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 from michigan, of course) and the chance for everyone to meet and get to know each other and enjoy relaxed environment was huge.

i started wedding morning in a haze waking up just early enough for the wedding day yoga session i had scheduled months ago near the beach. seemed like a great idea at the time– something to bring our guests together and get the day started on a positive note– but when you’ve been out late at a bonfire with all of your friends the night before and feel like you’re coming down with a cold, not the best feeling.

i think wedding day yoga was just the thing! nine people (most of them beginners) participated and 9:00am outdoors on an island in washington was actually warm enough for just a t-shirt, can you believe it? loved this part of the day.

then began a ~~not so~~ slight panic: WE NEED TO MAKE THE BOUQUETS! i rounded up all the bridesmaids and helper friends i could and we had a bit of a flower crafting party on the deck of my cabin. my maid of honor had brought buckets of fresh flowers from seattle’s pike place market the day before, and i was intent on sitting down and crafting them into beautiful wildflower-esque bouquets.

i have to admit, i am not sure my friends knew the full scope of my plans (should’ve communicated this clearer!) to put together all of the flower implements, but eventually the mood was cheery, upbeat music was put on, and we really got to work. (the theme for this entire morning needs to be the beatles’ i get by with a little help from my friends. ‘cause i wouldn’t be anywhere without them!)

my friend christina crafted all of the boutonnieres and corsages from the finest looking flowers she could (below), and her husband adam almost single-handedly crafted all of the bouquets for the tables while all the bridesmaids worked on their individual bouquet and i on my swedish midsommar-inspired flower crown.

note: it’s a dang good thing i’ve spent so many summers making daisy chains because although i’ve never made a midsommar flower crown before, it was really easy to do with a bit of flower wire! i picked the biggest brightest peonies and all of the colors i could get in there. the results were very good.

alex’s aunt and cousin, both professional hair-stylists, popped in to craft the hair of my wedding party ladies and i, and before i knew it, the photographer was there! this all happening in a little cabin in the woods.

the getting ready process was pretty unceremonious. i did my own make-up from “pinspiration” i had scouted for and practiced earlier that week, and getting into my wedding dress took about ten seconds (NOBODY COME IN HERE, I’M NAKED!) without any help.