Wedding

Bridesmaid Proposals

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As my wedding draws closer, I think it’s time to talk about it again. It’s been six weeks, I feel like I’ve earned it. Today’s topic: bridesmaid proposals. I know what you’re thinking: WTF is that?

Ladies and gents, the bridal industry has done it again. They have created yet another needless thingamabob. But this one I was excited to get behind because it involves giving presents to people who mean the most to you. And I love giving presents.

However, it’s important for me to start by saying: I didn’t care about bridesmaids. I felt very strongly that I didn’t care. I told my best friend a year ago not to be offended if I ended up not having any. And then, like much of the wedding planning, I left it up to my fiancé. I said, “do you want our parties to match in size? And if so, how many do you want and I’ll match it.” So he chose two, his brother and brother-in-law, and I chose two, my sister and best friend.

Now the proposal situation. I think in years past people used to just approach their friends and say, “will you be my bridesmaid?” Eventually this morphed into a card that said, “will you be my bridesmaid?” Now, Etsy has an entire section of the site dedicated to these proposal boxes and they include everything from personalized champagne flutes to $80 embroidered robes.

SPOILER ALERT: They said yes. Would they have said yes without all of this hullabaloo? Probably. Ok, definitely. But was it fun to put together and scheme? Also definitely.

Ideally, I would have asked them both in person, but since my BFF lives across the country, I needed to ask my sister in person when we went wedding dress shopping, keep it a secret, and then send a box across the country and depend on the USPS. Yikes!

I wanted to send something meaningful and fun, and include things that would actually be used. This was especially true as I thought about the gifts for my sister who lives in New York. The last thing we need in NYC is tchotchkes. The theme of the gifts was loosely: beach, travel, love, all-inclusive resort.

In general, I gave my two bridesmaids the same things, including heart-shaped dark chocolates, heart-shaped sunglasses (counts as “beach” and “love”!), travel toiletry containers and a carrying case, and a luggage tag. I also included a few “primping” items like under eye patches and foot scrub. I personalized those a bit; my BFF who works nights got special eye patches with caffeine infused. And my sister who loves her calluses did not get a foot repair kit.

Travel Kits and Luggage Tags, necessities for Mexico!
I wanted sunglasses they MAY wear again so I didn’t choose bubblegum pink.
Two eye patch kits, one foot scrub. Although I could use one now too…

And because I’m obsessed with hair, they also both got hair ties. I got them in their favorite color palettes, and of course the hair ties came on a piece of cardstock that said “Will You Help Me Tie the Knot? To have & to hold your hair back.” I got those from Etsy. I told you, there’s a whole industry for these things!

I also got personalized straws from Etsy that I had engraved. If you don’t know my love for straws, you do now. I ONLY drink from straws. Exclusively. And one of the biggest problems with all-inclusive resorts is that they have gotten rid of straws. It ALMOST makes me not want to go at all. Almost. Anyway, I tried to fix that problem by giving reusable ones to my bridesmaids and their spouses.

Loved these hair ties and the fact that I could pick the colors.
These turned out even cuter than I expected.
SO SOON!

Last but certainly not least, the cards. In fact, this was my favorite part of the gift. I saw an influencer (*eye roll*) get these cards and they were too amazing to pass up. You can personalize every aspect from the items held in the bride and bridesmaids’ hands, the hairstyles, the hair color, the skin tone, the robe color, the text, the names, everything! And the artist on Etsy was SO accommodating. I asked her if she could create some sort of head covering for my sister and we went back and forth twice to create the perfect head scarf. I was obsessed with these cards. I chose drinks that I thought my bridesmaids would order in Mexico, and I picked their favorite colors for the robes.

Oh, did I mention I also wrote poems for each individual item in the box and scrapbooked them because I am a crazy person? Honestly, this is definitely the craziest thing I have done so far pre-wedding. I won’t share all of the poems because there were A LOT, but I’ll share my intro poem to them:

Six years have come and gone and now it’s finally time,

To tie the knot and seal the deal, so that deserves a rhyme.

This wedding stuff is dumb, it’s just a lot of things,

I’m mostly here for lifelong love (and of course those gorgeous rings).

The thing that matters most to me is being with my favs,

My sister and my BFF in front of breaking waves.

My bridesmaid count is only 2 and one of them is you,

One a Shiksa Goddess, and one an Ortho Jew.

What color dress? Should they match? I really do not care,

You know the only thing I’ll control is the quality of hair.

I’ll leave it up to you to pick a color you both like,

Assuming before May, the Covid numbers again don’t spike.

I hope I’m not a bridezilla, I’m trying my very best,

All I know’s I want you there as a most important guest.

So SHALL you be my bridesmaid and stand with me in Cabo?

We can eat and drink unlimited until I am a blob-o!

So. Many. Poems. So. Much. Scrapbooking.
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Long Legs and other Personal Problems

Laser Hair Removal

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You know how websites have “frequently asked questions?” I feel like we should each have a section like that for us as people. For me, my FAQ section is right here in this blog so I’m dedicating today’s blog to one of the questions people ask me most frequently, right after “should I quit my job as a lawyer” (yes).

“What do you think about laser hair removal? Is it worth it? Does it work?”

Answers: Love it. Yes. Depends.

Should I go on or should I just wrap it up there? Ok fine, I’ll elaborate.

I would say the best investment of money I’ve ever made was in laser hair removal. The amount of time and money saved more than makes up for the cost.

But first, a little background. And yes, this blog should carry a TMI warning. The areas I have now lasered are underarm, Brazilian (yes, THAT. Including butt), and lower leg. And I would do more in a heartbeat.

I have been getting laser hair removal for about 10 years. I haven’t been going constantly, but I first got it ten years ago on my underarms. At the time, I was teaching fitness classes and I was in a tank top constantly and didn’t want to shave daily. My Brazilian journey also began because of fitness. It all started with an STD scare. My gynecologist was like, “um, that’s not a disease that’s an ingrown hair and you shouldn’t be on a spin bike for at least 7 days.” To which I said, “um, I have to teach tonight and also tomorrow.” She recommended I start to get waxes so the hair follicle wouldn’t get as irritated/bacteria, science science blahblah. Anyway, she said I had three options: continue to be uncomfortable, wax, or laser. So I chose wax because I was broke and dumb. Fast-forward hundreds of dollars and about 5 years, and I was like, “huh… I probably should have taken the plunge and gotten rid of this permanently.” So I did.

The way I describe it: why would you continue to rent, when you could buy?

Unless you really foresee a future where you miss and pine for your underarm hair, I don’t know why you wouldn’t get rid of it forever. So, for the question of what I think about laser, the answer is “DO IT. YESTERDAY.” Don’t spend one more dollar on waxing, it’s a waste of time and money.

I should warn you, not all lasers and salons are created equal. That one I went to a decade ago? Garbage. My underarm hair grew back almost completely. There definitely can be regrowth over time, and it is a known fact that you will need touch-ups. But the first place I went to I barely had any results. I learned my lesson, though, and started reading reviews.

This leads to my next FAQ “is it worth it?” Usually when people ask this they are talking about money. I won’t lie, it’s not cheap. But if you divide it over time, it’s definitely a good investment. That’s how I view it: an investment in both time and money. Also, less effort and planning! With shaving, you always have to make sure you shave in case you end up in a tank top, or at a pool or beach etc. With waxing you have to time them out because your hair needs to be a certain length before waxing. With laser, you actually shave before an appointment, so there’s no planning at all, and then once the hair is gone, it’s gone forever! You can attend all of the impromptu pool bashes you want! The ONLY thing to note: you are not supposed to have sun exposure before or after, so get lasered in the winter to prepare for your summer fun.

How much money are we really talking? It depends. A lot of places charge by the size of the area. Large areas will be more (like legs) and small areas will be less (like upper lip).

The first salon I went to had a deal on Groupon for “unlimited sessions for a year,” but the reality is, you only go every 6-8 weeks max. So that really means 6-8 sessions within that “unlimited” year. Plus, as I said, that first salon was trash. The place I go to now, sells either single sessions or packs of six sessions at a discount for a specific area. It’s far cheaper to buy a package, and they have specials all the time on top of the bundle discounts. ALSO: GROUPON. Yes, you heard me right, I used Groupon again even after my first travesty experience. The place I love now has a sticker price of 6 sessions on small area for $954, medium $1596, and large $3500. But with the specials they are always running, it’s more like $300, $450 and $600. Plus… GROUPON! On Groupon right now it is $61.50 for six small, $135 for six medium, or $208 for six large. That is a STEAL.

As with the salons, not all Groupons are created equal. And I’ll say it again… READ THE REVIEWS. The reviews will tell you everything. The place I go to now has 1,459 ratings and it is rated 4.9/5 stars. I’m telling you, this place is bomb.

Now to my final FAQ: does it work? Well yes, duh. I wouldn’t be writing this whole saga of a blog post if it didn’t. But again, not all results are equal. First of all, they say that the more contrast there is between the skin color and the hair color, the better the results. So lighter skin and darker hair make for better results. Also, not all areas work the same. My underarms are PESKY. I have had many, many sessions on them and I still have residual hair. But the hair that is left is way lighter and not visible from a distance at all, definitely not in a dark gym studio. I shave maybeee once a week now instead of every day. But the results on my legs?? COMPLETELY GONE. In six sessions. And that was pre-pandemic and still I have no hair. Best impulse purchase I’ve literally ever made. And I do mean impulse. I had my pants off for Brazilian laser and my aesthetician was like “we have a special going on, want anything else?” and I was like “sure go for it.”

Ok wait, I missed a question you may ask: does it hurt? Yes. But not a crazy amount. Way less than waxing, and again, I think of it as an investment! Beauty is pain, right? If you have a very low pain tolerance or no experience with waxing, take two ibuprofen half an hour before and you’ll be fine. And/or ask for a stress ball. I usually dig my nails in my palms if it really hurts. Underarms for me hurt wayyyy more than vagina or butt. Shins hurt second most.

If you got this far, I know you’re dying to know where I go. If you are in New York, I HIGHLY recommend Laser Bar and Spa for these reasons:

  1. They are incredibly affordable as far as laser goes.
    • They always have Groupons! Literally. ALWAYS. First time customers only, though, so I recommend buying a lot in your first go!
    • They also always have specials for existing customers. That’s how they got me with the leg add-on.
  2. The results are amazing. I have referred many friends there and they all have had fantastic results.
  3. It’s centrally located and easy to get to (right in Herald Square).
  4. Most importantly – mention my name and I can get a free session. I’m addicted! What should I get lasered next?
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