Well hello there! I know I've been mute lately but don't worry, I haven't forgotten about you. I've been working around the clock finishing up 2011 orders, booking lots of amazing couples for 2012 AND not to mention planning my own wedding. Woo, I've been a busy bride, but alas, I am here to share with you some of the details we've been working on to make our wedding unique. I thought I'd share after one of my 2012 brides (Stephanie D) asked me this very question: "WHAT DETAILS ARE YOU PUTTING INTO YOUR WEDDING?"
I don't really have a wedding style...but If i did it would be a mix of being raised on a farm and on antiques, my love for the Adirondacks and all thing rustic, white sparkly and glimmering...
1. HANGER - Your dress is the main component of your wedding style, right? right. Obviously after shooting over 100 weddings I know the drill… hang the gown while I'm finishing up getting ready and let the photographer have at it. Perfect. I wasn't about to have my gown photographed on a plastic hanger I hang my everyday clothes on.
2. SLIPPERS - Since we're having our wedding in the winter (BTW, this was the best/smartest decision I've ever made) I received a pair of fuzzy white slippers from my girl Gaby… so I wouldn't get "cold feet" on my big day, haha. I thought it was a great idea and perfect for keeping my tootsies warm while I was getting glam'd up.
3. PERSONALIZED RING PILLOW - My BFF Jenny gave me this as a shower present and I loved the idea! It's tiny enough for little hands and can transform into a Christmas Ornament for your tree!
4. CAKE…SPOONS? Yes, we don't have cake forks, but we have cake spoons! What's the difference really when it comes to dessert? Let me tell you the story… When Justin and I first started dating we were down on the Cape walking around and he said to me "why do people use the word 'pumpkin' as a term of endearment?" my answer was "well people used to really like pumpkins, I guess" he said "well, you're my ice cream because ice cream is my favorite thing in the whole world" So when I saw these wedding spoons I had to have them for our day!
5. SIGN MY SKIIS, PLEASE - Instead of a conventional guestbook we went for something that had meaning to us. I know, I know… as a wedding photographer I should conventionally be pushing the photograph guest book filled with engagement photos, which I absolutely LOVE… But 1. we didn't have time to get our engagement pictures done (fortunately for us we have lots of experience in front of the camera + lot's of high quality professional pictures of the both of us together) 2. I'm not conventional… I love antiques and I've always wanted antique skis to hang in my living room...this was my chance, man!
6. WEDDING BOOTS - I can rattle off 10 good reasons to get married in the winter and this is def. a top 3....Winter = boots... and that's just what I wore! So comfy and warm, these $hit kickers helped me float through my day comfortably. Also, since all of my girls wore them too, we had a few country song stomp sessions in the barn! (for you city kids we were banging our heels on the floor of the barn to the beat of the song)
7. Since the girls and I wore all different Cowgirl Boots, the guys needed a little something to snazzy up their outfits too. Initially Justin and I agreed upon the plain jane "claret" colored ties for the guys because we couldn't find 7 of the same ties we liked. Well, 4 days before the wedding I decided plain ties were too boring and I wasn't very excited about them. I made a trip to the mall and between 2 different stores I found 7 similar ties in the same "claret" color family. I was so much more excited about them, they set off the girls boots and went with the "eclectic" theme!
8. BEER CRATE CARD BOX - Growing up on a farm and around antiques my whole life this was only fitting. This old beer crate has been in my family for generations and my mom suggested we use it to put the cards in. She, being the farm girl that she is, fashioned a lid made of chicken wire.
9. SOMETHING BLUE - Well, I was searching high and low for something blue and I came up with this idea. Originally these boots had leather laces in the back so I replaced them with this sharp blue ribbon!
Not pictured:
10. LIFE SIZE SEATING TREE'S - I put my in-laws in charge of the seating "branches" and I'm so glad I did. Tradition would have it that seating cards are to be placed on a table. Well tradition doesn't really bode well with Justin & I and it seems the creative bone in Justin's parents really broke out. They did a phenomenal job coming up with 3 waist size hand blown red glass vases, each equipped with a tree branch (picked from outside and spray painted white) to hang the nifty place card on.
11. SOMETHING OLD & BORROWED - I wore my sisters and my mom's wedding bands on my right ring finger for something old & borrowed. It was very special to me since they all have very successful and loving marriages!
I hope this post can give you inspiration to take the things that make you happy and incorporate them into your wedding day!