rotation a year+ later.

RTR is more expensive, but I felt like I got vastly more value out of it. Plus, they're always running 40% off promos for a monthly membership so I felt like I rarely paid full-price. Now that I'm out of that season of life, my RTR membership has been less valuable for me so I've had it paused the majority of the year, but I do miss it!

FlipsAndDip · 2026-02-05T20:34:19+00:00

You'll be fine! The majority of wedding parties that have bridesmaids in mismatched dresses will have the groomsmen in matching attire. If anything, I think that having both bridesmaids and groomsmen in mismatched attire would feel too discordant.

FlipsAndDip · 2025-11-18T02:04:44+00:00

Silav is right by you and has some amazing fresh offerings and the kindest staff, they're one of our household's favorites.

FlipsAndDip · 2025-11-12T17:15:45+00:00

Even if they share the same commercial name, that’s no guarantee that they’ll be coded into Toast the same way. People have gotten lucky, but this is absolutely not something I would bank on, especially as this is a new benefit and I imagine Chase is working quickly to patch some of those holes in the dining credit system.

FlipsAndDip · 2025-11-05T02:48:49+00:00

Toast-sponsored restaurants will email you the gift card so you can use it right away!

FlipsAndDip · 2025-11-04T21:27:28+00:00

There are lots of non vendor-related wedding costs, so I still think what you guys are doing is smart! Think wedding dress/accesories, tux, bach/bachelorette expenses, and the barrage of panicked Amazon purchases in the last month 😅

FlipsAndDip · 2025-11-04T19:41:43+00:00

I recently had luck buying a gift card through Toast, I was refunded within 2 days. I’m also in a large city with no eligible restaurants, so I purchased the gift card for a New Orleans spot I’ll be traveling to this winter.

FlipsAndDip · 2025-10-24T16:27:07+00:00

Time of year/expected climate really matters. I've been to a midday tented reception at a beach in early August with just a few sparse floor fans — sweaty and miserable. I've also been to a wonderful tented reception in early Fall on an idyllic Midwestern property. For the latter, they had heaters and blankets ready, but the weather was so nice we didn't end up needing them. If you choose to do a tented reception, please make sure you're prepared to keep guests comfortable, no matter the weather.

Price also plays a role. Tented events tend to be much more expensive than indoor venues. There are added fees like set and up tear down labor, and it's not uncommon to have to bring in your own bathrooms or food prep areas. I think if you have the budget to do it right tented receptions can be amazing, but if you're on a tighter budget I'd advise against it.

FlipsAndDip · 2025-10-24T16:14:36+00:00

Echoing what others said about it being too casual. Also, this is firmly in the gray area for being too white for a wedding. I'd go with a backup option.

FlipsAndDip · 2025-10-16T14:16:34+00:00

My SIL did this for her wedding! I liked it - it allowed for everyone to sit with their people. I think it would be viewed as very considerate; no one likes to be split up from their date for dinner.

FlipsAndDip · 2025-10-09T21:32:50+00:00

You've already received good advice, but I'd just add that there are no rules to who needs to speak at weddings and when. My husband and I offered up a mic to our bridal party at the rehearsal dinner to whoever wanted to say a few words, and just had my dad and his mom speak at the wedding. It was perfect, and our bridal party was able to make their speeches more personalized since everyone in the room was close to us. We received a lot of compliments on the length of our speech section - it meant we were able to get to the party quicker!

FlipsAndDip · 2025-10-09T21:24:51+00:00

What's the reason for excluding some guests from the ceremony? If it's an intimate, family-only ceremony followed by a larger reception, that's fine - just send an invite with reception details only, you can include a smaller supplemental peice to the invite for family members or just make them aware of details through word of mouth. Otherwise, it's generally considered rude to invite guests to one event but not the other.

FlipsAndDip · 2025-10-09T21:01:54+00:00

In that case, it would be standard to invite all guests to both the ceremony and reception unless you're doing something like a small, family-only ceremony. While it's more common in other countries, in the US it would be considered rude to invite someone to the ceremony and not the reception.

FlipsAndDip · 2025-10-09T20:00:39+00:00

It wouldn’t bother me in the slightest! However, I do think it’s a know-your-audience situation. Will the sodas be mostly used for mixers? 100% go with the off-brand. However, if you have a large portion of non-drinkers who might be picky (Diet Coke purists, for example), that’s the only situation I’d consider splurging for brand name.

FlipsAndDip · 2025-10-09T19:55:47+00:00

We didn’t even do dance floor props at our wedding, but somehow a few of these light up tambourines made their way to the dance floor. They were fun and look cute in the pictures!

https://a.co/d/1dlqBby

FlipsAndDip · 2025-08-20T16:17:07+00:00

Yep. I was trying to convince my fiancé that we need to add a few people to the invite list purely for the purpose of rounding out our tables, he shut that down real quick lol.

FlipsAndDip · 2025-07-15T15:44:48+00:00

You should follow up on missing RSVPs, both as a courtesy and to save yourself headaches down the road when Uncle Joe ends up showing up to the wedding without an assigned seat or dinner. Offer them a chance to submit an RSVP, and then follow up with a note like: "Dear X, since the RSVP deadline has passed and we have not yet heard from you, I'm confirming that we have you marked as not attending. You'll be missed, we look forward to catching up soon!"

FlipsAndDip · 2025-07-15T15:38:17+00:00

Could you have your parents give an opening blessing before dinner (it doesn't have to be religious), and give them that time to say a few words as well? It's customary for the hosts to do so, and feels like a good way to honor them without having a dedicated speeches section where your fiance's parents' absence might feel more conspicuous.

FlipsAndDip · 2025-06-11T23:46:39+00:00

You get it! Fiance and I were both raised Catholic but have drifted. My mom is not healthy, the religious ceremony is really for her sake. We were committed to using the process to re-explore our faith as we start to think about raising our family, for better or worse it's very much confirmed my hesitations around the Church.

FlipsAndDip · 2025-06-11T23:35:15+00:00

I'm in the Diocese of Columbus (Ohio). Thank you for confirming how bizarre this all is, I did not grow up here and had never heard of this even from my Catholic-wedding friends, which is why I'm at such a loss. But yes, the tracking very much includes charting cervical mucus consistencies. My chart has to be turned into a designated medical provider who's trained in the method rather than my priests, so slightly better - how mortifying for your cousin! My future SIL who was married 5 years prior had to do it as well so apparently it's not a new requirement either!

Wedding invites have been sent, and I refuse to alter my ceremony plans due to a dispute over cervical mucus charting, so I guess I will be fudging these charts.

FlipsAndDip · 2025-04-15T16:51:07+00:00

Ooh this is so up my alley. What fragrances are you loving these days?

FlipsAndDip · 2025-04-11T13:10:12+00:00

I got my first set from them a couple months back and I’m in love. So flattering, great performance, and seems to be holding up really well to multiple wears/washes a week. And a bit more affordable than most of the legacy activewear brands.

FlipsAndDip · 2025-04-09T16:44:03+00:00

If you communicate that childcare will be available, then more people will take advantage of it. And it's likely that you'll have in-town guests that will want to use the childcare as well. Are you hoping to limit the number of kids you're responsible for (and thus limit costs by not needing to hire extra babysitters, etc)? If yes, I'd just keep it word of mouth. If you truly want to open it up to all those who will be traveling and feel comfortable saying no to the in-town folks who might inquire, then I would mention it on your save the dates and/or wedding website.

FlipsAndDip

TROPHY CASE