Pretty Party! (a/k/a Reception Details)
June 11th, 2008 @ 2:46 pm by Mrs. Tulip
While Mr T and I were playing model in Old Town Alexandria, a few of the guests were at Teaism decorating for the big party. (Yes, we put our guests to work!!!)
The reception space was spare and modern, so it didn’t require over-the-top decorating. We hung paper lanterns in our wedding colors and scattered Ikea tealights, chocolates, and flowers in small, square dollar-store vases. The wonderful friend who served as Decorator-in-Chief also employed a favorite budget trick that goes a long way — separating a handful of roses into individual petals and scattering them around the tables.
Wedding Day Downtime
June 6th, 2008 @ 9:26 am by Mrs. Tulip
We didn’t exactly PLAN to have a gap between ceremony and reception on our wedding day. We just booked each venue at the time that worked best … then realized there were about three hours between events.
I was torn about the gap, because I’ve attended weddings where I found in-between-time to be a little annoying. But it was extremely valuable for us because we (by which I mean our guests!) did all the decorating and needed time to work. And because I’m easily tired, it was nice to rest up between events.
But best of all? Our photographer used part of the time to take some amazing portraits of the two of us canoodling on the streets around the ceremony space:
Ankle Biters
June 4th, 2008 @ 9:31 am by Mrs. Tulip
We have only one ankle biter in our family — Miss Zoe, who takes the title literally. As a herding dog, she likes to nip our heels to propel us forward on walks.
Actual children? Totally foreign! But many of our friends have little ones now, and (once we finally realized “Oh, yeah … kids … some of these people have … kids?”) we chose to include their children in our day of celebration. I know the “kids or no kids” issue can be controversial, but in the end I’m thrilled the little ones shared our wedding day. They are a cherished part of our friends’ lives, after all. And they were so sweetly excited to celebrate with us.
Plus, adorable photos!!!
(My MOH’s oldest son is the sweetest, happiest little boy in the world. When they left the reception, he told me “I love you” in a tiny voice. And my cold, cold heart grew three sizes that day.)
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Quick & Easy Group Shots
June 2nd, 2008 @ 12:30 pm by Mrs. Tulip
Immediately after our ceremony and bubble exit, we took group photos. Punam Bean has a documentary style, and we weren’t interested in a ton of traditional shots anyway. But you’ve got to have a few, just to be sure you get everyone together in one photo.
I loved Punam’s style for the wedding party shots. She basically lined us up and said, “Talk amongst yourselves.” I think the results are much more fun than photos with everyone smiling stiffly at the camera, yet more genuine than elaborate poses that aim to show “fun.” It was also quick — about 20 minutes for the wedding party plus 3 families.
The Playlist That Never Was
May 30th, 2008 @ 6:16 pm by Mrs. Tulip
Thanks for all your kind comments on our iPod disaster, everyone! As long as I mentioned my much-obsessed-over playlists, here they are. If they can help anyone else’s song-choice process, maybe they’ll serve some purpose!
But first a story/tip. By now, most everyone knows the standard music advice like “pay attention to the lyrics” (some seemingly romantic songs are actually quite depressing when you listen to the words), and “choose short songs” (you don’t want to be dancing for ever … and ever … and ever). But one that’s often overlooked is to pay special attention to the START of each song.
This is particularly true for key songs like processionals, recessionals, and the first dance. People respond best if the song catches their attention from the start. For example, for our recessional, we considered “So Happy Together,” by the Turtles. But there’s a whole verse before it hits the happy, uplifting chorus. By then we would have been down the short aisle and gone.
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An iPod Wedding Gone Horribly Wrong
May 29th, 2008 @ 5:01 pm by Mrs. Tulip
In light of Miss Pineapple’s recent post on iPod wedding music, it’s time to share the tale of our biggest wedding disaster:
Because we had a budget wedding, and because I’m so picky about music that I couldn’t leave our playlist in anyone else’s hands, an iPod wedding sounded perfect. We had only around 50 guests, so we didn’t anticipate any trouble broadcasting to the dancefloor with a good set of speakers. (For a fancier sound-system set-up, check here.) I separated our pre-ceremony, cocktail hour, and dance playlists and set them to run in order so there would be no worry about choosing songs. We asked Mr T’s brother to serve as emcee so there’d be someone to provide introductions and transitions and move things along when necessary. And, in addition to loading the playlists on my iPod, I burned copies on CD and we loaded extra copies onto Mr T’s computer. Just in case!
(Mr T tries desperately to fix the iPod)
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Bubble-y Personality
May 25th, 2008 @ 1:01 pm by Mrs. Tulip
In fact, I’ve rarely been described as “bubbly;” I’m actually quite shy. But if there’s one thing I never outgrew, it’s a love of blowing bubbles. So, when my parents helped brainstorm something to throw for our big post-ceremony exit, they had me at “bubbles!”
Small bottles of wedding bubbles are readily available at crafts stores like Michaels or on the Internet. We went for the plain version (no doves or wedding cakes or whatnot) and piled them into a handled basket that I spray-painted white for the occasion.
Baha’i Weddings
May 21st, 2008 @ 1:25 pm by Mrs. Tulip
As mentioned before, I am a Baha’i. Mr. T leans Unitarian but doesn’t actively practice. And our ceremony was officiated by my father, who’s ordained in the Community of Christ. As with most “mixed” marriages, this raised questions about how to structure our wedding ceremony to meet everyone’s needs.
(The 9-pointed-star lantern from my previous post, in action at the reception)
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The Actual Hitched-Getting
May 15th, 2008 @ 4:22 pm by Mrs. Tulip
Funny that the wedding ceremony is so often a side note in the wedding-planning process. It’s easy to get caught up in menus and floral arrangements and invitation wording, and forget the part that actually gets you married!
Wedding Day Details — Ceremony
May 13th, 2008 @ 4:25 pm by Mrs. Tulip
Our ceremony was held at The Athenaeum, in old town Alexandria, VA. The room was a big, empty gallery space with beautiful natural light and a nicely historic feel.
The folding chairs belonged to the Athenaeum. Our groomsmen and ushers set them up before the ceremony. As much as I drool with desire over a pretty Chiavari … these were free. And, after all, people just sit in them. (Or so I kept telling myself!)
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