Joy: Our Wedding – Walking Down the Aisle!
Written by Sara on November 20, 2010 – 9:28 am -{Click here to catch up on our wedding recaps:
Hair appointments; Picking up flowers; Getting ready; The Gown; Our First Look, Girls & Guys Attire, More Photos, Jitters and Communion, Ceremony Decor and Our DIY Ceremony Programs, Prayers, Readings and Music}
After communion, my father and I spent a few moments alone in the pastor’s office. I was a nervous wreck – I knew that the moment had finally come to walk down the aisle, and that made me nervous! I wasn’t nervous at all to marry Jordan, but I was nervous for everyone to look at me! Silly, I know, and looking back, I overreacted, but in the moment, I was taking in and living my authentic emotions.
While my father and I were waiting for our turn to walk down the aisle, Jordan escorted my grandmother and our mothers in, and then he took his place with my Uncle Rick for the ceremony:
This picture below is one of my absolute favorites from the entire wedding; it makes me so, so proud to call my father mine, because he’s such a wonderful man:
He was a complete gem that day, so calm, telling light-hearted jokes to make me giggle and smile and forget that in a few moments, everyone in that church would be watching me walk down the aisle. He revealed the next day, at our gift-opening brunch, that he too was nervous to walk in front of the 130 guests in attendance, but I never would have guessed it. Both of my parents were so wonderful on our wedding day; they both had joy in their eyes that I won’t ever forget. My mother was with me the majority of the day, helping me to get dressed – it was an emotional day, and it was wonderful to have my parents with me.
After our groomsmen and our bridesmaids took their places, and our flower girls graced the aisle with yellow rose petals, it was finally our turn.
With my sister-in-law singing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” as I walked, I felt goosebumps take over my arms. I clutched my dad’s arm, and when I saw Jordan, I grew so, so excited. Today was our day; it was finally here.
Up next: More photos from the ceremony!
[All photos by the outstanding Creative Kindling]
Tags: "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", Walking Down the Aisle
Posted in Adornments & Embellishments, Beauty & Polish, Budget Weddings, Decor, DIY, Fashion, Flowers, Inspiration & Insight, Music & Entertainment, Our Wedding, Personal, Photography, Venues, Vintage Beauties, Wedding Recap, Weddings | 5 Comments »
Joy: Our Wedding – Ceremony Music, Readings, Prayers & DIY Programs!
Written by Sara on November 12, 2010 – 4:32 pm -{Click here to catch up on our wedding recaps:
Hair appointments; Picking up flowers; Getting ready; The Gown; Our First Look, Girls & Guys Attire, More Photos, Jitters and Communion and Ceremony Decor}
Jordan and I wrote our wedding ceremony together from a sample Methodist wedding ceremony, given to me by my uncle, who was performing our ceremony. I labored over the prayers and the readings in particular, because I wanted every bit of that ceremony to reflect Jordan and I.
So, here’s what we ended up using:
Music – I walked down the aisle to my lovely sister-in-law’s rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” I still get all starry-eyed every time I hear that song, because it makes me think of clutching my dad’s arm, and of seeing Jordan at the end of the aisle.
We also had my sister-in-law sing “We Are Man & Wife” by Michelle Featherstone while we signed our marriage license. Every time I hear this song (it’s evidently a song that my Itunes DJ likes to play), I smile from ear to ear. This song will always make me think about our wedding, and I get tears in my eyes whenever I hear it. It’s such a special, emotional, personal song for me.
Readings – Ecclesiastes 4:9-12; Excerpt – The Velveteen Rabbit (found here); “i carry your heart with me” – e.e. cummings
I’ve loved the Ecclesiastes verses ever since I was young; the notion that “two are better than one” gives me tingles inside, and the imagery of the three cords (one for each of us, and one for God) remaining unbroken is the strongest symbol of marriage that I’ve ever heard.
The Velveteen Rabbit reading sort of fell into my lab one day as I was scanning the blogosphere for reading ideas; I love, love, LOVE it. It’s the first book that we’ll give to our (someday, future) child, I think. These are the words that Mommy and Daddy read at their wedding ceremony. I’m tearing up already.
Lastly, the e.e. cummings poem was so, so perfect for us. I had the lovely Paloma’s Nest on Etsy make me a bouquet charm that read, “i carry your heart with me,” and it’s such an evocative poem…makes me giggly thinking of my husband carrying my heart in his.
Prayer – I really, really wanted to honor our grandparents (we’ve lost seven of our eight grandparents) at our wedding. In addition to the seven candles that we placed on the altar, my uncle and I also composed a grandparents prayer, which went like this:
Through the joys and struggles of life, you two have emerged as unique people, thanks to God, your family and friends, including some who have gone before us. Our prayers go out to them this day as well as to others who, for whatever reason, cannot be here in person.
We offer prayers of thanksgiving especially for the grandparents who have fostered your dreams and enriched your lives. We remember today and always the lives of [names], honoring their contributions to your lives.
All who cannot be here today still share in our joy through the Spirit of LOVE, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. We praise God for His presence with us, and especially in the solemn creation of this marriage covenant, through Jesus Christ our Lord. -Amen-
This prayer was so, so emotional for me; it took almost everything I had not to cry.
And, here are a few pictures of our DIY programs…an 8-page labor of love that Jordan and I created while holed up for a weekend in his tiny, tiny apartment watching the ENTIRE Lord of the Rings series.
Up next: Walking Down the Aisle!
[All photos by the fantastically talented Creative Kindling]
Tags: ceremony music, DIY wedding ceremony programs, prayer for grandparents, wedding ceremony readings, wedding prayers
Posted in Adornments & Embellishments, Beauty & Polish, Budget Weddings, Decor, DIY, Inspiration & Insight, Music & Entertainment, Our Wedding, Personal, Photography, Stationery, Venues, Vintage Beauties, Wedding Recap, Weddings | 4 Comments »
Joy: Our Wedding – Ceremony Decor!
Written by Sara on October 30, 2010 – 7:00 pm -{Click here to catch up on our wedding recaps:
Hair appointments; Picking up flowers; Getting ready; The Gown; Our First Look, Girls & Guys Attire, More Photos, and Jitters and Communion}
Before we get into the actual wedding ceremony, I thought it would be fun to show you how we decorated the chapel space! Because the chapel at Augustana is already so, so beautiful, we wanted to keep the decor simple. So, we lined the center aisle with candles in mason jars tied with ribbon…
And after a failed attempt at creating these tissue paper pom-poms to hang on each pew, I purchased these rustic-looking burlap bows from Etsy! I purchased these from a seller who had used them for her own wedding; how fun! I added some grey and yellow ribbon to these, and I also adorned each bow with a brooch that I purchased at an antique store in Lincoln, Nebraska, before Jordan and I were even engaged!
We also placed seven beeswax candles on the altar to honor our grandparents who have passed away. We used yellow mulberries (from my mother’s collection!) to adorn the silver charger plate.
Also, now would probably be a great time to show you our guestbook, which we placed just outside the sanctuary in an entryway. From Etsy seller Lovliday, we had our guests stamp their thumbprints on this canvas and sign their name nearby. How fun!
Next up: A glimpse into the readings, music and prayers that we used in our ceremony!
[All photos by the outstanding Creative Kindling]
Tags: burlap pew bows, Creative Kindling, Etsy, guestbook, Lovliday, mason jars, simple ceremony decor
Posted in Adornments & Embellishments, Budget Weddings, Decor, DIY, Eco-Chic, Inspiration & Insight, Our Wedding, Personal, Photography, Vintage Beauties, Wedding Recap, Weddings | 2 Comments »
Joy: Our Wedding – Jitters and Communion
Written by Sara on October 24, 2010 – 8:48 pm -{Click here to catch up on our wedding recaps:
Hair appointments; Picking up flowers; Getting ready; The Gown; Our First Look, Girls & Guys Attire and More Photos}
Hello, readers! After a LONG hiatus full of teaching, grading, and learning (I’m a graduate student and I also teach English Composition to college freshmen), I’m back with another recap post!
After we finished up with our posed pictures with the wedding party and with our families, my girls and I headed back to our “getting ready” room to relax before the ceremony. My sister-in-law Larissa touched up my make-up, I re-curled part of my hair that had fallen victim to the humidity, spritzed myself with perfume, and then all of a sudden, my Dad arrived to take me back to the chapel for communion with Jordan. As soon as my Dad arrived, I began to get nervous…not nervous to marry Jordan, but nervous to walk down the aisle and have everyone look at me!
It was very important to me that Jordan and I take the time to have communion together before the ceremony, so with about 20 minutes to go, Jordan and I met my Uncle Rick, a retired Methodist pastor who married us, for communion.
This ended up being one of my most favorite parts of the day, mostly because I knew that in the moments to follow, my entire life was going to change. My heart was beating, my palms were sweaty, and all I felt was nervous excitement. It was wonderful to have those few moments alone with Jordan before the ceremony!
After Uncle Rick completed the communion blessing, Jordan headed out to ready himself to escort our mothers and my grandmother into the sanctuary. I frantically called for my Dad to help calm my nerves before the ceremony, and soon enough, it was time to line up!
Stay tuned for a peek at our ceremony decor. I promise, I’ll try and blog very soon!
[All pictures by the amazingly talented Creative Kindling]
Posted in Adornments & Embellishments, Beauty & Polish, Budget Weddings, DIY, Inspiration & Insight, Our Wedding, Personal, Photography, Vintage Beauties, Wedding Recap, Weddings | 6 Comments »
Joy: Our Wedding – More Photos
Written by Sara on September 23, 2010 – 9:00 am -{Click here to catch up on our wedding recaps:
Hair appointments; Picking up flowers; Getting ready; The Gown; Our First Look and Girls & Guys Attire}
A few more photos for you all! Check out some of our fun posed shots:
Then, we moved downtown for some (super-fast!) outdoor shots – it sure was warm outside!
Check out our guys’ cool socks – a gift from us! :)
Then we returned to the chapel for some family shots!
Up next: pre-ceremony activities…and my nervous energy!
[All photos by the amazingly talented Creative Kindling]
Tags: argyle socks, posed photos, wedding party photos, wedding party posed photos, Wedding Recap, yellow & grey
Posted in Adornments & Embellishments, Beauty & Polish, Budget Weddings, DIY, Fashion, Flowers, Inspiration & Insight, Our Wedding, Personal, Photography, Venues, Vintage Beauties, Wedding Recap, Weddings | 6 Comments »
Joy: Our Wedding – Girl & Guy Attire!
Written by Sara on September 15, 2010 – 12:09 pm -
{Click here to catch up on our wedding recaps: Hair appointments, Picking up flowers, Getting ready, The Gown, and Our First Look}
While Jordan and I were having our “First Look” moment and snapping a few pictures, our bridesmaids, groomsmen, ushers and flower girls were getting dressed!
If you can recall, I had one heck of a time selecting a dress for my gal pals to wear on our wedding day. But, looking back, I couldn’t be more pleased with our final dress selection (dresses by Dessy)!
Here’s a picture or two of my beautiful bridesmaids; don’t they look gorgeous!? {NOTE: Preview pictures from the ceremony!!}
The guys (both groomsmen and ushers) looked equally fabulous in tuxes that we rented from Evelyn’s Floral and Formalware in Sioux Falls; I believe that the tuxes were Calvin Klein:
And, who could forget my darling little flower girls! Dresses were made by BoutiqueSophia on Etsy:
And now, the cutest baby picture ever: our niece and flower-girl-in-training, little Miss Harper:
Love that baby!
Up next: a few posed shots of my hubby and I, our wedding party, and our families! Stay tuned…
[All photos by the amazing Creative Kindling]
Tags: BoutiqueSophia, bridesmaid dress, Calvin Klein tuxes, charcoal grey bridesmaid dresses, Dessy, Etsy, Evelyn's Floral and Formalware, First Look, flower girl dresses, flower girl in-training, grey and yellow tuxes, Sioux Falls, tutu flower girl dresses, Wedding Recap
Posted in Adornments & Embellishments, Beauty & Polish, Budget Weddings, Fashion, Inspiration & Insight, Our Wedding, Personal, Photography, Vintage Beauties, Wedding Recap, Weddings | 3 Comments »
Joy: Our Wedding – Our First Look!
Written by Sara on September 10, 2010 – 11:09 am -I know, I know…it’s been awhile since I’ve posted a wedding recap, but here I am! Catch up on recaps here: hair appointments, picking up flowers, applying make-up and putting on my gown!
Jordan and I chose to do a “First Look” before the ceremony because we wanted to take all of our formal/posed pictures before the wedding. So, after I put on my wedding gown, shoes and jewelry, my maid of honor Kristen, our photographer Kara and I headed over to meet Jordan and Aaron, our other photographer who had been with the guys snapping photos!
I think I’ll just let the pictures do the talking here…but know this: Our “First Look” ended up being my absolute favorite part of the entire day.
Isn’t that so much fun?! How handsome is my hubby! I was floored, just so ecstatic to finally see him, to finally show Jordan my dress…it was such a perfect moment.
Up next: Bridesmaids & Groomsmen – a look at their attire!
Are you doing a “First Look” at your wedding?
[All photos by the outstanding Creative Kindling]
Tags: First Look, pictures before the wedding, Wedding Recap
Posted in Adornments & Embellishments, Beauty & Polish, Budget Weddings, DIY, Eco-Chic, Fashion, Flowers, Inspiration & Insight, Our Wedding, Personal, Photography, Vintage Beauties, Wedding Recap, Weddings | 6 Comments »
Joy: Our Wedding – The Gown!
Written by Sara on August 30, 2010 – 9:00 am -
After a morning full of hair appointments, picking up our bouquets and applying make-up, it was finally time to put on my wedding gown!
As you all know, I haven’t yet revealed the gown that I chose to wear – so, without further delay, here it is! I chose an ivory Alfred Angelo tiered lace gown with an ivory satin bodice and sash :)
The gown has since been discontinued (actually, this gown was discontinued a mere two weeks after we ordered it!) – I love knowing that I am one of the last women to wear this beautiful, vintage-inspired gown.
My Mom helped me get into my gown…
Then it was time for jewelry…
I wore beautiful pearl earrings that Jordan gave me as a gift; a Norwegian brooch that has been in my family for generations; a Norwegian necklace that my grandmother gave to me when I was young; a fun yellow-gold ring that I purchased from Galla15 on Etsy; and a lovely pearl bracelet that my friend and bridesmaid Serena gave me.
And then, it was time for my veil! I purchased my veil at a local bridal shop; it’s by Signature Bridal.
Next up were my (hand-crafted and homemade!) garters and my shoes, featuring shoe clips from BPoetic on Etsy!
And with a few tears from my bridesmaids and my Mom…
…I put the finishing touches on my bouquet (isn’t it beautiful!!)…
…took a few bridal portraits…
…and headed over to the chapel to meet Jordan for our “First Look!”
Coming up next: my favorite part of our day – our “First Look!”
What do you think of my gown? Was it worth the wait?
[All photos by the outstanding Creative Kindling]
Tags: Alfred Angelo, birdcage veil, BPoetic, bridal portraits, Etsy, First Look, Galla 15, Norwegian jewelry, Signature Bridal, vintage jewelry, vintage wedding dress, vintage-inspired wedding gown
Posted in Adornments & Embellishments, Beauty & Polish, DIY, Fashion, Flowers, Inspiration & Insight, Our Wedding, Personal, Photography, Venues, Vintage Beauties, Wedding Recap, Weddings | 4 Comments »
Joy: Our Wedding – The Flowers
Written by Sara on August 20, 2010 – 9:06 am -After leaving the hair salon, my maid of honor Kristen and I headed to The Flower Shop in Sioux Falls to pick up our bouquets.
Remember those inspiration boards that I created for my bouquet and my girls’ bouquets on Style Me Pretty’s Style Circle? I brought these to Twyla, our florist at The Flower Shop, to use as inspiration for our florals.
Well, I can’t wait to show you how our lovely flowers turned out!
In the top picture, notice the sunflower bouquet on the left; that was my throw-away bouquet! It was wrapped in burlap and was simple but beautiful. The other bouquets in that photo are my girls’ bouquets; they turned out perfectly! Very organic – they look like they were just picked right from a field before the wedding! The bouquet with the succulent is Kristen’s, to make hers a little special, as the maid of honor.
As you can see in the bottom picture, the girls’ bouquets were wrapped in ribbon, and I had Twyla attach a brooch to each of their bouquets (I spent the months before the wedding searching flea markets and antique stores for brooches!)
And now, a peek at my bouquet (more of the full bouquet after I reveal my wedding gown!):
I had Twyla wrap the stem of the bouquet in burlap, to echo the organic, nature-inspired feel of our wedding (as well as the burlap on the reception tables!). I then wrapped a piece of lace around the stem – my great-Grandma Sophie made the lace! As you can see from the bottom picture, I also had Paloma’s Nest on Etsy make me a bouquet charm (my something blue! notice the blue string?). I just LOVED the bouquet charm; it says “i carry your heart with me,” after the e.e. cummings poem we had read during our wedding ceremony. I also attached to the stem of my bouquet a little brooch that Kristen gave me – it was perfect!
In my bouquet, Twyla used sunflowers, succulents, dusty miller, billy balls, lisianthus, spray roses and much, much more. It was literally the bouquet of my dreams – I couldn’t have been more pleased!
A big plus – I had Twyla ensure to utilize as many locally grown blooms for our flowers as possible!
Stay tuned for what’s up next: me and my girls (and Jordan and his guys!) getting ready, plus a full list of make-up products that my sister-in-law used to achieve my bridal look!
[Inspiration boards made by me on Style Me Pretty's Style Circle; all photos by the amazingly talented Creative Kindling]
Tags: bridal bouquet, bridesmaids bouquets, e.e. cummings, Etsy, Paloma's Nest, Sioux Falls, Style Circle, Style Me Pretty, succulent bouquets, The Flower Shop, vintage bouquets, wildflower bouquets
Posted in Adornments & Embellishments, Eco-Chic, Flowers, Inspiration & Insight, Our Wedding, Photography, Vintage Beauties, Wedding Recap, Weddings | 6 Comments »
What We’ve Been Up To…
Written by Sara on June 16, 2010 – 2:52 pm -Hello readers! Again, I apologize for not posting much these past few weeks; it’s been a whirlwind to say the least. With only one month to go until the wedding (!!), Jordan and I have been hard at work finishing up last-minute details with our families and friends.
Here’s what we’ve been doing:
- Last week, I spent the evening building our photo booth with the great help of my future father-in-law. The photo booth turned out wonderfully; I can’t wait to see how it looks in our wedding photos! I hope to provide a full tutorial for you all at some point, so stay tuned…
- Made a list of must-have photos for our photographers, and met with our lovely photogs to discuss our wedding day. I’m SO excited that we’ve chosen such wonderful and supportive photographers; they will be so great to have with us on our wedding day, and I know that Kara will help to keep me relaxed.
- Started tanning! While I’m definitely not a fan of how bad tanning beds are for my skin, I do need to build up a base tan of sorts before heading off to Jamaica. So, I’ve stared tanning a few times per week!
- Started the napkins process! With the great help of my bridesmaid Serena and her mother, we’re making headway with the DIY napkins project! We’re about halfway through the project, and I plan to bring the last batch of fabric over to Serena’s home this week for cutting.
- Mailed our rehearsal dinner invitations. They turned out wonderfully, and we’re so excited for our Italian-themed rehearsal dinner!
- Ordered 3 one-half sheet cakes for our wedding reception. We ordered 1/2 sheet of red velvet (my favorite!), one half sheet of strawberry (Jordan’s favorite) and one half sheet of vanilla cake from a local bakery. I’m glad to have that completed!
- Set up a final meeting with our on-site reception coordinator and our florist to cover last-minute details. Both of these appointments are next week, and I’m excited to finalize all of the details!
- Set up a meeting to visit the chapel where our ceremony will take place. I’m visiting my alma mater, Augustana College, this week to set up decorations around the chapel to see what they look like. I’m excited to see how/if the pew bows will attach to the pews…frankly, that’s all I’m concerned about. I know that everything else will look great!
- Finalized gifts for the groomsmen and ushers; everything should be done next week, so I can wrap the gifts!
- Secured a classic car to transport Jordan and I from the ceremony to the reception!
- Got the guys measured for tuxes! Only a few of our guys have yet to do this, and they’re under strict instructions to do so ASAP.
- Finalized our wedding ceremony script. Yes!
- Trying to wrangle wedding pictures of our relatives; I only need a few more pictures, and we’ll be set!
I think that’s it!
Here’s what we have left:
- Our reception playlist. We’ve started working on it, but Jordan’s school quarter ends this Friday, so Jordan will have a lot more time to devote to finalizing our playlist starting next week. This is his pet project, and I’m excited to help with this process as much as I can.
- Getting a few more props for the photo booth, as well as finding/purchasing baskets for the day’s needs, a few picture frames, and a few props for our wedding photos on the wedding day.
- Figuring out what camera to use for the photo booth.
- Print the wedding programs. We’re waiting for the final OK from our officiant, and as soon as we have that, we’re good to go!
- Cutting table squares and a table runner for the reception; we are purchasing the fabric today, so it won’t be too long before this project is off our list.
- Sew a lining into our flower girl dresses. Again, the fabric for this has been purchased, so hopefully we can finalize this project soon.
- Purchase a gift for my personal attendant and our parents, as well as gifts for our hosts & hostesses and our ceremony reader.
- Gift-opening preparation and invitations.
- Bring my engagement ring and wedding band into the jeweler to be soldered and plated.
- Premarital counseling session with my uncle, our officiant, to discuss our personality inventory.
- Discuss our DIY tiered wedding cake with my mother, and maybe practice making a cake.
- Final wedding gown fitting; I’m so excited for this part!
- Final hair and make-up trial, as well as week-of beauty treatments; again, SO excited!
- Wrap gifts and box up ceremony/reception decor.
- Marriage license.
- Meet with our travel agent to finalize details for our honeymoon, and pack for our honeymoon.
- GET MARRIED!
Surprisingly, my stress level is rather low; while I know that there’s still more things to do, I feel remarkably calm heading into the final month before the wedding.
How are you handling wedding stress?
Tags: wedding timeline, wedding to-do list
Posted in Adornments & Embellishments, Beauty & Polish, Budget Weddings, Cakes & Cuisine, Decor, DIY, Fashion, Flowers, Honeymoon, Inspiration & Insight, Music & Entertainment, Our Wedding, Personal, Photography, Stationery, Venues, Weddings | Comments Off