We Did It!

Gary and I were married on November 8, 2008 in front of 80 of our closest family and friends.
I thought I'd post a few thoughts and photos of our wedding in case anyone stumbles upon it. If you ever have any specific questions for me, go over to my "regular" blog and send me a comment. Happy Wedding Planning!

My top wedding day tips and lessons:

1. Totally bake your own wedding cake! It turned out awesomely despite my fretting. But make sure you have good friends to come over on the wedding day and do the last minute frosting and decorating. (thanks ambee!)

2. There won't be any time on your wedding day to do anything remotely useful. What's done is done, so step back and enjoy the day. Surround yourself with people who love you, let go of the control (that's a hard one for me), and you'll find that things just fall into place perfectly.

3. Give a toast! I am so glad that I prepared a short toast to our family and to my husband. It made me feel like I could properly acknowledge them, and also like I was a powerful woman speaking my own voice, rather than the meek bride quietly sitting to the side while the menfolk speak.

4. If you're having a backyard wedding like me, have the rentals delivered as early as possible on the day before the wedding. We were lucky to have ours arrive Friday morning at 10 am (earlier than expected!) Having that entire day to set up the tables, get the place settings ready and organized, and set up the chairs for the ceremony made me feel so much more relaxed. I am a control freak (I'm working on it), so being able to know that the things that still needed to be done on Saturday were pretty much fool proof allowed me to sleep much easier.

5. Trying to save some money? Consider using talented friends as your wedding photographers. My aunt was responsible for shooting all our ceremony photos and they turned out so lovely. The SLR cameras that so many people own these days are great quality and easy to use. A friend or family member may love to feel useful and give their time to you as a wedding gift.

6. Put some personality and thought into your wedding. I received a lot of compliments on our homemade jam favors, and it was also a wonderful way to bond with my mom over a common task.

7. Oh my gosh, get yourself a band! This does not have to blow your budget! We booked a blues band (Third Degree Blues) from gigmasters.com for less than $500 (for 6 hours). Cheaper than most DJs, cheaper than the cost of my invitations after my thousand trips to Paper Source. AND THEY ROCKED IT. Seriously, they were so amazing. Keep in mind that there are so many bands out there trying to make it and develop a reputation or may just want to play for the fun of it.

8. Discover Etsy if you haven't already. I got my beautiful lace bolero, custom bow ties for the ring bearers, custom handbags for bridesmaids gifts, and my gorgeous flower hair piece there. The site is a-maz-ing.

9. If something doesn't go exactly as planned, trust me- you won't give a hoot. See that handsome guy over there across the room? Yeah, you're marrying him, so what could possibly go wrong?

A hell of a week

Today's election day. Perhaps the biggest and most important election of my lifetime. Today also happens to be 4 days prior to my wedding day. The wedding's on Saturday and today is my last day at work, staring glassy eyed at my coworkers and pretending to listen to their inane stories. I guess I have most of the To Dos crossed off my list, because instead of pouring over wedding details I am scouring the political blogs and my head is just so not in wedding mode.

Let me introduce myself- this is me, by a fire, a little bit tipsy

I've noticed a few fellow wedding bloggers making there way over here. So, hello! This blog was meant as a way to save pics of things I liked- which is another way of saying it's pretty much a ripoff copycat of all the good wedding blogs! But glad you are here anyway!

A tip for the wedding planners- I have recently discovered a great blog with beautiful photos from real weddings at Southern Weddings. Check it out, you won't be disappointed...lots of bang for the buck.

The pergola

Dad and Gary finished up the pergola last weekend by putting in a hardwood deck so I can stand on it in heels without tipping over. It looks so awesome, and will also be a perfect place for the band to set up for the part-ay!

This photo is midway through the project- how awesome is it that I get to get married under something my dad and my fiancee made together?

Take my poll

I feel like my head is going to explode from too much information, too many details, too much too much too much!

One thing I have been way over thinking today is my actual walk down the aisle. So, a question for you if you stumble upon this blog… and please answer honestly!

If you went to a wedding where the bride walked down the aisle alone, unescorted by a family member, would you:

A. Assume her father was either deceased or unsupportive of the marriage.
B. Assume the bride has an independent streak and is old enough to walk herself down a damn aisle
C. Assume proper etiquette given that it is the bride’s second marriage.
D. Think it’s unusual and a little weird, but not terribly offensive.
E. Not think anything really at all.

Those of you who know me will know that B and C apply to me, but I am worried that some guests, those in particular from the groom’s side, will tend toward “A”. My dad has been extremely, extraordinarily supportive of my relationship with Gary, and I would hate for anyone to think otherwise and it’s really starting to make my head spin. As an aside, my dad doesn’t like being the center of attention so he is happier in his seat in the front row watching and taking pictures.

Request

If you are coming to my wedding, please please please take lots of pictures for me! We are not having an official wedding photographer because it's too freaking expensive to justify for a sweet little backyard wedding. Plus, my matron of honor happens to be a wedding photographer so we will be able to utilize her a bit for portraits.

But I am still concerned that I am going to miss some nice moments, especially pics of friends and family. Maybe I'll even ask someone to switch on the "video" component of their digital camera to get some film of the ceremony? Just a couple snippets of live action for posterity.

self indulgent

I may splurge on a beautiful silk robe to wear the morning of the wedding as I get my self beautified. Isn't this one from Anthropologie beautiful? (boo for Flash Players that don't let you download photos from their site)