Mrs. Lamb, NorfolkAge and Occupation: 25, Homeland Security ConsultantFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Graduate StudentEngagement Date: January 2009Wedding Date: January 2010Venue: Trinity Presbyterian Church/Harrison Opera HouseAbout Me: I’m a Homeland Security Consultant with a tendency towards pulling office pranks, taking lunch breaks, and drinking Wawa shakes. I’m also an English major with a serious obsession with alliteration and rhymes. While I’m not keeping America safe, I’m training for half marathons and the Escape from Alcatraz swim. Or moving for the third time this year. Or baking. Or wedding crafting. Or crying about wedding planning. All the while, I’m getting myself into Lucille Ball-esque scrapes and making Jim Carey-esque faces. Our big fat Czech/Baptist/Jewish/Italian wedding is a combination of vintage eclectic, DIY, and little spoonful of sugar from our Event Coordinator. It’s going to be a Norfolk flavored wedding with the verve of an only-daughter-blow-out bash!
Remember when your wedding was just an idea? I was reading through my archives and it was so fun to see how all of my thoughts were executed, evolved, and even discarded.
Mrs. Lamb, NorfolkAge and Occupation: 25, Homeland Security ConsultantFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Graduate StudentEngagement Date: January 2009Wedding Date: January 2010Venue: Trinity Presbyterian Church/Harrison Opera HouseAbout Me: I’m a Homeland Security Consultant with a tendency towards pulling office pranks, taking lunch breaks, and drinking Wawa shakes. I’m also an English major with a serious obsession with alliteration and rhymes. While I’m not keeping America safe, I’m training for half marathons and the Escape from Alcatraz swim. Or moving for the third time this year. Or baking. Or wedding crafting. Or crying about wedding planning. All the while, I’m getting myself into Lucille Ball-esque scrapes and making Jim Carey-esque faces. Our big fat Czech/Baptist/Jewish/Italian wedding is a combination of vintage eclectic, DIY, and little spoonful of sugar from our Event Coordinator. It’s going to be a Norfolk flavored wedding with the verve of an only-daughter-blow-out bash!
We had, what I considered to be, a very traditional wedding. We married in a church, hosted a sit down reception on a Saturday, and partook of many other traditions (bird seed toss, first dance, cake cutting, etc.). Our families and the Lambster thought our wedding was quite different (online RSVPs, red bridal shoes, individual cakes, pictures before the ceremony). Even though I could have broken the mold more, I think that our details were the expressive icing on our cookie cutter base.
I’ll take you on a little tour of some of the details that made our day.
Our semi-DIY invitations were ordered from eInvite.com (invitations, response cards, inner envelopes and outer envelopes). I cut belly bands, sealed them with a wax seal, lined the outer envelopes, and hand wrote calligraphy on the envelopes. Read more…
Mrs. Lamb, NorfolkAge and Occupation: 25, Homeland Security ConsultantFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Graduate StudentEngagement Date: January 2009Wedding Date: January 2010Venue: Trinity Presbyterian Church/Harrison Opera HouseAbout Me: I’m a Homeland Security Consultant with a tendency towards pulling office pranks, taking lunch breaks, and drinking Wawa shakes. I’m also an English major with a serious obsession with alliteration and rhymes. While I’m not keeping America safe, I’m training for half marathons and the Escape from Alcatraz swim. Or moving for the third time this year. Or baking. Or wedding crafting. Or crying about wedding planning. All the while, I’m getting myself into Lucille Ball-esque scrapes and making Jim Carey-esque faces. Our big fat Czech/Baptist/Jewish/Italian wedding is a combination of vintage eclectic, DIY, and little spoonful of sugar from our Event Coordinator. It’s going to be a Norfolk flavored wedding with the verve of an only-daughter-blow-out bash!
Two weeks before our wedding, I considered my to-do list and then promptly cut it in half by losing pipe dream projects. There were items that we no longer had a budget for (black and white snack table with Oreos on shots of milk and homemade whoopie pies!), items I couldn’t find (perfect parents’ gifts), and items that were just not that big of a priority anymore. Our card box fell into all three categories. I had thought I wanted something cool and antique to fit our vintage vibe, but never ran across the right piece at the right price. I was sick of spending money on things that weren’t going to last but one night. At the end of the day, I came to the conclusion that I would make a box with items I had on hand.
Mrs. Lamb, NorfolkAge and Occupation: 25, Homeland Security ConsultantFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Graduate StudentEngagement Date: January 2009Wedding Date: January 2010Venue: Trinity Presbyterian Church/Harrison Opera HouseAbout Me: I’m a Homeland Security Consultant with a tendency towards pulling office pranks, taking lunch breaks, and drinking Wawa shakes. I’m also an English major with a serious obsession with alliteration and rhymes. While I’m not keeping America safe, I’m training for half marathons and the Escape from Alcatraz swim. Or moving for the third time this year. Or baking. Or wedding crafting. Or crying about wedding planning. All the while, I’m getting myself into Lucille Ball-esque scrapes and making Jim Carey-esque faces. Our big fat Czech/Baptist/Jewish/Italian wedding is a combination of vintage eclectic, DIY, and little spoonful of sugar from our Event Coordinator. It’s going to be a Norfolk flavored wedding with the verve of an only-daughter-blow-out bash!
Lamberdoodle’s sweet cousin handed out programs on the day of our wedding. She was so excited to be part of the festivities and took her duties quite seriously. Read more…
Mrs. Lamb, NorfolkAge and Occupation: 25, Homeland Security ConsultantFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Graduate StudentEngagement Date: January 2009Wedding Date: January 2010Venue: Trinity Presbyterian Church/Harrison Opera HouseAbout Me: I’m a Homeland Security Consultant with a tendency towards pulling office pranks, taking lunch breaks, and drinking Wawa shakes. I’m also an English major with a serious obsession with alliteration and rhymes. While I’m not keeping America safe, I’m training for half marathons and the Escape from Alcatraz swim. Or moving for the third time this year. Or baking. Or wedding crafting. Or crying about wedding planning. All the while, I’m getting myself into Lucille Ball-esque scrapes and making Jim Carey-esque faces. Our big fat Czech/Baptist/Jewish/Italian wedding is a combination of vintage eclectic, DIY, and little spoonful of sugar from our Event Coordinator. It’s going to be a Norfolk flavored wedding with the verve of an only-daughter-blow-out bash!
Lambster and I attended our first wedding as a married couple the other week. We had been looking forward to its as we had grown with our friends from college dating, through Navy long distance relationships, and into engagement land.
Not only were we able to rejoice with them as they joined us on the married side of life, but I found my wedding joy again. I wasn’t sure if weddings would ever be the same to me as when I was a wishful singleton dreamer. Planning our own wedding exposed me to the stressful, headache inducing side of things and though I’ll never forget the experience, I’m so glad that I can enjoy weddings again since they’re not my own!
I held my husband’s hand while they repeated their vows, and I rubbed his wedding ring. I appreciated the natural beauty of the outdoor ceremony space, the fragrance of the flowers, the taste of the wine, and the laughter at the toasts. I ate Pennsylvania and Ohio shaped cookies from the cookie buffet (representing the bride and groom’s home states). All simple joys. Read more…
Mrs. Lamb, NorfolkAge and Occupation: 25, Homeland Security ConsultantFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Graduate StudentEngagement Date: January 2009Wedding Date: January 2010Venue: Trinity Presbyterian Church/Harrison Opera HouseAbout Me: I’m a Homeland Security Consultant with a tendency towards pulling office pranks, taking lunch breaks, and drinking Wawa shakes. I’m also an English major with a serious obsession with alliteration and rhymes. While I’m not keeping America safe, I’m training for half marathons and the Escape from Alcatraz swim. Or moving for the third time this year. Or baking. Or wedding crafting. Or crying about wedding planning. All the while, I’m getting myself into Lucille Ball-esque scrapes and making Jim Carey-esque faces. Our big fat Czech/Baptist/Jewish/Italian wedding is a combination of vintage eclectic, DIY, and little spoonful of sugar from our Event Coordinator. It’s going to be a Norfolk flavored wedding with the verve of an only-daughter-blow-out bash!
I realize that many of you are planning honeymoons with more than 12 hours notice. These tips and book reviews are for you. I’ve broken down the advice into 3 sections: Guide Book Reviews, General Tips, and Budget. If you are going on a surprise honeymoon like we ended up doing, then my advice is much simpler:
Anything you don’t have, you can buy (warmer clothes, guide books, disposable camera, etc.).
I bought my copy when I studied abroad in 2003. In a panicked search as we packed the morning of take off, I found it buried in one of my moving boxes. It was a honeymoon day miracle. Read more…
Mrs. Lamb, NorfolkAge and Occupation: 25, Homeland Security ConsultantFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Graduate StudentEngagement Date: January 2009Wedding Date: January 2010Venue: Trinity Presbyterian Church/Harrison Opera HouseAbout Me: I’m a Homeland Security Consultant with a tendency towards pulling office pranks, taking lunch breaks, and drinking Wawa shakes. I’m also an English major with a serious obsession with alliteration and rhymes. While I’m not keeping America safe, I’m training for half marathons and the Escape from Alcatraz swim. Or moving for the third time this year. Or baking. Or wedding crafting. Or crying about wedding planning. All the while, I’m getting myself into Lucille Ball-esque scrapes and making Jim Carey-esque faces. Our big fat Czech/Baptist/Jewish/Italian wedding is a combination of vintage eclectic, DIY, and little spoonful of sugar from our Event Coordinator. It’s going to be a Norfolk flavored wedding with the verve of an only-daughter-blow-out bash!
In part 1, we did as the Romans and then headed to Florence. After perusing the must-sees (David, the Uffizzi, the Duomo), we wanted to take in the countryside. We armed ourselves with a rental car, GPS, Google map printouts, and an adventuresome spirit, then took to the road. Lamma-bamma had been looking forward to renting a car in Greece in order to learn how to drive a stick shift, so he was especially excited that we ended up renting a car after all. I drove first and we were pretty psyched with the upgrade we got to a Fiat 500. Thankfully, it was just like riding a bike and I worked my way through heavy traffic in the city without incident.
Later, in a parking lot, Lamma-ramma-speedy-mcspeederson-ding-dong took to the wheel to try his luck. After a few false starts… he declared himself a “naturale” and pulled out of the parking lot.
Mrs. Lamb, NorfolkAge and Occupation: 25, Homeland Security ConsultantFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Graduate StudentEngagement Date: January 2009Wedding Date: January 2010Venue: Trinity Presbyterian Church/Harrison Opera HouseAbout Me: I’m a Homeland Security Consultant with a tendency towards pulling office pranks, taking lunch breaks, and drinking Wawa shakes. I’m also an English major with a serious obsession with alliteration and rhymes. While I’m not keeping America safe, I’m training for half marathons and the Escape from Alcatraz swim. Or moving for the third time this year. Or baking. Or wedding crafting. Or crying about wedding planning. All the while, I’m getting myself into Lucille Ball-esque scrapes and making Jim Carey-esque faces. Our big fat Czech/Baptist/Jewish/Italian wedding is a combination of vintage eclectic, DIY, and little spoonful of sugar from our Event Coordinator. It’s going to be a Norfolk flavored wedding with the verve of an only-daughter-blow-out bash!
After months of searching, debating and prioritizing, we finally settled on a honeymoon to Greece. We postponed the trip until Lambaliscious’s spring break which afforded us extra time on the trip and to plan. We were going to spend a few days in Athens before heading to a relaxing resort on Crete. We bought a few guide books, a myth refresher, and a phonetic pronunciation guide. I went on a shopping spree for cute sundresses to wear in the coastal towns. Judging by the title of this post, you can guess that we didn’t make it to Greece after all. When we tried to check in to our flight the night before, we were informed that our flight had been canceled and that Greek airport workers were striking.
The 12 hours following that realization was a whirlwind. I remember my in-laws calling a few times as they tried to figure out if they could get their airline miles back to use on another trip for us. I remember looking at last minute travel deals and cruises, considering a weekend at a B&B in North Carolina, and wondering if we should just have a stay-cation. Simultaneously, the Lamb-in-law’s parents heroically researched, talked with airline agents, and pulled in favors for lodging. Sometime around midnight it was decided that the honeymoon could be salvaged in our given time frame if we rerouted to Italy. A quick “Ciao bella!” and we had packed our bags bound for gelato, art, and the other great pillar of western civilization. Read more…
Mrs. Lamb, NorfolkAge and Occupation: 25, Homeland Security ConsultantFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Graduate StudentEngagement Date: January 2009Wedding Date: January 2010Venue: Trinity Presbyterian Church/Harrison Opera HouseAbout Me: I’m a Homeland Security Consultant with a tendency towards pulling office pranks, taking lunch breaks, and drinking Wawa shakes. I’m also an English major with a serious obsession with alliteration and rhymes. While I’m not keeping America safe, I’m training for half marathons and the Escape from Alcatraz swim. Or moving for the third time this year. Or baking. Or wedding crafting. Or crying about wedding planning. All the while, I’m getting myself into Lucille Ball-esque scrapes and making Jim Carey-esque faces. Our big fat Czech/Baptist/Jewish/Italian wedding is a combination of vintage eclectic, DIY, and little spoonful of sugar from our Event Coordinator. It’s going to be a Norfolk flavored wedding with the verve of an only-daughter-blow-out bash!
If you have vintage taste and a pauper’s budget, there are alternatives to the albeit lovely, but expensive Posh Girl Vintage and similar type shops. Of course there are local thrift stores, eBay, grandmothers’ closets, and Etsy, as well as vintage patterns waiting to materialize at the next sewer’s whim, though it can be a chore to sort through. However, the reward is pretty great for those persevering enough.
I’ve always loved vintage and antiques, so I thought I would share the process I recently went through while completing a fashion challenge of sorts. I was looking for a vintage inspired wedding outfit that was under $100 and would pack easily for a plane ride. The entire process took about three weeks, and I searched every day for new items on eBay and Etsy. On the last day I had to order items if I wanted them to ship in time, I ran across 3 perfect pieces (that’s part of the process - hit or miss and then JACKPOT!).
First I searched for the dress because all of the other accessories depended on the era, shape, and texture. I used “white dress small” as the search terms in the vintage section of Etsy. I sifted through roughly 35 pages and marked potentials as favorites to return to later. As soon as I found this little number, I knew that I really had something that I could build a vision around. Read more…
Mrs. Lamb, NorfolkAge and Occupation: 25, Homeland Security ConsultantFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Graduate StudentEngagement Date: January 2009Wedding Date: January 2010Venue: Trinity Presbyterian Church/Harrison Opera HouseAbout Me: I’m a Homeland Security Consultant with a tendency towards pulling office pranks, taking lunch breaks, and drinking Wawa shakes. I’m also an English major with a serious obsession with alliteration and rhymes. While I’m not keeping America safe, I’m training for half marathons and the Escape from Alcatraz swim. Or moving for the third time this year. Or baking. Or wedding crafting. Or crying about wedding planning. All the while, I’m getting myself into Lucille Ball-esque scrapes and making Jim Carey-esque faces. Our big fat Czech/Baptist/Jewish/Italian wedding is a combination of vintage eclectic, DIY, and little spoonful of sugar from our Event Coordinator. It’s going to be a Norfolk flavored wedding with the verve of an only-daughter-blow-out bash!
“Oh, thank you! Just what I always wanted! This jewelry box that will only hold two pairs of earrings will go really well with the other 6 I’ve collected from graduations, sweet 16s and Christmases!”
None of the Lambaids would ever say that in real life, but I knew that if I got a jewelry box with my initials on it, that’s what I would think in my own head. I love the 6 I already have, but I just feel that my collection is complete now. In light of this, I had a hard time figuring out what I thought the Lambaids would all appreciate. I had thought of personalizing each gift and began to ask them what they wanted. I’m practical like that. My family asks what I want for Christmas, they get what I asked for, and though there are few surprises on Christmas morning, everyone seems happy that they didn’t waste a million hours shopping and we all got something we liked. The Lambaids’ consensus was that they wanted something sentimental and would leave it up to me.
I really wanted to treat the girls to something nice, sentimental, that would appeal to all of them, that had a tinge of vintage appeal, and that was within my budget. I’m not going to lie, this was a tough tasking for me.
Working on the assumption that if I should choose something that I would love to have for myself, I narrowed it down to a few options. Read more…
Mrs. Lamb, NorfolkAge and Occupation: 25, Homeland Security ConsultantFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Graduate StudentEngagement Date: January 2009Wedding Date: January 2010Venue: Trinity Presbyterian Church/Harrison Opera HouseAbout Me: I’m a Homeland Security Consultant with a tendency towards pulling office pranks, taking lunch breaks, and drinking Wawa shakes. I’m also an English major with a serious obsession with alliteration and rhymes. While I’m not keeping America safe, I’m training for half marathons and the Escape from Alcatraz swim. Or moving for the third time this year. Or baking. Or wedding crafting. Or crying about wedding planning. All the while, I’m getting myself into Lucille Ball-esque scrapes and making Jim Carey-esque faces. Our big fat Czech/Baptist/Jewish/Italian wedding is a combination of vintage eclectic, DIY, and little spoonful of sugar from our Event Coordinator. It’s going to be a Norfolk flavored wedding with the verve of an only-daughter-blow-out bash!
I’ve been thinking about what I wanted to say to you all when I got to the “other side”. For some reason, during the planning process, I couldn’t bring myself to write it because I didn’t want to disappoint certain people or to come across as ungrateful. I talked it over with some fellow bees. I mulled it over while reliving some wedding memories as we reminisced on our belated honeymoon (we just got back and it was delightful - more later). And then I read this today as I caught up at Meg’s blog. Now is the time to let a few things hang out and to keep it real.
You’ve seen the joy on my face that is captured by photographs on my wedding day. I will always treasure that day in our lives. Not captured were the many frowns, the foot stomping and the flat out meltdowns (my Dad calls it O.B.E - overcome by events) that led up to that day. Here, I blogged about details, crafting, funnies, etc. because the blog world was my refuge from what I found to be an all together stressful and frustrating planning process. Much of the stress was self-inflicted as I took all criticism personally, tried to please everyone, and contorted myself to fill the various expectations that I perceived people had of me. However, some of the stress originated from truly stressful situations of navigating family emotions or the growing pains of bringing two lives together.
While I’ve shared most of the work that I did for the wedding in terms of crafting, this post is about the real work that it took to plan the wedding and prepare for a marriage. Read more…
Mrs. Lamb, NorfolkAge and Occupation: 25, Homeland Security ConsultantFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Graduate StudentEngagement Date: January 2009Wedding Date: January 2010Venue: Trinity Presbyterian Church/Harrison Opera HouseAbout Me: I’m a Homeland Security Consultant with a tendency towards pulling office pranks, taking lunch breaks, and drinking Wawa shakes. I’m also an English major with a serious obsession with alliteration and rhymes. While I’m not keeping America safe, I’m training for half marathons and the Escape from Alcatraz swim. Or moving for the third time this year. Or baking. Or wedding crafting. Or crying about wedding planning. All the while, I’m getting myself into Lucille Ball-esque scrapes and making Jim Carey-esque faces. Our big fat Czech/Baptist/Jewish/Italian wedding is a combination of vintage eclectic, DIY, and little spoonful of sugar from our Event Coordinator. It’s going to be a Norfolk flavored wedding with the verve of an only-daughter-blow-out bash!
Unique Wedding Favors
