Our Wedding Day

Before the wedding, so many people told me the day would fly by. They warned me the day would be a whirlwind, gone in the blink of an eye. Each time I heard this advice I said, "I know!" and I thought I did know how crazy of day it would be. But I really had no idea how fast the time would move.




Special thanks to Carolyn and Kelly at The Looking Glass!

The day started with four hours in the hair salon getting hair and makeup done. The morning went smoothly and it was the only part of the day that didn't seem to fly by as we each took our turns getting primped. We ran into a slight delay while I struggled to get one of my earrings into a hole that had closed up. But I was determined to walk down the aisle in the beautiful amethyst earrings my mother had given to me as a gift! After at least half an hour and quite a bit of blood later, both earrings were in and we were finally on the road to get ready to leave for the church.


At my mother-in-law's house where the rest of my bridesmaids were waiting, we quickly ate some sandwiches, toasted with some mimosas and rather chaotically dispersed around the house to change into our dresses. My mother and sister helped me into my dress and jewelery and enjoyed a few special moments together before I made my big entrance down the stairs where everyone was waiting.

Photo courtesy of Erin Perrotta of
Perotta Creative

It was a beautiful, early fall day and the sun was shining so we headed outside for some photos. One of our photographers took some shots of all the beautiful bridesmaids, looking stunning in their plum dresses on the porch lined with mums while I hiked up my dress and headed into a patch of tall grass for a mini photo-shoot, risking a twisted ankle wearing my plum peep-toe pumps in the rut-ridden ground. These photos were a lot of fun to take! (Thanks, Erin!)

A few chaotic moments later, we were loaded into the limo bus and on our way to the church. Even as we sang a few lines of "Going to the Chapel..." still, it didn't feel real.

At the church, our florist (who is amazingly talented and also a friend of ours) was waiting for us with gorgeous fall bouquets. Guests were arriving, and my groom was waiting for me to walk down the aisle in just a few moments. As all of us girls lined up and our mothers lit the candles at the altar, I thought for sure this was when the nerves would hit me. But I felt an excited calm as the music played and I watched each of my girls walk down the aisle.

Then the music changed and "Canon in D" began to play. Everyone stood, and as I came around the corner I was greeted with the smiling faces of our loved ones. Overwhelmed by sight of our family and friends I nearly forgot to look at my handsome groom, who was standing at the altar, grinning at me with tears in his eyes. I could hardly hold it together as I made the walk down the aisle, holding my father's arm.

The ceremony was a personal one, with two readings recited by two of our aunts: a reading of a beautiful poem by e.e. Cummings' "I carry your heart with me," and an emotional reading of "Marriage Joins two People in the Circle of its Love."  Our pastor, Reverend Rachel McGuire shared words that Jared and I had written about one another, bringing smiles and laughter. My now sisters-in-law sang a beautiful duet of one of my favorite love songs, "I Could Not Ask for More." And as we lit the unity candle, one of our closest and most vocally talented friends sang "The Prayer."

Although the day was a whirlwind, I remember each part of our ceremony, from the emotions I felt walking down the aisle, to the readings and the music, and the moment we recited our vows. We took the advice of friends who told us to take it all in and truly remember those moments, to look around at our loved ones who were there to support us as we were presented for the first time as husband and wife. One of my favorite parts of the day was immediately following the ceremony, being congratulated, hugged and kissed by our immediate family and friends. I'll never forget the love that filled that room.

After some family photographs at the altar and on the steps in front of the gorgeous church doors, it was off to a nearby park for some photos with our amazing bridal party. We arrived at Cobbs Hill Park just moments before three other limos filled with other bridal partys pulled up behind us, giving us first dibs at some great photos!

I was so happy - elated, really - and it was going by so fast, even as we were introduced at the reception, and danced to "Baby, I Love your Way" for our first dance as husband and wife, reality still hadn't set in that this was our Wedding Day.

The next few hours seemed to pass in minutes as we ate dinner, greeted our family and friends, cut our wedding cake and danced the night away (to what felt like only four songs!) including a fun line dance complete with cowboy boots!

Suddenly, it was midnight and the day was over. Our guests were leaving and my new husband and I were driven off to our hotel where we would stay for just a few short hours before our 6am flight to Cancun where we would spend our Honeymoon. At the hotel I didn't want to take my dress off and admit the day was really over!

As Jared and I enjoyed some much needed R&R in Cancun, we reflected on the day and how beautiful it really was. Everything came together (with a lot of hard work!) flawlessly, and we were surrounded by the people we love with such love and support - it was a beautiful celebration of our love and the most amazing start to our marriage that we could have asked for!

I can't say enough to our wedding vendors, family and friends who helped the day come together. A special thanks goes to:

Our church, Immanuel Baptist Church and our pastor Reverend Rachel McGuire
Our Musicians and Singers: Eric Hauck, David Hauck, Bryce Gebhardt, Kelsey Gebhardt, Patricia Carpenter - you are all so talented and made our ceremony beautiful and memorable!
Our reception site, Whittier Party House and Kris Rohloff who helped us pull it all together
Our Hair Stylists Carolyn and Kelly at The Looking Glass: thank you for your hard work and amazing hair styling
Aubre Fox who did our makeup helped us girls looks beautiful!
Our Florist Sarah (Butlin) Scorse who did such an amazing job with our flowers
Our awesome DJ: Whirlin' Disc DJs
Our baker Mary Butlin who made our cake so beautiful and delicious
My uncle, Danna Magar who made such an awesome cake stand
My uncle Eric and our friend Steve who took video
And of course, our photographers: Erin Perrotta and Lori A. Coleman - Perrotta Creative

Thank you to our parents, family and friends who shared in this special day with us, for the love and support as we begin the rest of our lives together!

It's Almost Here...

I can't believe it, but the wedding is just a few weeks away.

It's interesting to reflect on the past two years, how far we've come and how much planning has been done. Looking back I see how much has gone into making this wedding possible. I feel as though I could write a book from all that I have learned!

Almost two years of planning and now it's all coming together, it's almost here.

I've spent the past 21 months as a bride-to-be. Being engaged is such an exciting and unique time. It's a time of sharing your love with the world. There's so much fun and excitement in getting ideas for the big day, making and sharing plans, and shopping for THE dress. I'm excited of course, but I'm also a little disappointed to be leaving this phase behind. I'm going to miss the hours-long phone calls with my mom swapping ideas, and strategizing how to use my coupons at the local craft stores. And now what will I pin on Pinterest?!

But we're moving on to an even more exciting phase of our lives together: married life. And that's so much more important than the colors of the bridesmaids' dresses or what flowers are in the bouquet or any of the other details we've spent so much time and energy working on. It's easy to get wrapped up in the planning and forget that in the end, we're going to be MARRIED.

With all the preparation, the big dress, the hair and the makeup, photographers following you around all day, exchanging vows and doing your first dance in front of a room full of people, it's easy to forget that  a wedding is not a performance. It's not about the wedding (well, okay, it is a little bit) it's about the life-long marriage that is to follow. And that's the reward in the end (oh, and a week in Cancun will be a nice reward too!)

So in these last few days (14 to be exact) it's important to remember that there are lots of things that can go wrong, but if at the end of the day I am married to the person I love, then everything went perfectly.

Wedding Day Shoes and a Shout out to Zappos

I finally found the shoes I want to wear on my wedding day, but it wasn't easy.

I've known for a while I want to dye my shoes plum to match my bridesmaids dresses. But I was having trouble finding dyeable shoes I liked, that also fit. I found plenty of dyeable shoes online, but didn't want to purchase shoes without trying them on, then have to deal with the hassle of paying to ship them back, and try to haggle for a refund.

That's when I turned to Zappos.com - free shipping both ways! I found a pair of shoes that I loved. But reviews wrote that the shoes ran large so I ordered them in a 5.5 - I'm usually a 6, sometimes a 5.5 in heels.

I was thrilled when they arrived and was actually giddy pulling them out the box. They were beautiful!

My excitement quickly faded when I couldn't walk in the shoes without my feet falling out of them.

With thoughts of free return shipping in mind, I went back to Zappos.com requested store credit for my return, printed my shipping label and went off to purchase the same shoes in a smaller size - only to find out they didn't have them in a size 5.

I was so discouraged, thinking I would be starting my shoe search from scratch. I loved these shoes so much, I didn't want to give up hope too quickly. So I decided to give Zappos a call, just to make sure they didn't expect any shipments of over-sized shoes for people with small feet. They did not.

However, the woman I spoke to found them for me through another website, though more expensive than what I'd purchased them for at Zappos. But wait, she told me this website was running a 15% off promotion and with that discount she did the calculations for me and determined that the shoes would be... only a few dollars more than what I'd paid at Zappos.

I was thrilled with the service, and was able to return my too-large 5.5's for a full refund and, thanks to the supremely helpful rep at Zappos, I received my 15% size 5's from a completely different company. I can't sing their praises enough - Thank you Zappos!

If you can believe it, the 5s are still a bit too big! But I'm not going to let that stop me from wearing my dream shoes on my wedding day! I purchased some inserts and viola! Problem solved.

Thank you Zappos for making my dream shoes a reality for the big day! Now I'm off to get them dyed!

Showers, Fittings, and Invitations, oh my!

It's been a busy few weeks as a bride-to-be! With less than two months until our wedding, (how can that be?!) it's been a hectic (but fun) time!

In the past few weeks, my fiance and I were in our friends' beautiful wedding, I attended a near-disastrous bachelorette party/wine tour where not one, but two limos broke down. I had two showers, and my free-time has been filled with thank-you note writing, invitation printing, address writing, ribbon-tying, envelope stuffing, a wedding-day hair trial, a wedding gown fitting, and shoe breaking-in...

Weddings seem to have taken over everything! Which is great, just please forgive me for not having much of anything not wedding or Pinterest related to add to conversations these days!
This is the first chance in weeks I've had time to reflect on it all.

Two weeks ago, at a country club my fiance and I fell in love with while looking for a place for our reception, my bridesmaids threw me a shower for our families in a beautiful room decorated with purple and white paper lanterns (much to the dismay of the manager!) with centerpieces of floating Gerbera daisies, and a beautiful (and delicious!) three-tiered cake.


Guests astounded me with their ingenuity in creating wedding gowns from paper towel, toilet paper and paper clips. They raided their purses for everyday (and not-so-everyday items), and won tickets for Naming that Tune. In the end, we raffled off amazing gift baskets as prizes, created by my clever and creative bridesmaids and other thoughtful guests.

I was overwhelmed with gifts and well-wishes, brought to tears by my mother's memory-box filled with gifts of my Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed and Something Blue, and surprised by my fiance who rushed from work to bring me flowers. Thank you to everyone who was a part of this day and to my bridesmaids who did such a great job putting it all together!

One week later, my co-workers threw me an amazing backyard, pool-side shower with delicious food and even deliciouser (yes I said it!) margaritas. They absolutely blew me away with their kindness.

 I got emotional as I thanked the people there (first at the shower, then again at our office meeting a few days later) who are not just people I work with, they are my family.

I was given with a beautiful framed picture of the church where we will be getting married, made up of puzzle pieces, each piece labeled with names of those who so generously contributed to the cost of our church. What an amazing and thoughtful gift.


While both showers were a whirlwind (especially for a girl not used to being the center of attention!) I am so grateful for the love and support of our family, friends, and co-workers (my KW family.)  The words "Thank you" are really not enough to express our gratitude.

Selecting Bridesmaids Dresses: a few tips from a Bride and a Bridesmaid

Selecting dresses for your bridesmaids can be a fun experience. But with any bridal party, a difference of opinion is sure to be in order. Don't let picking the dresses for your maids be a stressful experience! Here are a few tips from my experiences both as a bride and a bridesmaid.

Considerations. Before making any selections, take into consideration the formality of your wedding, the time of year and the time of day. Bridesmaids dresses for a black tie, evening affair will differ from an outdoor garden wedding on a spring afternoon. The overall feel and formality of your wedding will help narrow down your options.

Pick your color (or colors) first Or at least narrow them down. Having an idea of your color scheme before you shop will help you to determine the availability of the dresses in the color(s) of your choice. Opening yourself up to too many options can make it more difficult to make a decision.


Browse. Look through bridal catalogs, and wedding websites to get an idea what style dress you prefer. Even if you're open to different styles, also consider fabric and length before hitting up the bridal shops.

Narrow down the options before bringing your maids into the mix. Bringing all your bridesmaids shopping with you can be a fun and memorable experience. But beware of conflicting opinions as dresses of all styles and colors can be pulled from the racks and into the pool of potential dresses. It's great to have your maids as sounding boards, but too many opinions can lead to an overwhelmed bride. To avoid this, I picked some dresses I liked and took my co-mohs and my junior bridesmaids shopping. My two best girls tried on from the ones I had picked and helped me narrow it down to three dresses we all agreed on before getting opinions from the rest of the bridesmaids.

Be Flexible. Remember not every dress is flattering for every figure. Take your bridesmaids' feelings into consideration and put yourselves in their shoes so to speak. Don't force your best girls to wear something they don't feel comfortable in and insist on it because it's YOUR day. It is your day, but they are part of the wedding too. Be open to letting your bridesmaids where the same color dresses but in different, complementary styles.

Have fun! Don't get so caught up in trying to make a decision that you forget to have fun in the process. Possibly the most fun and memorable part of shopping for bridesmaids dresses was when my co-mohs were in the dressing room and I got some downtime with my junior bridesmaids (my two nieces.) Be sure to enjoy the experience!

Choosing Wedding Colors

Some brides know exactly what colors they want for their wedding - sometimes even before they have the ring!

I was not one of those brides.

When it came to colors, I was all across the board. I liked the combination of greens and pinks for a garden wedding in May.

I loved the bright, fun summer hues like raspberry and tangerine with tropical flowers, perfect for a waterfront, beach themed wedding.

I wanted warm hues that screamed romance, champagnes and blushes. Roses everywhere.

I  loved the colors of autumn and the changing leaves. 














Most of all, I wanted colors that were classic and elegant, that I (hopefully) wouldn't look back on in ten or twenty years and cringe!

When my fiance and I finally narrowed down the season for the wedding- our favorite season, fall - I was excited to choose from a palette of autumn colors. But I got hung up on the idea that I needed a two-color scheme: one main color and a complementary color. Everyone I knew seemed to have two colors: My parents, who just celebrated their 27th wedding anniversary, had two colors: pink and gray. Fast forward 25 years and the tradition still held, my best friend whom I grew up with also had two colors in her wedding: navy blue and silver.

Even theknot.com wanted me to select two colors on my wedding page. I just couldn't narrow it down to two!

I fell in love with plum for the bridesmaids dresses. It's a beautiful fall color, elegant, and one that my fiance could agree on. I couldn't narrow it down to just one complementary color - so I didn't.

Plum is our main wedding color, the complimentary colors are the colors of fall: rustic red, sunflower yellow, burnt orange.

A color scheme doesn't have to be limited to two colors - use three, four or five - just don't overdo it. If you choose bold bright colors (like the aforementioned raspberry and tangerine) offset them with a cooler, neutral color like cream.

For me, the most important thing I did was pick colors that I like. I know that sounds obvious, but I'm surprised at how many brides choose colors based on the bridesmaids' preferences or their mothers' tastes. It's important to consider the opinions of those who are a part of your big day (including your future husband!) but don't let them bully you into choosing colors that just aren't you.

Now every time I see anything in plum - dresses, jewelry, clothing (and even things non-wedding related!) I get excited. And that's how I know I made a good decision. Ask me again in ten or twenty years and I hope I'll still feel the same!

It's all in the Details!

To tie in our rustic/fall theme, I've been collecting bottles, corks, and mason jars among other things that I plan to use at the reception. I hope these little details help pull the look together.

 This is a very simple look. I found glass milk bottles from a local dairy farm that I think are just right. Even beer bottles could be used for this effect.

 I picked up coppery colored mini watering cans and pitchers from a local craft store on the cheap!

 I've fallen in love with mason jars! I'd like to have mason jars for the bridesmaids to put their bouquets in - a nice way to dress up the head table!

 A shepherd's hook, some ribbon, flowers, and a mason jar. Great idea for aisle runners for an outdoor ceremony. Our ceremony is indoors, but this might make a nice path into the reception!

 Mason jars as candle holders. Fill with rocks, sand, moss... the options are limitless!

 A unique overhead display with an old wooden ladder.

I found this idea (on Pinterest of course) for breaking wine bottles to use as vases. If I'm feeling crafty (and perhaps a bit daring!) I may give this a try.

I'm excited to find uses for all the items I've been collecting!

Wedding Traditions: to Honor or to Skip?

When planning a wedding, there are a lot of traditions to consider. Planning a wedding today often means feeling the pressure to honor the wishes of loved ones while still achieving the wedding you've been dreaming of.  A modern bride will likely find herself wondering which traditions to honor and which ones to skip.

Traditionally, bridesmaids have always worn matching dresses - whether flattering or not - matching shoes - no matter how uncomfortable - matching hairstyles, matching jewelry, coordinating everything right down to the color of their nail polish. There was a time when seemingly every ceremony was held in a church, with standard readings and traditional vows. Until recently,  it was bad luck for the groom to see his bride before the wedding.

Weddings are becoming more personal while still honoring age-old traditions. More frequently, bridesmaids wear dresses of similar style or color palette of the Brides choosing, and shoes they feel comfortable in rather than footwear dictated by the bride. Now couples are personalizing their ceremonies at unique, and often more intimate, locations, writing their own vows and selecting meaningful readings.Some couples choose to do a sneak-peak before walking down the aisle for a memorable photo opportunity.

So when it comes to weddings, should traditions be honored just for traditions sake?

The good news is, it is more and more acceptable for brides and their grooms to overlook what is expected, and instead do what showcases them as a couple.

Make a grand exit amidst a flutter of bubbles or by the light of sparklers rather than under the old fashioned shower of rice. Forgo the stuffy, formal bridal party portraits for more fun, relaxes shots. In other words, let your wedding be a reflection of you and your future husband.

Wedding To Dos

With the big day drawing nearer, people have begun asking, "So do you have everything all set for the wedding?"

I try not to laugh in response.

As the days until the wedding get smaller, the list of things to do doesn't seem to be shrinking! There are lots of checklists out there, but here's a great one I found to stay on track!



Wedding Planning Checklist by Digby & Rose Luxury Invitations

Creative Table Numbers

There are some wedding decisions that are particularly hard to make simply because the options are endless! I've been trying to decide on creative table numbers. Thanks to Pinterest, I've seen so many unique ideas, including many that complement our rustic fall theme, I've not been able to narrow it down.

Here are some great ideas I've come across.

Thoughtful/Momento Table Numbers

 Love this idea! Would just need the time to find photos of each of us at every age and put these together.

Allow your guests to write you notes to open on each anniversary!

 Take a photo of yourself and your future hubby holding the numbers - why didn't I think of that?!

Another take on the same idea.

Crafty DIY Table Numbers

Cute and easy DIY idea. Print numbers on labels, put on wine bottles and voila!

Sticking with the wine theme, cork pyramids to hold your table numbers. Ingenious!

Rustic Table Numbers

 I like the rustic feel of numbers in wooden frames.

 These simple numbers also have a rustic feel.

 The burlap is a nice touch!

 

 

Do you see a theme happening here ... ?

After seeing so many great ideas, I finally decided on one that was budget friendly, and fit our theme:

Chalkboards!

 I have a few other ideas to use the extra chalkboards at the reception. Chalkboards could be used as signage for favors and escort cards.

 To see these ideas and more, follow me on Pinterest! 

It's all coming Together

One thing that overwhelmed me at the beginning of the wedding planning process was all the decor details. As I browsed theknot.com and Google image searched, I was overwhelmed by photos of real weddings that were full of little details that brought themes together.

I put much thought into a theme and how to make one happen. And slowly, over time, I've been finding ideas I love that fit our theme of rustic elegance.

With the wedding growing nearer, I feel that all those little details are finally coming together:

 Lighted tree branches in rustic containers,

Centerpieces of copper-colored lanterns with a candle surrounded by moss,

Mason jars with candles,

Escort cards displayed using twine and old wooden ladders decorated with flowers and candles ,

A cake stand made of a slab of wood,

Chalkboards as signage,

Mismatched wooden picture frames to display photos of us around the reception.


As it turns out, we don't have to have an outdoor ceremony or a barn reception to have a rustic wedding. It really is in the details.

Wedding Day Shoes

I've not given a whole lot of thought to wedding shoes until recently. My bridesmaids will be wearing long dresses, so I'm not worried about their shoes matching. I say, let them wear what they like that's comfortable, no one will really see them anyway!

Thanks to Pinterest, I came to a decision about the shoes I'll be wearing on my wedding day. I'd been playing around with idea of wearing plum shoes to match the color of my bridesmaids' dresses. I came across some photos that I just LOVED and knew, I HAVE to wear plum shoes!

Now I'm on the hunt for plum (or dyeable) peep-toe pumps!