What’s the deal with send-offs?

Where has the time gone? It’s been nearly five months since we said “I do” and one month since my last post. (Unfortunately, I didn’t meet my goal of finishing our wedding recaps before the calendar turned to 2010. I apologize!)

As expected…while I was back home over the Labor Day weekend I was bombarded with wedding questions.  Most of them were typical, where’s the wedding gonna be, what does your dress look like, what type of flowers will you have…and then there’s my mom.

…have quickly become my biggest wedding pet peeve. You know the ones, the bride and groom are dancing romantically for their first dance when all of a sudden this beat comes out of nowhere (gasp, “what is going on here??” says the look on the bride’s face), and then all of a sudden, SURPRISE! The new Mr. & Mrs. are doing a full-out “running man” into the “robot”… Sigh.

Personalizing our ceremony was of the utmost importance to us. If our guests hadn’t already clued in to our loose relationship with wedding traditions, they got a sense of what awaited them on the very first page of our program:

If there’s one thing that can cast a spell over our wedding-crazy hearts, it’s the thoughtful details sprinkled across a couple’s big day, which is probably why we have a big, sugar-sweet crush on Celadon & Celery. Celadon & Celery is a wedding planning and design team that combines shapes, materials, textures and innovative ideas to create beautiful events, and then throws in a little sparkle and magic to make sure the whole day is simply unforgettable.

You’ve seen it around here a lot. It’s timeless, elegant and has a color so stunning we just can’t get enough. Sparkling on tabletops, glinting on cakes, glittering on shoes…gold has captured our hearts! It’s been a symbol of marriage for hundreds of years because of its preciousness, and we love seeing it in weddings…especially on the ring fingers of brides and grooms.  The World Gold Council is spreading the shiny joy of this metal, and we’re excited to share with you how it can be used to personalize your wedding ring!

Although it’s not required by etiquette, it’s customary for the parents of the bride and groom to receive flowers. For the dads, the choice is easy: a bout. For the moms? A bit more difficult. Do you go corsage? In that case, pin-on or wrist? Do you give them a mini-bouquet? So many options, many of which conjure up horrible visions of tacky prom flowers. On top of that, many moms are just way too stylish to go for something dull and outdated. In honor of Mother’s Day, I’ve rounded up some ideas for the moms to wear as they watch you walk down the aisle.

Most of the energy in wedding planning goes into the reception, don’t you think? Between the table settings, flowers, and food, sometimes ceremony decor is overlooked or an afterthought. We’ve all seen beautiful aisles decorated with rose petals, hanging mason jars filled with wildflowers on shepherd’s hooks, and fluffy poms and hydrangeas hanging from pews, but today we’re going to take a look at some more unique ceremony decor options.

Theatre in-the-round was common in Ancient Greece and Rome but with its intimate feel and unique design, it’s no wonder couples have been choosing this setup for their wedding ceremonies! Each guest has an excellent vantage point, getting rid of that who-sits-where hierarchy and allowing everyone to feel more involved in the wedding. It seems to me that getting married in a set-up like this would feel cozy, warm, and filled to-the-brim with love and support!

So excited today to show off the last two Inspired Creations Contest submissions from this year’s Indie Wed!  First up, a beautiful “salvage chic” ceremony with whimsical ribbon details and gorgeous florals from Kio Kreations and Hazelton Photography!  The ladies used repurposed architectural posts, ribbons and lush floral to create an unforgettable arch focal point. To accompany this lush salvaged arch the bride’s bouquet was made of fresh flowers, berries, and ribbon flowers and guest chairs were tied with ribbon streamers.

View all of Stephanie’s previous wedding recaps here

After we exchanged our vows…it was time to ‘put a ring on it’.

More and more I’m hearing of brides who have absolutely no desire for a bachelorette party that consists solely of body shots and male dancers, and I have to agree with them. Personally, all I wanted to do was spend some quality time with close friends, sharing laughs and telling stories. This weekend, I attended a bachelorette party. I had a great time meeting new people and celebrating with the wife-to-be! While we ended the night out on the town, scandalous debauchery wasn’t the goal of the weekend.

View the start of Stephanie’s recaps here

Catch up on Juel’s previous recaps here

{View all of Stephanie’s previous recaps here}

The tent at night? Absolutely gorgeous. Perfect backdrop for our toasts to start off the party.

As we were finishing up our portraits some of our guests were already starting to arrive!  Before they found their seats they were greeted by our thumbprint-tree guest book.

Because we had our wedding in a church, and a church with lots of rules at that, much of our ceremony – order of service, traditional vows, prayers – was already set. I didn’t really mind this; I’ve always loved and found comfort in traditions. Where we could put ourselves in the mix was in the readings and especially in the music we chose for the service. As it happens, Jon and I are both writers and musicians, so these were the perfect ways for us to personalize the ceremony.

To help ensure the dance floor was packed, we provided flip-flops with a sign informing guests to take one. This was a huge hit-nearly every woman was wearing them by midnight!