Writing Your Own Ceremony August 14, 2009

Over a year ago, I wrote a post outlining my goals for writing our ceremony. Since I love to write and I wanted to make our ceremony as personalized as possible, this was my favorite “project” even though at times it was overwhelming. There was just so much I wanted to express in under 20 minutes. Even though there were still sentences I might have tweaked, Drew and I were both really happy with the result and I thought I would our process with you if you’re also planning to write your own ceremony. So let’s revisit my original goals:

1) Alternative Wedding Blessing – We did end up going with the Apache Wedding Blessing which has a spiritual as opposed to religious message.

2) Interesting Readings – Drew and I both searched until we found something that we found meaningful. I ended up with a passage from The Little Prince, one of my favorite stories, and Drew chose an Ayn Rand reading. If you’re also considering unusual readings you can check out Offbeat Bride, Credit Crunch Bride, or this article for some great ideas. I also checked out from this book from the library which had endless ideas organized with an easy to use index.

3) Personal Vows – After several long discussions, we decided to keep our vows very simple. A lot of couples chose to write their own vows to each other, but we liked the idea of making each other promises we had decided on together. I have a whole post planned on how to write vows so stay tuned!

4) Thank Yous – We also kept this very simple, by trying to express how much we appreciated everyone’s love and support at the beginning of the ceremony. The sentiment here was inspired by the script of a handfasting ceremony.

“Bride and Groom have asked you to be here today because each of you has made a unique and lasting impression on their lives. They know that making the journey took considerable effort for many of you and for this they are grateful. Your support, your friendship, and your love helped to make Bride and Groom who they needed to be to find first themselves – and then each other.”

5) Length – I never got an official statement about what our ceremony clocked in at, but I’m pretty sure it was about twenty minutes. We were ready to party!

If you’d like me to send you a full script of our ceremony (I had some friends who did this for us and it was very helpful when I was brainstorming) just comment below!

Centerpiece Ideas August 6, 2009

It’s always funny to look at your blog stats – for example, my post on Blue Orchid Centerpieces is by far the most popular just because that particular phrase gets searched for so often and my blog article is the first that pops up. So, it seems that lots of you out there are still on the lookout for creative centerpiece ideas. I understand because flowers can be incredibly expensive and centerpieces are such an important statement that can really help set the mood of your reception. Here are a few of my favorite tips that I learned from planning my own wedding.

• Never underestimate the power of food coloring and a little glycerin. Dying the water in clear vases makes an otherwise simple arrangement really pop!

yellow daisies blue and pink orchids multicolored tulip

• Use alternative materials in your centerpieces. Rocks, feathers, paper, fruit, cupcakes, corks, buttons…the list goes on and on. Not only are these cheaper than flowers, they don’t die after the wedding!

lemons paper lace cupcake bouquet

• Use alternative materials to hold your centerpieces. Wine bottles, vases, mason jars, tin buckets, lanterns, pitchers etc. Even tin cans can make a gorgeous statement. These can be items you would have thrown away or recycled or you can get them from thrift stores or budget friendly stores like Ikea!

black bottles cans for vases citrus bottles tea tins

• A little paint goes a long way. Our florist painted the curly willow at our wedding and the metallic shades made a big difference. Curly willow or other branches are a great and inexpensive way to give your centerpieces some height too.

white and pink natural curly willow blue room

Funny Little Details July 13, 2009

Looking through pictures by friends and family is like reliving the day all over again – except this time I can laugh over the quirky little details I was too excited to notice before. For example:

How our guests seemed as excited as I was for the awesome Depot Trolley.

How someone made my dreams come true and ate their escort card.

How even an expert heel wearer bride needs a pair of flat sandals for the afterparty.

(thanks to a fellow Delt wife for capturing these moments!)

Wedding Party Gifts July 6, 2009

Now that the wedding is over, I can finally rave about our wedding party gifts! Not surprisingly they were from Etsy – we knew we wanted something personalized and unique so I spent many happy hours shopping through the many vendors. For my girls I was looking for a piece of jewelry that could be customized with colors, initials, or something for each bridesmaid – Cindy V. had both! I got each girl a jewel cluster necklace in a different color with a tiny initial charm…I couldn’t resist getting one for myself too.

Shopping for the guys was a little trickier at first (isn’t it always?). We had played around with the idea of cufflinks but didn’t find any we liked until I happened upon these awesome ones made out of antique typewriter keys at QA Create. Sold! We got each groomsmen and Drew a set of cufflinks with their initials which they wore on the wedding day. I thought they looked pretty cool against the classic black and white tuxes. I’ll have detail shots from the day up in the near future!

Wedding Teasers from Kitty Maer June 30, 2009

This morning while stopped at a red light, I decided to check my email on my iPhone. Big mistake. Because there it was, the first of many emails I’ve been dreaming about since we first hired Kitty Maer, photographer extroadinaire! The temptation to endanger myself and other drivers by immediately oohing and aahing over our teaser pictures was overwhelming, but somehow I pulled myself together and made it to work safely. These are what I got to feast my eyes on – we aren’t celebrities, rock stars, or models but Kitty makes us look like it! Such is her genius 🙂

We’ve all been in/to lots of weddings at this point so everyone wasn’t used to not having to pose since we wanted more candid shots – but our ring bearer is a pro!

A close up of my gorgeous green monochromatic bouquet from Petals & Leaves.

We normally aren’t good in front of the camera but Kitty can coax amazing shots out of anyone.

I love this GQ one of Drew in front of the awesome bunny statue!

Centerpiece Sneak Peek June 23, 2009

So far I only have one picture of one of three types of centerpieces that we had at our wedding (thanks to my fellow teachers!) but I couldn’t resist a sneak peek. I can’t even begin to say how much fun I had working with Dee and Amanda at Petals & Leaves. I’m sure that I’ll continue to rave about their work when I get the detail shots from our photographer, but for now I’ll just say that I went to them with all sorts of crazy ideas (because that’s what happens when you’ve been reading wedding blogs for a year right?) and not only were they supportive and enthusiastic but they took my thoughts to the next level. This custom designed screen you see behind us with damask elements and orchids strung through it began as a vague thought about a “screen of flowers.” It turned out so well, even though we ended up inside instead of outside. In fact, I think it juxtaposed even better with the classic vintage appeal of Derby Court, giving it that modern twist we were going for.

And here is the shot of centerpiece one: a tall hurricane vase turned upside down with uplighting from the bottom, moss, flowers, green apples, and metallic curly willow spraying out of the top. I was blown away when I saw them! They were the one type of tall centerpieces we had, and they definitely added dimension and visual interest in such a huge room. Plus since the vases were thin and clear, people could still have conversations through them which was one of our main priorities. I’ll add pictures of the rest of their fabulous floral details as soon as I have them!

DIY Projects – Table Numbers June 18, 2009

So here we are, the first of the many detail oriented posts I neglected to write in the last few months! For our table numbers, I knew I wanted something artsy and unique but not too labor intensive. After a long search for the right vintage looking frames, I found some simple textured gold ones at Costco – yay for cheap wedding supplies by the pound! The frames cost $15 for a set of three, and I then I bought some super cheap art books at a used bookstore. A couple wooden numbers from Michael’s, some black spraypaint, and little glue and voila! Even in my completely ecstatic and overwhelmed emotional state at the wedding, I noticed them on the tables and thought they worked out really well with the rest of the table decorations. Here they are lined up on my dining room table:

And a closer shot. Each one is a different painting that Drew and I picked out.

I’m Back! June 15, 2009

I know, I know. Like so many other wedding bloggers, a month before the big day I disappeared, lost in an endlessly growing pile of placecards, forms to sign, details to tweak, and minor moments of panic to manage. In the home stretch of our wedding, I kept telling people I felt like a secretary, or maybe air traffic controller would be a better comparison. For those of you still waiting for the big day, be prepared to answer more emails, make more phone calls, and do more busy work that you imagine possible.

But. It was absolutely, completely, so totally worth it. Again, like other wedding bloggers I’m going to tell you that the day went perfectly. Did it, in actual fact? Well we ended up having our ceremony inside rather than out due to overcast skies (I am a Seattle girl, it’s only appropriate). But I think partly because I began this whole process with a go-with-the-flow attitude and also because our venue is just so amazing it worked out better. The whole night was a whirlwind of friends, family, vintage modern decor and details, ice cream, soul band….I could do it over and over again!

However, I’m back from the best honeymoon ever and ready to settle down to enjoying married life and of course, if you know me, a new and growing list of goals. But not before I recap those details that I missed out on sharing with you all the last few weeks! I’ve got lots of DIY projects, tips, and anecdotes to share, not to mention some wedding paraphenalia that can be used again. I’ll be selling my table numbers, dress, ring bearer pillow, and various other items so stay tuned!

In the meantime I’ll leave you with a teaser picture of our reveal from our artistic genius of a photographer, Kitty Maer. I absolutely cannot wait to see the footage she shot from our day, and neither can the rest of our guests – in fact one of my two fabulous Maids of Honor recently compared her to crack. In a good way of course 🙂