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If you can’t already tell from the pictures I’ve posted of Mr. O and myself, I am slightly vertically challenged. Mr. O isn’t super tall—he’s only about six-foot-one or so—but that’s still almost a full foot over my five-one (and a half!!!) frame.
This picture was taken at my best friend’s wedding rehearsal. I was wearing some sizable platform wedges, and there is still a significant height difference between the two of us.
Personal photo
I mean, we’re no Shaq and Nicole, but you get the idea…
One of the things I’m looking forward to the most post-wedding is finally being able to share an address with Mr. Opossum. I can’t wait to start fresh together and be able to organize, decorate, and make decisions about our home together as a team. I’m probably not going to know what to do with all the time I now spend commuting back and forth between our respective homes.
Many other bees have addressed this topic in the past very eloquently (including Mrs. Snow Cone, Miss Aardvark, Miss Porcupine, and Mrs. Dumpling). Before I move forward with this post, I’d like to put it out there that I pass zero judgment on any couples who make a decision to live together before marriage. Every couple is different and what works for some won’t necessarily work for others. Not living together has actually worked out great for us personally for several reasons…some of them being more complicated than others.
The main reason we haven’t lived together is that we haven’t really had the chance to live together. I’m from Tallahassee (home of Florida State University), but I was “traitor” and ended up attending The University of Florida in Gainesville, about a two-and-a-half-hour drive from my parents’ home. Mr. Opossum and I spent four years commuting back and forth. Even though it wasn’t a long drive, it was difficult enough trying to manage jobs and schoolwork while traveling as many weekends as possible. Living together just wasn’t an option.
One of the first things I did while starting this “sprint” of a five-month wedding-planning process was take care of getting my dress. I knew that it would set the tone for the whole event and that I needed to get it ordered early enough to get here in time for the big day…
At that point I hadn’t really thought too in depth about what I wanted Mr. Opossum to wear. In fact, I thought about what my sister and mom were wearing, the flowers, the DJ, the decor, and the venue all well before I gave any consideration to what the “look” for the guys was going to be.
When I got a call from Men’s Wearhouse telling me they could give me 50% off of a suit purchase if I made an appointment to meet with them, I was forced to think about it.
I knew I wanted casual. I knew I wanted something spring-weather appropriate. And I knew I wanted to buy him a suit. I spent $460 on a dress I will only wear once. Seems totally fair that we should spend a decent amount of money on a suit for Mr. Opossum that he will likely wear many times in his lifetime, right? I think so.
After discussing all of our requirements, I kept picking images like this:
Image via You and Your Wedding / Photo by Steve Hepper
During all four years of high school, I was lucky enough to be part of the competition dance team. I loved almost everything about it. I got to spend my afternoon exercising and training with a fantastic group of girls; I was part of an elite team, and I had special uniforms and T-shirts to prove it.
Along with pirouettes and fun costumes came makeup. Lots and LOTS of stage makeup. Makeup that would make our eyes visible from the football field. If I hated anything about being on dance team it was caking that makeup on before any performance. It. Just. Sucked.
Featured on Weddingbee
Unique Wedding Favors
“Add a memorable touch to your wedding with unique favors that match your theme.”
I’m an antique/vintage junkie. I like old furniture, old books, and old houses. I like when things feel used and loved, and I like to wonder about the story of the object’s previous owner. Old junk just gives me the warm fuzzies.
The very first piece of furniture I ever purchased on my own was a worn out farmhouse dresser. Its doors had been painted a bright green that I loved, and the rest of the white paint was chipping and yellowed. I fell in love and brought it home (broken handle and all). My dad and Mr. Opossum had to move it up the stairs and into my bedroom. Both of them asked me, at separate times, why I had brought home this nasty old dresser. They were even more appalled when they found out I payed money for it. Ha. I guess it’s something that men just don’t get.
People that do get “it,” however, are wedding bloggers and designers! I feel like I see vintage and rustic wedding inspiration everywhere I turn lately. It’s one of those things that happens to be super trendy right now.
Either way, trendy or not, this love for old stuff has worked its way into the design of our wedding. My mom, my sister, and I went antiquing last weekend to see if we could find anything unique that we might be able to use. I came back with only a few items, but lots of great ideas!
Personal photo
I realize there is a lot going on in this photo, but the thing I was trying to focus on was that awesome old window hanging from the ceiling. I happen to already have an old window in my possession, and I think this chandelier-like idea could be the perfect focal point to hang over our cake table.
I have officially mailed out our save the dates!
Which means people are actually invited to our wedding. That makes it seem pretty darn real, if you ask me! The process of collecting all the addresses was intensive, but I’m glad it’s finished. Now all I have to do is work on getting the invitations printed out!
I bought some fantastic paper on sale at Michaels. (It was half off!) It’s a nice ivory color with a little bit of texture and sparkle to it. The best part about it is that it makes the print job from my cheapo, crappy printer look very professional. I’m pretty darn pleased with how the invitation suite has turned out! I can’t wait to post it for everyone to see!!
For now I’ll just share my photos of the save the dates (since they’ve finally been mailed out!!!). Please don’t be offended by my cell-phone photos (or our blurred-out names). Normally I would be a good blogger and only share photos from my nice camera, but my camera lens recently broke so it’s out of commission for a little while.
The front of the “postcard style” save the date…
Personal photo
And again the front and the back (modeled after vintage postcards). I think the herb stamps were a pretty cute little addition, too.
Create the honeymoon of your dreams.
See what I did there? Ha. I’m such a nerd.
Mr. Opossum wants to be very involved in planning this wedding. A few nights after he proposed, he asked me what he was responsible for in the wedding-planning process. All I gotta say is I love a groom that gets involved! He has some strong opinions…like the fact that he was 100% opposed to a summer affair, but then he isn’t as picky about most of the design decisions (which is great because that is my forte).
One decision he knew NOTHING about was photography. He told me I got free rein on that one. And even though I am super-duper picky about photography (yes, I’m a photography snob), that decision wasn’t hard for me either.
I’ve taken a sort of “stand,” if you will, about the types of vendors I’m choosing to work with, and the photographers I’ve chosen fit the mold perfectly. I know they’re fantastic because they are friends of friends…awesome friends that are really good people and would only be friends with other really good people. Plus, they’ve already managed to work with me in so many ways (even during the booking process) that have made my life SO. MUCH. EASIER. (If you’re reading this, thank you!)
I’m writing a disclaimer to this post because it’s a personal topic. My opinions about the cost of a wedding are based on my current financial situation. Each person that plans a wedding has a different financial situation, and my intention with this post is NOT to pass judgment on anyone who spent or plans on spending more or less than us on a wedding. I recognize that everyone has different priorities, and I completely respect each person’s right to those priorities. I firmly believe that every person should have the wedding of their dreams within their personal means.
Let’s get real for a second. Weddings cost money. LOTS of money.
According to the costofwedding.com wedding-cost calculator, the average amount spent on a wedding in my area is $27,338. That. Is. Insane. Because I don’t have that kind of money. If I did, I’d probably be buying a house right now.
My parents do have that kind of money. But my dad wants to retire eventually…and even if he were offering that amount of money to me I wouldn’t be able to bring myself to take it from him. I’ve been blessed with awesome parents who have provided me with more than I could ever need for well over 18 years, and I can’t personally justify demanding any more.
The second most common question people ask you once you get engaged (besides, “Have you set a date yet?”) is “Where are you getting married?”
It really is an important question. As an architecture student, I always had to pay attention to our “site” where we were building and the “context” around it. The reality is that the context of anything, whether it be architecture, an event in history, or an event (like a wedding), plays a huge role in the details of the final product.
The context of a wedding (the wedding date, the wedding location, the season, etc.) should, in my opinion, affect the design of the wedding from day one. We eventually decided on a wedding date early in the spring in Florida. This part of our “context” has allowed us to plan for some parts of the wedding to happen outside. The second part of our wedding context, the venue, has given us rain backup and an awesome ceremony site.
I am continually making choices to fit the wedding I am planning in the venue that we picked. For example, I loved more than one dress, but one was too formal and one had a gorgeous long train…that would be a disaster in an outdoor ceremony. The venue has helped me to determine our color scheme, too. Black and white formal (as much as I love that style) just wouldn’t work there. It’s a more warm, homey, casual kind of venue…so that is the type of wedding we are planning.
So what is our venue?
It’s The Retreat at Bradley’s Pond. It has the outdoor rustic feel that I like with a modern, clean interior space!
This next photo is the indoor reception space—I love how big and neutral it is!
Image via The Retreat at Bradley’s Pond / Photo by Inga Finch Photography
Next is the gorgeous outdoor ceremony site that overlooks a pretty pond.
I know that flowers tend to just die after the wedding (which totally stinks) and that a lot of people consider them a waste of money…but flowers are one of my favorite things about weddings, and they are something I’m willing to put a little bit of money into. I mean, when else are you going to have an excuse to carry around a gorgeous bouquet all day!?
The florist I’m meeting with was highly recommended to me by a friend, and I can’t wait to see what kind of work he’ll be able to do for me on our very limited budget. Luckily, my favorite centerpieces include lots of greenery and filler, so that should help us stay within budget and still have gorgeous flowers!
Because the venue has very dark stained wood paneling and nice, neutral beige walls, we have decided to stick with a very natural color palate for the flowers and the wedding.
Here is some of the inspiration I showed the florist…
I love the shape of this arrangement.
Image via Style Me Pretty / Photo by Gia Canali
I’m hoping our centerpieces will have the fullness and texture of this centerpiece…minus the pink! I promised Mr. Opossum we would not have a super girly wedding.
Praise the Lord, we have a date!
Now we just have to hope that Mr. Opossum’s nephew makes his appearance on or before his due date so that his brother and sister-in-law can come to the wedding (with the adorable new bundle of joy in tow, of course)!
So I’ve got the dress, the day, and the location set. I’m waiting to hear back from a photographer that I love. The next big projects are the flowers and catering.
And I’m almost finished with the invitations (that I designed myself). I think they look pretty darn good (but I’m probably biased). Ha. I am going to share a piece of the invite…because I don’t want any guests to see them before they get them in the mail. I made save the dates to go with them. Those will be printed and sent out ASAP. I was completely against the idea of save the dates at first, but my aunt said it was better to let people know since the wedding is going to be so soon!
A small portion of the save the date
I love weddings. I love wedding details. I love all the thought that goes into the planning, the decor, and the dress. You’re all thinking “duh.” You’re a designer and a wedding blogger. Of course you love these things! If I didn’t I wouldn’t be blogging about them.
However…
My very favorite weddings are the ones that are 100% effortless looking. The ones that look like a beautiful girl bought a white dress on a whim and couldn’t wait any longer to marry the love of her life. I love weddings that really showcase the couple. I love wedding photos that bring to life the personality of the couple without taking a single shot of their decor. I think that this explains my infatuation and love for elopements.
At the end of the day, a wedding is about two people committing their lives to one another. Yes, a wedding is about merging two families…but really, you say your vows to each other.
A wedding should be a pure reflection of the couple and their love.
Image via Once Wed / Photos by Amy Carroll Photography
My new favorite wedding-attire trend is statement necklaces. They are so chic and they are all over the red carpet right now. I feel like this is one trend that won’t outdate your photos 20 years down the road (unlike puffy sleeves and headband veils…oh the ’80s).
Image via Hershey Weddings by The Knot / Necklace from Neiman Marcus
…get me every time. They are romantic. They are whimsical. They are touching and personal. They are so much less stressful than planning a wedding. And they do NOT have to be devoid of style…
Check these out!
Emerald Lodge Lake Elopement
Here are some dresses that I would say yes to without hesitation…
I love the top of this dress.
Image via Style Me Pretty / Photo by Michael and Anna Costa
The way this dress is wrapped looks so soft and elegant, but it still has a modern flair.
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Mrs. Opossum, Tallahassee Age and Occupation: 23, Aspiring Interior Architect Fiance's Age and Occupation: 23, Soon to be Firefighter Engagement Date: October 30, 2011 Wedding Date: April 2012 Venue: The Retreat at Bradley's Pond About Me: I am a recent design graduate and aspiring interior architect that is a compulsive list maker, a Christmas light fanatic, and an avid nap-taker. This freckle-faced Southern girl loves being on the back of a horse, hanging out at the gym, and watching SVU with her rugby-playing fiance. It is a dream come true to finally be planning a wedding (in five months) to my high school sweetheart (of seven years). While preparing to tie the knot we're also balancing Fire College, grad school applications, jobs, and precious time with our supportive family and friends. We're moving fast...but are excited about enjoying every moment of this time in our lives!
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