WHAT YOU MISSED

So, because I didn't start this blog until I actually had the nerve- there's been so much to blog about but has been missed! So here goes what you've missed...

I LOVED planning our wedding! Albeit stressful at times, my hubby and I learned even more about each other and the fact that we survived that processed and everything that surrounded it (there was way too much drama to start out with) makes me confident that we can survive anything.

So, let's start with me!


My gown: Bridals by Demetrios. I loved it! I wanted something with some sparkle (as you can tell from my blog layout, hehehe) and I also wanted two dresses (one for the ceremony and one for the reception). Since that is admittedly a little over the top- I spent months plotting on how to transform one dress into two. There is a bridal company that lets you mix and match pieces so you can essentially have two dresses in one- but those weren't hitting me the way I envisioned my dress to be. My compromise: A dress with a detachable train. I think it was gorgeous!

Although I have over 1,000 pictures from our wedding- I cannot find the shot of the back of my gown with the train!

My bouquet: I LOVE roses. I think they are pretty sexy ;) So I loaded my bouquet up with them. Sure, we had a fall wedding but why do I need red and orange roses? Of course, I had the diamond accents added to it to give it some sparkle!

I have pretty bad allergies to all sorts of ridiculous stuff (hoping that my little one does NOT inherit THAT from me). One of those things is flowers. Now, all flowers do not make me sick and at my last allergists appointment she stated it was no need to find out what exact strain of flower because my reaction to it isn't deadly (I can take OTC meds for pollen and flowers and be on my way). So just to prevent looking a mess on my wedding day- all of my flowers were artificial. Could you tell?!


And to surprise my soon-to-be hubby, I had my garter made to match his favorite team:

Now to the hubby!

Most men just want you to tell them what time to be at the church. My husband was no different- except he did have a little input on some things and it helped make our day come together even more :) My husband is a bit of the male version of a fashionista (fashionisto?). So, since he qualified for the free grooms tux rental for renting a certain amount of tuxedos from Men's warehouse- we gave it to my brother (a financially struggling, in college, groomsmen) and bought his tux. It was the best idea ever! It was custom tailored to fit him and he looked amazing!

As a part of his wedding gift, I surprised him with a custom shirt and all the guys boutonnieres were calla lilies, even my dad!

So, what's next...

The ceremony: 

Aaauuugh! I can't find the decor pictures from my ceremony :(

However the actual ceremony itself was wonderful! We started late (which I completely despise) but once it started it was beautiful. There was so much love in the room, I was over whelmed! Let's see... we had a piano trio (pianist, violinist, flutist, and a cellist), we had a custom aisle runner with out names and wedding date monogrammed on it, and the most beautiful flower arrangements on the alter at the church.

We got married at my home church. My parents were married there, I was christening, baptized, and confirmed there, and I've been an active member since birth. My husband has been joining me since we started dating and everyone has welcomed him since day 1. It was the perfect place for our ceremony.

We did traditional 'repeat after me' vows. We came to this decision after we knew we would be an emotional mess unable to utter a single coherent sentence. I don't remember much about that day, but I remember hugging my HUSBAND for the first time and tears pouring down my face. I didn't.let.go. Or at least in my 'mind replay' I didn't.


I can't believe I actually found a picture of what I'm talking about!

 Next up: The Reception

I loved my reception site! We fell in love with the placed when we went it for our first appointment. It was the perfect place to help us be the perfect hosts (in conjunction with our 'rents). We got THEE BEST DEAL EVER because our wedding was off season and on a Friday. It stressed me out a little that we would be asking our guests to join us right after work but my husband reassured me that if 'they' love us 'they' will be there... and there they were.

We had the best time ever and it all went by way too fast. There was food (very tasty and lots of it), there was dancing (the dance floor was packed), and there was lots of love.


The Decor:

The table centerpieces were alternating high and low to give a little variety to the room. The table numbers were actually names of poets and dancers. Since my hubby is a spoken word artist and I'm a dancer- it would only be right. We wanted something that completely reflected us and that's what we got!

The guestbook was meant to be interactive- and when I say interactive I mean more than just putting your name and address in a pretty book. I knew we woudl be spending time after the ceremony taking pictures so I didn't want everyone to get too bored waiting on us. So, the guest book store was a wonderful option for us. When we got back form our honeymoon and read want people wrote- it was pure entertainment and a wonderful memory to have!

The Food:

The cocktail hour was a blast! So we were told. Since we wouldn't be at the cocktail hour our guests basically were on their own. I made it very clear to the photographer and videographer that we wanted to know what went on while we weren't there. The food was plentiful (we wouldn't have it any other way) and the entertainment was entertaining! Everyone has told us they enjoyed the cocktail hour and we were very pleased.

In hindsight we should have had the martini bar/ ice sculpture going all night... it was such a center piece!

The first course was a salad/ crab cake duet. I like how they wrapped the salad with a cucumber... the crab cake was amazing! I really wish I had this right now...

Dessert was delish! There was a lot... the featured dessert was bananas foster, but we had a dessert buffet for the picky eaters :) Again, I wish this was on the menu for dinner tonight!

  There was a cigar bar for the guests guys. everyone loved it! Even those who don't smoke... I'm pretty sure my husband smoked one on our first anniversary. I hope he has some left for the birth of our children.

Sweet send offs: I didn't like the idea of having favors that sit around and collect dust or get thrown away after a while. So I opted to do a candy buffet. I think everyone LOVES candy and it was the perfect send off! In addition to the candy buffet, our reception site provided warm cookies and pretzels :) then as an after thought, we ordered match books that said "the perfect match". You have to laugh out loud at that! I don't care if was cheesy- I though and still think it was cute! Just recently ( a little more than 2 and half years after our wedding) we were over a friends house and they used a match out of our match book to light the grill... See practical and not thrown away!

Here are some close up shots

In addition to the candy buffet, our reception site provided warm cookies and pretzels :)

For our send-off I really wanted fireworks to light up our pathway to forever (insert awwwww here), but as over-the-top as I am, fireworks weren't in the budget. So instead we opted for sparklers and I actually like this better because it was more intimate, the guests were involved, and we were able to include them in the pictures.