Mrs. D'orsay, Baltimore/Lancaster UKAge and Occupation: 24, nonprofit communications Fiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Web site developer and designer; co-owner of men's skincare shopEngagement Date: August 10, 2008Wedding Date: August, 2009Venue: Oakland ManorAbout Me: I'm a Maryland raised environmental policy wonk/activist/organizer and communications aficionado. In the past year I've lived in Baltimore, MD, Tucson, AZ, Miami, FL and Lancaster, England. In my not so spare time I enjoy planning trips with Mr. D' Orsay, visiting friends and family and crafting like a mo-fo. I also enjoy modern dance classes, rugby and soccer but have been banned by my mother, MOHs, and Mr. D' Orsay from playing till after the wedding. I have an unnatural addiction to cheese and shoes, but love Mr. D' Orsay more than either and can't wait to become Mrs. D' Orsay!
Just buzzing by to try out the randomizer series! When I look at our photos I’m struck by how much has changed, and how much has stayed the same. For starters, I’ve been rocking blonde hair for over a year now…it’s strange to see myself as a redhead! We’re still lucky to be surrounded by our wonderful friends and family, even if we’re further down I-95 and living in Capitol Hill instead of Baltimore now.
I don’t know if I ever mentioned just HOW many photos there are of Mr.D and I making out kissing. So many, that when my dad wanted to look at the photos in a slideshow I almost died of embarrassment. Word to the wise, save the kissing for your post-reception festivities. So it’s inappropriate that the first photo is…kissing.
In all fairness-our photographer told us to kiss for this shot…
Mrs. Lox, BaltimoreAge and Occupation: 33, Government WorkerFiance's Age and Occupation: 35. IT ConsultantEngagement Date: May 8, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Vandiver InnAbout Me: I’m an East Coast gal born and bred and a suburban brat turned city rat for the last year. Now Mr. Lox and I enjoy walking all kinds of places, having the coolest things around in our backyard, and especially our garage parking. I love gadgets, toys, Ben & Jerry’s Chubby Hubby ice cream, monkeys, and our insane cats. I’m a blonde by birth and a redhead by choice. I’m that girl in the cubicle farm with all the cool toys and the file cabinet covered in magnetic poetry. I still use smiley faces in my emails, whether people like it or not. This is not the first rodeo for Mr. Lox nor me. And together, we are planning an intimate afternoon wedding on a budget we can afford by ourselves.
After all the picture taking, we made our way back to the pavilion and waited for the magic signal. The event coordinator gave it to us (okay, she just told us to go) and we entered our reception to this.
(Cue that video to 55 seconds in and that’ll be exactly what we walked into.)
And it was a beautiful day indeed as we entered our reception. Read more…
Mrs. Lox, BaltimoreAge and Occupation: 33, Government WorkerFiance's Age and Occupation: 35. IT ConsultantEngagement Date: May 8, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Vandiver InnAbout Me: I’m an East Coast gal born and bred and a suburban brat turned city rat for the last year. Now Mr. Lox and I enjoy walking all kinds of places, having the coolest things around in our backyard, and especially our garage parking. I love gadgets, toys, Ben & Jerry’s Chubby Hubby ice cream, monkeys, and our insane cats. I’m a blonde by birth and a redhead by choice. I’m that girl in the cubicle farm with all the cool toys and the file cabinet covered in magnetic poetry. I still use smiley faces in my emails, whether people like it or not. This is not the first rodeo for Mr. Lox nor me. And together, we are planning an intimate afternoon wedding on a budget we can afford by ourselves.
(New year, new goals… I may not make resolutions, but I AM going to finish these recaps. Scroll down to the bottom for some links if you need a refresher. )
After the ceremony, Mr. Lox and I were kind of in a daze. We went back through the mansion, out onto the porch, and then down to the little ill-fated gazebo where our ceremony wasn’t. But not before catching one sweet moment between the two of us.
Then to the gazebo for formal portraits! Do you remember why we had our we our wedding in the pavilion after planning all along to have it out by the gazebo? (Hint: It was the threat of rain.) Please to enjoy the irony while you view the next two pictures I pulled from our formal portraits. Read more…
Mrs. Lox, BaltimoreAge and Occupation: 33, Government WorkerFiance's Age and Occupation: 35. IT ConsultantEngagement Date: May 8, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Vandiver InnAbout Me: I’m an East Coast gal born and bred and a suburban brat turned city rat for the last year. Now Mr. Lox and I enjoy walking all kinds of places, having the coolest things around in our backyard, and especially our garage parking. I love gadgets, toys, Ben & Jerry’s Chubby Hubby ice cream, monkeys, and our insane cats. I’m a blonde by birth and a redhead by choice. I’m that girl in the cubicle farm with all the cool toys and the file cabinet covered in magnetic poetry. I still use smiley faces in my emails, whether people like it or not. This is not the first rodeo for Mr. Lox nor me. And together, we are planning an intimate afternoon wedding on a budget we can afford by ourselves.
When we left off, Mr. Lox and I had just been presented for the first time in public, and I was making a crazy face because something awesome was about to happen and most people had no idea. The most planned moment in our wedding, even. And one of my very favorite things about our day. So here’s where it starts.
Just after the officiant presented us for the first time in public, something happened that met people didn’t even notice. A single note rang out softly from somewhere in the crowd. Like a pitch pipe, if you will.
Meanwhile, everyone else was waiting for the recessional music to start, including Mr. Lox. I was trying to act cool. Then a bunch of people stood up. Some folks took that as a cue to stand for our trip out of the ceremony space. Some people were confused. The guests who stood up with this bunch quickly sat down… when the bunch started to sing.
Mrs. Lox, BaltimoreAge and Occupation: 33, Government WorkerFiance's Age and Occupation: 35. IT ConsultantEngagement Date: May 8, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Vandiver InnAbout Me: I’m an East Coast gal born and bred and a suburban brat turned city rat for the last year. Now Mr. Lox and I enjoy walking all kinds of places, having the coolest things around in our backyard, and especially our garage parking. I love gadgets, toys, Ben & Jerry’s Chubby Hubby ice cream, monkeys, and our insane cats. I’m a blonde by birth and a redhead by choice. I’m that girl in the cubicle farm with all the cool toys and the file cabinet covered in magnetic poetry. I still use smiley faces in my emails, whether people like it or not. This is not the first rodeo for Mr. Lox nor me. And together, we are planning an intimate afternoon wedding on a budget we can afford by ourselves.
We took a lot of love and care in crafting our ceremony. So rather than describe it word by word, I would rather post it here for you in its entirety. It is a work of art we’ve already made and I love it as is. Nothing I could write here could improve upon these moments. What I can tell you is that I cried the entire time. I don’t remember the faces of my guests, or their reactions. I remember Mr. Lox, the officiant, and me. I remember fishing tissues out of the pockets in my dress. And I remember thinking that this ceremony, the one we lovingly handcrafted, was easily the best thing we made for the entire day. So here it is my dears, so that you too can share in what I’m still sure is the best thing we made for this day.
Convocation
Ladies and gentlemen, we have come together this afternoon to celebrate with Mr. and Mrs. Lox who have fallen in love and chosen to marry.
Mrs. Lox, BaltimoreAge and Occupation: 33, Government WorkerFiance's Age and Occupation: 35. IT ConsultantEngagement Date: May 8, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Vandiver InnAbout Me: I’m an East Coast gal born and bred and a suburban brat turned city rat for the last year. Now Mr. Lox and I enjoy walking all kinds of places, having the coolest things around in our backyard, and especially our garage parking. I love gadgets, toys, Ben & Jerry’s Chubby Hubby ice cream, monkeys, and our insane cats. I’m a blonde by birth and a redhead by choice. I’m that girl in the cubicle farm with all the cool toys and the file cabinet covered in magnetic poetry. I still use smiley faces in my emails, whether people like it or not. This is not the first rodeo for Mr. Lox nor me. And together, we are planning an intimate afternoon wedding on a budget we can afford by ourselves.
Dear Hive, it’s fitting I stopped where I did. Because right after the waiting, everything seemed to zoom into fast forward for me. As if it weren’t going fast enough already. In the next few moments, I wanted desperately to slow everything down and hit pause. Not because I didn’t want to proceed, but because I wanted to hold on to every moment of what was about to happen. Apparently I hit pause in my recaps to compensate. Sorry about that.
And so, with your permission (and my apologies) I’d like to hit play on the proceedings.
You see, eventually the waiting ended. Those few precious moments with my girls were over. The event coordinator came to pick me up and walked me to the main house where I met up with our very small processional party. There were hugs and tears. Mr. Lox’s father said something unbearably sweet. And in just another moment, we were lined up and ready to proceed. Everyone was waiting and one final song played for them before the processional.
Mrs. D'orsay, Baltimore/Lancaster UKAge and Occupation: 24, nonprofit communications Fiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Web site developer and designer; co-owner of men's skincare shopEngagement Date: August 10, 2008Wedding Date: August, 2009Venue: Oakland ManorAbout Me: I'm a Maryland raised environmental policy wonk/activist/organizer and communications aficionado. In the past year I've lived in Baltimore, MD, Tucson, AZ, Miami, FL and Lancaster, England. In my not so spare time I enjoy planning trips with Mr. D' Orsay, visiting friends and family and crafting like a mo-fo. I also enjoy modern dance classes, rugby and soccer but have been banned by my mother, MOHs, and Mr. D' Orsay from playing till after the wedding. I have an unnatural addiction to cheese and shoes, but love Mr. D' Orsay more than either and can't wait to become Mrs. D' Orsay!
of 2011! Ha, have I taught you nothing? This is a process that never ends, it goes on and on my friends…
We’re about to remove the conditions on Mr. D’s provisional green card/permanent resident card. That’s right, we’re in a provisional marriage. Our learner’s permit of matrimony, if you will. Basically, to ensure that you’re not in a sham marriage (and I assume, to collect further revenue) after you receive the K-1 (fiance visa), then after you are married and complete the adjustment of status you receive a provisional green card—valid for 2 years from receiving the card. In our case this is January 2010, so when the government refers to anniversaries… they mean when you received your card—not your wedding anniversary.
You can apply for your 10 year card as soon as 90 days before your expiry date. For the past year or so, I’ve been having flashbacks to our engagement year. Moments such as, “oh, we should save a holiday card to send to the government,” or “don’t forget a picture of the two of us, we need evidence!” If you don’t submit the forms, evidence of your relationship and $590… you get deported. So obviously this needs to be completed.
It’s a stressful situation for so many reasons, but it’s also a strange position to find yourself in: trying to view your relationship as an outsider, making sure you look like a real couple, proving to someone you’ll never meet that you are a couple in a real marriage. Read more…
Mrs. Lox, BaltimoreAge and Occupation: 33, Government WorkerFiance's Age and Occupation: 35. IT ConsultantEngagement Date: May 8, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Vandiver InnAbout Me: I’m an East Coast gal born and bred and a suburban brat turned city rat for the last year. Now Mr. Lox and I enjoy walking all kinds of places, having the coolest things around in our backyard, and especially our garage parking. I love gadgets, toys, Ben & Jerry’s Chubby Hubby ice cream, monkeys, and our insane cats. I’m a blonde by birth and a redhead by choice. I’m that girl in the cubicle farm with all the cool toys and the file cabinet covered in magnetic poetry. I still use smiley faces in my emails, whether people like it or not. This is not the first rodeo for Mr. Lox nor me. And together, we are planning an intimate afternoon wedding on a budget we can afford by ourselves.
So our first look was over, and our couple pictures were taken. Now all we could do was wait.
I have to tell you, everything was still so surreal at this point. I felt like my brain was kind of packed in cotton. Everything was light and fuzzy around the edges, and I was just kind of flitting around, doing whatever I was told to do. At this point. someone must have told me to go back to the room, so I did.
When I got there, I found a few of my girls, still hanging out and eating snacks. When I came back in it was great to see them.
The girls helped me re-secure and straighten out my dress again. We also sprayed my errant hair back into place. What an operation! After that was all done, someone asked if I wanted to see Mr. Lox again before the ceremony. But I turned it down… I figured we had already had our first look, but we could at least build a little bit of anticipation. And so, we waited alone.
I took the opportunity to show off what a giant dork I am.
Mrs. Lox, BaltimoreAge and Occupation: 33, Government WorkerFiance's Age and Occupation: 35. IT ConsultantEngagement Date: May 8, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Vandiver InnAbout Me: I’m an East Coast gal born and bred and a suburban brat turned city rat for the last year. Now Mr. Lox and I enjoy walking all kinds of places, having the coolest things around in our backyard, and especially our garage parking. I love gadgets, toys, Ben & Jerry’s Chubby Hubby ice cream, monkeys, and our insane cats. I’m a blonde by birth and a redhead by choice. I’m that girl in the cubicle farm with all the cool toys and the file cabinet covered in magnetic poetry. I still use smiley faces in my emails, whether people like it or not. This is not the first rodeo for Mr. Lox nor me. And together, we are planning an intimate afternoon wedding on a budget we can afford by ourselves.
This next set of pictures is very near and dear to my heart. Ever since the first time we visited the Vandiver, I had dreams of pictures down by the lighthouse and the water. And when the weather forecast turned on us and threatened a 70% chance of severe thunderstorms, I was sure even my boots and my umbrella weren’t going to be enough to protect my dress. And since it was 100% silk, I had considerable fear of water stains.
But the morning came and the rain did not. In fact, as the day went on, the sun got stronger. Before it was too strong, though, Mr. Lox and I piled into the photographer’s van and jetted down to the water.
Now, before we get to the pictures, let me share one thing with you. I know we all realize getting into a vehicle in an enormous dress won’t be simple. But getting into that van was more of a feat than I had really imagined it would be. There was a lot of grabbing and gathering and arms full of silk. Then I kind of had to strategically throw myself into the passenger seat. It was…interesting.
But we made it. When we got there the lighthouse was all set up for another wedding. No matter, though—they weren’t there yet, so we skirted around their setup and started taking my much coveted lighthouse pictures.
Mrs. Lox, BaltimoreAge and Occupation: 33, Government WorkerFiance's Age and Occupation: 35. IT ConsultantEngagement Date: May 8, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Vandiver InnAbout Me: I’m an East Coast gal born and bred and a suburban brat turned city rat for the last year. Now Mr. Lox and I enjoy walking all kinds of places, having the coolest things around in our backyard, and especially our garage parking. I love gadgets, toys, Ben & Jerry’s Chubby Hubby ice cream, monkeys, and our insane cats. I’m a blonde by birth and a redhead by choice. I’m that girl in the cubicle farm with all the cool toys and the file cabinet covered in magnetic poetry. I still use smiley faces in my emails, whether people like it or not. This is not the first rodeo for Mr. Lox nor me. And together, we are planning an intimate afternoon wedding on a budget we can afford by ourselves.
One of the things that was important to me right from the start were the details of our day. Now, don’t get too excited… this is not the infamous detail post. (Although I do promise to do one!) But I do want to pause to look at the details that were actually on Mr. Lox and me. We (okay, I) spent a lot of time thinking about these and our photographer understood how important they were to me. So after my dress catastrophe was properly resolved, we paused to take pictures of the little things that made up our attire for the day.
First up was Mr. Lox… isn’t he handsome?
And, in case you couldn’t properly appreciate it from afar, a close up of Mr/ Lox’s details. Read more…
Mrs. Lox, BaltimoreAge and Occupation: 33, Government WorkerFiance's Age and Occupation: 35. IT ConsultantEngagement Date: May 8, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Vandiver InnAbout Me: I’m an East Coast gal born and bred and a suburban brat turned city rat for the last year. Now Mr. Lox and I enjoy walking all kinds of places, having the coolest things around in our backyard, and especially our garage parking. I love gadgets, toys, Ben & Jerry’s Chubby Hubby ice cream, monkeys, and our insane cats. I’m a blonde by birth and a redhead by choice. I’m that girl in the cubicle farm with all the cool toys and the file cabinet covered in magnetic poetry. I still use smiley faces in my emails, whether people like it or not. This is not the first rodeo for Mr. Lox nor me. And together, we are planning an intimate afternoon wedding on a budget we can afford by ourselves.
With our first look complete, it was time to take the couples shots I had been dreaming of. There were some spots offsite that I had in my own sights, but I let the photographers choose the rest. First off we took some shots on the front porch of the main mansion.
Okay, I seriously love the front of this mansion. I mean, how perfect is this? It looks like something out of a storybook to me. Read more…
Mrs. D'orsay, Baltimore/Lancaster UKAge and Occupation: 24, nonprofit communications Fiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Web site developer and designer; co-owner of men's skincare shopEngagement Date: August 10, 2008Wedding Date: August, 2009Venue: Oakland ManorAbout Me: I'm a Maryland raised environmental policy wonk/activist/organizer and communications aficionado. In the past year I've lived in Baltimore, MD, Tucson, AZ, Miami, FL and Lancaster, England. In my not so spare time I enjoy planning trips with Mr. D' Orsay, visiting friends and family and crafting like a mo-fo. I also enjoy modern dance classes, rugby and soccer but have been banned by my mother, MOHs, and Mr. D' Orsay from playing till after the wedding. I have an unnatural addiction to cheese and shoes, but love Mr. D' Orsay more than either and can't wait to become Mrs. D' Orsay!
Mrs. D'orsay, Baltimore/Lancaster UKAge and Occupation: 24, nonprofit communications Fiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Web site developer and designer; co-owner of men's skincare shopEngagement Date: August 10, 2008Wedding Date: August, 2009Venue: Oakland ManorAbout Me: I'm a Maryland raised environmental policy wonk/activist/organizer and communications aficionado. In the past year I've lived in Baltimore, MD, Tucson, AZ, Miami, FL and Lancaster, England. In my not so spare time I enjoy planning trips with Mr. D' Orsay, visiting friends and family and crafting like a mo-fo. I also enjoy modern dance classes, rugby and soccer but have been banned by my mother, MOHs, and Mr. D' Orsay from playing till after the wedding. I have an unnatural addiction to cheese and shoes, but love Mr. D' Orsay more than either and can't wait to become Mrs. D' Orsay!
Surprise! You thought I was gone, finished, finto after my recaps! Perhaps one day I’ll be writing a signing off post, but today is not that day my friends. As the spouse of an immigrant it’s going to be a very long time until I get to stop writing about marriage and immigration—but this post is not about that yucky business—it’s about photos!
Mrs. D'orsay, Baltimore/Lancaster UKAge and Occupation: 24, nonprofit communications Fiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Web site developer and designer; co-owner of men's skincare shopEngagement Date: August 10, 2008Wedding Date: August, 2009Venue: Oakland ManorAbout Me: I'm a Maryland raised environmental policy wonk/activist/organizer and communications aficionado. In the past year I've lived in Baltimore, MD, Tucson, AZ, Miami, FL and Lancaster, England. In my not so spare time I enjoy planning trips with Mr. D' Orsay, visiting friends and family and crafting like a mo-fo. I also enjoy modern dance classes, rugby and soccer but have been banned by my mother, MOHs, and Mr. D' Orsay from playing till after the wedding. I have an unnatural addiction to cheese and shoes, but love Mr. D' Orsay more than either and can't wait to become Mrs. D' Orsay!
Mr. D and I nervously stepped up to do our first dance to Stevie Ray Vaughn’s Pride and Joy. We also heard this song on our first date, but I’m pretty sure it’s not about prostitutes or whore houses. I think we asked it to be shortened to 45 seconds—Mr.D is not so big on the “everyone staring” thing that happens when you’re the only people dancing in a crowded room.
Mrs. D'orsay, Baltimore/Lancaster UKAge and Occupation: 24, nonprofit communications Fiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Web site developer and designer; co-owner of men's skincare shopEngagement Date: August 10, 2008Wedding Date: August, 2009Venue: Oakland ManorAbout Me: I'm a Maryland raised environmental policy wonk/activist/organizer and communications aficionado. In the past year I've lived in Baltimore, MD, Tucson, AZ, Miami, FL and Lancaster, England. In my not so spare time I enjoy planning trips with Mr. D' Orsay, visiting friends and family and crafting like a mo-fo. I also enjoy modern dance classes, rugby and soccer but have been banned by my mother, MOHs, and Mr. D' Orsay from playing till after the wedding. I have an unnatural addiction to cheese and shoes, but love Mr. D' Orsay more than either and can't wait to become Mrs. D' Orsay!
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All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
