Date: Thu, 13 Sep 2001 23:22:42 -0400
From: B & E Glenday <glenday@sympatico.ca>
To: Balloon List <balloon@balloonhq.com>
Subject: First Wedding twisting

Hi folks!

    I was thrilled to participate in my first wedding (as an
entertainer, that is, I did the Bride thing 7 years and holding strong
;o). It was also my first booking as a non-clown entertainer. I dressed
in a pair of black slacks, a sequin top and a top hat with a few of my
balloon pins on it. I used a black waiter's apron (3-pocket) along with
a small black wallet style pouch and a tool belt type "holster" that was
just the right size for my Sharpies and a pair of safety scissors. The
outfit was remarkably comfortable to twist in. And while it was evident
that I was an entertainer, I did not take away from the elegant
atmosphere of the wedding (held in an extremely upscale
hotel-resort-spa).
    I am thrilled with how it went. There were about 25 children ranging
in age from 2 to 15 years, and they were all dressed up and on their
best behaviour, of course. What a treat!
    The thing that really surprised me, though, was how much fun it was
to interact with the young couples attending the wedding. One little
"bit" I used was to construct a simple small bee and give it to the
young man from the couple saying, "here's something you can give your
lady when you ask her to 'please beeeeee mine'."   He usually smiles and
hands it to his partner....then I address her and say sweetly, "then you
can use it later if you need to say 'hey, don't bug me!'" It was
consistent in getting laughs! (Note: much is in the tone of voice, the
banter doesn't actually translate well to print, but you get the
idea...)

The bee I used:
Inflate a 260 about 9", twist a 3" bubble for the body, a 3" loop for
wing #1, a 1-1/2" bubble (pinch twisted after the next step) for the
head, another 3" loop for wing #2 (which in a perfect world will be just
enough to finish the inflated part of the balloon, allowing the
remaining uninflated part to drop below the body between the wings and
act as a little wand to flutter the bug around on). Decorate with a
sweet (or sinister) smile on the head and a few stripes on the body.

Really fast and fun.

Elizabeth Glenday
Ontario, Canada
With best wishes for peace, love, harmony and healing to our neighbours
to the south!