Mrs. Seal, San FranciscoAge and Occupation: 25, Personal AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Sales and Support SpecialistEngagement Date: December 12, 2009Wedding Date: November 2011Venue: Sts Peter and Paul Church/The Bently ReserveAbout Me: I am a goofy, wannabe crafty, well-intentioned Renaissance Woman (OK, perhaps "aimless wanderer" is a more aptly suited term for me, but hopefully you get the point)—basically I dabble in just about everything and pride myself in such. Without warning, I occasionally breakout into soulful improvised songs and interpretive dances and there's just no stopping me! As so many others before me, planning our wedding has unearthed a deep, intense passion for all things bridal and I secretly fear the day it will come to an end. Mr. Seal and I are quite the pair and life with him by my side is extremely rewarding—I am so thankful to have found him. Together we are planning a black-tie San Francisco affair for 250—light on the stuffiness and with lots of extra Seal-y flair.
So remember how we have a ginormous wedding party, right? To refresh your memory, we’ve got: 10 bridesmaids, 10 groomsmen, 2 ushers, 2 flower girls and a ring bearer. Phew! Anyhoo, when it came time to deciding whether we’d setup a head table for the entire wedding party or a cozy sweetheart table for just the Sealman and I, the size of our wedding party definitely factored into that decision.
After meeting with our catering coordinator and going over the dimensions of our reception space, we were presented with a few options.
Though I liked the idea of being surrounded by my wedding party, I didn’t like the thought of splitting up couples. As it’s physically impossible to fit a table long enough to include everyone and their date, quite a few of our party members would be separated from their significant other.
2. A long, double-sided head table (would enable us to keep couples together).
Ms. Ferris Wheel, San FranciscoAge and Occupation: 29, PsychologistFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, PsychologistEngagement Date: May 23 and 28, 2010 (one for each of us!)Wedding Date: November 2011Venue: Parc55 Hotel (city lights ceremony, ballroom reception)About Me: Born in the Southeast, educated in the Northeast, and over-educated on the West Coast, I finally earned my city-girl credentials and have put down roots in gorgeous San Francisco. I’m a raging perfectionist with a lightning quick wit and a terrible sense of both time and direction. Our wedding task list is endlessly growing because of my predilection to think that DIY projects I can make = DIY projects I should make (so not true!). I always go to bed wishing there were more hours in the day to enjoy all the things I adore, whether that be hobbies, friends, my career, our two dogs, or Mr. Ferris Wheel. Ours is a story of a non-traditional couple living an oddly traditional life planning a not-so-traditional wedding in this city we adore. Together we are bustin’ out all of our best skills (and some of our worst ones) to plan a laid-back-chic DIY-craftastic love-alicious affair!
I heard a lot of the dah dum t’dumms growing up because my mom was (and still is) our church organist and she played at many of the congregants’ weddings. When I went through my teenage phase of “I wanna be completely different from everyone in the whole wide world,” I decided I wouldn’t be a person who came down the aisle to the bridal march if/when I ever got married, and I never changed my mind about that. But in all the years since then, I also haven’t been that interested in getting married in general, so I’ve given precious little thought to any other specific things that I did or didn’t want at my potential future wedding. Except this one thing….
Hive, I’m gonna just come right out and say it. This one thing is kind of a diva moment. Read more…
Mrs. Seal, San FranciscoAge and Occupation: 25, Personal AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Sales and Support SpecialistEngagement Date: December 12, 2009Wedding Date: November 2011Venue: Sts Peter and Paul Church/The Bently ReserveAbout Me: I am a goofy, wannabe crafty, well-intentioned Renaissance Woman (OK, perhaps "aimless wanderer" is a more aptly suited term for me, but hopefully you get the point)—basically I dabble in just about everything and pride myself in such. Without warning, I occasionally breakout into soulful improvised songs and interpretive dances and there's just no stopping me! As so many others before me, planning our wedding has unearthed a deep, intense passion for all things bridal and I secretly fear the day it will come to an end. Mr. Seal and I are quite the pair and life with him by my side is extremely rewarding—I am so thankful to have found him. Together we are planning a black-tie San Francisco affair for 250—light on the stuffiness and with lots of extra Seal-y flair.
…Alternatively titled: Miss Seal practically keels over with giddiness when someone she knows gets engaged.
Not that I didn’t get excited over newly engaged couples before—I just think, now, being able to fully understand just how exciting getting engaged is, I all but have a heart attack every time someone close to me pledges to wed their beloved!
For example, when BM/FSIL Maria got proposed to by Big Brother Seal, I put together an engagement basket for her. I packed the basket with wedding movies, magazines, planning guides, her favorite wine and tons of other goodies. When BM Carina got engaged to her awesome man—being that she lives a few hours away from me—I sent off an engagement box stuffed to capacity with wedding planning necessities.
Very recently, MOH Meghan was proposed to by her boyfriend during a trip to New York for one of his cousins’ weddings. After all but peeing myself, I calmed myself down and focused on the task before me: her engagement goodies. Once I procured all of the necessities (and gladly purged myself of 75% of my old magazines), I snuck into their home to ensure that the basket awaited them upon their return. Care to see some of my handiwork? Read more…
Ms. Ferris Wheel, San FranciscoAge and Occupation: 29, PsychologistFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, PsychologistEngagement Date: May 23 and 28, 2010 (one for each of us!)Wedding Date: November 2011Venue: Parc55 Hotel (city lights ceremony, ballroom reception)About Me: Born in the Southeast, educated in the Northeast, and over-educated on the West Coast, I finally earned my city-girl credentials and have put down roots in gorgeous San Francisco. I’m a raging perfectionist with a lightning quick wit and a terrible sense of both time and direction. Our wedding task list is endlessly growing because of my predilection to think that DIY projects I can make = DIY projects I should make (so not true!). I always go to bed wishing there were more hours in the day to enjoy all the things I adore, whether that be hobbies, friends, my career, our two dogs, or Mr. Ferris Wheel. Ours is a story of a non-traditional couple living an oddly traditional life planning a not-so-traditional wedding in this city we adore. Together we are bustin’ out all of our best skills (and some of our worst ones) to plan a laid-back-chic DIY-craftastic love-alicious affair!
Let’s talk about our floral alternatives, also known as the self-created wedding dilemma that is so unreasonably stressful to think about that I avoid it at all costs. Previously I told you that I’m torn about how we’re incorporating floral elements into our wedding. Well, I still haven’t resolved this particular conflict so I’m turning to the hive for some much-needed perspective.
Here’s the deal: yes, we like the look of wedding party members carrying bouquets and we fully intend(ed) to go that route. But… we’re a little over two months out and I still haven’t started any of it. I plan to make a bouquet for myself no matter what, but I don’t know exactly how long it will take to make one, much less six or seven of them. I’m seriously considering the possibility that this might be one of those times where I’ve bitten off more DIY than I can chew. It’s okay, I can admit that it happens sometimes. (But not often, of course. Because I’m amazing and I can do anything.)
When Mr. FW and I started talking about non-bouquet options, we came up with two possibilities that we actually really liked because both would resolve some of our ambivalent feelings about how gendered the florals were going to be. (When you’re looking at these options, recall that the wedding party dresses are gray with black trim.)
Mrs. Seal, San FranciscoAge and Occupation: 25, Personal AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Sales and Support SpecialistEngagement Date: December 12, 2009Wedding Date: November 2011Venue: Sts Peter and Paul Church/The Bently ReserveAbout Me: I am a goofy, wannabe crafty, well-intentioned Renaissance Woman (OK, perhaps "aimless wanderer" is a more aptly suited term for me, but hopefully you get the point)—basically I dabble in just about everything and pride myself in such. Without warning, I occasionally breakout into soulful improvised songs and interpretive dances and there's just no stopping me! As so many others before me, planning our wedding has unearthed a deep, intense passion for all things bridal and I secretly fear the day it will come to an end. Mr. Seal and I are quite the pair and life with him by my side is extremely rewarding—I am so thankful to have found him. Together we are planning a black-tie San Francisco affair for 250—light on the stuffiness and with lots of extra Seal-y flair.
I can hardly fathom how quickly time has flown since I showed you a sneak peek of our invites back in May. Sometimes, I find myself nervous to go to sleep because I just know I am going to wake up the morning after the wedding.
Anyhow, the invites should have reached most of our guests’ homes by now (I’ve got a few RSVPs to prove it!) which means I can finally share our invites with you!
A little bit of back story first…
As perhaps you may recall, we ordered our Save-The-Dates through The Aerialist Press-this sufficiently quenched my thirst for beautiful letterpress and thus decided to go a different route for our invites. The Sealman and I had met a wonderful woman named Mimi at a bridal fair way back yesteryear and she stuck with me for a few reasons. Firstly because her custom invite designs were gorgeous, and secondly because her given name is a nickname I’ve had since before I can remember.
I let time pass, briefly reconsidered letterpress and then mentioned to Mr. Seal that I was considering contacting the “invite designer with my nickname.” Read more…
Mrs. Seal, San FranciscoAge and Occupation: 25, Personal AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Sales and Support SpecialistEngagement Date: December 12, 2009Wedding Date: November 2011Venue: Sts Peter and Paul Church/The Bently ReserveAbout Me: I am a goofy, wannabe crafty, well-intentioned Renaissance Woman (OK, perhaps "aimless wanderer" is a more aptly suited term for me, but hopefully you get the point)—basically I dabble in just about everything and pride myself in such. Without warning, I occasionally breakout into soulful improvised songs and interpretive dances and there's just no stopping me! As so many others before me, planning our wedding has unearthed a deep, intense passion for all things bridal and I secretly fear the day it will come to an end. Mr. Seal and I are quite the pair and life with him by my side is extremely rewarding—I am so thankful to have found him. Together we are planning a black-tie San Francisco affair for 250—light on the stuffiness and with lots of extra Seal-y flair.
Choosing a first dance song has been surprisingly difficult for us. Both the Sealman and I—n terms of music—are very well-rounded. Though our favorite genres vary slightly, we both agree on what “good” music is and appreciate the other’s refined musical palette.
Apart from some fun hip-hop songs we bonded over in the beginning of our relationship, the two of us don’t share “a song” In other words, there’s not one particular tune that makes us feel mushy about our relationship—more so a few songs that I goofily do my trademark dance moves to that makes Mr. S fervently laugh.
For a visual, Mr. Seal says my sweet moves (and ridiculous facial expressions) can most closely be compared to the girl from the Sun Drop commercial.
Anyhow, seeing as how I had absolutely no intentions of droppin’ it like it’s hot for our first dance (that’s for the 5th dance…duh), we were left at square one.
Many options were unearthed (I’ll spare you those), but only one song stuck. The tune was one of Mr. Seal’s genius suggestions and is a song I have always loved and grew up singing.
Ms. Ferris Wheel, San FranciscoAge and Occupation: 29, PsychologistFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, PsychologistEngagement Date: May 23 and 28, 2010 (one for each of us!)Wedding Date: November 2011Venue: Parc55 Hotel (city lights ceremony, ballroom reception)About Me: Born in the Southeast, educated in the Northeast, and over-educated on the West Coast, I finally earned my city-girl credentials and have put down roots in gorgeous San Francisco. I’m a raging perfectionist with a lightning quick wit and a terrible sense of both time and direction. Our wedding task list is endlessly growing because of my predilection to think that DIY projects I can make = DIY projects I should make (so not true!). I always go to bed wishing there were more hours in the day to enjoy all the things I adore, whether that be hobbies, friends, my career, our two dogs, or Mr. Ferris Wheel. Ours is a story of a non-traditional couple living an oddly traditional life planning a not-so-traditional wedding in this city we adore. Together we are bustin’ out all of our best skills (and some of our worst ones) to plan a laid-back-chic DIY-craftastic love-alicious affair!
Ms. Ferris Wheel, San FranciscoAge and Occupation: 29, PsychologistFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, PsychologistEngagement Date: May 23 and 28, 2010 (one for each of us!)Wedding Date: November 2011Venue: Parc55 Hotel (city lights ceremony, ballroom reception)About Me: Born in the Southeast, educated in the Northeast, and over-educated on the West Coast, I finally earned my city-girl credentials and have put down roots in gorgeous San Francisco. I’m a raging perfectionist with a lightning quick wit and a terrible sense of both time and direction. Our wedding task list is endlessly growing because of my predilection to think that DIY projects I can make = DIY projects I should make (so not true!). I always go to bed wishing there were more hours in the day to enjoy all the things I adore, whether that be hobbies, friends, my career, our two dogs, or Mr. Ferris Wheel. Ours is a story of a non-traditional couple living an oddly traditional life planning a not-so-traditional wedding in this city we adore. Together we are bustin’ out all of our best skills (and some of our worst ones) to plan a laid-back-chic DIY-craftastic love-alicious affair!
Warning: ahead you will find much venting of wedding steam. Proceed at your own risk.
You may have noticed that I’ve been a little more absent lately (so sorry about that!), and I’m sure you can guess that the reason is because our wedding is fast approaching. At this point we are working on the wedding 100% of every waking hour (and when we’re sleeping, we’re both dreaming about the wedding so we can’t even really count that as a break). When we do take breaks, to eat or shower or whatever, we are doing so while we talk about the wedding. In my quiet moments, I am thinking only about the wedding and it never seems I have sufficient thinking time to actually resolve any of the issues I’m thinking about in the first place. There’s no time to see friends or family, and when we do all we can talk about is the wedding. Our tiny, lovely little house is full to the brim of wedding stuff. There’s not a single uncovered surface to be found, and until very recently none of it was organized in the slightest (which, for an overly organized person like myself, is just sheer torture).
It’s. All. Just. Too. Much.
{I can’t believe I’m letting the blogosphere take a tour of my house in such disarray.}
Two years ago we started planning this shindig in earnest, and back then we both thought we’d have plenty of time to take on any and every project we could possibly imagine. Read more…
Ms. Ferris Wheel, San FranciscoAge and Occupation: 29, PsychologistFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, PsychologistEngagement Date: May 23 and 28, 2010 (one for each of us!)Wedding Date: November 2011Venue: Parc55 Hotel (city lights ceremony, ballroom reception)About Me: Born in the Southeast, educated in the Northeast, and over-educated on the West Coast, I finally earned my city-girl credentials and have put down roots in gorgeous San Francisco. I’m a raging perfectionist with a lightning quick wit and a terrible sense of both time and direction. Our wedding task list is endlessly growing because of my predilection to think that DIY projects I can make = DIY projects I should make (so not true!). I always go to bed wishing there were more hours in the day to enjoy all the things I adore, whether that be hobbies, friends, my career, our two dogs, or Mr. Ferris Wheel. Ours is a story of a non-traditional couple living an oddly traditional life planning a not-so-traditional wedding in this city we adore. Together we are bustin’ out all of our best skills (and some of our worst ones) to plan a laid-back-chic DIY-craftastic love-alicious affair!
One thing people frequently told us after we got engaged was that the only perk of wedding planning is the free cake tastings. Personally, I think there have actually been a lot of perks (like, for instance, blogging for all of you!). But I do love me some cake, so I was looking forward to that perk in particular. There was a wrench in that plan, though. We wanted to save money in the wedding cake department, which is why we opted to go with a dessert buffet rather than a traditional multi-tiered wedding cake. We wanted the center cake on the display to be a small, “top tier”-esque cake. Just enough so that we could have the fancy wedding cake experience without actually having a full-on multi-tier cake.
Ms. Ferris Wheel, San FranciscoAge and Occupation: 29, PsychologistFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, PsychologistEngagement Date: May 23 and 28, 2010 (one for each of us!)Wedding Date: November 2011Venue: Parc55 Hotel (city lights ceremony, ballroom reception)About Me: Born in the Southeast, educated in the Northeast, and over-educated on the West Coast, I finally earned my city-girl credentials and have put down roots in gorgeous San Francisco. I’m a raging perfectionist with a lightning quick wit and a terrible sense of both time and direction. Our wedding task list is endlessly growing because of my predilection to think that DIY projects I can make = DIY projects I should make (so not true!). I always go to bed wishing there were more hours in the day to enjoy all the things I adore, whether that be hobbies, friends, my career, our two dogs, or Mr. Ferris Wheel. Ours is a story of a non-traditional couple living an oddly traditional life planning a not-so-traditional wedding in this city we adore. Together we are bustin’ out all of our best skills (and some of our worst ones) to plan a laid-back-chic DIY-craftastic love-alicious affair!
For over a year now Mr. FW and I have talked about having a photo booth at our wedding. First we considered DIYing it like somanyfabulousbeesbeforemehavedone. Seriously, if you are considering going that route, check out those tutorials for a near-exhaustive rundown of all the various ways you can DIY a photo booth. With so much information out there, I was sure this was a project we could take on. Then, the days and months kept ticking by and the list of projects kept mounting, so that finally at some point we decided we better look into the cost of hiring someone to make our photo booth dream come true.
But having seen so many DIY photo booths in blogland, I was dead set on avoiding the old-school photo booth that could only seat a few people on a bench. Instead I wanted a massive booth that would easily hold a whole group of people.
Mrs. Seal, San FranciscoAge and Occupation: 25, Personal AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Sales and Support SpecialistEngagement Date: December 12, 2009Wedding Date: November 2011Venue: Sts Peter and Paul Church/The Bently ReserveAbout Me: I am a goofy, wannabe crafty, well-intentioned Renaissance Woman (OK, perhaps "aimless wanderer" is a more aptly suited term for me, but hopefully you get the point)—basically I dabble in just about everything and pride myself in such. Without warning, I occasionally breakout into soulful improvised songs and interpretive dances and there's just no stopping me! As so many others before me, planning our wedding has unearthed a deep, intense passion for all things bridal and I secretly fear the day it will come to an end. Mr. Seal and I are quite the pair and life with him by my side is extremely rewarding—I am so thankful to have found him. Together we are planning a black-tie San Francisco affair for 250—light on the stuffiness and with lots of extra Seal-y flair.
Our ceremony is nearly planned and I can’t wait to share the details with you all! For now though, while we put on the finishing touches and get everything approved, I am going to get things started by sharing our ceremony music.
Through the church in which we will be wed, we were put in contact with Mrs. L, the lovely music coordinator/organist. She’s is a kind older woman who, upon calling her with only a vague idea of music selections, kindly proceeded to sing the options for me. Seriously. It was with her perfectly pitched “la da daaaas” and “da di duuuums” that I chose most of our music.
Prelude: She assured me that she would play several appropriate selections during the seating of the guests. As I had no interest in hand-selecting 30-45 minutes worth of music, I was perfectly content in completely relinquishing the control. Read more…
Ms. Ferris Wheel, San FranciscoAge and Occupation: 29, PsychologistFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, PsychologistEngagement Date: May 23 and 28, 2010 (one for each of us!)Wedding Date: November 2011Venue: Parc55 Hotel (city lights ceremony, ballroom reception)About Me: Born in the Southeast, educated in the Northeast, and over-educated on the West Coast, I finally earned my city-girl credentials and have put down roots in gorgeous San Francisco. I’m a raging perfectionist with a lightning quick wit and a terrible sense of both time and direction. Our wedding task list is endlessly growing because of my predilection to think that DIY projects I can make = DIY projects I should make (so not true!). I always go to bed wishing there were more hours in the day to enjoy all the things I adore, whether that be hobbies, friends, my career, our two dogs, or Mr. Ferris Wheel. Ours is a story of a non-traditional couple living an oddly traditional life planning a not-so-traditional wedding in this city we adore. Together we are bustin’ out all of our best skills (and some of our worst ones) to plan a laid-back-chic DIY-craftastic love-alicious affair!
This past holiday season I did a little DIY project that I think would make a fabulous wedding gift—either something to give the happy couple, the members of your wedding party, or even your wedding guests. I used glass etching to make personalized oil and vinegar bottles.
They turned out so well I want to share them with you in case they spark your creative thinking. Read more…
Mrs. Seal, San FranciscoAge and Occupation: 25, Personal AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Sales and Support SpecialistEngagement Date: December 12, 2009Wedding Date: November 2011Venue: Sts Peter and Paul Church/The Bently ReserveAbout Me: I am a goofy, wannabe crafty, well-intentioned Renaissance Woman (OK, perhaps "aimless wanderer" is a more aptly suited term for me, but hopefully you get the point)—basically I dabble in just about everything and pride myself in such. Without warning, I occasionally breakout into soulful improvised songs and interpretive dances and there's just no stopping me! As so many others before me, planning our wedding has unearthed a deep, intense passion for all things bridal and I secretly fear the day it will come to an end. Mr. Seal and I are quite the pair and life with him by my side is extremely rewarding—I am so thankful to have found him. Together we are planning a black-tie San Francisco affair for 250—light on the stuffiness and with lots of extra Seal-y flair.
Ugh, I’m fighting one of the nastiest colds in the history of nasty colds, but if one good thing has come of this beast…it’s been my productivity. I know sickness and productivity don’t normally go hand-in-hand, but I am one busy bee and this has forced me to stay home and take it easy. (”Takin’ it easy” for me = working on my DIY projects in my PJs all day.)
As perhaps you recall, Mr. Seal isa hugeYankees fan; as such, he’s often seen sporting a Yankee hat from his (not so varied) collection:
Mrs. Seal, San FranciscoAge and Occupation: 25, Personal AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Sales and Support SpecialistEngagement Date: December 12, 2009Wedding Date: November 2011Venue: Sts Peter and Paul Church/The Bently ReserveAbout Me: I am a goofy, wannabe crafty, well-intentioned Renaissance Woman (OK, perhaps "aimless wanderer" is a more aptly suited term for me, but hopefully you get the point)—basically I dabble in just about everything and pride myself in such. Without warning, I occasionally breakout into soulful improvised songs and interpretive dances and there's just no stopping me! As so many others before me, planning our wedding has unearthed a deep, intense passion for all things bridal and I secretly fear the day it will come to an end. Mr. Seal and I are quite the pair and life with him by my side is extremely rewarding—I am so thankful to have found him. Together we are planning a black-tie San Francisco affair for 250—light on the stuffiness and with lots of extra Seal-y flair.
A while ago, I shared with you the adorable bridal shower invites that were carefully hand-crafted by MOH Brandi. Well, the amazing shower has since come and gone (in the blink of an eye), and is ready for recappin’! The event was hosted by Mama Seal and Brandi and I couldn’t be more grateful for their generosity and effort.
Anyhow, I’ll let the photos do most of the talking!
I was fortunate that my out-of-town bridesmaid Carina, despite being sick, was able to make it to the shower. I started the day by picking her up from the airport. After some breakfast and some gettin’ ready, we were all set to go!
I arrived to find lots of my family and friends hanging in the main hall of my aunt’s community center (the location of the shower)-they were all laughing and enjoying some yummy food. Read more…
Ms. Ferris Wheel, San FranciscoAge and Occupation: 29, PsychologistFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, PsychologistEngagement Date: May 23 and 28, 2010 (one for each of us!)Wedding Date: November 2011Venue: Parc55 Hotel (city lights ceremony, ballroom reception)About Me: Born in the Southeast, educated in the Northeast, and over-educated on the West Coast, I finally earned my city-girl credentials and have put down roots in gorgeous San Francisco. I’m a raging perfectionist with a lightning quick wit and a terrible sense of both time and direction. Our wedding task list is endlessly growing because of my predilection to think that DIY projects I can make = DIY projects I should make (so not true!). I always go to bed wishing there were more hours in the day to enjoy all the things I adore, whether that be hobbies, friends, my career, our two dogs, or Mr. Ferris Wheel. Ours is a story of a non-traditional couple living an oddly traditional life planning a not-so-traditional wedding in this city we adore. Together we are bustin’ out all of our best skills (and some of our worst ones) to plan a laid-back-chic DIY-craftastic love-alicious affair!
My thoughts about wedding day earrings were along the same lines as everything else when it comes to this wedding: “I’m not sure what I’m looking for, but I don’t think this is it. I’m certain I’ll know it when I see it.” I’ve concocted a fuzzy mental image of the earrings I’m looking for, but as far as I can tell they’re not anything that’s ever been manufactured in the history of the world. Freaking out that my indecision would result in bare lobes, I sucked it up and bought some earrings that I knew weren’t “perfect” but would probably be “perfectly suitable.” Today they came in, and they’re quite lovely.
Generally jewelry isn’t really my thing, but I love earrings and I like them BIG. So I’m just not sure these baubles are as… ostentatious? distinctive? statement-y? as I want them to be. Read more…
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
