Eco-Vintage Weddings

What We’ve Been Up To…

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?

Two Weddings

Happy Halloween, everyone! (Yes, I know it’s Oct. 30, but I can’t help it – I’ve been in the Halloween spirit ever since I stumbled upon a viewing of “Hocus Pocus” on ABC Family last week). While this post has nothing to do with the spooks and scares of Halloween, I wanted to share with you readers the fruit of a solid 20-minute brainstorming session I had last night.

Like many, many individuals throughout the United States, J and I are learning that no one is exempt from the forces of an unpredictable economy. While I feel fortunate to have a full time job that I enjoy with coworkers that are successful and smart people, J has recently lost one of his part-time jobs due to budget cuts. Life has been very difficult for J these past few weeks, since he loved his job (he was a sports blogger covering high school sports for the state of South Dakota). However, J and I feel fortunate that he still has another part time job (working with kids with behavioral health issues), since we realize that so many Americans are without employment and have been for quite some time.

Still, it’s been hard to be excited about planning a wedding when J and my lives are now marked by financial uncertainty. However, as I sat in our living room last night, I instantly became inspired by an unconventional thought:  what if, in my mind, I think of our wedding as not one, but two weddings?

I know, that sounds a little backward, right? I mean, one wedding will be expensive enough. Let me explain:  Of course, J and I will only have one wedding, but until we’re sure of our financial situation (i.e. until J secures employment), I’ll be planning for both A) the wedding we’re currently planning now (church ceremony, reception at the Washington Pavilion, 80-100 guests) AND B) a much smaller (40 people max), more intimate wedding and reception with family and close friends only.

Make sense? Let me tell you about wedding #2:

1. I imagine the ceremony being held in the Law Library of the Old Courthouse Museum in Sioux Falls (the space can hold between 40 and 50 people).
2. For the ceremony, we would invite our parents and siblings, our grandmothers, and our wedding party, along with a few other close family members and friends. Depending on our budget, we may be able to invite more of our family and friends to the reception, but I feel comfortable with the small number at the ceremony.
3. We could still have bachelor and bachelorette parties and a rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, no matter which wedding we choose/are able to have.
4. There’s no reason that I couldn’t wear a wedding gown, or that J couldn’t wear a tux – it’s still our wedding, no matter how big or small it is, or where it takes place! We also could still exchange rings and have a meaningful wedding ceremony that reflects who we are as individuals and as a couple.
5. We could still have save-the-dates, wedding invitations, programs, menus, and a guest book. In fact, since we would be making less copies of everything, we may be able to afford letterpress, a luxury that I just can’t seem to let go of!
6. We could still have our chosen team of photographers from Creative Kindling, Kara & Aaron Hansen. Regardless of the scale of the wedding, we’ll still want to remember the day!
7. We could still have a reception (depending on money), and we could even have a dance if we wanted to! Or, I love the idea of a mini-dance; I know that I want to dance with Jordan for the first time as husband and wife, and I know that I want to dance with my father and I’m sure Jordan and his mother would like a turn on the dance floor. We could even still hear speeches from our honor attendants, and then throw the bouquet/garter!
8. We could still decorate the ceremony space in the Law Library (with pomander balls on the chairs, birdcages, flowers, etc.). We could also still have centerpieces at the reception tables (fewer people = fewer centerpieces = less money spent!), as well as a bouquet for me and bout’s for the guys.
9. We could still have a cake! (Smaller cake = less money spent!)
10. We could still have ceremony music. I want to walk with my father to the tune of a trumpet cantata, and trumpet players don’t need much room. I also would LOVE for J’s sister Larissa to sing a hymn or a song for us a capella.

Here’s a list of things I feel we might have to sacrifice or do differently:

1. I’m not sure that I could still have a bridal shower. To me, it seems silly to ask the 40 people we’re inviting to our wedding to purchase a gift for a small bridal shower and then turn around and purchase a wedding gift as well. Maybe there’s an alternative to a bridal shower that I can host or have my mother host? I just don’t want to sacrifice some girl time with the women in my family and in J’s family. Any ideas, readers?
2. My gut reaction is that we should still register for gifts (because our family and friends will probably still want to give us wedding gifts, no matter the scale of our wedding), but I feel strange registering for a lot of items. Maybe we just scale down our registry, not eliminate it altogether?
3. A gift-opening brunch. Again, I’m not sure if we will need one if we’ll be having such a small wedding, but at the same time, I don’t want to sacrifice more time to spend with our families. Maybe we just have a brunch the morning after to celebrate our first day as a married couple? Other ideas?

I would LOVE to know what you all think about this two-wedding plan; feel free to email me at sara.eiesland@gmail.com, or comment on this post! Have a relaxing weekend, everyone!

Recent Happenings: Part II

Hello everyone!

I believe that I am reaching the stage in my wedding planning when I don’t want to be overwhelmed by wedding inspiration. I know this because I’m actually getting sick of clicking every day on the (count ‘em) THIRTEEN wedding blogs I frequent. I’m actually proud of myself for reaching this point, because to me, my frustration over centerpieces only involving flowers means that I know I don’t want to throw money at using large amounts of flowers that will simply die one week later. In other words, the frustrations I feel when I look at wedding blogs is simply me pushing back against the “do-it-yourself” wedding arena. It’s me saying, “Yes, I will do-it-myself, but I’ll do it my own way, thank you very much.” It feels good!

Now, to update you all on the issue of my wedding dress: I’m in the process of coming to terms with my love for all-satin gown. Just because I didn’t expect to fall in love with it doesn’t make it wrong that I did; it simply makes the very act surprising, which, to tell you the truth, is a lot like how I fell in love with J. I didn’t expect to fall in love with him, and I could never have imagined how he makes me feel every day, but here we are, getting ready to celebrate and formalize our love through marriage. Strange, isn’t it!

So, my plan:  there’s a possibility that the Pronovias gown that I love will be on sale in the month of January (trunk sales are a wonderful thing!). However, it needs to be significantly on sale for me to open my heart (and my wallet) fully to the gown, so in the meantime, I’m going back to ever-faithful David’s Bridal to try on their selection of all-satin gowns (a selection I avoided in favor of lace my first time there). I fully expect this experience to feel painful and to feel like I’m chasing after a gown that I can’t afford, but at the same time, I hope to find a simple, suitable (and beautiful) gown to serve as a back-up for the Pronovias gown.

Secondly, the issue of the venue has been weighing heavily on my heart. J and I really loved Vintage, and we’re very sad that we couldn’t use it for our wedding reception. However, I’ve gone back over the initial research I did on venues in Sioux Falls, and I toured two possible venues last week. The first was the banquet room in the basement of Cherry Creek Grill, a restaurant on the east side of Sioux Falls. While the size is right (150 people) and the room rental is exactly the right price ($150 total!), the overall look of the room (and, ahem, the smell: smoky) left a lot to be desired. However, they are available on our date, and, if my gut feeling is correct, will probably remain available for some time, as it’s a relatively unknown space.

The second venue, however, surprised me much like the Pronovias gown. I have placed a 30-day hold on the 3rd floor lobby space at the Washington Pavilion Museum of Arts & Science in Sioux Falls. The lobby is a grand space with columns, a huge maple stationary bar, and plenty of space to accomodate both our wedding guests and a dance floor. On top of that, rental of the space is $700, a steal as compared to what we’d have to spend for a similar location. We’re currently awaiting word from Leonardo’s Cafe, who would cater the event, on price quotes for food, and as long as the quotes are in line with our budget, I fully expect us to host our wedding reception here.

An Update on Recent Happenings

Hello all,

I like to think that some of you readers miss my regular posts, which is why I usually begin a blog post with “I’m sorry I suck at posting regularly,” but this time, I really do sincerely apologize for my lack of posting. My life has been rather busy these past two weeks, first with the GRE test (which went well, yay!) and then planning and executing a baby shower for my future sister-in-law (pictures forthcoming!).

To update you on the last post I published, I have been struggling with how exactly I want to interpret the “vintage-inspired” theme at our wedding next July. When I first imagined our wedding, I saw me in an all-lace gown and J in a charcoal grey tux with moss, birdhouses and family abound.

However, I went wedding gown shopping last weekend with my Mom and one of my bridesmaids, Jordan’s very pregnant sister Larissa, and I literally fell in love with a Pronovias gown that (to put it simply) didn’t have one stitch of lace on it. Since then, this gown has sent me on a tailspin, both because of the price tag (too expensive for my budget, I’ve decided) and because it’s something that I didn’t expect to love so dearly or want so badly.

On top of that, J and I went to meet with Chad at Vintage, the site we were looking at for our wedding reception, and he notified us that he’s no longer planning to add a pavilion to his current event space. The current space can only hold 120 people indoors with the remainder of guests seated on the patios flanking the property, and since we will most likely have more than 120 guests attending and will have to have guests seated outdoors, I felt especially uncomfortable banking on good weather. So, J and I sadly decided to cancel our hold on the space for next July; it was sad for us because we really love the space and wish that we could have utilized it!

So, to sum:  The dress I love has sent me on a tailspin, and we’re back at square one with the reception venue (a task that seriously is the most frustrating part of wedding planning for me).

Don’t be concerned: stay tuned later tonight for my optimistic (and hopefully not too idealistic) response to these two frustrations!

APW’s Meg on Morning Weddings

Hi all – happy Wednesday!

Today on A Practical Wedding, Meg answered a question that I posed to her via email a few days ago. As you all know from an earlier post, I’m lobbying hard for a Saturday morning/mid-day wedding. Meg, a newlywed who was married on a Sunday morning in August, had wonderful advice to offer!

I felt that the cons that Meg offered (a very early, rushed wedding day morning) were absolutely right-on. That’s something I’ve wondered about, especially since J and I are open to taking photos with each other before the ceremony. If we were to have a morning ceremony, that would be nearly impossible. However, Meg also makes another wonderful point:  if you do decide to have the photographers click away before the ceremony, that means less time spent in formal (and boring) group shots – yes!

As I read through Meg’s list of the great things about morning weddings, I found myself nodding my head along with her the entire time. With the sunlight streaming through the windows of our reception venue, I feel like Vintage would resemble a dreamland, which is exactly how I want to feel on my wedding day: like I’m living in a dreamland. I also love the smells and sounds of morning – dew, birds chirping, wonderful stillness.

What Meg offered about drinking and dancing really struck me; if J and I lead the way, why wouldn’t our families and friends get up and dance with us? Furthermore, if we offer a mimosa bar or morning cocktails, why wouldn’t our guests follow suit and imbibe? I think that’s such an important point to make in the argument for a morning wedding, one that I may try to use!

While I love the idea of the freedom we’ll have after the wedding subsides, it also scares me a little. I’m one of those people who would ask, “What the heck are you going to do for the rest of the day?!” But, as some members of Team Practical commented on Meg’s post, you can choose to relax in the comfort of your hotel room and eat dinner with your new husband (like Meg did), or you can choose to don some fun duds and head out for pizza and beer with your best pals.

I also think it makes sense for J and I to do a morning/mid-day wedding because of the venue we’ve chosen. Because we’re having our reception at Vintage, which is housed on the grounds of the Ultimate Golf Academy in Sioux Falls, there’s SO much to do outside, and I would hate for darkness to arrive too early for our guests to take advantage of the driving range or the mini-golf course.

Plus, the best part for me:  brunch! I just LOVE breakfast foods like french toast and coffee cake, and I would love to eat comfort food at my wedding. Or, alternatively, if we had a later morning wedding, we could absolutely serve lunch (think finger sandwiches!).

What do you think, readers? Have you ever attended a morning wedding? If so, what was it like?

Bridal Show = Success!

Good Tuesday afternoon to everyone! I hope this note finds you all enjoying sunshine and warm-ish weather; today marks a big return of the South Dakota wind!

This weekend my Mom, my maid of honor and I attended the B2Bee Bridal Show held in Sioux Falls. It was my first bridal show experience, and I have to say – it was a HUGE success! First of all, the champagne was a-flowing; you can’t go wrong with a bunch of women and a champagne bar! Plus, I tried some of the most AMAZING cake balls (yes, they’re literally balls of cake) made by an event planner in Huron, SD.

As my Mom, Kristen and I waded through the crowds in the trade show event hall, we (literally) stumbled upon a booth whose sign advertised an event hall in Sioux Falls named ”Vintage.” After sharing surprised looks with my Mom and Kristen, I wandered into the booth and began talking to the owner of Vintage, Chad. After glancing at pictures of the event space and looking at a price sheet, I told Chad I’d call him the following day to set up a tour of the space.

J and I went out to the Ultimate Golf Academy, where Vintage is housed, yesterday afternoon, and needless to say, within ten minutes of stepping on the grounds, we were hooked. The European-inspired space boasted exposed faux brick with terracotta-colored walls done in Venetian plaster (I know that term from my childhood days spent watching “Trading Spaces“). The space, which can hold about 120 people, is in the process of expanding into a pavilion space, which will hold more than twice the number of people! Chad expects the addition to be complete in Spring 2010, and while that’s cutting it close for a July wedding, we immediately trusted Chad’s expertise.

Housed in a secluded wooded area, Vintage also has many amenities to offer within our budget:  the beverage minimum for the full bar can include mini-golf and driving range passes, four “picnic” games (like bean bags and croquet), a sound system for music, and a big projecter screen (how fun would it be to play old movies on the screen throughout the night!!). I can already imagine how much fun our guests will have playing mini-golf, watching old movies, dancing and exploring the grounds. Plus, Vintage allows us to use our own caterer, which is EXACTLY what J and I were looking for! We really couldn’t ask for more from this space, and we already see that Chad is (and will continue to be) very flexible with us.

J and I left Chad with a few prospective wedding dates in mind (July 10, July 17 and July 30), and after we decide on a photographer and a church, we’ll reserve our date! It’s SO exciting to finally have solved such a huge piece of the puzzle in our wedding planning – we feel so fortunate to have found this space!