1 Year Wrap Up

   Since it has almost been a year since the wedding I have been thinking back to the craziness I was experiencing this time last year.   I spent a lot of time on the WeddingBee website, I had a whole folder of pictures saved on the computer, and a folder with those clear protective sheets filled with pages I had torn out of magazines with notes about what and why I liked specific elements (Yes, I still have it. It is hard to get rid of something you put so much work and time into).  Here are a few of my inspiration pictures.

See all the blue and yellow. 

 More blue and yellow, and also the tea length bridesmaids dresses.

 Hydrangeas.... my biggest want!

This photo inspired my picture of the flowers on the boardwalk.

My hair inspiration.

 And the photos that made me NEED a trash the dress photo shoot!

In order to achieve the things I wanted and maintain our budget our wedding was definitely a lot of DIY. Which should be no problem as I come from a crafty family right?! Besides all the brides on WeddingBee did it and pulled it off and their weddings looked amazing. As all of our family lives out of state and so did my bridesmaids I was doing the projects solo, I think many/most of the WeddingBee brides had helpers. I had quite a laundry list of projects were DIY.

1. Save the Date cards- designed and ordered from VistaPrint
2. Invitations- Brides Magazine Blank that we designed and had printed at Office Max and put together by a very patient fiance and I.
3. Welcome Bags- With Hydrangea stamp, itinerary which I customized from a template that another Bee posted on WeddingBee, fish water games, & pencils.
4. Table Numbers- The numbers were pre-printed and we stamped the blue accents. It is hard to find plain white paper products for weddings.... seriously been to every store that carries wedding items 50 times over.
   
5. Seating Cards... Have I mentioned how hard it is to find plain white wedding paper products. I also wonder how many of our guests realized they were grouped at tables together for a reason. I not only wanted you all to meet as there is likely no other time so much of both of our families will be together but I literally spent hours with note cards arranging and rearranging you into groups that I thought had a lot in common. (If you are curious ask I still remember)
6. "Guest Book" Cards- We stamped them with the same stamp that was used for the table numbers and seating cards.
   
7. Centerpieces... With some help from Mr. Ford in arranging those roses so beautifully and my girls in coloring the water blue and gluing ribbon around the votive candles.
8. Thank You/Candy bags... I stamped the "Thank You" and made the chocolates.
9. My necklace- I couldn't find what I wanted at a reasonable price... so I just made it.
10. Wedding Bouquet- The flowers came from Sam's Club, with some floral tape, ribbon, lace from my mom's wedding dress, and pins I had just what I wanted.
11. Programs- again designed by us and printed at Office Max, we used a hole punch and some ribbon to attach the bubbles.
12. Program Basket- I glued teal ribbon around the handle to make it match.
    
13. The tulle along the wedding party table and cake table with lights.... done by my father and maybe a helper (I was stressing over the wedding taking place while we were supposed to be rehearsing).
    
14. Card Bird Cage... I wove some ribbon through it and voila a beautiful card holder....
 

 AND my helpers didn't arrive until Thursday and I was working up until 1pm the Friday of our rehearsal. I would not recommend taking on this much alone for anyone else... but as they say "If you want something done right" or in my case "just the way you picture it in your head".  And it did.... For the things I didn't do on my own I picked, checked, and double checked the details which meant leaving pictures and pieces of teal/aqua ribbon with all of our vendors (Just ask Jim they all returned the pieces of ribbon when he picked up our orders). I literally had a swatch of ribbon with me at all times for at least 6 months.

I also wanted to share a few details that meant a lot to me but you may not have noticed....

My blue shoes.... colored bridal shoes were popular... not sure if they still are. This color of blue is my birth stone and matches the other stones in my engagement ring.

 Along with some lace from my mom's wedding dress that was on my bouquet I also wore my mom's mom's wedding ring and my dad's mom's engagement ring as my something borrowed.  It was great to have a piece of them there with me on my wedding day.

 The flowers that sat on our "altar" were to represent family members who had passed away.

 The parents and bridal party walked down the aisle to Love Your Love the Most by Eric Church and I walked down the aisle to History In the Making by Darius Rucker.

 See my pretty ribbon on the basket and those programs.

 The Breakers Hotel where we had the wedding and reception actually remodeled their ball room the October before our wedding. It had been oranges, reds, and darker yellows and by coincidence they changed to yellows and blues that matched our wedding colors! HOW PERFECT!

 The reception hall before. Notice the blue water with floating candles.

 My dad is always being a super helper... He carried my boots up to the ballroom so they would be there for me when it came time for Jim and I to battle.... you may have missed that if you left the reception early.... so I'll tell you. I WON! ;)

 I had pictures of our parents and our grandparents on their wedding days on our cake table. And our cake topper was a Willow Tree cake topper (and the design was one of those pictures I left to ensure it was done just how I pictured it)

I think it was hard for those who were not here with me to grasp just how much I cared about the details and getting exactly what I was picturing in my head to become a reality. I spent a lot of time explaining myself and justifying my choices to others which caused a lot of unnecessary stress and tainted some of the experience for me. I have spent much of the last year holding on to some resentment and hurt feelings over what happened but just like the pictures, folders, and endless scraps of teal/aqua ribbon it is time to let go. As always it was a learning experience and a I am so happy that I feel it turned out as close to my mental picture as I think is possible to achieve in reality. Of course the very best part was that I married my best friend.

1 Week Anniversary

As of today we have been married a whole week! Going back to work is not going to be easy after a week of getting to hang out and do whatever for a whole week. We got a lot accomplished, we legally changed my name on most necessary documents, bought new toys, went to the beach, ate great food, had pictures taken, played putt putt (J won) and have tried to get our home back in some sort of order ( I will probably be working on this more today). We get quite the kick out of calling each other "husband" or "wife" and staring at/taking pictures of our rings.

There were a few times during the engagement when I wondered if all the stress, time, and money was worth it. I was afraid that after all my building up and expectations would leave me sad or let down afterwards, you know those events that you look forward to for years and think will be life altering or defining and end up just being a ceremony that feels redundant (see also: turning 18, prom, graduations). I was also afraid that since I was doing a lot of the projects myself in order to attain my vision and maintain our budget that it may turn out looking like a three year old did most of the work. Although there were some minor speed bumps as a whole I could not have asked for anything more except that those who were unable to attend could have been there (Maybe a little more sleep the few days before).

I had expected to get nervous before but ended up just being impatient for things to start once I was ready. There are so many things that you expect to see and notice and I really didn't. I don't remember seeing anyone as I walked down the aisle, just not being able to stop smiling. At one point I made myself turn and look at everyone there supporting us and another to look at Jim in his tux instead of just his face, although it was my favorite part. Jim and I have joked repeatedly that we are going to need to ask Jamie for a copy of what he said as we only remember bits and pieces (I am so glad we didn't have to memorize our own vows). I lost all sense of time and thankfully instead of seeming like it flew by I thought it went at just the right pace, there was a good mix of seeing family and holding Jim's hand, dancing, and talking. Not everything went exactly as planned but it all worked out so well, we had such a great time, and now I'm married to my best friend! We are looking forward to new adventures and as always I have big plans. I hope to keep you all updated with photos from my new camera and this blog!