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Weddingbee Blog
“A good map is both a useful tool and a magic carpet to far away places.”
Ahhh, seating maps.
Since Mr. O’s and my big day would include about 50 of our nearest and dearest, our seating strategy was pretty easy and we knocked it out in one night. Which meant that it was time to work on the fun, number-free map we dreamed up when we first started planning this beach celebration, starring this fella:
seahorse watercolor painting by dimdi
Yep, I’m one of those number free table/escort card gals, and just like Mrs. Cowboy Boot’s sweet table names/escort cards, we knew from the get go that we wanted to incorporate our beach/sea environment in our reception.
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Happy day, everyone! I want to take this time to show you what is quite possibly the coolest mug at my workplace:
Some time ago, over a small feast at my favorite Greek restaurant, I asked one of my oldest friends how his wedding planning was going. A thoughtful look crossed his face as he swallowed a bite of gyro. “You know,” he said, “I think planning a wedding is possibly the worst way I can think of to start a marriage.”
Like the insufferable know-it-all that I am, I took this opportunity to climb up on my high horse and gallop around the whole restaurant. You should have heard me. I was all, “Well, having a bad attitude about it doesn’t help…” and “Try to enjoy this time; it’s the only time you’ll ever be engaged!”
It’s not the only time I’ve gently chastised people who are engaged and grumbling. Now I am gobbling up my words, and they do not taste nearly as good as Mediterranean cuisine.
I thought we got away with all the stress people complain about by having a long engagement. At first, I was like…oh yes. We are so clever. When asked about the planning process, I’d give a trilling laugh—Oh that. Total breeze. Everyone should have a long engagement.
People, I am here to tell you: no matter how long you are engaged, you cannot avoid the crunch time before the wedding.
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It seems like there’s so much emphasis in today’s wedding world to personalize your wedding, making it totally custom, unique, individual, and so on. Brides today are encouraged to take tradition and turn it on its head, whether it be dogs serving as ring bearers, friends serving as officiants, a breakfast-themed reception menu, or an underwater wedding ceremony.
Image via The Bahamas Weekly / Photo by Tim Aylen
Featured on Weddingbee
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
“Make an elegant invitation statement without the fuss. Stylish invitation sets with matching envelopes, reception and response cards included.”
While I’m working on answering the rest of your questions, let’s get back to the wedding crafting for just a bit, shall we?
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The wedding blogosphere indicates you need a card box. Some people in our lives have questioned this, but when I googled “Do I need a card box at my wedding?” much of the web evidence points to ’yes.’ We decided to use a gray box we already had (a gift box from some shaving stuff Mr. FW received last year—cuz, ya know, he shaves now). It was the perfect size and, yes, free. While I was taking a post-wedding-meltdown nap one day, Mr. FW put his spin on our card box. He said to me, “If this were just my wedding, this is the way I would do the card box.”
I knew I wanted to buy a new perfume especially for my wedding day. I will admit that my initial approach to choosing a scent was not quite the best way. I was interested in trying was Miss Dior Cherie - not because I thought it would be right for me but because I’d heard about it and wanted to try it. Yup, call me a sucker for advertising.
Image via Sephora
Luckily I played it smart before I bought it.
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Create the honeymoon of your dreams.
And it was freakin’ awesome.
It wasn’t perfect by any means. It rained and we had to move the ceremony indoors. Mr. S left his vows at the hotel and had to try to recite them from memory. The caterer forgot the cupcake tower and had to drive over an hour away to pick it up. The grey tablecloths looked lavender. The rental company brought pale pink lanterns instead of fuchsia. Some of the flowers were totally the wrong colors. By the end of the night, I was a sweaty mess.
But you know what? None of that mattered. Our ceremony turned out to be wonderful. The reception was a kick-ass party. Everyone we loved was there. None of the mishaps caused any bigger reaction than a shoulder shrug and a “meh” from any of us.
It was a great wedding. For realz. And I can’t wait to tell you allllllll about it when I do the full recaps.
Until then, the fabulous Matt + Lauren of Morrissey Photo were kind enough to throw a couple of teaser pics our way.
I have a feeling that’s what people are going to say to me when they find out that I’m DIY-ing all of my own flowers. That’s right—all of them. I’ll tell you why.
I am a genius who decided that it would be a great idea to get married in one of the most expensive cities in America. Awesome. NOT. I thought that I would at least be able to get my bridal and bridesmaids’ bouquets from a florist there…I mean, how much could it really break the budget? *gasp* I almost fainted when I started receiving price quotes. I’m sorry, I just cannot justify paying almost $300 for a freaking bouquet of flowers that I’m going to use for a few hours. I know what you might be thinking: “But they’re going to look so pretty in the pictures…” OK, but so would a bunch of wildflowers picked from alongside of the road. Now calm down, I’m not going to pick wildflowers from alongside of the road to use for my bouquet. I’m crazy, but not that crazy.
Photo by James Christianson via Style Me Pretty
The practice of law, and thus my everyday life, is quite boring on a daily basis, so I try to spice up the perception of my professional life and my everyday wedding decisions with elaborate made-up scenes. Indulge me, please.
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A weary judge enters the courtroom for the final arguments in a hotly contested case. As the spectators sit at his request, a deafening quiet fills the room. In a tone that can only be described as disinterested nothingness, the judge breaks the silence.
The Court: We are back in open court on case number 11 W 101. The attorneys and jury members are present. Are you prepared to proceed with closing argument?
Attorneys: Yes, Your Honor.
The Court: Mr. Kidd, you may proceed.
Mr. Kidd: Thank you, Your Honor. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, this is not an easy issue to decide, which is why we ask you to listen to all the arguments and facts before making any decisions.
We have heard a lot of evidence in this case, but I just want to remind you of a few key reasons why you should side with us and invite kids to your wedding.
First off, and most obviously, kids are cute. At weddings, kids get dressed up, they dance, and they make everyone smile. Their joy and happiness is contagious and will positively affect each of your wedding guests.
But, if you don’t believe me, just take a look at some of the exhibits we saw during the trial:
Exhibit #1
{Photo by Daryl Chan via Artistic Guild of Wedding Photojournalist Assn.}
Today is the last day to enter this contest!
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Have you heard of the fantastic company Weddington Way? It’s an online wedding boutique that allows brides and bridesmaids around the world to connect and shop for the perfect dress without the distractions, legwork and stress. Weddington Way combines the aesthetic of a fashion company, the ease and efficiency of online shopping and the service of a personal shopper, all in a one-stop online boutique.
And this week, Weddington Way has launched their “The Dream Wedding Party Outfitting Contest”! Partnering with Bonobos and Sheyna.com, brides and grooms can enter for a chance to win $750 toward outfitting their wedding party. Plus, they’re offering 25% off to the 10 entrants who invite the most friends to the contest!’
Head on over to Weddington Way and create your dream bridesmaid dress lineup, then upload the photo to Weddington Way’s Facebook contest page. After that—spread the word! Get your friends and family to “like” your lineup, and the three entrants with the most likes will be judged by a panel of bridal experts who will review the entries and select a winner to receive THREE gift certificates—a $250 credit from Weddington Way, a $250 credit from Bonobos and a $250 credit from
Sheyna.com—a grand total of $750!
Weddingbee is thrilled to be one of the judges this year, so head on over to Weddington Way’s contest page and enter today! 
After group photos, our families went back to the lounge area while we stayed by the water’s edge to get some bride and groom portraits.
“We don’t need a wedding planner.”
When we first started to plan the wedding, we agreed that we definitely wouldn’t need to hire a full wedding planner. I wanted to be heavily involved in planning the wedding. And I have to say, this process is outrageously fulfilling and rewarding to me, so far.
Aside from that, if there was some manageable, affordable way to hire someone just for the day of, that would be a wonderful bonus.
“Well, maybe we can do a day of coordinator!”
Day of coordinators (or DOCs) often do more than just show up on the day of. Their services usually include preparation in the weeks leading up to the wedding, running the rehearsal, and coordinating the entire wedding day. In case you are wondering, here are the types of things a DOC takes care of for you:
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When I returned to Ohio from spring break, I had to buckle down and finish my thesis. But at the same time, I kept emailing Mr. Funnel Cake and talking to him online when we had a chance.
Mr. FC was always amused how late I would stay up working, and he would IM me and marvel at the odd hours I was awake. We were talking fairly often by now, and he was even flirting online sometimes, telling me things like how he would volunteer to help me search for a swimsuit if I “needed help.” Gentleman he was, he would sometimes apologise if his quips were “too brash,” and he always sounded sincere.
One night in May ’08, Mr. Funnel Cake said he was searching for someone who would come to Paris with him for a few days during summer break, and he nonchalantly asked me if I was interested. I told him of course I’m interested because I’d never been and I started looking for flights, but didn’t take it too seriously.
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This installment of my little series marks the arrival of our “official” photo album from our photographers.
I’ll be completely honest here and say that I initially was not emotionally invested in this album, which is probably really sad and not something most photographers would want to hear.
I’ll fully admit that when we chose our photographers, we placed our priorities more on the personalities of the photographers and their actual photos than on the albums (what good is a beautiful book if you don’t love the photos in it?). Their albums are definitely a part of their artistry and they sell some beautiful products, but we were really stretching to get them at our wedding, and so we could only afford the smallest album they offered. In fact it was so small (just 30 small-ish photos, although beautifully printed) that I just couldn’t get excited about it. Kind of like when you see something expensive, and you love it, but you know you can’t have one, so you don’t let yourself think about it too much.
Luckily, a delay in processing led our photographers to offer us a slightly larger album, which we were excited about.
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To quote my friend Jen, “HOLY BANANAS!”
I can’t believe how close we are. Seriously. When did time decide to go in to super hyper speed? How is it possible that we’re in the teens portion of the countdown?
My goal through this whole process has been to have everything done before the week of the wedding. That way I can relax and enjoy myself instead of feeling “OMG! I’m never going to finish!” So, in order to reach that goal I have been having a full on “Craft-a-thon 2011″ happening at the Waffle house this week and culminating in a huge group craft day with my friends on Sunday. We will get it done!
Luckily, the only crafts left are those pesky ones that can’t be done until that last slow-poke RSVP comes through your mailbox. You know, the ones that hinge on a seating chart.
Our seating for this extravaganza is being assigned by fabric. Once I got the seating chart finished, I was on to the daunting task of stitching swatches to all the escort cards.
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