This past weekend, Kim’s sister (Amy @ Green Gardenista) and one of my best friends (Chris, who helped with the wall removal in December) tied the knot. The wedding was really great — it had all the right stuff: a short but memorable ceremony, a delicious dinner, an open bar, and two hours of dancing. That’s my kind of wedding!
As is the tradition in our friend group, once we sent the happy couple on their way, we turned our attention to their house… really to the loving destruction of their house. See, in our group, the amount of non-permanent damage you do to a newlywed’s home is a reflection of how much you love the couple. Besides demonstrating your love by how much time you’re willing to put into the effort, the gesture has the “positive” side effect of helping the new pair test the strength of their marriage bond through a tedious clean-up.
Unfortunately, I can’t share the pictures of Amy’s and Chris’ house yet. Even though they’re on a cruise without connectivity, we fear that when they get back to 3G coverage they might be looking for clues as to just what to expect. I wouldn’t want to give anything away… except maybe to say that you’d be surprised what you can do with yarn and how cheap it is at the dollar store. So you’ll have to tune in next week for the results of our most recent effort.
Of course, after this great build-up I don’t want to leave you with nothing. So instead, check out these pictures from three of the great pranks that Kim and I (and Amy, in fact) undertook when two of our best-friends-turned-blogging-buddies got married back in 2006. This is Ethan’s and Jocie’s townhome just after they got married!
Prank #1: Post-It Note Heaven
You’d be surprised what you can do with 4800 multi-color Post-It notes. Check out this redecorated master bedroom. We’ve heard that E+J still occasionally find Post-Its in their drawers or behind furniture when they clean!
(It’s worth noting that back in the day, Jocie had a thing about putting “labels” on the relationship. The girls couldn’t resist reminding her of all the stages of the courtship! It turns out that not only can you write notes on Post-Its, you can write things with them).
Prank #2: Fill a Room with Balloons
Keeping with the festive theme, we thought it would be fun to fill a room to the top with balloons! Actually, we really didn’t intend to fill it all the way up, but things got out of hand. First it was just “scatter a few on the ground for color.” That turned into “fill it up to the chair rail.” Well, once you’re at the chair rail, there’s really no turning back.
It took a group of us four whole days. Amy happens to be in the middle of the first picture with Kim to the left and Lori to the right.
If you aren’t asking yourself how many balloons it takes to fill a 10×12 room, you should be. We found out the answer the hard way: about 1500 medium and large size balloons.
This is a view from the kitchen looking into the dining room. We had to hold the balloons in with saran wrap.
And this is another incriminating picture of Amy who participated in the fiasco, standing in front of the living room entrance to the dining room.
After the whole event, E+J told us that they went climbing through the balloon room without emptying it, and that it was a very strange feeling. You could be standing 3 feet away from someone and not see them at all.
Prank #3: Foil the Kitchen
Moving on to the kitchen… We wrapped everything individually in aluminum foil — all the food, utensils, plates, and every individual box or can of food in the pantry.
(Even though it’s not pictures, I’m pretty sure we eventually did wrap the box of foil itself in foil).
Stay Tuned Next Week
In retrospect, we treated Ethan and Jocie pretty good! Perhaps we’re getting meaner with age, but I’ve got to say that the most recent effort really makes this look tame.
Once our new couple gets back from the Caribbean and sees all the love we’ve put into their house, we’ll share part 2 of this series with a few more ideas for your next wedding prank!
What do you think? What’s the best wedding prank you’ve ever heard of (or participated in?)
It took forever to clean up. The shop vac was great for post-its and we only unfoiled things as we needed them…. there’s still a few things completely wrapped. You guys also toilet-papered the living room….. I love pranking houses.
This is so hilarious… I’ve never heard of anyone doing this sort of thing before.
Makes me want to go make some soon-to-be-married friends… 🙂
Who keeps giving you keys!? This – surely – is the ‘happily ever after’ every bride has in mind. Brilliant.
Lauren, good question. For Ethan’s and Jocie’s house, we stole the keys when they weren’t looking. For Amy’s and Chris’ place, Amy’s brother is “watching” it for them, taking care of the cat (who is safely out of the way of our activities 🙂
And by “Amy’s brother” we also (conveniently) mean “MINE!” Ahh, divided loyalty… 🙂
Have you posted Amy and Chris’s home decor? Looking forward to seeing it. Thanks for sharing the smiles.