{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; Our DIY Ceremony Programs, Prayers, Readings and Music, Walking Down the Aisle, More Ceremony Shots, The Getaway Car, Reception Table Centerpieces, Wishing Tree & Photo Displays, Photos From Our DIY Photobooth!, Analysis of our iPod Wedding and Our Honeymoon}

I’m finally nearing the end of my wedding recaps, which is fitting, since Jordan and I have been married almost one year already! I can hardly believe that ten months have already passed by; what a blessing it is to have someone by my side each and every day. While our first year of marriage hasn’t been a walk in the park, this year (so far) has been full of blessings.

I wanted to share with you today a list of the vendors that we used throughout planning our wedding, so that any of you local SD brides will have all of these resources in one place! Also, stay tuned for a full list of Etsy vendors that we used – that’s the next post that I’ll write! Also coming up is a final list of the DIY projects that we completed for the wedding, so if you don’t see something listed below (i.e. the boutonnieres or my garters), don’t fret, because it was either purchased from Etsy or DIY!

Materials for Invitations:

Cards & Pockets (ordered online)

Sioux Falls Rubber Stamp, Sioux Falls, SD

Map of Sioux Falls – Wedding Invitations:

Designed by a friend of the bride

Printing:

Brown & Saenger, Sioux Falls, SD

Wedding Rings:

Sara’s Engagement Ring and Wedding Band: Riddle’s Jewelry, Sioux Falls, SD

Jordan’s Wedding Band: Helzberg Diamonds, Sioux Falls, SD

Photographers:

Creative Kindling, Brandon, SD

Florist:

The Flower Shop, Sioux Falls, SD

Sheet Cakes (Remember, we DIYed the Rice Krispie Cake):

HyVee on Sycamore Avenue, Sioux Falls, SD

Manzanita Branches – Wishing Tree:

Save-on-crafts.com (ordered online)

White Shutters – Photo Display:

Purchased from a seller at Benson’s Flea Market (Sioux Falls, SD)

Fabric – Wedding Napkins:

Hancock Fabrics, Sioux Falls, SD

Classic Car:

Borrowed for the day from a friend of the family

Hair and Nails on the Wedding Day:

Hair: Salon Ne-Zhoni, Sioux Falls, SD

Sara’s Manicure: VIP Nails, Sioux Falls, SD

Sara’s Pedicure: Radiance Day Spa, Sioux Falls, SD

Wedding Gown:

Purchased from Happily Ever After, Sioux City, IA (gown was by Alfred Angelo, and has since been discontinued)

Veil:

Purchased from French Door Bridal in Sioux Falls, SD (veil was by Signature Bridal)

Tuxedos:

Rented from Evelyn’s Floral and Formalware in Sioux Falls, SD, a business which has since closed its doors (the tuxedo was by Calvin Klein)

Groomsmen/Ushers Gifts:

Flasks – Brown & Saenger, Sioux Falls, SD

Socks – Express (ordered online)

Ceremony Helpers Gifts:

Wine purchased from HyVee Wine & Spirits, Louise Avenue, Sioux Falls, SD

Bridesmaids Dresses:

The Dessy Group, ordered online from www.bridesmaids.com

Ceremony Site:

Augustana College Chapel of Reconciliation, Sioux Falls, SD

Organist:

Kyle Quanbeck, Sioux Falls, SD

Vocalist:

Sister of the Groom

Catering, Reception Site:

Washington Pavilion, Sioux Falls, SD

Wedding Weekend Accommodations (Guests):

Holiday Inn City Centre (Downtown), Sioux Falls, SD

Wedding Night Accommodations (Jordan and Sara):

ClubHouse Hotel & Suites, Sioux Falls, SD

I also wanted to make sure that I made a list of places that I shopped for a variety of materials for all kinds of projects:

Hobby Lobby, Sioux Falls, SD

Michaels, Sioux Falls, SD

IKEA, Minneapolis, MN (votive candles)

I think that’s it! In terms of whether or not I would use these same vendors again if I were to do it all over again, the answer is a resounding yes. I was so pleased with all of our vendors, despite some last-minute stress from HyVee regarding our cakes. But, everything couldn’t have been more perfect, and we think back fondly on our wedding day and all of the vendors that made it happen for us. Cards & Pockets is a fabulous online resource for those of you who plan to DIY invitations in the future, and I couldn’t recommend the ladies at Happily Ever After in Sioux City, IA, any higher. The Flower Shop did an extraordinary job realizing my vision for the flowers, and the staff at the Augie Chapel and the Washington Pavilion couldn’t have been more helpful. Brown & Saenger also played a huge role in pulling off our wedding in terms of satisfying all of our printing needs, and our day wouldn’t have been chronicled in such a meaningful way without Creative Kindling. We couldn’t have been more blessed!

If you have any questions, please let me know!

[Photo by Creative Kindling]

This past weekend, I finally made some concrete decisions about the decor for our ceremony. We’re having our wedding ceremony in a small chapel on the college campus of my alma mater, Augustana. The chapel is BEAUTIFUL (think liturgical art and an ENORMOUS organ), so we didn’t want to overwhelm the space with decor.

The verdict: we’re keeping it simple.

The components of our decor:

1. Pew decorations: yes, I’ve been bitten by the tissue paper pomander bug … we’re using these (rather voluminous) lovelies to adorn every other pew. View instructions here!

2. In place of an aisle runner (which our venue doesn’t allow), I have 12 mason jars that my bridesmaids filled with sand and placed a small votive candle inside. We tied the top of the jar with pretty yellow ribbon, and these will be placed on the floor of the chapel beside a pew (where there’s NOT a pomander ball), so as to create balance.

3. As I mentioned before, we’ve chosen to honor our grandparents by placing seven candles on the altar. These ivory candles will be placed atop a silver charger plate, and lovely little yellow mulberries will be intertwined between the candles.

One last thought: I’m still debating on whether or not we need to place something atop the piano (a birdhouse placed on a doily, perhaps?), but we have everything else figured out!

How are you decorating your ceremony space?

[Photo via Elizabeth Ann Designs]

Maybe it’s because I think breakfast food will be cheaper (which could be totally wrong), or maybe it’s because I don’t want our wedding guests singing Neil Diamond songs as they raise their 11th can of beer in the air…but the more I think about it, everything about having a “conventional” wedding reception just makes me want to elope, so we can avoid drunken speeches, wedding favors and the need to provide our guests with midnight snacks.

To offer a little clarification, my ideal wedding day involves the following:

-  Morning wedding ceremony (of no more than 85 guests) in the Chapel of Reconciliation on the college campus of my alma mater, Augustana College, followed by a cocktail hour at an air-conditioned location where sunshine can stream through the windows [as of now, I can't stand the idea of getting married in July without air conditioning!].

-  Brunch feast, including french toast, pancakes, waffles, omlettes, egg bakes, coffee cakes, finger sandwiches, fruit, muffins, a wedding cake bar, Mimosas, champagne, tea, coffee, juice, etc, with yard games and mini-golf to follow.

The problems with this scenario: When do we take pictures? Do we have a wedding dance? If so, will our guests feel strange dancing in the middle of the day? Will we? [J has already shared his concern over dancing in the daytime.]

The main problem: J is not a fan of this wedding day plan at all. While a small, intimate wedding shapes my ideal day, his wish list includes entertaining around 150 guests who enjoy themselves by dancing their hearts out until the wee morning hours.

I know that my disdain for conventional wedding receptions stems from my need to buck tradition in favor of saving money. Truthfully, as I receive more and more outrageous quotes from vendors, I feel extremely uncomfortable with spending large amounts of our money on one day in our lives. Luckily, J’s parents (my future in-laws) have offered to help us self-cater the wedding to cut costs, but given that receptions often amount to one half of a couple’s wedding budget, I can’t imagine spending such obscene amounts of money on one part of our day.

Furthermore, as an extremely light drinker myself, I have felt very opposed to consuming large amounts of alcohol at wedding receptions in the name of love and celebration, and I fear feeling uncomfortable at my own wedding reception if our guests chose to over-indulge. My assumption in this situation is that by having a morning event and by serving only champagne and Mimosas, widespread drunkenness can be avoided (for the most part.)

I have been tirelessly imagining ways to bridge the gap between J and my wedding ideas, but the only solution I came up with is to have an early afternoon wedding (2 p.m.) and then serve “brinner” (as Scrubs fans know to be brunch at dinner time). However, serving breakfast for dinner for a wedding reception sounds even more strange than a morning wedding.

I feel extremely excited about the prospect of having a bridal shower (tea party theme!), a bachelorette party (morning at the spa, anyone?), and a gift-opening event (the conventional approach to this one is brunch, which I love!). However, I’m not excited about the prospect of the wedding reception itself, mostly because I don’t see how to incorporate my love of a tea party’s simplicity and elegance into the evening.

Readers: do you have insight to share?
I would love to hear from you.

[Top photo: 100 Layer Cake; bottom two photos: Google]