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wedding day: the reception
{this mega-photo post is the final part of the series about our recent wedding day} the wedding reception took place about a hundred feet from the ceremony, which was really nice because everyone just picked up their chairs and moved them under the tent. yep, we had one of those biiiig tents adjacent to the beach. as far as decorations went, there were a few simple things but the real star of the show was the beautiful view to the north of the islands and mt. baker. (tip: when you got great scenery, don’t focus too much on details!)we took a couple wedding party and family formals while my musician…
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wedding day: the ceremony
i, like many brides i assume, was most nervous for the ceremony only because i was positive that i was going to burst out crying. (i definitely bought waterproof mascara for the occasion) i didn’t end up crying, but it was such an emotional ceremony. whenever i realized what was going on and felt like tearing up, i would try to think of the light-hearted parts of it all. we wrote our own heartfelt vows which were really lovely… mine even got some much needed laughs from the groomsmen and guests… we all really needed some comic relief! we also chose to do a rose ceremony (giggity) which was kind…
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wedding day: first look
what to say about the first look besides i knew i wanted to do it a loooong time ago. sure, it’s a bit of a break from tradition (although more and more popular these days) but this isn’t the most traditional of weddings. plus, i thought it would make me feel a lot less nervous and i was right! of all of the photos taken this day, the first look and the bride and groom formal photos that came after it were my absolute favorites. the photographer had a vision, for sure, and some of these came out looking like a mucha painting… i was very happy about that! it…
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wedding day: preparation
our wedding was a two day weekend event which took place at a rustic beach resort on guemes island, a small island in the lesser san juans about a five minute ferry ride from my hometown on fidalgo island in northwest washington– really close to home which made our preparation a whole lot easier. we were so lucky to have most of our friends and family staying right there with us in cabins on the property– after almost three years abroad, it just seemed right to have somewhat of a reunion in one of my favorite places in the world. many of our guests traveled from several different states (most…
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how i self dj’ed my wedding
ahoj friends! with still not a whole lot of official photos of the big day this early on, i’m here to tell you how i (successfully) managed to pull off the one thing that wasn’t a guarantee and that i felt most nervous about: dj’ing my own wedding and making sure that the dance floor was hopping all evening long. as i’ve mentioned before, the very first thing alex did after we got engaged with regards to the wedding was start plotting our dance playlist. we wanted this to be the best dance party of the year, nay! the decade! i’ve spent enough time in karaoke bars to know what…
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just married
we are married! it’s true what they say about everything going so fast, even though it was an island “destination weekend” event. there was always so much to do, and when i wasn’t preparing something, i was visiting with people (of course). then there was the actual ceremony… i wasn’t nervous but i was truly trying to hold back tears the whole time! once we were married, we walked through the trellis on the beach for a few minutes before signing marriage documents and formal photographs, which was really nice. but after the ceremony, i think everyone breathed out a huge sigh of relief that we can finally just focus…
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wedding week
i had been thinking for months and months now that reacclimating to the united states would be difficult after almost three years abroad, largely spent in a non-english speaking area of europe. but you know what? it was so easy. the first couple of days weirded me out just a little bit; new doritos flavors that i’ve never heard of, way too friendly customer service types, but other than that? it’s like finding your favorite coat in the back of your closet, trying it on, and realizing that it feels really great, still looks good, and is still your style. all of that time wondering if i will remember how…
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wedding planning from abroad: 7 weeks to go
this is the point in the “wedding having” process where people are asking you, “how do you feel?!?!” and when your wedding party seem far more concerned about certain issues than you are yourself (thanks everyone!). but there’s no doubt in my mind i’m feeling cool and calm with less than two months to go before the big day. waiting a year and a half to have the wedding has turned out to be a really great decision: it really has allowed us to plan at a comfortable pace and only one thing so far has even felt close to rushed. some of my students asked me the other day,…
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wedding planning from abroad: four months to go
i’ve only been to about five or six weddings in my life. because of this, it’s strange to plan something that i have so little experience with. on one hand, i am able to create a vision of my own that doesn’t exactly follow all of the normal traditions (mostly because i don’t even know what they are!) but on the other hand, some things are kind of baffling. the dresswe are now into the fourteenth month of our engagement. i bought my wedding dress online at about month three. it seemed like a fine idea to me… however, people have since told me i am absolutely crazy for buying…
