Showcase Wednesday: Our Love Shoot, Part II!
Written by Sara on January 13, 2010 – 9:00 am -Happy Wednesday, all! Let’s get right to the photos, copyright Creative Kindling! [See Part I of our love shoot here!]
After we left the really cool (and HUGE!) green door, we went to the Old Courthouse Museum in downtown Sioux Falls, where we kissed and danced!
After a little more wandering around inside the museum, we found an exhibit of an old-fashioned diner! We also got some great shots here:
We left the Old Courthouse Museum after that and drove a little further downtown to Falls Park, where the name “Sioux Falls” comes from. We had some fun on bridges here, too – and we took a break in the middle of the road!
Our last stop was Rotary Park in eastern Sioux Falls, where we walked the railroad tracks and had some fun with props:
We also took some BEAUTIFUL shots on a bridge, and giggled on the swing set:
Again, HUGE thanks to Kara and Aaron of Creative Kindling, who have been wonderful to work with thus far. We feel so lucky to have them!
[All photos copyright Creative Kindling; please do not use these photos without express written consent.]
Tags: Creative Kindling, engagement photos, Falls Park, mustaches on sticks, Old Courthouse Museum, Rotary Park, Sioux Falls, vintage engagement photos
Posted in Inspiration & Insight, Our Wedding, Photography | 1 Comment »
Two Weddings
Written by Sara on October 30, 2009 – 9:28 am -
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:
- 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).
- 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.
- We could still have bachelor and bachelorette parties and a rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, no matter which wedding we choose/are able to have.
- 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.
- 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!
- 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!
- 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!
- 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.
- We could still have a cake! (Smaller cake = less money spent!)
- 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:
- 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?
- 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?
- 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!
Tags: Halloween, Hocus Pocus, Old Courthouse Museum, Washington Pavilion
Posted in Budget Weddings, Our Wedding, Venues | 1 Comment »
Reception Venue Woes
Written by Sara on August 26, 2009 – 5:45 pm -While J and I initially wanted a fall 2010 wedding, I have recently decided to test my luck at getting into graduate school for the fall of 2010 (I’d love to get an MFA in Creative Writing – Creative Nonfiction). For this reason, J and I have been tossing around the idea of a summer 2010 wedding.
A few weeks ago, I was absolutely against the prospect of a summertime wedding for two main reasons: 1) I hate hate HATE being hot, and if I am going to be in a wedding dress, the last thing I want to be is hot; and 2) I know that weddings are (generally) more expensive in the summer, because everyone wants to get married then.
But now, J and I have discussed how important it is that I am able to focus on school and school alone, should I get accepted into a creative writing program; basically, I don’t want to have to worry about planning a wedding that’s meaningful and special while working my tail off in school. My biggest fear is that if we do wait until the summer of 2011 to get married that my lack of time to devote to planning will force us into a cookie-cutter, Wedding Industrial Complex-like wedding event, and we both would absolutely hate that.
So, here’s the “woes” part of this post: Finding a reception venue in the summertime is nearly impossible, especially when you’re looking for a site less than 1.5 years ahead of time.
We live in South Dakota, so while we have prairies, farms and parks, reception venues are in short supply in comparison to a bigger city. I’m not crazy about getting married outside, because of the obvious – I don’t want to have to worry about weather – so that, again, limits us.
My first choice for a reception venue: the Museum of Visual Materials in downtown Sioux Falls, SD.
The Museum rents for $650, and they have all of the tables, chairs and dinnerware on site for rent as well. The space is a converted warehouse building with hardwood floors and exposed beams, and I just LOVE the idea of having my wedding reception there. Another reason to love the space? It’s an LEED-certified green building, which means the building runs on geo-thermal heating and cooling, and also utilizes solar panel energy!
The problem (or, as I’m trying to see it, the opportunity): No availability in June, and only Fridays are left in July. To all of you brides out there: have you ever considered a Friday wedding? How’d you pull it off? Did your guests complain about having to take work off to attend your ceremony?
My second choice, and a more expensive one at that: the Old Courthouse Museum in downtown Sioux Falls.
This space is so beautiful, but J and I are struggling with a few things: 1) the space charges almost twice what we’re willing to pay for a space; 2) we’re required to jump through hoops both to rent the space and to serve alcohol to our guests; and 3) the largest section of the Museum holds 140 people, which we feel is just a little small for the number of guests we’d like to invite.
However, there is one major plus to renting this space, apart from the sheer beauty of the Museum’s architecture: the Old Courthouse Museum is still available on 2 Saturdays in July.
For all of you readers out there, what would you do? Would you have your wedding on a Friday and save money on the reception space, or would you pay a more money and sacrifice some of the guest list to have your wedding on a Saturday?
[Note: Photos taken from Museum web sites, as linked above.]
Tags: Creative Nonfiction, Creative Writing, Downtown Sioux Falls, MFA, Museum of Visual Materials, Old Courthouse Museum, South Dakota, Summer Wedding, Wedding Industrial Complex
Posted in Budget Weddings, Our Wedding, Weddings | Comments Off