Natalie Degraffenreid and Cory Teague's wedding is in 37 days, and, according to the couple's website on TheKnot.com, it's going to be perfect. She's a nurse, he's a firefighter; the Hallmark Channel couldn't have cast it better. The ceremony will be at The Milestone, an idyllic plantation-style house outside Denton. They even have complimentary cans of Coca-Cola! Someone's already bought them that Crate & Barrel French press! See? Perfect.
That is to say, their wedding was going to be perfect. Unfortunately for Natalie and Cory, their shot at nuptial bliss was ruined by The Great Doilie Mixup of 2015 -- aka Doilieghazi.
Here's how it went down, according to the dogged reporting of WFAA's Marie Saavedra:
DeGraffenreid hired Arlington-based Art by Ellie to create the custom design, and said she was drawn to an invitation with doily envelopes. She placed her order in early January; paid her $500 deposit; signed the company's contract; and waited for delivery.Then came problems.
DeGraffenreid said at first, only half of the invitations she had ordered were ready. And then staff at Art by Ellie told her there weren't enough of the same doilies for the entire order.
"When she e-mailed me a few days later and said she didn't have the same pattern -- that she was ordering a new one -- she said it was 'different.' I didn't know how different," DeGraffenreid said.
A quick note on doilies for readers who might not be familiar with the technology and/or have a Y chromosome. Merriam-Webster defines a doily as "a usually round cloth or paper that has a decorative pattern made of many small holes." Basically, they're white lace coasters or, if you prefer, rococo versions of those construction-paper snowflakes kindergarteners make. In DeGraffenfield's case, the doilies were to be folded just so around the wedding invitations. As the first thing that potential wedding guests see upon opening the envelope, choosing the proper doily is vital.
You can well imagine Degraffenreid's shock and horror when she saw just how different her two doilies were. One was done in a swirling pattern of lacy white starbursts, the other in a not-really-swirling pattern of lacy white starbursts. If you squint at a side-by-side photo of the two doilies and study the patterns for several seconds, you can indeed tell that they're different.
Degraffenreid did the only natural thing and took her tale of woe to a local TV station (this is the second time their engagement has been on the news), a decision we salute. Without her courage, how many local brides would fail to give proper consideration to the selection of wedding-invitation doilies? And how many of her wedding guests would have questioned her taste for selecting such garish doilies? We can only hope the wedding can be saved.
Send your story tips to the author, Eric Nicholson.
