Two Wedding Party Gift Ideas

oh, hello friend is one of my favorite shopping stops for adorable, handmade gifts and inspiration. Recently, she created two wedding party gift sets - one to give when asking friends to be in the party and one as a thank you for doing so.

Locket rings with a note

surprise books with surprise pockets

Floating Alter

Gah! Saipua! She's done it again. This time in the form of a gorgeous floating, floral alter. I guess it helps when she is your best friend and maid of honor!

Liberty and Justice for All

Equality is pretty important to me. Particularly marriage equality. I'm pretty bummed about the decision made by the state I currently reside in to take the ability to marry away from certain people here. I have wrestled with the idea of not getting married at all until everyone I know and love can marry the person they choose. I still have a very hard time with the idea that I can marry the love of my life but some of my friends and family can't. I am happy, however, that the state I was born and raised in, the state where we will be getting our marriage license and saying our vows, does recognize same-sex marriage. For this reason, it is very important for me to somehow incorporate this into our vows. I love that this couple (also married in Massachusetts) did just that -

"As we gather here to solidify the commitment of Tim and Rebecca to each other, we would also like to celebrate the fact that Massachusetts has lead the way in extending the rights and privileges of marriage to everyone, regardless of sexual orientation. It moves us one step closer to fulfilling our nation's promise to provide liberty and justice for all."

I may have to steal (ur..borrow) this line for our officiant's introduction.

Flower Head

How about instead of the recent bridal craze of a single flower in your hair you wear a giant floral towel helmet?

{via musette}

Vintage Gem

Will someone please wear this dress and send me loads of pictures so I can live vicariously through you? I swear way too much when I'm nervous to pull this off on my wedding day.

Cupcakes and Coordination

This weekend I had the great pleasure of coordinating the wedding of Erin and Chuck as well as baking their cupcakes. They are the most genuine and gracious couple I have ever met. They are so sweet and stylish and I had a blast getting to know them and working with them and helping them on their big day. Of course, it was a lot of work. There were over 120 pieces of mercury glass, over 60 mason jars, moss letters, posters, pictures, succulents, flowers, etc. to set up and take down. Erin made everything a lot easier with lettered bags filled with everything for each table and a diagram packet for each table so we knew where she wanted things placed. This helped tremendously! I couldn't have done it without my good friend Kristen who set up the guests' tables while I frosted the cupcakes. I don't normally frost two hours before an event but because we had to travel 5 hours to the venue I didn't want anything to melt along the way.

I have worked been the Artistic and Production Coordinator at a non-profit for a couple of years but this was my first wedding. I will definitely be saving up for my own coordinator now that I know how much work is involved. It would have been way too much for Erin to bring everything to the venue, set up and break everything down at the end of the night on top of getting ready, getting married and having fun. I'm so glad we were able to be there for her so she didn't have to worry about those little details and she could just hang out with her new husband and her loved ones. My muscles are sore but my heart is happy.

I would love to start doing more event coordination and planning. I have to say it is something I'm good at and love to do so if any Southern California (I would travel too!) brides are thinking about having a coordinator I would love to chat with you about it!

Parades and Raids

I was searching a little more for processional alternatives and French wedding traditions to go along with the sixties, french, vintage, glam, picnic thing we've got goin' on. I found a lot of customs I like including this take on the procession -

"Still practiced in small villages today, it is a traditional French custom for the groom to call on his future bride at her home on the morning of their wedding. The groom escorts her to the wedding chapel in a procession, headed by musicians, followed behind by the bride with her father, guests and the groom with his mother at the end of line." (source)

Another fun tradition your wedding party might get a good laugh at? Late night wedding suite raids!

"Chiverie is the wedding night prank to interrupt the wedding couple at night by a crowd clanging pots and pans, righing bells and horns. The bride and groom were expected to appear in their wedding clothes and provide treats for their tormentors."

{image via here}

Concession to Procession?

The other day I talked about putting the cake cutting on the chopping block. Well, another tradition has fallen under the knife - the processional*. And this really has nothing to do with the history of this tradition. It has more to do with logistics.

But first, let's talk about the traditional reason for walking down the aisle. In most cases, the bride hides away from the groom and guests until the ceremony. The processional marks the grand entrance of the bridal party and bride. Some sources think that this goes back to a time of arranged marriage when families were afraid that if the groom didn't like the bride's face then he would call the whole thing off. So the bride was hidden under the veil until her father lifted it at the end of the aisle and "gave her away". There are other customs, of course, that have to do with various religious and cultural beliefs.

For better or for worse, my husband-to-be as seen my face pretty much every day for the past 4.5 years so he already knows what he's stuck with. And we have lived together, 3000 miles away from my mother and father, for 4 years so no one is really giving anyone away at this point. Plus I don't want to be holed up in a room while everyone is having a good time outside!

We're asking people to start showing up in the afternoon for lemonade and lawn games. This will hopefully give people a chance to relax and mingle. We'll most likely be taking pictures at this time but after that the wedding warriors, the groom and I will join the rest of the guests. Then we'll start the ceremony once everyone is ready. I just thought it would be weird to walk down the aisle even though I had been chilling with everyone for a half hour or so already.

I told my mother this the other night and I thought for sure my feminist mom, whose own wedding was completely non-traditional, would understand. She is under the impression, however, that you HAVE to have a processional. I'm pretty sure I don't HAVE to do anything except show up, say I do and sign a marriage license. These are the three key factors that will make me married. Cake, processional, bouquets are not necessary. I have yet to win this battle but I have not given up!

{image via steep street. I LOVE that the bride and groom were under the tree together as guests arrived. The bride yelled "Are we missing anybody?" before they began their vows!}

*Your personal beliefs and reasons for doing a processional or cutting a cake or anything else are totally valid and I am not trying to say that any choice is right or wrong. For me it just doesn't work with the schedule of the day.

Blushing Bloom

As lovely as they can be, I didn't think I wanted a bouquet. It just seemed like a cumbersome thing to worry about. I'd have to keep putting it down everywhere and mostly like I would lose it or ruin it within the first 10 minutes. I'm not walking down an aisle (more on that later) which is really the only time people would have a chance to see it. Then I saw this bouquet by Saipua. Damn you Saipua and your beautiful blooms! Why do you taunt me so?!

The Rain Plan Party

We don't have a rain plan. And I don't really want to make a rain plan even though for the past decade or so it has rained on the third of July in my hometown. Worse comes to worse maybe we can pile into my neighbor's barn or into our house. It would certainly be cozy. If the rain comes then the rain comes and I'm not going to cry about it (I'm knocking on every wooden surface as we speak and those who know me are probably laughing out loud to themselves ). We have a great support system of friends and family who will be around us that day and together I'm sure we can swing a rain plan party almost as amazing as this one! The party might even be better for it!

Making the Cut

So I have slowly been nixing traditions. First it was the cake. I LOVE cake, don't get me wrong. And there will most certainly be cake upon cake upon cake. What I am referring to is the cake CUTTING. I was watching yet another wedding show one day and realized that I had no idea WHY people cut cake at a wedding. I realize it's a "tradition" but does any couple actually take the time to research the tradition or do they just do it because that's what people do at weddings. Well, I decided awhile back that I wouldn't do anything just because "people do that at weddings". Instead I would research traditions and see where they developed. If they matched with our beliefs and our personalities then they would make the cut. Cake cutting did not, needless to say, make the cut.

Here's what I found out:

"The wedding cake has been an important part of the wedding celebration since Roman times when a thin wheat cake, representing bounty, was crumbled over the bride's head to ensure her fertility." (weddingbasics)

"History tells us that breaking the bread symbolized the breaking of the bride's virginal state and the subsequent dominance of the groom over her." (Hudson Valley Weddings)

or another version:

"The cake-cutting practice was first created to symbolize the shift of the bride's responsibilities and obligation from one family to another. The bride would make slices and then feed these pieces to the groom's family, indicating that she now served them." (1weddingsource)

I am sure that this is not what most couples and their families think about during the cake cutting ceremony but I just wouldn't feel right including this tradition into the reception. I haven't had my (hem hem) v-card for quite some time now and I'm not big on the whole servitude thing! Plus, people will hopefully be too busy shakin' it on the dance floor that they won't care about watching me smear frosting all over my new husband's face.

UPDATE: I don't want to give anyone a complex about their own wedding tradition decisions. Just because it's not right for me doesn't mean that it isn't right for you. If the cake ceremony is important to you then you could even come up with a whole NEW reason for doing it and start a new tradition!

{cake image source}

Antlers and Ghosts

Some things I love: neutral on neutral on neutral, ghost chairs and antlers. You wouldn't imagine that I might love this wedding then?

A Couple of Cuties: Joanna & Alex

I adore Joanna. We have never met in person but have shared emails and comments on each others blogs. She just seems so sweet and sincere. She looks so happy in the photos from her wedding to the adorable, bearded Alex and I am so happy for her!

Colorful Fiesta

I have A LOT of wedding blogs on my google reader. Too many, probably. And after looking at weddings for 10 months now they all kind of blend together and start to look alike. There really hasn't been anything new in awhile. It's all been mason jars and lace. Which is fine and great and what I'll probably stick with too but it's always fun when something unique really pops out at you. I love the GINORMOUS flowers and mismatched mexican dresses. So fun and vibrant!

{Via Ruffled}

In Addition

I've been thinking about my post from yesterday and the things we need and the things we're supposed to do. I'm pretty sure I could get married tomorrow and it would just be as wonderful and incredible as if I had actually executed all the projects and details for which I have been collecting all that inspiration. Sure, my wedding dress is 2 sizes too big, there are no invitations or even save-the-dates, no flowers, no cake flags, no garlands, no table numbers, my photographers are in Canada. Screw it. I just need my man and a marriage license.

{image}

Where Do You Stick It?

So my best friend is coming to visit me in a couple of weeks and she told me that she wanted to see my wedding binder*. My what??? Apparently, I'm supposed to have a binder full of magazine clippings, contracts, wish lists, schedules, fabric swatches, etc. I don't, as you might have guessed. I spend most of my inspiration-seaching online so that's where most of my inspiration stays. I have the blog and my tumblr. The wedding binder, to me, is just one more thing we are made to think that we need in order to pull of a fabulous wedding.

Do you have a binder? Are binders even relevant anymore in this new time of tumblr and blogger? They are definitely not eco-friendly.

So how do you organize all of your wedding schtuff?

{image from here}

*Just to clarify, my wise friend's reply to my "My what? Am I suppose to?" was "No, you aren't suppose to do anything." Exactly.

Winter Wedding Photo Contest

My beautiful friend, Jenna, is also a taker of beautiful photographs with her business Flutter Glass Photography.

She is holding a contest for a full day of wedding photography, 200 or more high-quality edited images, $50 off an engagement shoot and more. The wedding does have to take place this winter (December and January). Check out her website for more info and to enter!

{photos from Jenna's latest wedding}

And End the Night...

with a little crowd surfing!

Oh Yeah...

this is how you start a wedding.

Happy Cavalier's Happy Day

Gorgeous shots from Happy Cavalier's wedding.

Tigers to Lilies

I found Lili through the Scout Holiday blog. Lili did the gorgeous arrangments for Cheri's wedding. I love her elegant yet wild arrangements for the San Juan Capistrano Ecology Center's Green Feast. I'm planning my friend's wedding right now and am hoping to convince her to use Lili for her florals.

{photos via Lili's flickr}

Carefree Beauty

I love this bride's low maintenance mane and minimalist jewelry. She looks so carefree and happy.

{via Lollipop Events and Designs}

The Bridal Belt

LOVE LOVE LOVE the bridal belt and red shoes. And the groom holding the bouquet? Awesome. More photos of the wedding here.

{photo by Christie Pham}