Traditions with a Twist

Now-a-days weddings are all about reflecting the couple (hopefully not just the bride). The days of all white weddings with puffy white sleeves, white cake with weird fruity fillings, and gifts you give your daughter 20 years later because you never used them (thanks mom) are pretty much gone. Today, an engaged couple can choose from millions of color schemes, wedding styles, and even themes. It's pretty neat. But something that a lot of people look forward to at weddings are the traditions. You know. The cake cutting, the bouquet and garter toss, and of course pelting the couple with rice as they run for the hills. But when weddings are morphing so quickly, it's bound to happen that traditions change as well.

Josh and I are including several what I'll call "traditional traditions" in our wedding but you might find that they have a slight twist that makes them more enjoyable to us.

Numero Uno: Ceremony music. This I'm pretty excited about. The Bridal Chorus and Wedding March are beautiful, but it's no longer mandatory that they make an appearance during the ceremony. I'll be walking down the aisle jamming some Frank Sinatra and Josh and I will be announced as Husband and Wife to the retro sounds of the Platters. You just couldn't do that 10 years ago.

Two: Cake cutting. For the life of me I cannot find the Real Wedding post I found this on, but it is an amazingly cute idea. Josh and I will (most likely) be cutting and plating our own wedding cake. Crazy? Maybe. But I have a stellar apron that I'll throw on over my fancy dress and we will be able to get more face-to-face time with guests as they come on down and get some cake. Yum. Plus it's a cost saver.

Tres: We decided to have only a Maid of Honor and a Best Man stand up with us on that day. This decision was slightly dictated by the size of the church (teeny-tiny but oh-so-adorable), but it also made sense to us because we are having an intimate ceremony and it seemed as though 2 bridesmaids would have led to twelve if you know what I'm saying.

Of course, I'm sure there are a lot more traditions we'll be twisting but those are definitely the top three.

Now for traditions we're skipping:

• Bouquet and garter toss. No thank you.
• Tossing anything for the exit. I'm really hoping just to hug everyone, since a lot of family is coming in that I haven't seen in a while.
• Formal dancing. Including first dance, dancing with parents, etc. That just takes up too much time and guests are expected to stand and watch us for 3-6 minutes while this goes on? Boring.

It is completely acceptable to take traditions and make them your own now. Wouldn't it be interesting to see what our parents and grandparents had done if they had the freedom to forego traditional traditions? What traditions are you skipping and which ones are you twisting?

New Use for Christmas Ornaments

One of the goals for my wedding is to have as few flowers as possible. Seeing as my budget is $5000.00, lots of fresh blooms are not an option. It might seem crazy, but I really don't see the point. Yes, they are gorgeous... but they die. Quickly. So, for all intents and purposes, you spent how much for decor that only lasts a few days?!? No thank you.

I've seen a few pictures of wedding receptions that have gorgeous ceiling drapes and paper lanterns lit up for a 'glowy', starlit effect. It's beautiful! Though they are less expensive, the cost of paper lanterns can add up! So, I though it would be really neat to use Christmas ornaments (the spherical kind) to hang . Last year, after the holidays, I hit up the sales at Wal-Mart, Hobby Lobby, and Target to get some gorgeous ornaments in my colors. These will be used outside on the deck of our venue as well as inside to add a little extra detail.

Cost:

• Gold, 40 ct: $7.50
• Blue, : $22.50

Steal-Worthy Ideas

The whole point of perusing the wedding blog-o-sphere is to find ideas to steal. Plain and simple.

Well, it goes without saying, that I have find quite a few things that were steal-worthy, including this genius idea from Ms. Fancy Pants. It used to be a huge trend to have disposable cameras at each table for guests to take pictures at the wedding and leave for you develop. It's a great way to catch those fun cadid moments. Unfortunately, this doesn't really work for the way our wedding is set up. We don't have assigned seating and not having pictures in digital form wouldn't make me very happy.

Enter this tutorial. Business cards with information leading to a Flickr account to which all guests have access. This way, digital photos can be uploaded and shared with everyone who attended the wedding, and even those who couldn't come.

So here is our version:

It took barely anytime at all at the cost for 100 business cards was $11.97 + $3.49 to have the address update put on the back. These are going to go inside the favor bags (homemade peppermint bark), so that people will already have them. A very creative and useful idea.

What ideas have you stolen from around the interwebs??

Creative Ideas for Covering Hideous Walls

Making the effort to keep our wedding costs down and the reception close to the adorable historic church we're getting married in, I would definitely say we settled when it came to the reception site. And by settled, I really mean we said we would deal with the hideousness that is this site.

Allow me to paint the picture for you. First of all, it's kind of a "U" shaped building which isn't very conducive to big gatherings of people. Secondly, there are wetland murals painted on the windows... and doors... each and every frikking piece of glass has something atrocious on it.

Proof:

To put it nicely, it ain't pretty. So while I've done my fair share of bitching and moaning over the site, I'm starting to see it as a challenge. Yes, a month and a half away and I'm just now starting to see this. Awesome, huh? I have literally spent the last 2 hours brainstorming ways to make this pretty. Not glamorous or amazing, just pretty. Another thing you should note, is that we are getting married in a small town, with about 2 wedding resources. So that means no Pipe & Drape, no fake wall to be put up, nothing. Oh, bring it on.

We do have some advantages.

1. The reception will be in the evening, so there won't be much sunlight to shine through the animal infested windows.
2. The site actually has good lighting. It can be dimmed to achieve our desired look. No harsh fluorescent lights.
3. I know my way around the creative blog-o-sphere.

Okay, it's about to get crazy but stay with me. I'm thinking tulle and flower strands.

Tulle is the lightest fabric I can think of which means it can be hung easily and it doesn't have to be hemmed. While it won't completely mask the zoo on the windows, combined with the dimmed lighting it will provide a lot of coverage.

Then I thought that alternating strands of silk flowers (on fishing line so it looks like their floating) would be a great way to get more coverage and make a statement. Here are some inspiration pictures. It's a little tough because there's no common color scheme but it's something.

Do you get it? Does it make any sense? Am I crazy? Maybe... Probably.

Budget Finds

Hello Everyone!

I thought I'd do a post on a few of the things I've found for a really good deal.

To finish off the last of the Christmas items I got for half price, I start with these decorative branches. They are glittery and 'swirly' and I really love them. There are two in each bunch and I bought 3 bunches. Doesn't that sound like a third grade math problem?? "How many branches did she have, class??" "SIX!!!" lol


Then from the Dollar Tree, I bought a few glass vases. The first is a relatively small dish and I think they will be used for the dessert spread. Perhaps as candy holders.


I purchased three of these.

I also bought two more traditional vases. These will probably also be used on the around the desserts but most likely to house the sparkly branches.
Cost:

• Branches, 6 ct: $6.00
• Small dish, 3 ct: $3.00
• Vase, 2 ct: $2.00

The Dollar Tree can be a gamble, but there have been quite a few times when I have found amazing things for super cheap! Happy Shopping!