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Mrs. Emerald, Chicago Age and Occupation: 26, Wedding Planner Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Paralegal Engagement Date: October 8, 2006 Wedding Date: September 2007 Blogging Since: November 29, 2006 Venue: Hyatt Lodge, Oak Brook IL About Me: I have been dreaming about my wedding forever, and flipping through bridal magazines since high school, so I am in my element! I am calling our theme "Vintage Inspired French/Asian Fusion." Mr. Emerald is very involved in the planning process, but of course he generally defers to me cuz I have a strong opinion of how I want everything to be :-).
About Mrs. Emerald

Time For The PARTAY

November 2nd, 2007 @ 4:42 pm by Mrs. Emerald

Part 1:Getting Ready
Part 2: The Big Reveal
Part 3: We’re Getting Maaarrriiieeeed

Our ballroom all set up and ready to go. I’m glad we decided NOT to to upgrade for the chaircovers… I think the dark green ballroom chairs blend in nicely with the decor.
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When I first saw our cake, I really disliked the pink flowers. I thought they looked like they were made out of playdoh (actually it’s molding chocolate). But looking back, I think the flowers are kinda cute… and I was amazed at how smooth the bakery was able to make the buttercream!
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A place setting with our menu card and the chocolate Eiffel Tower favors that I stressed out about a few months ago.
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Our Paris themed table numbers (it’s crooked!!)
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Mr. E strutting his stuff as we were announced!
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We went right into the cake cutting (I am amused by the monstrous shadow of the videographer in the background)
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My parents gave the first welcoming toast. My mom mentioned how she had taken care of me for so many years, but that morning of the wedding when I was doing her makeup, she realized that the roles were now reversed… I was taking care of her, and I was all grown up. Just thinking about her speech gets me all teary eyed!
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And a heartfelt hug
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A toast by the best man
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Then my sister read her adorable poem

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A toast by my Matron of Honor
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Tears mingled with laughter, we felt so loved!
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Finally, we thanked our guests for sharing this momentous occasion with us. I felt it was very important that we toasted everyone - I always think the bride and groom should say a few words at their wedding!
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The picture we used on our Thank You postcards (more info forthcoming)
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We didn’t bother eating that night… we didn’t have an appetite!!
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It’s Chinese tradition to go from table to table toasting our guests (I toasted with water - I didn’t want to get drunk from the combination of champagne and an empty stomach!)
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3 delicious flavors of cake. I think we need to eat our frozen top layer ASAP, I don’t want it to go to waste!
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Our first dance was to Josh Groban’s “So She Dances”. We started off with a basic “stand and sway”…
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And then halfway through, we surprised everyone with a choreographed waltz. I absolutely LOVED doing this! We took 5 private lessons, practiced A LOT on our own, and managed to choreograph it ourselves using a combination of the 6 or 7 basic waltz steps we learned. We kept the whole thing under 3 minutes… short and sweet with maximum impact!
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Gotta have a dip n’ kiss!
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My poor dad felt SO awkward during our 90 second dance to Michael Buble’s “The Way You Look Tonight”. I think it was the longest minute of his life, he kept asking, “Is it a minute yet?!?” He is just NOT a dancer, hehe. Then per my request, our DJ invited all the married couples to join us on the dance floor (a great way to move the spotlight off you!)
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There was also some ring admiring
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I had a my florist provide me with a “break-away” bouquet. It was 2 small bouquets bound together with ribbon. I gave one to my bridesmaid who is getting married next summer.
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And tossed the other half, which ironically, was caught by her younger sister!
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Mr. E ready to go under… he had to do it in style of course.
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But before he tossed it, he wrapped a $50 bill with it as “incentive.” I would say it did make the guys more inclined to reach for it, haha.
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Around 9:30 I changed into my reception dress. When I re-entered, I serenaded Mr. E with the song, “At Last”. Ok, please don’t imagine cheesy/bad karaoke singing, I do have 9 years of vocal performance training! winky042 He was completely surprised!
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Then it was time to bring “sexy back”…
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Along with some drinks
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And group dancing
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We had to take a pic with our photographer extraordinaire, Dennis Lee! Seriously, he is one cool guy!
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Around 10:30, we served McD’s cheeseburgers!! These were a hit, of course. I love that they were served on silver platters by waiters in white gloves!
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We didn’t want the night to ever end, but of course it had to… Our last song of the night was “All My Life” by KC & JoJo (an oldie, but a goodie!!). There were about 20 or so of our close friends still there, and we formed one big group hug, where we swayed and sang along at the top of our lungs. It sounds ridiculous, but honestly, it was a GREAT moment! And of course, I picked that song cuz EVERYONE knows the lyrics!!

I hope you enjoyed our wedding!

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24 Responses to “Time For The PARTAY”

1.
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Guest
Rebecca

i hope you were kidding — your cake looks GREAT!! such a cool departure from the typical sugar flowers. your entire wedding looks like it was so much fun!! congrats!

 
2.
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Jen

Mrs. Emerald, your reception looked like so much fun! Do you have a video clip of your serenade to Mr. Emerald? I would love to hear it!

 
3.
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Claire

Wow what an awesome wedding! My venue has similar chairs and I have been stessing about whether or not to cover them. What made you change your mind?
Claire

 
4.
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Bee
Miss Lovebird (message)  693 posts, Busy bee

Your wedding looked so fun Mrs. Emerald! Love the cheeseburgers!!!

 
5.
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Miss Jasmine (message)  1,154 posts, Bumble bee

Ahh, I love these pictures! Your reception looked like so much fun and the joy and happiness on your faces are adorable! And I would have been so excited about the McDonald’s cheeseburgers.

 
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Miss Chickadee (message)  208 posts, Helper bee

Great pictures Mrs. Emerald! The brown table cloths look great and I think the little flowers are really cute! We had to do the same thing during the father/daughter dance at my sister’s wedding because they were so nervous!

 
7.
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Sazz

How did you get them to let you serve outside food? Darn…even if i wanted to the cheeseburgers i wouldn’t be able to =(

 
8.
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Mrs. Emerald (message)  901 posts, Busy bee

Claire - actually the chaircovers could have been added to our package for a cost, but I’m not a fan of the way they look in general. I think if your chairs look similar to the ones we have and don’t have some hideous pattern, then you are fine! (Although I did covet chiavari chairs!!)

Jen - unfortunately, no clip of the serenade! We won’t get our video for another few months =/

Sazz - our venue offers the cheeseburger option as an upgrade. Our venue is actually located within the grounds of McD’s corporate headquarters, so its only fitting, right? Of course they charged $1.50/cheeseburger + $50 delivery!!

 
9.
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Kate

Looked like it was an absolute BLAST! :)

 
10.
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Maria

OMG it looks like you guys had a blast!!!!!!!! The cheeseburgers are toooooooo funny!

 
11.
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Miss Dahlia (message)  412 posts, Helper bee

Your reception looks like so much fun! You guys look like you (and your guests) had a blast!

 
12.
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Keny

I’m lovin’ the cheeseburgers.

 
13.
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Tea

i love pictures where you can tell everyone had a blast at the wedding. i feel like i missed out on the party!

 
14.
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Mrs Lily

Amazing! And there is so much emotion in your pics! Just wonderful! CONGRATS!

 
15.
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Mrs. Onion (message)  657 posts, Busy bee

wow — i love your mother’s comments during your parents toast. one of the things that passed us by was my parents never spoke nor did i or mr. onion. i wish mr. onion had said something — even at the rehearsal dinner and he just never did.

you looked like you had SOOO much fun. congrats — can’t wait to see your video footage :)

 
16.
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Mrs. Apple

i swear the speeches are always the best part of the wedding for me. It was definitely my most favorite for mine! Looking at your speech photos makes me want to go look at mine again and reminisce. -)

 
17.
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kBok

aww! your pictures look great and it looks like yall had a wonderful time! when i think about my own wedding i get a bit anxious, worrying whether guests will have a good time- but your photos are reassuring and it looks like all your guests did~!

 
18.
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It's lovely

The cheeseburgers are such a brilliant idea, love it! You looked like you were having the time of your life. Congratulations!!

 
19.
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Jennifer

I think your cake looked beautiful!

I just love looking through all of your pictures…and that one of your hubby looking at you while you serenade him is a great one. Your reception dress is also very pretty :)

 
20.
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tracie

It looks like you had a great time, and that’s what makes a wedding so enjoyable. I’m sure your guests enjoyed themselves, too! I love your wedding dress, btw.

 
21.
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L

Love everything about your wedding. Looks like so much fun! I wish I were there!!

 
22.
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Carrie

I’m getting married in Chicago in June. I loved your hair - who was your stylist?

 
23.
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JW

mrs emerald. beautiful wedding =)….can you tell me which size lanterns did you buy? 18″? thanks!

 
24.
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Midnight Snacking? « I Now Pronounce You Bride and Blog

[...] Mrs. Emerald, I feel like this would be an ENORMOUS hit with the younger crowd who will have hopefully worked up [...]

 


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Mrs. Emerald
Mrs. Emerald Mrs. Emerald, Chicago Age and Occupation: 26, Wedding Planner Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Paralegal Engagement Date: October 8, 2006 Wedding Date: September 2007 Blogging Since: November 29, 2006 Venue: Hyatt Lodge, Oak Brook IL About Me: I have been dreaming about my wedding forever, and flipping through bridal magazines since high school, so I am in my element! I am calling our theme "Vintage Inspired French/Asian Fusion." Mr. Emerald is very involved in the planning process, but of course he generally defers to me cuz I have a strong opinion of how I want everything to be :-).
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