Mrs. Champagne, DC/Vail/ColoradoAge and Occupation: 26, Eye DoctorFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, AttorneyEngagement Date: March 13, 2006Wedding Date: February 2009Blogging Since: July 30, 2008Venue: Small church ceremony with mountain-view log cabin receptionAbout Me: I'm a small town mountain girl with a city heart. Found my way to the east coast, and Mr. Champagne kept me here so we're planning a wedding from afar in my hometown Vail, Colorado. I'm secretly obsessed with reality TV, Wii games where I can shoot a gun, country music, and Caesar: Dog Whisperer. I also spend time pretending to golf, backseat driving, having one way conversations with our MinPin Maxwell, loving champagne, and wedding perfecting… I mean, planning. I use way too many repeated symbols and letters when I write, and I'll love Mr. Champagne endlessly…
I knew it had to happen sooner or later. It was just too good to be true. Remember my dream shoes? I had to return them yesterday. I walked into Saks with a box of beautiful Zanottis, and I walked out with a heavy heart and a little tear in my eye. I would never see them again. I tried to make them as comfortable as I could, but I could tell things were not going to work out between us- at least not for an entire eight hour day on my feet.
Mrs. Champagne, DC/Vail/ColoradoAge and Occupation: 26, Eye DoctorFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, AttorneyEngagement Date: March 13, 2006Wedding Date: February 2009Blogging Since: July 30, 2008Venue: Small church ceremony with mountain-view log cabin receptionAbout Me: I'm a small town mountain girl with a city heart. Found my way to the east coast, and Mr. Champagne kept me here so we're planning a wedding from afar in my hometown Vail, Colorado. I'm secretly obsessed with reality TV, Wii games where I can shoot a gun, country music, and Caesar: Dog Whisperer. I also spend time pretending to golf, backseat driving, having one way conversations with our MinPin Maxwell, loving champagne, and wedding perfecting… I mean, planning. I use way too many repeated symbols and letters when I write, and I'll love Mr. Champagne endlessly…
Thank you all so much for your thoughts about the Lady Champs’ attire! It seems as though there is a discrepancy as to how a new mamma can flaunt her new goods. Some said strapless is flattering, and others thought straps would be much more supportive. Seeing as I’ve never been a new mamma, I just asked the ladies what they thought. And the verdict???
Mrs. Champagne, DC/Vail/ColoradoAge and Occupation: 26, Eye DoctorFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, AttorneyEngagement Date: March 13, 2006Wedding Date: February 2009Blogging Since: July 30, 2008Venue: Small church ceremony with mountain-view log cabin receptionAbout Me: I'm a small town mountain girl with a city heart. Found my way to the east coast, and Mr. Champagne kept me here so we're planning a wedding from afar in my hometown Vail, Colorado. I'm secretly obsessed with reality TV, Wii games where I can shoot a gun, country music, and Caesar: Dog Whisperer. I also spend time pretending to golf, backseat driving, having one way conversations with our MinPin Maxwell, loving champagne, and wedding perfecting… I mean, planning. I use way too many repeated symbols and letters when I write, and I'll love Mr. Champagne endlessly…
Source: 1. Jim Hjelm, photo: Luke Walker 2. Pricilla of Boston, photo: Tat Leong
3. Kristie Kelly, photo: Luke Walker 4. Vinyard, photo: Tat Leong
There are so many decisions a bride has to make. For some brides, the bridesmaid dress sets the tone for the wedding. For me, it was sort of a simple decision. I knew I wanted black and something that had an elegant feel. I have six bridesmaids with VERY different style and body types. Not to mention, there will be two bridesmaids who are new mothers, and it’s tough for them to judge what will look the best.
I am a firm believer that when women feel good about themselves, they look better in pictures. When choosing The Lady Champs’ attire, I had to keep this in mind. Read more…
Mrs. Champagne, DC/Vail/ColoradoAge and Occupation: 26, Eye DoctorFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, AttorneyEngagement Date: March 13, 2006Wedding Date: February 2009Blogging Since: July 30, 2008Venue: Small church ceremony with mountain-view log cabin receptionAbout Me: I'm a small town mountain girl with a city heart. Found my way to the east coast, and Mr. Champagne kept me here so we're planning a wedding from afar in my hometown Vail, Colorado. I'm secretly obsessed with reality TV, Wii games where I can shoot a gun, country music, and Caesar: Dog Whisperer. I also spend time pretending to golf, backseat driving, having one way conversations with our MinPin Maxwell, loving champagne, and wedding perfecting… I mean, planning. I use way too many repeated symbols and letters when I write, and I'll love Mr. Champagne endlessly…
So Champ has been pretty “whatever” about the whole wedding planning process, but when it came to our first wedding day meeting he was adamant that we wait until the ceremony to see each other. I’ve seen several different opinions on this subject, and I was willing to go either way. On one hand, we could get some wonderful photo opportunities if we met before the wedding, but on the other hand I know Champ really loves the element of surprise and this would be no exception.
Unfortunately most of the inspirational photos I’ve collected along the way have been taken during the daytime and our wedding ceremony doesn’t even start until after 6. Luckily, my cousin who is also a BM has spent some time as a wedding photographer, and she happens to be the one who took our STD photo at my brother’s wedding. So Champ and I have decided that instead of jetting out right away for our honeymoon (location unbeknownst to me until departure!) we’ll stick around for some photos with the best natural backdrop we could ask for… the Rocky Mountains!
Because we’ll have the time to experiment with our surroundings, I’ve collected some of my favorite winter wedding photos for inspiration. Have any to add? Please share!
Brody Dezember photography (how fitting is his last name?!):
Mrs. Champagne, DC/Vail/ColoradoAge and Occupation: 26, Eye DoctorFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, AttorneyEngagement Date: March 13, 2006Wedding Date: February 2009Blogging Since: July 30, 2008Venue: Small church ceremony with mountain-view log cabin receptionAbout Me: I'm a small town mountain girl with a city heart. Found my way to the east coast, and Mr. Champagne kept me here so we're planning a wedding from afar in my hometown Vail, Colorado. I'm secretly obsessed with reality TV, Wii games where I can shoot a gun, country music, and Caesar: Dog Whisperer. I also spend time pretending to golf, backseat driving, having one way conversations with our MinPin Maxwell, loving champagne, and wedding perfecting… I mean, planning. I use way too many repeated symbols and letters when I write, and I'll love Mr. Champagne endlessly…
Mrs. Champagne, DC/Vail/ColoradoAge and Occupation: 26, Eye DoctorFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, AttorneyEngagement Date: March 13, 2006Wedding Date: February 2009Blogging Since: July 30, 2008Venue: Small church ceremony with mountain-view log cabin receptionAbout Me: I'm a small town mountain girl with a city heart. Found my way to the east coast, and Mr. Champagne kept me here so we're planning a wedding from afar in my hometown Vail, Colorado. I'm secretly obsessed with reality TV, Wii games where I can shoot a gun, country music, and Caesar: Dog Whisperer. I also spend time pretending to golf, backseat driving, having one way conversations with our MinPin Maxwell, loving champagne, and wedding perfecting… I mean, planning. I use way too many repeated symbols and letters when I write, and I'll love Mr. Champagne endlessly…
I love love to ski~ I always have. Here’s my dad and I at the Kinder Cup quite a few years ago. Nice pants, huh? I was high fashion back then.
There’s just something about the skiing the back bowls of Vail that’s been relaxing. Unfortunately for me, I really injured my right knee a few years ago skiing with Champ, and after three surgeries it’s just never been the same. Originally, I figured that the morning of our wedding I could hit the slopes with a few of my BMs and my mom, and it would really be a relaxing beginning to a wonderful day. The more I think about it now, the less likely that is to happen. What if I got hurt again?! Would I be rolled in a wheelchair down the aisle by my dad? I don’t think so… Read more…
Mrs. Champagne, DC/Vail/ColoradoAge and Occupation: 26, Eye DoctorFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, AttorneyEngagement Date: March 13, 2006Wedding Date: February 2009Blogging Since: July 30, 2008Venue: Small church ceremony with mountain-view log cabin receptionAbout Me: I'm a small town mountain girl with a city heart. Found my way to the east coast, and Mr. Champagne kept me here so we're planning a wedding from afar in my hometown Vail, Colorado. I'm secretly obsessed with reality TV, Wii games where I can shoot a gun, country music, and Caesar: Dog Whisperer. I also spend time pretending to golf, backseat driving, having one way conversations with our MinPin Maxwell, loving champagne, and wedding perfecting… I mean, planning. I use way too many repeated symbols and letters when I write, and I'll love Mr. Champagne endlessly…
Choosing whether to use a band or dj was one of the more difficult choices we thought we would make. Little did we know that once we chose to go with live music, the search for the perfect band would be intense! It’s really difficult from a thousand miles away to choose a band that will both fit our budget and our reception style. Sure, bands can say that they love to be energetic and get folks on the dance floor, but it’s REALLY tough to judge without actually seeing the band interact with the crowd.
Another tough thing about finding a band for our wedding is that we’re getting married in a small mountain town. I grew up there, and I know a few local bands. In fact, I went to high school with at least one of the band members of nearly every popular local band. They’re not exactly your typical wedding bands here in the good ole mountain towns, and most of the time they’re playing bar shows or “groove fests” in the winter. So the selection is very limited if you’re only willing to hire locally. The other option for us was to look at bands in Denver that would be willing to trek through the snowy mountains to entertain our guests. This is where I found Gigmaster to be so helpful.
Mrs. Champagne, DC/Vail/ColoradoAge and Occupation: 26, Eye DoctorFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, AttorneyEngagement Date: March 13, 2006Wedding Date: February 2009Blogging Since: July 30, 2008Venue: Small church ceremony with mountain-view log cabin receptionAbout Me: I'm a small town mountain girl with a city heart. Found my way to the east coast, and Mr. Champagne kept me here so we're planning a wedding from afar in my hometown Vail, Colorado. I'm secretly obsessed with reality TV, Wii games where I can shoot a gun, country music, and Caesar: Dog Whisperer. I also spend time pretending to golf, backseat driving, having one way conversations with our MinPin Maxwell, loving champagne, and wedding perfecting… I mean, planning. I use way too many repeated symbols and letters when I write, and I'll love Mr. Champagne endlessly…
Champ and I have been together for what seems like ages. He knows me better than anyone, and when it came time to pick out my engagement ring, he knew exactly what I would love. Part of that may be due to my many hints and emailed pictures of rings (really subtle hints). But in all honesty, what he designed far surpassed anything I could have done myself. I love the pear diamond. There’s something about it that feels romantic and elegant. Champ really took the time to design a ring just for me- that’s what makes it so special.
Mrs. Champagne, DC/Vail/ColoradoAge and Occupation: 26, Eye DoctorFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, AttorneyEngagement Date: March 13, 2006Wedding Date: February 2009Blogging Since: July 30, 2008Venue: Small church ceremony with mountain-view log cabin receptionAbout Me: I'm a small town mountain girl with a city heart. Found my way to the east coast, and Mr. Champagne kept me here so we're planning a wedding from afar in my hometown Vail, Colorado. I'm secretly obsessed with reality TV, Wii games where I can shoot a gun, country music, and Caesar: Dog Whisperer. I also spend time pretending to golf, backseat driving, having one way conversations with our MinPin Maxwell, loving champagne, and wedding perfecting… I mean, planning. I use way too many repeated symbols and letters when I write, and I'll love Mr. Champagne endlessly…
When I was a young Champlette, I remember our towels had these big letters written on them in a fancy cursive script. I never knew what they stood for, but I always liked the way they looked. Now that I’m all grown up and sophistimicated, I know that our towels were monogrammed. So when I tried to design our monogram for invites, stationary, thank yous and random other projects, I failed miserably. I couldn’t find the right design, but I knew I wanted something between artsy and classic. I’ll post more on my DIY monograms, but the monograms I actually ended up using the most were created by AimeeO’Boyle from Creative Montage. Amy’s work was suggested to me by my pal Mrs. Tiramisu, and her creations are gorgeous!
Our colors are black, ivory, and gold. We’ve been going back and forth on an accent color, and originally we wanted some dark burgundy accents, so Aimee used “wine” as the accessory color for our monograms.
Mrs. Champagne, DC/Vail/ColoradoAge and Occupation: 26, Eye DoctorFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, AttorneyEngagement Date: March 13, 2006Wedding Date: February 2009Blogging Since: July 30, 2008Venue: Small church ceremony with mountain-view log cabin receptionAbout Me: I'm a small town mountain girl with a city heart. Found my way to the east coast, and Mr. Champagne kept me here so we're planning a wedding from afar in my hometown Vail, Colorado. I'm secretly obsessed with reality TV, Wii games where I can shoot a gun, country music, and Caesar: Dog Whisperer. I also spend time pretending to golf, backseat driving, having one way conversations with our MinPin Maxwell, loving champagne, and wedding perfecting… I mean, planning. I use way too many repeated symbols and letters when I write, and I'll love Mr. Champagne endlessly…
After some thought about attempting to assemble my own pocket folds, I gave up and ordered them. With so many DIY brides these days, I knew there had to be resources that could assist in paper dimensions and layouts of pocket fold invitations. Little did I know that there are websites that literally do the entire thing for you. When I stumbled across some of these resources, I almost felt guilty- like I was cheating the DIY process.
Envelopper Inc has a wonderful feature that allows you to virtually create your invitation. You simply choose the size pocket fold you would like to use, and it literally gives you the size of all the different pieces needed. Talk about DIY for dummies! Read more…
Mrs. Champagne, DC/Vail/ColoradoAge and Occupation: 26, Eye DoctorFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, AttorneyEngagement Date: March 13, 2006Wedding Date: February 2009Blogging Since: July 30, 2008Venue: Small church ceremony with mountain-view log cabin receptionAbout Me: I'm a small town mountain girl with a city heart. Found my way to the east coast, and Mr. Champagne kept me here so we're planning a wedding from afar in my hometown Vail, Colorado. I'm secretly obsessed with reality TV, Wii games where I can shoot a gun, country music, and Caesar: Dog Whisperer. I also spend time pretending to golf, backseat driving, having one way conversations with our MinPin Maxwell, loving champagne, and wedding perfecting… I mean, planning. I use way too many repeated symbols and letters when I write, and I'll love Mr. Champagne endlessly…
Mrs. Champagne, DC/Vail/ColoradoAge and Occupation: 26, Eye DoctorFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, AttorneyEngagement Date: March 13, 2006Wedding Date: February 2009Blogging Since: July 30, 2008Venue: Small church ceremony with mountain-view log cabin receptionAbout Me: I'm a small town mountain girl with a city heart. Found my way to the east coast, and Mr. Champagne kept me here so we're planning a wedding from afar in my hometown Vail, Colorado. I'm secretly obsessed with reality TV, Wii games where I can shoot a gun, country music, and Caesar: Dog Whisperer. I also spend time pretending to golf, backseat driving, having one way conversations with our MinPin Maxwell, loving champagne, and wedding perfecting… I mean, planning. I use way too many repeated symbols and letters when I write, and I'll love Mr. Champagne endlessly…
This summer I was honored to be a guest at a wedding in Burlington, Vermont for my close friends Julie and Brian. They’ve dated since high school, and they’re both very active nature lovers, so I knew their Burlington wedding would reflect their personalities.
It was a beautiful and romantic day wedding near the beach of Lake Champlain. When we walked up to the wedding site, there were sunbathers on the beach! Very laid back, and very “Julie and Brian”. Read more…
Mrs. Champagne, DC/Vail/ColoradoAge and Occupation: 26, Eye DoctorFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, AttorneyEngagement Date: March 13, 2006Wedding Date: February 2009Blogging Since: July 30, 2008Venue: Small church ceremony with mountain-view log cabin receptionAbout Me: I'm a small town mountain girl with a city heart. Found my way to the east coast, and Mr. Champagne kept me here so we're planning a wedding from afar in my hometown Vail, Colorado. I'm secretly obsessed with reality TV, Wii games where I can shoot a gun, country music, and Caesar: Dog Whisperer. I also spend time pretending to golf, backseat driving, having one way conversations with our MinPin Maxwell, loving champagne, and wedding perfecting… I mean, planning. I use way too many repeated symbols and letters when I write, and I'll love Mr. Champagne endlessly…
Unlike many of the bees, I’m fairly behind schedule with our invitations. I saw Miss Dumpling’s RSVP cards and gasped when I saw the February 1st deadline. Our wedding is IN February- I need to get on it!! Sure I’ve searched pocketfold invites that I like, and I’ve even stocked up on my Gocco ink, bulbs and screens, but when it comes to the actual design.. I’m kind of clueless.
So this weekend I decided to start with the basics- the paper. I went to Creative Parties, a local store right around the corner and I got some stardream paper. Using this and some cardstock I ordered months ago from Paper and More, I put together the world’s smallest invitation (during which I decided that I probably would not be making my own pocket folds). There are two problems- 1. I think there may be too much gold in my mini mock-up, and 2. I can’t get another design out of my head!
We’ll start with my mini mock-up. Here’s the front panel where I was thinking we would have our names. I thought about incorporating a black panel behind the gold to offset the gold from the ribbon. I also thought about Goccoing a damask pattern on the gold with white ink to spruce things up.
Mrs. Champagne, DC/Vail/ColoradoAge and Occupation: 26, Eye DoctorFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, AttorneyEngagement Date: March 13, 2006Wedding Date: February 2009Blogging Since: July 30, 2008Venue: Small church ceremony with mountain-view log cabin receptionAbout Me: I'm a small town mountain girl with a city heart. Found my way to the east coast, and Mr. Champagne kept me here so we're planning a wedding from afar in my hometown Vail, Colorado. I'm secretly obsessed with reality TV, Wii games where I can shoot a gun, country music, and Caesar: Dog Whisperer. I also spend time pretending to golf, backseat driving, having one way conversations with our MinPin Maxwell, loving champagne, and wedding perfecting… I mean, planning. I use way too many repeated symbols and letters when I write, and I'll love Mr. Champagne endlessly…
So it’s my day off, and I finally have time to organize and share with you our engagement photos! It took some time to get these together because our computer has been a little out of sorts. A few weeks ago, Champ spilled some wine on our old laptop, and we’ve since had to purchase a new computer. Some of our photos were given to us on a disc in raw format (in CR2 format taken with a Cannon) and I had to figure out a way to easily convert them to JPEG. This may be easy for some of you, but I am completely technologically challenged, and it took me a while! (FYI: I ended up using ReaConverter Pro to convert the images).
A while back, Champ and I met Loun Loun and Grace from Girls with Big Cameras for our shoot which was supposed to take place along the monuments in DC. The girls told us that we should consider taking our photos along the Georgetown canal, and we figured we would trust their judgment. Loun Loun (or L2) posted a few teasers of our photos a few days after the session, and I was so glad we chose to take our photos along the canal instead of near the monuments. You may also recall that the Tiramisus also had an engagement session with the girls, and their photos inspired us to go with them!
Mrs. Champagne, DC/Vail/ColoradoAge and Occupation: 26, Eye DoctorFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, AttorneyEngagement Date: March 13, 2006Wedding Date: February 2009Blogging Since: July 30, 2008Venue: Small church ceremony with mountain-view log cabin receptionAbout Me: I'm a small town mountain girl with a city heart. Found my way to the east coast, and Mr. Champagne kept me here so we're planning a wedding from afar in my hometown Vail, Colorado. I'm secretly obsessed with reality TV, Wii games where I can shoot a gun, country music, and Caesar: Dog Whisperer. I also spend time pretending to golf, backseat driving, having one way conversations with our MinPin Maxwell, loving champagne, and wedding perfecting… I mean, planning. I use way too many repeated symbols and letters when I write, and I'll love Mr. Champagne endlessly…
There are some things I’ve been absolutely positive about during this whole wedding process. I knew I would be involved in the invite design, and I knew I would wear a mantilla veil. But there’s one thing I can’t decide - do I dare make my own “dream veil”? So after many inspirational photos and ideas, I had to actually try some veils at a bridal shop to see if I could design something worth my time and energy.
Although I love the look of the mantilla, it’s tough to find one with a blusher that has lace edging. This blusher is far too long for me - it sits a little flat on my face, but it’s the general idea. More importantly, the woman on the wall behind me has lost her dress… what a shame. Read more…
Source: 1. Jim Hjelm, photo: Luke Walker 2. Pricilla of Boston, photo: Tat Leong
Unique Wedding Favors
There’s just something about the skiing the back bowls of Vail that’s been relaxing. Unfortunately for me, I really injured my right knee a few years ago skiing with Champ, and after three surgeries it’s just never been the same. Originally, I figured that the morning of our wedding I could hit the slopes with a few of my BMs and my mom, and it would really be a relaxing beginning to a wonderful day. The more I think about it now, the less likely that is to happen. What if I got hurt again?! Would I be rolled in a wheelchair down the aisle by my dad? I don’t think so…
(source: Creative Montage ~used with permission~)
