Toss the Bride by Jennifer Manske Fenske

Author:Jennifer Manske Fenske
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: St. Martin's Press

9

The Greedy Bride

Before I became a wedding director’s assistant, I did not know a thing about the fabled sweet-tea spoon. Silly girl that I was, I was not aware that a regular teaspoon, adequately stirred around a glass full of the sugary brew known as sweet tea, would fail to produce desirable results.

But it does, and the brides all want them: sweet-tea spoons. It’s a long-handled version of the normal item every person probably uses a least once a day. Sweet-tea spoons are an addition to a flatware set and are given out when serving sweet tea or laid ahead when setting the table. They can be plain or fancy or monogrammed along with the rest of the set, and are always easy to pick out because of the long, narrow neck. The spoons almost never fit into traditional silver serving trays, and must be stored separately in a soft, fabric bag.

The sweet-tea spoon is an elusive beast. Not all flatware companies make them. After the traditional five-piece place setting—salad fork, dinner fork, teaspoon, large spoon, knife—a flatware company might make a special dessert fork or espresso spoon. They do not always bow to the whims of southern girls who demand their sweet-tea spoons.

My latest bride, Tika, must have her spoons. And they had better match her set or a certain overworked wedding-planner assistant will hear about it and a certain famed wedding planner will grouch and grumble. I am dispatched to research all available patterns containing the aforementioned spoon.

On an overcast Monday morning, I glide around one of Atlanta’s better department stores, hoping to find something I have not seen before. Perhaps a new line or a new pattern will emerge that has been blessed with the golden spoon. I stake out my territory in the china department, every footfall landing in lush, scarlet carpeting. The overhead lighting is bright but not garish. The dozens of china patterns sit in recessed cabinets with soft accent lights. Crystal wineglasses and goblets sparkle nearby in tall, stand-alone display cases. Every detail pushes tradition and consumption. My brides usually love this department above all others.

Tika is no exception. She has spent weeks combing through the department stores and crafting her gift registries with intense concentration. She seems to take the prospect of receiving many, many gifts very seriously. I frequently field phone calls like the one I received this morning before breakfast.

“Macie!”

“Hey, Tika. What’s up?”

“I’m on-line going over the registries. I’m thinking that maybe I should add dessert dishes and ice-cream bowls to my registry at Homespun. Maybe some crepe plates, too.”

“Don’t you have something similar at another store?” I held back a yawn. I needed some orange juice to wake up.

The sound of typing came over the line. “Of course I have. I have those cute clear dishes at Allen and Berring, and I registered for fruit bowls—the little footed ones—at Pantry. Why?”

“Um, that’s a lot of dessert dishes if you add more to the registry.” I did some quick math.

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