Now that I am getting married, I wanted to show my support for the continuing struggle for equality.  We will be wed in New Hampshire, which supports gay marriage, but live in California, which has been having quite a battle back and forth about it.  When I stumbled upon this website, whiteknot.org, I knew I had found the best way for us to share our concerns with our guests.

Source

So many causes have specific ribbon colors to raise awareness about their fight for action that I don’t know why it surprised me that the fight for gay marriage equality did, as well.  Of course it is totally fitting that their ribbon is a white knot.  Since 1840, when Queen Victoria wore white to her wedding to Prince Albert, white has been associated with weddings and, as I’ve recently discovered, “tying the knot” is a common wedding phrase with a variety of origins – including a direct connection to hand fasting ceremonies and quite possibly a romantic proposal method of Swedish origin.

What better way then, to show our support at our wedding, than to include the white knot.  Being the crafty girl that I am, I’ve tied 75 little white knots and fastened them to safety pins.  Add a sign to let guests know what they’re about to show their support for, and Voila! – A Cotton kind of statement.

Image by Cotton Bud

Did you have any cultural or political statements you chose to include in your wedding?  What was the reception of the gesture by your wedding party and guests?

So then how did we end up with a country song in our wedding?

I’m a hippie girl at heart.  I plan on walking down the grass aisle of our ceremony barefoot and really wanted a folksy vibe to be present.  I chose the following songs to suit this vibe:

The Wedding Song, by Peter, Paul & Mary (Processional, Wedding Party)

Grow Old With Me, by John Lennon (Processional, Bride)

Annie’s Song, by John Denver (Stone Ceremony)

Keeper Of The Stars, by Tracy Byrd (Recessional)

I have always loved Peter, Paul & Mary, ever since my parents introduced me to their music when I was young.  Paul Stookey is an amazing lyricist.  Same for John Denver, he sings such beautiful, feel good music – I can’t help but smile when his music comes on the radio (and, admittedly, I have a John Denver Station on my Pandora account).  I’ve honestly never been a big fan of the Beatles, but sometimes a song’s mood speaks to me and John Lennon did have a way with words.  But Tracy Byrd?  I couldn’t tell you a thing about the man, but I fell in love with his lyrics (see end of post).  You see, when CC and I met for the very first time – I saw a shooting star over his head.  Kismet? Who knows, but the stars don’t lie – He’s the one for me.

I am really uncertain how a country song will feel at our wedding, however we have hired an acoustic guitar/vocalist to play during our ceremony (all four songs above) and have asked him to make the song more folksy/less country.  Considering folk music is more the style of our performer than country is anyway, I think it should work out just fine.

That leaves the other half, the reception.  CC chose a quirky mix of music, in my opinion.  I’m happy, if he’s happy – after all, he gave me free reign on the ceremony.

Headphones Theme From Seemingly Infinity, by Steven Drozd (Entrance Song)

Sweets For My Sweets, by The Drifters (Cake Cutting)

Every Beat Of My Heart, by Booker T & The MG’s (First Dance)

He has also picked about 90% of the music that will be played on shuffle from my Zune (it’s like an iPod) during the reception.  We’re not going to have much dancing.  We’re not dancers ourselves and the reception is at 2pm, so the time doesn’t really call for it.  CC will dance with CC Mom for a Mother/Son Dance (which CC Mom chose a very lovely song to dance to), but other than those obligatory dances – we hope some nice background music will be enough.  Needless-to-say, I trust CC’s judgment in song choices, so I’m sure our reception music will be wonderful.

What was your song choosing process like?  Did one of you choose most of the songs, or was it more evenly split?

Lyrics:  Keeper of the Stars, Tracy Byrd
Source

It was no accident me finding you
Someone had a hand in it
Long before we ever knew
Now I just can’t believe you’re in my life
Heaven’s smilin’ down on me
As I look at you tonight

I tip my hat to the keeper of the stars
He sure knew what he was doin’
When he joined these two hearts
I hold everything
When I hold you in my arms
I’ve got all I’ll ever need
Thanks to the keeper of the stars

Soft moonlight on your face oh how you shine
It takes my breath away
Just to look into your eyes
I know I don’t deserve a treasure like you
There really are no words
To show my gratitude

So I tip my hat to the keeper of the stars
He sure knew what he was doin’
When he joined these two hearts
I hold everything
When I hold you in my arms
I’ve got all I’ll ever need
Thanks to the keeper of the stars

It was no accident me finding you
Someone had a hand in it
Long before we ever knew

Source

I was completely hooked.  Burlap with screen printed goodness.  Part of me loved it because it was classy, yet casual.  Part of me loved it because I knew I could get CC to customize them with his screen printing skills.  But the biggest part of me that loved them was because burlap is cheap, Cheap, CHEAP!

I continued my search for burlap table runners, to further inspire me, and found these:

Ruffled Goodness!
Source

Since I’ve been planning our wedding, I’ve become addicted to ruffles.  I think it must be “bridal brain” taking over my senses because I’ve never been all that girly of a girl.  As soon as I saw these gorgeous, ruffled runners, I knew I would attempt this project, myself.

Have I mentioned, I don’t actually know how to sew?  Well, I didn’t know, anyway.  But my attitude towards sewing was pretty much my attitude towards most things in life – How hard can it be?

I blame (thank?) my overt thriftiness on Cotton Mom1 and her mother - my Nana, too.  Growing up I spent summers going to endless yard sales, thrift stores and used good fairs.  I’ll admit; I loved them.  There is nothing like digging through a pile of junk to find a hidden gem.  That said, I needed a sewing machine – before I could attempt to sew anything.  But pay for one? Bah!  I placed a want ad on craigslist and a few days later received an email from a nice woman a couple neighborhoods over.  She happened to have an old sewing machine and didn’t sew anymore.  She was more than happy to give me her sewing machine, along with a few encouraging words for the adventure in sewing I was about to undertake.  Yay for free!

After many online searches for the least expensive burlap-by-the-yard (did I mention I was thrifty?) I found an incredible deal at an upholstery company!  $1.20/yd later, I had a bolt of 30 yards of burlap in my possession.

♥Sewing Machine – CHECK!
♥Burlap – CHECK!
♥Skills – Well…  It’s a good thing I’m not a perfectionist.

I have to say, I spent many, many hours sewing.  I’m not complaining…  but there was a time (just a few weeks ago) that I thought I would never, ever finish our runners – nor did I want to.  I am very pleased, however, with how great they came out.  I didn’t have a pattern or a clue how to “ruffle” and yet, both Cotton Moms were impressed with the final product (which means a ton, because they are both sewers and Cotton Mom1 is a beautiful quilter!).  If you’re curious about how to create such loveliness yourself, check out my tutorial here.

Photographs by Cotton Bud

Doh!  I almost forgot…  The gorgeous screen printed monogram (which is from weddingchicks.com) was lovingly hand screened by the one and only CC.  Gosh, I love that guy!

Where did you find your inspiration for your guest tables?  Have you attempted any projects that are seemingly over your head, yet pulled them off?

I wanted to kick off my wedding posts by sharing with you the best decision we made during the entire process of planning our wedding… the decision to see each other before the wedding.  Thanks to our amazing photographer, Emily Harris, for even suggesting it! I know that many choose to go the traditional route, and I thought we would too, but if you are comfortable to forgo that tradition, we highly suggest having that special moment before the wedding!

Moments after first seeing each other!

I spent about 2 hours having my hair and makeup done and immediately got dressed to go see Dogwood Dude.  We were able to spend over an hour taking photos of just us, much longer than we would have if we would have waited till after the ceremony.  We also knocked out the family and attendant photos before the ceremony so our family members and attendants could head off to the party immediately after the ceremony.  After all the photos were done, Dogwood Dude and I split up and went to separate rooms to enjoy about an hour of time hanging out and relaxing with our friends.  It really was amazing to have the photos done and have an hour to hang out with my girls and just enjoy my time with them.

I remember my biggest concern was that seeing each other before the ceremony would take away from that amazing moment when you get to the aisle and see your groom standing at the end and the excitement that occurs.  I will say that although I was able to stay a lot more calm and not as nervous in the minutes leading up to the processional, when I saw Dogwood Dude standing at the end of the isle, near the water, my stomach still lit up with butterflies and it was a completely different feeling of excitement then when we first saw each other earlier in the day.  Seeing each other before or not, there will never be another feeling like that first site at the altar and knowing that you are about to marry the man of your dreams!

Without further ado, here is the sequence of our first sight! As you can see I was REALLY excited!

Walking up! I loved how I could see him before he could see me!

Dogwood Dude getting anxious to turn around!

I was so excited when he finally got to turn around!

It was such a beautiful moment!

Many, many thanks to our AMAZING photographer, Emily Harris Photography!

Location: Nature trail along the beach at the Key Largo Grande Resort and Beach Club

Boutonniere and Bouquet: Blooming Designs & Events

Have I mentioned that my amazingly talented, wonderful, a-sister-to-me, MOH is also a Crip?

Rapdict

Personal Photo of MOH in her Wedding-Decked-Out-Wheelchair

But to me it’s sort of second nature. I have driven MOH around since I was 16 and could drive her minivan with Father approval. Because for obvious reasons, she couldn’t ride in my car!

Source

Ok it’s not that cool… it’s a forest green minivan with a somewhat-big-obnoxious ramp that takes forever to come down and honestly how can you make that look cool? Meh!

This brings me to my point…. Ladies if you have a member of your bridal party or a guest who happens to be in a wheelchair (power or otherwise) make sure to compile a list of handicapable questions! Here’s what I asked at each meeting:

Source + Edited in Paint by me

At the Venue:

Me: (As I stared at some stairs leading into the chapel- OMFG) There are stairs- how can we get people in wheelchairs into the Chapel?

Them: Oh, no worries, we can move the potted tree there- it blocks the ramp that comes directly up to the Chapel.

Me: (PHEW That was close)

Source + Edited in Paint by me

Me: (As I peered at a 5 inch step up to the altar in a VERY small Chapel) Um, do you have a ramp or something we can use for someone in the bridal party who is in a wheelchair?

Them: Unfortunately no, but I can give you the dimensions.

Me to FI: Ok, looks like we’re building a ramp!

At the Hotel:

Me: Now I like the Suites we’ll have as part of our “block” but are any handicap accessible and can I see it? (Tip for any brides dealing with handicap rooms- take a peek and make sure your friend in a power chair REALLY can get around).

Them: Sure! Let me show you this one…

Me: Perfect! Lots of room and it looks like a big bathroom that’s helpful!

Personal Photo

At the Florist:

What you didn’t think there would be wheelchair related questions here?!

Me: Ok, now my MOH happens to be in a wheelchair and she’s rather petite so I’d like a small bouquet so she can still “roll” up the aisle with one hand. And of course no bridesmaid bouquets can be bigger than hers.

Them: Done.

Phew that was a bit of a workout, but I wanted to compile a list of the BIG questions I asked. I hope this helps any brides in a similar situation. Any questions you asked that I didn’t? Does anyone else have a person who happens to be in a wheelchair in their bridal party or on their guest list?

Sources
Top Left, Top Right, Bottom Left, Bottom Right

I dreamed of pheasant feathers and berries all tightly packaged in a masculine ribbon on my CC’s chest. However, when I shared the above bouts with CC, I got a lukewarm reception. Something like, “Feathers? Uh, no.” Really?? No feathers! I’ll be honest, I was a bit disappointed – as by this point I had also envisioned coordinating pheasant feathers in my hairpiece. Well, then – back to the etsy shops to find another boutonniere.

Theodore, by Pixel & Hank
Source

I was ecstatic upon finding the above boutonniere, Theodore, at pixelandhank. I’d long since forgotten about the feathers and was now in love with the rustic, fabric leaves! Pixelandhank were so helpful, too, via email when I inquired about customizing the colors to fit better into our brown/lavender palette. I thought for sure this was the one. CC gave them a thumbs up, too!

So that’s that, then, right? Got your boutonnieres? Not quite. I had all intentions of ordering these gorgeous bouts from pixelandhank when we got a bit closer to the wedding (did I mention that it was still 6 months before our big day?) but one Sunday night, while preparing for our weekly TV time (The Simpsons and Family Guy!) I remembered I had some wool fabric scraps. Hmmm… could I make these bouts, myself? You guessed it, in about an hour and a half, I whipped out 5 boutonnieres based on the inspiration I had received from pixelandhank.

Photos by Cotton Bud

Yes!  Those are my handcrafted boutonnieres above! Turns out, it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. They’re not perfect, but neither are CC and I! He loves them (he picked out the flower and ribbon combo, too – so he better!), I love them and I think they’re going to be perfect at our rustic, country, folksy wedding!
Here’s a tutorial, if you’re interested in trying your hand at these, yourself.

Did you have any DIY projects that just happened? How did you fall into them?

Source: Wikipedia

Well, technically we are more like seat-fillers than crashers. So here’s the story… my best friend (and MOH) who lives out of state calls me up one Sunday morning at 9am and asks “if I have a dress to wear”. She was going to a wedding that night that her husband was the Best Man in, and the Groom mentioned that morning as the men were getting ready to depart for their “prepping” activities, that there were some last-minute cancellations. The wedding was taking place 30 minutes from where Periwinkle Dude and I live so I was going to meet my MOH for brunch while her hubby was out doing Best Man duties. The Groom knew I lived nearby, so he told MOH to ask if Periwinkle Dude and I wanted to go to the wedding. Now, I’d met the Groom exactly once before — at my MOH’s wedding to her husband 6 years ago!

First, I was shocked at the question! Then, I was excited! It’s not often you get invited to a wedding of a groom you hardly know and a bride you’ve never met, the morning of the event. This kind of thing only happens in the movies! Plus, as a recent bride who battled with a few last-minute headcount issues myself I definitely appreciated the fact that the Groom just did not want to pay for empty seats. However, as unique as the invitation was, a part of me felt really uncomfortable to accept such an offer. But, like most best friends, MOH was able to talk me and Periwinkle Dude into it — so we went! We assumed fake identities of the couple that cancelled last-minute, sat with a table of total strangers in a ballroom of total strangers, and knew only my best friend and her hubby the Best Man. We tried to avoid the videographer and photographer at all costs, danced to all our favorite songs, drank great cocktails and ate great food, and got to hang out with MOH and her hubby on a Sunday evening. Never in a million years did I think I, Periwinkle Blossom, would ever be a seat-filler at a wedding, but boy was it fun!

Have any of you ever been last-minute seat fillers at a wedding? Did you or would you invite seat-fillers to your own wedding? Do you think I’m totally crazy for having gone to this wedding?

Since the wedding was held outside, the guests were mobilized inside the Pickering Barn. The receiving line was short, but sweet. The guests only got to say hello to the bride and groom; no need for long waits at the receiving line.

As we waited at the receiving live, we got to sign the bride and groom’s quilt. In other words, this was their version of a wedding guest book. I thought this was a lovely idea!

Once we were greeted by the bride and groom, I took advantage of the moment and got a picture of the newlyweds. They are a good looking couple!

Afterwards, we found the guest table at the entrance of the venue and left our gift for the couple.

And then, we were surprised by the ceiling. Their colors were 2 shades of green and yellow. I have to say that the execution of this color combination was fantastic. I was so impressed on how they decorated the ceiling. Amazing!

Then, we noticed how big the venue is. This was the reception room. The opposite side of the barn was the dance room which I will show you on a future post.

Towie Bear and I were speechless because of the beauty and versatility of this wedding venue. It is always a breath of fresh air to find local gems in our community. I am looking forward to sharing more pictures of our friend’s wedding. Stay tuned! 

Jinx the ringbearer cat- photo from fandomania

As surprising as that is to me, many couples can’t imagine their special day passing by without their pets involved.

Dogs can even get dressed up. Photo from designerdudsfordogs.com

Looking through photographer’s portfolios you can find several bride and groom + pet pictures.

Photo from ourweddingplus.com

Some couples opt not to involve their pets in wedding day activities but still make them a part of their special time by having them in their engagement photos.

Photo from djonesphoto.com

Are you involving your furry friends in your wedding festivities?

In addition, we thought that this would be a good keepsake for our family to have and show to their friends and siblings. Our wedding newsletter covered our engagement story and wedding venue on the front cover. We also had some cute reminders regarding RSVP process and rehearsal timeline.

We also tried making it personal by adding a small biography of Towie Bear’s family as well as mine. Since our theme is the Blending of Two Cultures and both our families have not met yet…we thought it would be a great beginning to write about the people that we love on our first edition. We also provided information regarding our wedding website. This means that our bridal party had the first view of what we created online.

And then, in the back cover of our newsletter we added some details about our honeymoon. We are very excited about that!

Have you created a newsletter about your wedding? Do you know of any designs or layouts that you really liked and implemented for your wedding?

Ring Bearer #1

(Who looks exactly like Cherry Dude as a kid-  and is trying on his Barf/Mawg costume wig)

Ring Bearer #2

The quandary is how do I find two awesome ways for them to bring the rings that isn’t all matchy-matchy and doesn’t involve a pillow. I’m quite certain that these two soon to be 8-year-olds will need something less destructible and more boy-appropriate. As usual this brought me to Etsy… but Etsy only brought more ideas than decisions.

How about Moss? That seems like something little boys would love!

Etsy

Or wood, certainly an option.

Etsy

Or we could always spice up a more traditional bowl with a spider, something both boys love!

Etsy

Or Maybe a Ring Bearer Book?

Offbeat Bride

Since my FMIL is a librarian I think it would be both kitschy and cute to make those beautiful ring bearer books, plus it’s damn near indestructible. Not to mention we can tie it shut so no rings go rolling off. Now it’s off to garage sale some awesome looking vintage-y books. Hopefully, even with my DIY Fail-Skillz on the ring book, I will be able to make something that resembles a “ring bearer book”  with a little help from Offbeat Bride.

What are you doing for your ring bearer? Are you spicing up or going with the traditional and beautiful pillow?

When I first discussed China patterns with the fiancé I soon learned we had a full set… and Oh baby!, is what you would say when you looked at our China. Let me explain why the engaged-not-yet-married-couple has a full set of China, Crystal, and Silverware. You see the fiancé’s paternal grandparents are just a bit of hypochondriacs and really thought their time was up about 30ish years ago (please note they are in good health and still living). So they went out and bought all three of their grandchildren full 12 piece sets of China, silverware, and real lead Crystal. For the other two grandchildren this generous gift was given as their wedding present. For my fiancé, it was given as a housewarming gift as the paternal grandparents had given up on a wedding. This is a wonderful sentiment but the circa 1978 pattern is interesting to say the least….

Table Tops Etc.

That’s right we have a full 12 piece set of the above Noritake China in the Adagio 7237 pattern in pristine condition. It’s a wonderful and beautiful Victorian pattern that grows on you with time. Not quite what either of us would have registered for, but classy none the least. After some due diligence we found that the company was not only still around but is still a well respected name in China. What was even more exciting when we checked out the Crystal company we found it was Cristal d’Arques, a very well known name in lead based Crystal. We have a set of 12 High Ball and Long Champ glasses as well as a few others. But even though they were also bought circa 1978 they are still in production, and are quite timeless.

Cristal d'Arques

Cristal d'Arques

And to top it all off the fiance also pulled out a full set of REAL silverware… I’m talking the snazzy stuff…

Personal Photo

Personal Photo

Personal Photo

So this brings me to the real reason I am posting this… how do you thank someone for a ridiculously expensive (and complete 12 piece) China + Crystal + Silverware set,  that was bought before you were even in the picture?

J told us the other day that she is wearing a green dress (the color). I started thinking about hold awesome she would looking in green and remembered that white, ivory, and champagne are not everyone’s colors.

This bride designed her dress and had it made by a friend:

Monica and Paul's Traditional Wedding with a Twist: Offbeat Bride

I know that in some cultures red is a traditional wedding color and I’ve seen some amazing red wedding dresses in bridal magazines.

Red Wedding Dress: weddingplaners.blogspot.com (This one seems a little purple)

From weddingdress.mybog.it

Although I was adamant about wanting a white dress (white is a flattering color for me) I know so many other brides who would rather wear another color. And why not?

From weddingdressfantasy.com

Not so sure about a whole color? The lines of dresses with colored details let you match the rest of the wedding colors.

Alfred Angelo style 1516 in Marine Blue

Personal Photo

Neiman Marcus

… Well not quite, that beautiful tree skirt is from Neiman Marcus, but it’s similar to my Bridesmaid’s-Dress-Turned-Tree-Skirt. The point is that I don’t want my Bridesmaids to turn their dresses into something else, I hope they will actually like them. This is a tall order I know, but thankfully I have only 2 bridesmaids!

As you know by know I was inspired by the colors of the Sedona Red Rock when picking my color scheme. So I thought a pink coral would be most appropriate.

Sedona Red Rock Wedding

=

Alfred Angelo

But I quickly realized my bridesmaids probably wouldn’t want a Coral dress…. I mean really when would you wear that again? So I talked it out with MOH and solidified my ACTUAL Color Scheme, we decided that the burgundy was both a forever flattering and always in style color. Not to mention that to me it looked like FSU Garnet and to Bridesmaid J it looked like Wazzu Crimson. Perfection! That being said I give you my slightly more vintage and timeless attempt at Bridesmaid’s Dresses that won’t make my girls cringe!

J.Crew

I'm in green, not even trying to catch the bouquet

Bouquet and garter tosses can be great fun depending on the crowd. But sometimes it’s just embarrassing for the single people. Having seen single people pointed out and then called out by the DJ to gather in the catching pool you can imagine how mortifying it could be for some to be singled out. Some brides are opting to toss the toss.

Are you considering tossing the toss? Here are some other options that “M” and I had heard about…

1. Give a single flower to certain special ladies (Mom, Grandma, close friends) as a public “Thank You”

Photo by Jay Kossman

2. Hand off the bouquet to the next bride in the family (your family or his)

Photo by Jay Kossman

3. Toss it altogether, no one will probably even notice!

What are some other creative ways that brides can use to replace the toss?

Source

No one would be grading my “wedding work” so why did it all matter? Because I am a self-confessed-sometimes-perfectionist. I found reading blogs about less than perfect people to be quite helpful. But the greatest gift any wedding blog has ever given me was this one simple article… Your Wedding is Not a Contest by the Offbeat Bride. Finally someone telling me in no uncertain terms that it’s okay to break tradition and it’s okay to be somewhat traditional too- and that there was really no way to get it wrong. It’s just about us.

So if I want to wear a champagne gown that initially my mother threw a tantrum over; and if we do want to get married in a Chapel- not a Church; even if we want to get married an hour and a half away from the major airport; even if we  think the bouquet toss is silly; and even if we hate wedding cake and love tiramisu…. it DOESN’T MATTER! Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean it doesn’t matter to us- it just means that being authentically us from our Alt-Rock musical stylings, our beautiful Chapel far away from the city, and my amazingly not white gown… it’s perfect just the way it is.

Russell Stoneham

Offbeat Bride

We’re somewhere in the middle…which was just right for Goldilocks. Did you find it hard to let go of your type A personality during wedding planning? Was pleasing everyone too much for you too? What were your struggles Garden? I’d love to hear them!

Rose and Simon's Wedding - In Her Shoes

The little white dress trend has caught on. I’m seeing a lot of short white wedding dresses and they have a completely different look to them than other wedding dresses.

From bestfordress.com

From bestfordress.com

They also let you showcase an awesome pair of shoes!

From Little White Dress Boutique

I’m looking for a little white dress of my own. Not to get married in and I won’t be visiting bridal stores to find it. But I would love to have a perfect little white dress for formal night on our honeymoon. I kind of like this one:

Alfred Angelo Style 2076

Are any of you wearing a little white dress for any wedding event? Why did you choose it?

CNN

We went into our first catering meeting with two thought bubbles… his was Tiramisu and mine was the song of the south known as Bread Pudding. Wouldn’t you know it- both were on their menu. In fact, both were on their menu and were included in the quoted price per guest. Eureka! But who would win? The Bride or the Groom?!?! We looked at each other and then back at the caterer…. “Can we have both?” we asked almost in unison. Ask and ye shall receive….

Bread Pudding

Tiramisu

Deserts, which were at the bottom of our mutual excitement list, have now climbed to a ranked position! Are you going the traditional wedding cake route or are you doing something else?

First of all, who wouldn’t want to get married here?

Cape Town Beach

And who doesn’t want pictures like this?!

The Happy Couple

I mean, come on! Secondly, The exchange rate from the States to South Africa will make our dream wedding WAY more affordable. I mean WAAAAY. It takes ten South African Rand to equal one U.S. Dollar. Ten. So that means that some of the coordinators we’re looking at budgeted our entire wedding out at under $7k. Hello?! How awesome is that!!

But, on top of all this, Dahlia Dude’s parents know that I’m a South African. That’s right, I’m a Saffa. And I love Cape Town. In fact, basically my whole family still lives there! And when I took Dahlia Dude with me to a family reunion, he loved it, too. In fact, he now wants to move there! But none of this really seems to be clicking with Dahlia Dude’s parents. In fact, just the other day Dahlia Dude’s Mom and I were talking about a wedding that the four of us have been invited to. A local wedding. And here’s how the conversation went:

Dahlia Bud: I’m so excited for Bride’s wedding!! It should be beautiful.

Dahlia Dude’s Mom: Yes, and I can’t wait for you to see the venue!! You’ll get sooo many ideas for your Big Day!!

Dahlia Bud: I’m sure I’ll like what I see, but I don’t know how much I can translate it into our wedding. I mean, we can’t really take anything with us, and the venues will be totally different.

Dahlia Dude’s Mom: Well, I thought it was so cool that you and Bride will have the same venue!! I always wanted to get married there, but it was just too expensive.

Dahlia Bud: *pause* Yeah… *walks away*

I’m sure I could have handled that much better, but I didn’t really know what to say! And don’t get me wrong, I absolutely adore Dahlia Dude’s Mom. She’s great, and whenever she sees anything even remotely wedding related, she prints/cuts it out and saves it for me. So sweet. And, you know, I understand that Dahlia Dude and I are breaking his family’s traditions, but we’re both really excited about the wedding that we’ve chosen!! I’m hoping they come around, because I’d love for her to be a part of all this.

Did you break any family traditions while planning? Either yours or your fiance’s? Did you get any flak for it?

That weekend also happened to be their wedding anniversary so they decided to make a commitment. Two permanent wedding rings.

Lilac Mom and her tattoo

Lilac Mom and Dad had several reasons for getting their bands tattooed on including safety concerns after some work incidents that Lilac Dad and his wedding band had encountered. But they also knew they were going to be together for the rest of their lives (they’re going on 27 years of marriage) so this permanent ring was a great symbol for them.

Recently friends of mine celebrated an anniversary in the same way. Theirs say, “I am my beloved’s” in Hebrew (it’s from a passage in the Old Testament).

What do you think? Would you ever tattoo your wedding ring?

If you’ve got tattoos on your mind check out my blog and the comments about body art on your wedding day!

From: joe-ks.com

I don’t label myself as a feminist but I do like to be considered an equal. Lilac Dude and I feel that we are both equal parties in our relationship but we also want a traditional wedding. But traditional weddings don’t exactly promote gender equality. So I’ve been making some decisions about our wedding that should still give a traditional feeling without making me into a piece of property.

1. As an independent woman, I still want my father to escort me down the aisle but I don’t want him to “give me away.” I want my dad to walk with me down the aisle, kiss me on my cheek and go sit with my mom. To me it’s special without feeling like property.

2. Lilac Dude and I will exchange vows that will reflect us as equals. we haven’t yet decided whether or not to write our own vows. Whether we write our own or pick a set of “traditional” vows, we’ll be vowing the same things at our wedding.

3. I will dance with my dad at the reception. Lilac Dude is also planning on dancing with his mother.

I’ve also considered asking Lilac Dude’s father to walk out with Lilac Dude and shake his hand or something before going to his seat so that it’s more symbolic of us leaving our families for each other.

I know that we probably won’t remove all of the gender inequality that weddings entail, but I am satisfied that our wedding will better represent us as equals.

What are your experiences?

Picture from blogs.ocweekly.com

I am planning on celebrating my birthday next month at the site located in Redmond; brides can certainly consider doing their bachelorette party at a Gold Class Cinema. I would personally consider this because I am more of a low-key bride. My definition of fun is to have a nice dinner and watch a fantastic movie. I really thought of what I want for my party and decided that it doesn’t have to be something that I don’t want to do. Since I am very conservative, I asked MOH to not plan on activities that I wouldn’t feel comfortable doing. She graciously agreed with my request. Thank you sweetie!

If you become a member, there are some benefits that you could consider such as discounts and that the membership is FREE! In their website they also have a gift shop where you can purchase gift cards, food and beverage vouchers.

If you are interested in a tour, you can click here.

From Tattooed Bride

Although there are tattoo cover kits and piercings can be removed for one day, I went looking for pictures of couples who embraced their body art on their wedding days and here’s what I found:

From Offbeat Bride

From Offbeat Bride

What are your thoughts? To cover or not to cover?

1st dress from JC Penney Bridal (about $80.00)

So I kept looking. Then I found it. I ordered it. It arrived. It fit almost perfectly and I knew almost instantly this was it….for real this time. But I needed a second opinion. So last night a friend came over and I put on both dresses for her. I had already showed her both online photos before and she thought she liked the first one best, but when I showed her last night, she liked the 2nd dress too.

THIS IS IT... from the JC Penney's Junior Plus section.

So seriously…this is it. I am keeping the 2nd dress and returning the first one. The BEST part of all is this new dress cost me a grand total of…$ 51.91 including tax and shipping. Yes…less than $52.00 US DOLLARS…not a typo, just a bride on a budget who knew she didn’t want to devote a huge portion of the wedding budget to the dress.  I want to spend more of our money on some other things.