Mrs. Buttons, Clearwater, FLAge and Occupation: 24, "Working on it"Fiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Financial ServicesEngagement Date: June 13, 2009Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: Carlouel Yacht ClubAbout Me: I'm a self proclaimed perfectionist and a professional nomad (seriously, I've lived in TX, WI, MI, FL, NC, and now VA!). I love wine, cooking, curling up with a good book (nerd alert!), spoiling the furbaby, and of course, the wonderful Mr. Buttons! We are planning a lighthearted and whimsical wedding (with a good deal of DIY projects) in Clearwater, Florida, but from a distance of 800 miles away! We are looking forward to sharing our day with our family and friends, and most importantly, starting our lives together as husband and wife!
Oh geez, I don’t even know where to start with this one, my dear hive.
I think I’ll begin by asking you to put on a bit of background music. Pretty please?
It feels like graduation day. It is hard to believe that I started my Weddingbee journey in December…2009. Hive, you have been there for me through it all: through the venue selection, our save the date drama, my search for vintage-y vases, our somewhat disappointing revelation that we would have to cancel our honeymoon, my decision to completely change our floral inspiration…you name it! You were all there! I can’t thank you enough. You have shared my excitement over little details that most others could probably care less about, and sent me words of support when I was feeling down about aspects of the planning process. Read more…
Mrs. Buttons, Clearwater, FLAge and Occupation: 24, "Working on it"Fiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Financial ServicesEngagement Date: June 13, 2009Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: Carlouel Yacht ClubAbout Me: I'm a self proclaimed perfectionist and a professional nomad (seriously, I've lived in TX, WI, MI, FL, NC, and now VA!). I love wine, cooking, curling up with a good book (nerd alert!), spoiling the furbaby, and of course, the wonderful Mr. Buttons! We are planning a lighthearted and whimsical wedding (with a good deal of DIY projects) in Clearwater, Florida, but from a distance of 800 miles away! We are looking forward to sharing our day with our family and friends, and most importantly, starting our lives together as husband and wife!
Even though I was quite confident that our dance party could have continued well into the night, our evening did have to come to a close. Thankfully, we had a few plans to end the night with some sparkle…
We purchased extra long sparklers before the wedding to stage for our exit. If you are planning a sparkler exit for your getaway—DEFINITELY get these; the regular sized short sparklers that you use on the 4th of July will not last long enough for a grand exit and you will be left with smoky photos! Carlouel was nice enough to provide matches to light and buckets to dispose of our sparklers. After the DJ played the final song, he asked our guests to move towards the exit and line up outside for the sparkler excitement! Under the direction of our DOC, they formed a walkway for Mr. Buttons and I to walk through!
Mrs. Buttons, Clearwater, FLAge and Occupation: 24, "Working on it"Fiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Financial ServicesEngagement Date: June 13, 2009Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: Carlouel Yacht ClubAbout Me: I'm a self proclaimed perfectionist and a professional nomad (seriously, I've lived in TX, WI, MI, FL, NC, and now VA!). I love wine, cooking, curling up with a good book (nerd alert!), spoiling the furbaby, and of course, the wonderful Mr. Buttons! We are planning a lighthearted and whimsical wedding (with a good deal of DIY projects) in Clearwater, Florida, but from a distance of 800 miles away! We are looking forward to sharing our day with our family and friends, and most importantly, starting our lives together as husband and wife!
I considered including this particular set of photos with the other dancing pictures from our reception, but I felt as though they deserved their own special post.
One awesome thing about weddings (well, ours at least) is watching the celebration unfold, and really seeing some people come out of their shell!
Over the course of our reception, a bromance formed. Don’t ask me how, don’t ask me why, but Grandpa Buttons and Groomsman J hit it off…on the dance floor!
Mrs. Buttons, Clearwater, FLAge and Occupation: 24, "Working on it"Fiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Financial ServicesEngagement Date: June 13, 2009Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: Carlouel Yacht ClubAbout Me: I'm a self proclaimed perfectionist and a professional nomad (seriously, I've lived in TX, WI, MI, FL, NC, and now VA!). I love wine, cooking, curling up with a good book (nerd alert!), spoiling the furbaby, and of course, the wonderful Mr. Buttons! We are planning a lighthearted and whimsical wedding (with a good deal of DIY projects) in Clearwater, Florida, but from a distance of 800 miles away! We are looking forward to sharing our day with our family and friends, and most importantly, starting our lives together as husband and wife!
The week before the wedding, my friend J was insistent that we all needed to “slap the floor” during the wedding reception at some point. I wasn’t sure why we were doing it, but it seemed to be the thing to do. This included my mother as well. Let’s do this!
Mrs. Buttons, Clearwater, FLAge and Occupation: 24, "Working on it"Fiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Financial ServicesEngagement Date: June 13, 2009Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: Carlouel Yacht ClubAbout Me: I'm a self proclaimed perfectionist and a professional nomad (seriously, I've lived in TX, WI, MI, FL, NC, and now VA!). I love wine, cooking, curling up with a good book (nerd alert!), spoiling the furbaby, and of course, the wonderful Mr. Buttons! We are planning a lighthearted and whimsical wedding (with a good deal of DIY projects) in Clearwater, Florida, but from a distance of 800 miles away! We are looking forward to sharing our day with our family and friends, and most importantly, starting our lives together as husband and wife!
During the reception, we wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the married couples as well as the single folk! We decided to have an anniversary dance. We chose a classic song to play, and all of the married couples were called on to the dance floor.
Mrs. Buttons, Clearwater, FLAge and Occupation: 24, "Working on it"Fiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Financial ServicesEngagement Date: June 13, 2009Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: Carlouel Yacht ClubAbout Me: I'm a self proclaimed perfectionist and a professional nomad (seriously, I've lived in TX, WI, MI, FL, NC, and now VA!). I love wine, cooking, curling up with a good book (nerd alert!), spoiling the furbaby, and of course, the wonderful Mr. Buttons! We are planning a lighthearted and whimsical wedding (with a good deal of DIY projects) in Clearwater, Florida, but from a distance of 800 miles away! We are looking forward to sharing our day with our family and friends, and most importantly, starting our lives together as husband and wife!
In the midst of the dance party, we were informed by the DOC that it was time to cut the cake! Um, yes please! Since everyone was already on the dance floor, they walked a few steps over to the cake to watch (and get a slice of the goodness)! Mr. Buttons and I had to consult with one another on our game plan. No…wait…lets be honest: I told him what to do.
“Be careful…don’t ruin the pretty lace design. Don’t cut too big of a slice. And don’t cut too small of a slice – I want a considerable piece of that cake!”
Mrs. Buttons, Clearwater, FLAge and Occupation: 24, "Working on it"Fiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Financial ServicesEngagement Date: June 13, 2009Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: Carlouel Yacht ClubAbout Me: I'm a self proclaimed perfectionist and a professional nomad (seriously, I've lived in TX, WI, MI, FL, NC, and now VA!). I love wine, cooking, curling up with a good book (nerd alert!), spoiling the furbaby, and of course, the wonderful Mr. Buttons! We are planning a lighthearted and whimsical wedding (with a good deal of DIY projects) in Clearwater, Florida, but from a distance of 800 miles away! We are looking forward to sharing our day with our family and friends, and most importantly, starting our lives together as husband and wife!
Now that the sun had set, it was officially time to PARTY! It wasn’t hard to convince our friends and family to meet us on the dance floor…they had actually started the party without us when Mr. Buttons and I had snuck out for our sunset shoot!
My bridesmaids had no problem tearing it up…and Daddy Buttons was quick to join in the fun!
Mrs. Buttons, Clearwater, FLAge and Occupation: 24, "Working on it"Fiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Financial ServicesEngagement Date: June 13, 2009Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: Carlouel Yacht ClubAbout Me: I'm a self proclaimed perfectionist and a professional nomad (seriously, I've lived in TX, WI, MI, FL, NC, and now VA!). I love wine, cooking, curling up with a good book (nerd alert!), spoiling the furbaby, and of course, the wonderful Mr. Buttons! We are planning a lighthearted and whimsical wedding (with a good deal of DIY projects) in Clearwater, Florida, but from a distance of 800 miles away! We are looking forward to sharing our day with our family and friends, and most importantly, starting our lives together as husband and wife!
Hive, I wanted to take a short break from my recaps for a moment, because I am so excited to share this project with you! If you’re anything like me, a go-to gift for a party, birthday, or other celebration, is typically a bottle of wine. And hey—I like receiving bottles of wine myself…just in case you were wondering…
Anyway, I was getting bored with the typical wine bag as a wrapper. Yawn. I scoured the Internet for some inspiration, and (surprise) Martha gave me some good ideas to get me started. I added my own twist, and I am SO happy with how it turned out!
Materials needed:
Bottle of wine/champagne
Dish towel
Straight pins
Twine
Wax paper
The instructions are pretty simple. First, lay the bottle lengthwise on the dish towel, leaving about 2 inches of slack at the bottom.
Mrs. Buttons, Clearwater, FLAge and Occupation: 24, "Working on it"Fiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Financial ServicesEngagement Date: June 13, 2009Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: Carlouel Yacht ClubAbout Me: I'm a self proclaimed perfectionist and a professional nomad (seriously, I've lived in TX, WI, MI, FL, NC, and now VA!). I love wine, cooking, curling up with a good book (nerd alert!), spoiling the furbaby, and of course, the wonderful Mr. Buttons! We are planning a lighthearted and whimsical wedding (with a good deal of DIY projects) in Clearwater, Florida, but from a distance of 800 miles away! We are looking forward to sharing our day with our family and friends, and most importantly, starting our lives together as husband and wife!
Hive, the time has come to share all of my tiny little details. During the course of my wedding planning, I accumulated a number of crafts and projects for the big day. It was incredibly rewarding to see each and every one of them come to fruition at our venue.
First: what we wore. I spent a lot of time and effort putting together my attire and the bridal party’s attire, and I thought it came together beautifully (I’m biased).
My gorgeous lace dress…James Clifford style 1820. It was the first dress I put on at the dress shop I bought it from. My grandma cried when she saw me in it. I still love it to this very day.
I hand crafted the ivory peony I wore on the wedding day. Because I wasn’t wearing a veil, I wanted the flower to be a statement, and I absolutely loved my enormous hair flower! Read more…
Mrs. Buttons, Clearwater, FLAge and Occupation: 24, "Working on it"Fiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Financial ServicesEngagement Date: June 13, 2009Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: Carlouel Yacht ClubAbout Me: I'm a self proclaimed perfectionist and a professional nomad (seriously, I've lived in TX, WI, MI, FL, NC, and now VA!). I love wine, cooking, curling up with a good book (nerd alert!), spoiling the furbaby, and of course, the wonderful Mr. Buttons! We are planning a lighthearted and whimsical wedding (with a good deal of DIY projects) in Clearwater, Florida, but from a distance of 800 miles away! We are looking forward to sharing our day with our family and friends, and most importantly, starting our lives together as husband and wife!
Mrs. Buttons, Clearwater, FLAge and Occupation: 24, "Working on it"Fiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Financial ServicesEngagement Date: June 13, 2009Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: Carlouel Yacht ClubAbout Me: I'm a self proclaimed perfectionist and a professional nomad (seriously, I've lived in TX, WI, MI, FL, NC, and now VA!). I love wine, cooking, curling up with a good book (nerd alert!), spoiling the furbaby, and of course, the wonderful Mr. Buttons! We are planning a lighthearted and whimsical wedding (with a good deal of DIY projects) in Clearwater, Florida, but from a distance of 800 miles away! We are looking forward to sharing our day with our family and friends, and most importantly, starting our lives together as husband and wife!
I was incredibly excited to see how the tasting stations for our reception turned out. Mommy Buttons and I had spent a lot of time coming up with the menu! One of my favorite things about working with Carlouel was the fact that they were incredibly open to any and all suggestions I had. I mean, come on: when my mom and I mentioned how it would be so pretty if the fireplaces had mantles, they went ahead and constructed some for us! And when it came to the menu, the sky was the limit! We worked to create five different tasting stations for our guests to enjoy.
Each of our guests had a lovely salad in front of them to enjoy as they waited for their table to be released to the stations. It was a spring mix salad with Craisins, walnuts, gorgonzola, and my mom’s recipe for honey lime vinaigrette (yep—Carlouel was willing to make any recipe—even our own!). BM L managed to snap a picture of it:
For the tasting stations, we wanted an eclectic mix of food. Although I don’t have a photo of every station’s offerings, I was so happy with how they all turned out, and I think that there was a combination of food that would please any guest’s palate!
Mrs. Buttons, Clearwater, FLAge and Occupation: 24, "Working on it"Fiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Financial ServicesEngagement Date: June 13, 2009Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: Carlouel Yacht ClubAbout Me: I'm a self proclaimed perfectionist and a professional nomad (seriously, I've lived in TX, WI, MI, FL, NC, and now VA!). I love wine, cooking, curling up with a good book (nerd alert!), spoiling the furbaby, and of course, the wonderful Mr. Buttons! We are planning a lighthearted and whimsical wedding (with a good deal of DIY projects) in Clearwater, Florida, but from a distance of 800 miles away! We are looking forward to sharing our day with our family and friends, and most importantly, starting our lives together as husband and wife!
After the dances, our guests took a seat and it was time for the toasts!
MOH L was up first. Back story: Facebook came out during our sophomore year of college. Shortly after the relationship feature was added, everyone was quick to link up with their boyfriend/girlfriend. L and I were both boyfriend-less, and BM K had recently announced her relationship with her new beau. Not to be outdone, L and I decided that we would announce: our marriage! Our “married” relationship status remained throughout college, and a few years afterward. She began dating her now-husband…I began dating Mr. Buttons…but we remained married on Facebook…until Mr. Buttons proposed.
Mrs. Buttons, Clearwater, FLAge and Occupation: 24, "Working on it"Fiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Financial ServicesEngagement Date: June 13, 2009Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: Carlouel Yacht ClubAbout Me: I'm a self proclaimed perfectionist and a professional nomad (seriously, I've lived in TX, WI, MI, FL, NC, and now VA!). I love wine, cooking, curling up with a good book (nerd alert!), spoiling the furbaby, and of course, the wonderful Mr. Buttons! We are planning a lighthearted and whimsical wedding (with a good deal of DIY projects) in Clearwater, Florida, but from a distance of 800 miles away! We are looking forward to sharing our day with our family and friends, and most importantly, starting our lives together as husband and wife!
After the final notes of “Lovely Tonight” faded, it was time for another very important dance…one with my daddy.
Picking a song to dance to was a head scratcher. I didn’t have one in particular in mind, so I left it in my dad’s capable hands. He selected the song “My Little Girl” by Tim McGraw for our father/daughter dance…
Oh man, I knew from the moment the music started that I wasn’t going to make it through the dance without a few tears. I always cry when I watch other brides’ father/daughter dances…I knew that I was a goner.
Mrs. Buttons, Clearwater, FLAge and Occupation: 24, "Working on it"Fiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Financial ServicesEngagement Date: June 13, 2009Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: Carlouel Yacht ClubAbout Me: I'm a self proclaimed perfectionist and a professional nomad (seriously, I've lived in TX, WI, MI, FL, NC, and now VA!). I love wine, cooking, curling up with a good book (nerd alert!), spoiling the furbaby, and of course, the wonderful Mr. Buttons! We are planning a lighthearted and whimsical wedding (with a good deal of DIY projects) in Clearwater, Florida, but from a distance of 800 miles away! We are looking forward to sharing our day with our family and friends, and most importantly, starting our lives together as husband and wife!
I don’t know about you, but the chilly winter weather this year has really made me…pale.
I live in Florida; I like to be tan. However, a trip to the tanning bed is not on my list of to-dos. Therefore, as the weeks have passed and the temperatures have been low, my skin has turned a nasty shade of…green (yes, green. I have olive skin, so I look pretty sickly when I don’t have a tan!). I’ve tried a few sunless tanning products in the past, but I have never been completely sold on one particular brand. One turns you a little too orange, one of them left some stains on my clothing, and many of them end up smelling funny. The stench follows me around all day and makes me incredibly self-conscious: surely everyone else can smell me from a mile away, right???
Mrs. Buttons, Clearwater, FLAge and Occupation: 24, "Working on it"Fiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Financial ServicesEngagement Date: June 13, 2009Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: Carlouel Yacht ClubAbout Me: I'm a self proclaimed perfectionist and a professional nomad (seriously, I've lived in TX, WI, MI, FL, NC, and now VA!). I love wine, cooking, curling up with a good book (nerd alert!), spoiling the furbaby, and of course, the wonderful Mr. Buttons! We are planning a lighthearted and whimsical wedding (with a good deal of DIY projects) in Clearwater, Florida, but from a distance of 800 miles away! We are looking forward to sharing our day with our family and friends, and most importantly, starting our lives together as husband and wife!
During your wedding planning process, have you ever had an incredible epiphany that is absolutely impossible to get out of your mind? For me, it was the song that we used for our first dance. I remember the moment like it happened yesterday: I was busy cooking dinner in the kitchen and my iTunes were on shuffle. All of a sudden, a song by Joshua Radin came on. I had downloaded his album a few months prior, but hadn’t really listened to the songs very closely. However, when the song Lovely Tonight started playing, I remember stopping dead in my tracks. My spatula was suspended in mid-air and I was completely entranced with the song. It was perfect. I knew from that moment that it HAD to be featured in our wedding in some way. Initially, I wanted it as a processional song. However, after much consideration, I realized that it would be the perfect first dance song for Mr. Buttons and me. The words, the melody, everything.
Mrs. Buttons, Clearwater, FLAge and Occupation: 24, "Working on it"Fiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Financial ServicesEngagement Date: June 13, 2009Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: Carlouel Yacht ClubAbout Me: I'm a self proclaimed perfectionist and a professional nomad (seriously, I've lived in TX, WI, MI, FL, NC, and now VA!). I love wine, cooking, curling up with a good book (nerd alert!), spoiling the furbaby, and of course, the wonderful Mr. Buttons! We are planning a lighthearted and whimsical wedding (with a good deal of DIY projects) in Clearwater, Florida, but from a distance of 800 miles away! We are looking forward to sharing our day with our family and friends, and most importantly, starting our lives together as husband and wife!
