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As the guests gathered outside to wait for us to exit the temple there was a flurry of activity while everyone tried to finish getting ready. The groomsmen were given their ties (all from eBay) and the boutonnieres Mamacado crafted for them. Isn’t she amazing?
After I rushed everyone out of the woods there were quick hugs all around. (I’m usually really casual about whether I show up to things on time or not, but the day before the wedding we visited the temple and I had a breakdown when we walked in 2 minutes late. I didn’t want a repeat on the wedding day.) It was so sad to say goodbye to Sistacado, MOH Shay. Since she is not yet endowed she was not able to attend the sealing. We’d known almost our entire lives that this would probably be the case, but it was still hard to say, “See you when I am a Mrs!”
Yes, I know the ring shot train has left the station, but I’m standing here with my camera in my hand crying out “But wait! Let me on! I think I have some good ideas to share.” So if the conductor (in this case Mrs. Bee) wouldn’t mind hitting the brakes for just a second so I can catch up, I’ll hopefully be able to share a few secrets that might help you in your quest to capture the perfect ring shot.
I’m guessing that many of you received fancy new cameras for Christmas (I’m jealous of you lucky girls who were blessed with a dSLR this year), and unless you have previous photography experience you are probably shooting all your pictures on the automatic setting. This ring shot tutorial of mine should help you attempt to turn your camera off of the automatic setting and start exploring things like aperture, shutter speed and ISO (I promise I’ll explain those terms soon). Even though it can be kind of scary, shooting on manual not only makes you a better photographer, but with enough practice you will find that you can take better pictures than the camera can!
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We wanted our immediate family portraits to be epic. We wanted something we would get excited about hanging on our wall. So we restructured the day a little bit and asked our parents and my sister to meet us in the woods after our own portrait session and before our marriage ceremony. I realize now that if we didn’t have the vintage suitcases, the plan would not have worked and we all would have been taking portraits standing in a line in the middle of the woods. There is nothing epic about that.
But something magic happened when we added those suitcases to the mix and the shots became really beautiful. Well, they would be beautiful if the two lovebirds front and center could take their eyes off each other long enough to look at the camera!
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For a self-proclaimed wedding aficionado like myself, big name wedding industry professionals are my version of celebrities. If they made a wedding industry version of People magazine I would wait with breathless anticipation for each week’s edition. “Oh my goodness!” I would exclaim. “That photographer is dating that florist! And look, my favorite wedding cake baker had a baby!”
So when I found out that Jessica Claire (she is Mr. Avocado’s dream photographer) would be shooting the New Years Vow Renewal I attended this week, I immediately started scheming ways to introduce myself to her. You know that scene in Win A Date With Tad Hamilton where she practices introducing herself to Tad multiple times in front of the mirror attempting to get her smile, tone of voice, and pose just right? That was SO me. I love love love photographers and the pictures they take.
Of course Jessica was super nice and turned to me the afternoon of the ceremony and said, “Hi my name is Jessica.” I giggled and said, “I know,” and then the bride outed myself as the stalker that I am.
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After mentioning my trip to Poland in May several months ago, a few of you asked to hear about the trip. I was a slacker and never wrote such a post, but I’ve been to Poland once again and thought you might like to see what Christmas in Poland is like.
Our trip was delayed by several days because of bad weather in Chicago, so instead of spending 6 days in Poland we were there for 3. This is NOT something the Avocados recommend. On the bright side, we were somehow able to score a free plane ticket to Seattle, giving us the chance to surprise my mom with a visit from the newlyweds while we waited for a flight to Poland. She screamed and cried when she saw us. 
Then it was Monday morning, time to board the plane for a direct flight from Seattle to Frankfurt. Mr. Avocado and I were, in short, miserable. He had laryngitis or bronchitis (or something like it, we never did get it checked out by a doctor) and because the airline delayed my bags I was without them for 3 days, causing me to miss several doses of my birth control. Missing my birth control meant starting my period as we walked onto the plane. Yuck. Here we are in Germany, 20 hours into the trip.
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Mr. Avocado and I are hopping a plane to Poland tomorrow morning, so this is the last you will hear from me for a few weeks (Christmas in Poland and New Years in Atlanta; I’m spoiled this year). I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a delightful New Year!
Did I mention I was an hour late for our first look? Haha, writing it that way has me picturing Mr. Avo standing around nervously in the forest waiting for me for an hour, but we ended up coordinating very well through texts and he arrived at the meeting spot just a few minutes before I did.
Somehow, even though we were an hour short on time, we were able to capture close to 150 gorgeous portraits in the woods before the sealing. We were nervous, anxious, excited, and beaming. We were so close to becoming Mr. and Mrs. Avocado and I think it shows in the photos.
The first look is another moment that LDS brides forgo, although I’m not sure why. There is no “walking down the aisle” moment in the temple, and for us, it was how we found time to connect and take a breath before we were married.
There is not much that can be said about a first look moment, as they are all pretty much the same. The groom waits, the bride sneaks up, they both have a “moment”. Though, somehow, to each couple that moment is made of personalized magic. It smells like passion and it feels like love. Even if you had been there, you couldn’t have fully experienced it. That’s what I like best about the first moment. It was a moment just for us.
First Look from Jenna on Vimeo.
It’s the little things that make a wedding unique. Even if 10 different brides choose a black, gray, and yellow color scheme, the different personal touches infused throughout are what will make each of those weddings a personal affair. My personal details, the things I wore or used on my wedding day, are some of my favorites because they are the ones I keep with me and use frequently after the wedding. I’ve written about many of them already, but please indulge me in revisiting, one last time, the bridal details.
My Grandma is always offering to knit/crochet things for me, and now that I live in Dallas I don’t have a lot of need for scarves and hats throughout year. Somehow I stumbled across this post by Calista Yoo and knew that if I was going to have a wedding day purse, I wanted it to be created by her. I love its ruffly bum (reminds me of the ruffly bum panties I wore as a baby) and I sewed the buttons on myself a few nights before the wedding. (I was so excited to find yet another way to use those buttons!) Now, it’s waiting in my closet, to be used for a special date night with the hubs.
Although I was pee-in-my-dress excited to get dressed (which I didn’t do because I went potty before I got in the dress!), I remember feeling a little bit self-conscious when it was time to step into Evelyn. I don’t usually get dressed with 15 pairs of eyes focusing in on my every move (not to mention the two cameras clicking away). None of that shows in the pictures though, with my face consistently conveying the message, “Bring on the dress!”
When scrolling through pictures and descriptions of wedding after wedding during our planning stage, the pictures I always looked forward to without fail were both the first look and the bride and groom gift exchange photos. Even though these two things are non-standard for LDS weddings, I knew I wanted to incorporate them into ours. Mr. Avocado was hesitant of both, to say the least, but I think he realized how much I wanted them both to happen, so he went along with it the day of the wedding.
Now that it is over, he admits it was a really special moment we shared. I had no idea how he would interpret the gift exchange after I gave him no hints on what I was giving him, and he had no idea what I would I could possibly get him that he could truly appreciate. I think we both surprised each other with our thoughtfulness.
While I was getting ready, I sent MOH Shay and Photographer Kelli to deliver the goods and document the reactions. I started things off with this card by Sugar Street Cafe. Of course, being the good little Mormon couple we are, we had no experience necking before the wedding. I just thought the giraffes were cute.
I think I woke up that morning with a smile on my face. It was my wedding day, the day I would be sealed to the man I loved for time and all eternity. I was officially a blushing, beaming bride.
Even though all of our guests were staying at the Embassy Suites right next to the Bellevue temple, I opted to sleep at Hotel 1000 with BM Princess Jess using my employee discount. I couldn’t pass up the luxury beds and the amazing bathtub! You better believe I indulged in a very heavenly bath the night before the wedding to calm down and fall asleep. I woke up at 5:30 am, threw on my bee jumpsuit, and arranged my wedding decor and luggage in two different piles for the Hotel 1000 staff to move for me (have I mentioned previously how absolutely fabulous Hotel 1000 was!)
We arrived at Embassy Suites right on time, and I proceeded to wake everyone up and invade MOH Shay Shay’s room for the next few hours in order to get ready. Aunt April came in and it was time to get started on my hair.
Morning Greeting from Jenna on Vimeo.
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After Whole Foods it was time for our second non-hosted activity of the wedding weekend. We had no idea if the weather would cooperate, and if it didn’t it would a be miserable time, but we really lucked out.
Harbor sailing turned out to be the perfect choice because guests were able to split up into different areas depending on what they were comfortable with. There was a guide outside at the back of the boat, so guests could hang out and listen to the tour, or they could sit inside. Most of us ended up congregating at the front of the boat where we could just barely hear the tour guide and were able to have our own windy conversations.
There are many things that are very common at most weddings that LDS weddings just don’t do. You won’t find any alcohol present, which usually means no dancing. (Please note that Mormons DO dance. I always find it funny when people ask if that is not allowed as part of our belief system. Alcohol just seems to help people feel a little more comfortable on the dance floor and so dancing is more prevalent at other weddings.)
Another thing we don’t have is a traditional ceremony, which eliminates the need for a rehearsal. No rehearsal = no need for a rehearsal dinner. Eliminating the rehearsal dinner was great for our budget, but I still wanted that casual dining time with close friends and family. My dad had originally been lobbying for a wedding catered by Whole Foods (wasn’t gonna happen Daddy-O), so we did the next best thing and invited guests to join us there for lunch the day before the wedding.
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Mrs. Avocado, Seattle Age and Occupation: 23, Student Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Consultant Engagement Date: July 27, 2008 Wedding Date: October, 2008 Blogging Since: June 30, 2008 Venue: LDS Seattle Temple & Hotel 1000 About Me: Somehow this little farm girl found herself a genuine Pole to fall in love and eventually move away to Poland with. I am an LDS bride attempting to plan a private religious ceremony, ring ceremony, seated reception for 100, and an open house while coordinating for guests flying in from across the United States and as far away as Poland. I try to avoid fads, excess waste, and saturated fat. I strongly endorse photography, DDR, calorie counting, rss feeds, cooking, and utilizing your resources.
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