Weddingbee Blog

I’ve been collecting ceremony readings for a while, and it’s about time to get our selections finalized! From what I know, most tropical, outdoor ceremonies go by pretty quickly, so I wanted to have several readings so that our ceremony isn’t over in the blink of an eye! I’ve picked a selection of both religious and non-religious passages that I think represent Mr. K and I as a couple. The only problem is that I’m not quite sure how many readings is TOO MANY. I’ve weeded some out and I think I’ll be able to incorporate the passages below without putting our guests to sleep.

Union by Robert Fulghum (Minister Reads)

You have known each other from the first glance of acquaintance to this point of commitment. At some point, you decided to marry. From that moment of yes to this moment of yes, indeed, you have been making promises and agreements in an informal way. All those conversations that were held riding in a car or over a meal or during long walks - all those sentences that began with “When we’re married” and continued with “I will and you will and we will”- those late night talks that included “someday” and “somehow” and “maybe”- and all those promises that are unspoken matters of the heart. All these common things, and more, are the real process of a wedding. The symbolic vows that you are about to make are a way of saying to one another, “ You know all those things we’ve promised and hoped and dreamed- well, I meant it all, every word.” Look at one another and remember this moment in time. Before this moment you have been many things to one another- acquaintance, friend, companion, lover, dancing partner, and even teacher, for you have learned much from one another in these last few years. Now you shall say a few words that take you across a threshold of life, and things will never quite be the same between you. For after these vows, you shall say to the world, this- is my husband, this- is my wife.

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Now that the invitations are in the mail, I can safely show them to you! (And in fact, as I write this I received an email about them from one of our guests. Yay! USPS two-day mail is no joke!!)

I’ve been all over the place searching for a way to turn my ideas (i.e. “shite”) into something personal, relatable and unique (e.g. “gold”). I didn’t have anything really specific in mind, just a mish-mash of themes and impressions of a color scheme all pinned to the corkboard in my head:
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… is pretty much how our venue search went. You see, that other post - those were only the places I physically went to see. Here are the other places we considered getting married at:

I love the Baltimore Zoo, but the mansion doesn’t have A/C and there’s no telling what August weather will be like. With several elderly guests invited, it just didn’t seem like a great idea. After seeing this Flickr stream, I almost wish I had considered it further.

(source)

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With the wedding less than two months away (yikes!), it’s time to dust off the DIY projects that were started (rather, the supplies were bought) over the past 4 months. I knew it was a mistake to buy the last novel in the Twilight sequel this late in the wedding planning game, but Edward was calling me from the stacks at Costco and I succumbed. Well, the book is read, and now it’s crunch time. So, most of my free days and nights have been spent crafting.

I posted a while ago about styling the aisle, and had a lot of great feedback from all of you. I loved the look of flower garlands hanging from the altar, but our florist’s ri.dic.u.lous. prices prompted a day of DIY. I love the results. LOVE. I can picture them swaying in the Caribbean breeze as we softly whisper, “I do…”

Oh, who am I kidding?! With my luck, they’ll be a tangled mess, and Mr. Quiche will be yelling, “Ya mon!” Moving on…

The altar at Coyaba

Supplies:
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Have I ever mentioned to you all that I am a laaaazzzyyyy bride? Well, I am. And when it came to registering for gifts, I chose not to stray far from my roots.

You may be wondering where Mr. Powder Puff is in this equation. Why am “I” registering for gifts and not “we”? Well, peeps, I hate to break it to you, but the mister was not all that thrilled by the thought of going to a store, wandering around for hours picking out the perfect salt shaker, and then walking out empty-handed. So, he left the task to me, but made sure to school me on “must haves” that I needed to add to the list.

This arrangement thrilled me at first!
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After a delicious dinner and wonderful toasts, we slipped momentarily away for some private portraits, some of which you saw earlier, and more of which I will show you later. (As luck would have it, the pouring rain stopped just as we finished eating!) Then, we hurried back to the reception tent, where our delectable desserts were waiting for us: A vanilla-huckleberry cake with buttercream frosting and mini cherry & huckleberry tartlets, all made fresh by the famous bakery at the Polebridge Mercantile.
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It seems like the point of bridal showers are for family and close friends to help the couple get started in their new life together by giving gifts. However, my guy and I already have a house, nice kitchen gadgets, pots/pans, bedding… etc. We’ve talked about how it makes us feel selfish and uncomfortable having these things and then putting our friends and family in the position where they might feel they have to give us gifts. We just want our wedding to be a celebration of our marriage and our new life together, and we want the important people there to enjoy the big day with us.

So it seems unnecessary to have a shower, but we also don’t want to snub people by not accepting wedding gifts. We don’t want to come across as snobs. My mom asked me the hypothetical, “What if someone wants to give you a gift though?” I have heard that some people would consider it rude or feel bad if you deny their offer to host a shower for you. I also thought about not creating a wedding registry, but my mom said there are always going to be people who insist on giving a wedding gift, and it would be better to have at least some kind of registry for them so that they don’t feel they have to give cash.

What do you guys think? Would it be rude to request not having a shower? And for the wedding, we were thinking of accepting donations to one of our favorite charities in lieu of gifts. How would you handle these situations?

FutureMrsR

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Please comment on the thread here.

One of the problems with having all my bridesmaids out of town is that I have no one to guilt into helping with the enormous amount of projects I have taken on.

Fortunately for me, I have some of the best friends ever here in town. They’ve been more than helpful.

Recently, I held the first of what I hope will be several successful Wedding Crafting Parties. My girlfriends here came over and helped me finish a few projects, and start a few new ones.

Remember this fabric?

I was feeling very bored with my centerpieces (I know I haven’t shown them to y’all yet, I will, promise) and decided I needed something to spice up our tables, to add some color. I started looking at table runners and squares online and decided I was not going to shell out that kind of money. So, I decided I would make the darn things myself.
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In February I met up with my mom in Vegas for a convention known as WPPI (Wedding & Portrait Photographers International), to spend some time with her and to play. And, to meet Miss Dumpling, of course! I called Mr. Avocado each night bursting with excitement about all of the new things I was seeing and learning.

I’ll admit this first post is slightly gratuitous, a chance to show you some of my favorite shots from my week in Vegas, and give you an idea what I was doing when I wasn’t at the convention.

After entirely too many hours at the airport (canceled flight, no seats on stand-by, etc.) I was very happy to check in to our vintage film-inspired hotel room. There is just something about old Hollywood that always leaves me sighing.

That night I met up with fellow bee Miss Dumpling! She is gorgeous and funny and awesomely self-deprecating. She’s incredibly easy to fall head-over-heels in love with. Don’t you love those kinds of people?
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Ed. note: We’ve attached the finished product to the end of the post!

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I had been considering wearing silk flower in my hair for a few months before I found the photo that convinced me I had to have one.

Photo by Luke Walker.

Doesn’t that flower it look beautiful in her hair?  I love it!

Sidenote: This picture also sold me on the idea of taking a picture in a boat, but I’d be nervous about falling into the water! I actually think they are trying to trick us in this picture. Doesn’t it look like the boat is on the dock? I guess that’s how you do it without getting wet… this couple is smart!

Anyways, after I saw this picture, I began shopping for hair flower materials. I picked up some apparel lining fabric (I think it’s just polyester) for a few other projects, but had a bunch of scraps left over.  Since the fabric matched my dress, I used the remaining fabric to make the my hair flowers. Here are instructions in case you want to make one yourself.  They are really easy to make!

You will need:
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Reader nurseheather30 is selling a brand new birdcage veil with a silk flower attached. She purchased this veil from Distinctive Veils, but changed her mind about wearing it on her wedding day. She is asking for $40, including shipping.

Have a wedding item for sale? Post it with pictures in the Weddingbee classifieds and you might see it featured on the blog!

Other great items for sale:
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mumm’s the word - by Whisked Away on Polyvore.com

Every year on New Year’s Day, the Mummer’s Parade (Mrs. Cupcake posted about this) struts through the city, bringing with it elaborate costumes and spirited performers competing in four categories — Comics, Fancies, String Bands, and Fancy Brigades.

What’s this have to do with weddings? Well first, no, Mama Bruschetta is not a Mummer.

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Guests don’t care about the wedding’s details like we do. But there are certain sentimental aspects that give all of us warm fuzzies. I don’t know about you, but for me, the best weddings are the ones where I come home and I want to fall in love all over again. Here are some things I guarantee they will and won’t remember.

WILL: That the bride looked radiantly blissful and confident in her dress.
WON’T: That the bride was five pounds thinner.

WILL: Vows said with meaning and heartfelt sentiment.
WON’T: Brilliant, original vows that showcased impeccable writing style, but failed to say what you truly meant.

WILL: A fun reception where everyone got a chance to dance and shake their booty without judgment.
WON’T: That every single song you told your DJ to play got played.

WILL: A warm ambience and welcoming decor.
WON’T: The exact flowers used in each centerpiece or that the shade of mauve in the table linens matched the mauve in the napkins.
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Mr. Joey just sent me a few shots of the chapel we’re getting married in. I’ve only been once, and I had asked him to take some pictures in between classes.

The chapel is really simple and has A LOT of light during the day. It’s also really plain (which can be good) and has a lot of chairs that aren’t exactly the cutest things. Why couldn’t they have grey seat cushions?

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First, thank goodness for those of you who are already married and still read Weddingbee. Bless you, love you, can’t wait to be just like you. I need your help.

For those of you who wrote your own vows, how long did it take you? Did you wait until just before your wedding day to write them or did you tweak your drafts over time?

I think that mine are written. *GASP* I know, me, Ms. Procrastinator has something done ahead of time, and (get this) with very little drama. I’m finding it difficult to believe too.

But I was perusing my blog and I found a post written last August:

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I’ll admit, I have little patience for pretense or fuss, and I don’t think that my wedding day should be “the best day of my life”. What a sad thought to spend decades in marriage looking back at the day it all began.

On the other hand, I do want it to matter.
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