tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11171511544412016602024-03-09T18:46:23.273-08:00Shannon and Evan's Wedding BlogShannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12598917504237827013noreply@blogger.comBlogger70125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1117151154441201660.post-91320301426655060072010-11-22T08:38:00.000-08:002010-11-22T08:49:13.631-08:00Wedding Recap: Part 10 – Potato Moon<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7VnZkxaHh3agoE9iVTNU0zIi-TjauKGNP9yptnYZv5ZvL1wegha90zVG-JqgkCkQfQV8lsVOBBnWG4jv1cViYU_dSmQqqvGJSC5hMvUFsI9UywbGLRCnqgSPQf6TArmNyQlOpCmMrZJg/s1600/Siriano-847.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542416534025498802" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7VnZkxaHh3agoE9iVTNU0zIi-TjauKGNP9yptnYZv5ZvL1wegha90zVG-JqgkCkQfQV8lsVOBBnWG4jv1cViYU_dSmQqqvGJSC5hMvUFsI9UywbGLRCnqgSPQf6TArmNyQlOpCmMrZJg/s400/Siriano-847.jpg" /></a>Without question, Potato Moon rocked the house at our wedding reception! I never thought I would have the budget to have a live band at our wedding, but fortunate for us, when they are family they come very reasonably priced. Like, on the house, kind of pricing. If not for that, we would have never been able to have live music of this caliber getting everyone movin’ on the dance floor.<br /><br />For those of you, who may not be <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Potato-Moon/116665231726801">Potato Moon </a>followers, let me tell you a little bit about the band. Potato Moon (sometimes known as the Lonely Jones) is made up of the Stancil family, Ben, the “Master” of the band is the oldest son, sisters Jane and Laura and father Phil on bass along with adopted Stancils Mikey on guitar and Jimmy on drums. Evan’s Aunt Grace, the Mom, manages the band and the youngest cousin, little Phil, will join in on occasion. Not only are they talented musicians, but they are also a very very good time.<br /><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG2tJo2OqPltfD4hkBCekEvZK6ci5_0uigtNMEkB-Yjn9PYX7ZFWJLsHCX5D4pnaX6rbBNLojcz91e0YB5bp17-g77gbwUL9hUu-69UJEaIYh5UsMzVTDxxz-R_xX8g7DY-fauo4D6Xao/s1600/Siriano-852.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542416133260496642" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG2tJo2OqPltfD4hkBCekEvZK6ci5_0uigtNMEkB-Yjn9PYX7ZFWJLsHCX5D4pnaX6rbBNLojcz91e0YB5bp17-g77gbwUL9hUu-69UJEaIYh5UsMzVTDxxz-R_xX8g7DY-fauo4D6Xao/s400/Siriano-852.jpg" /></a>We asked them to play their original music and they threw in some great covers as well. Jane serenaded with a soulful performance of Somewhere Over the Rainbow, that has been known to bring sentimental Evan to tears. They did a rockin’ interpretation of Johnny Cash’s Folsom Prison. And they kept the party going with their own original songs like Hey Yeah and House on the River.<br /><br />A quick side story about House on the River…when Evan and I first started dating, he was living in a duplex with a good friend Fletcher in Richmond Virginia. One night I came over late. The guys had been sitting on the front porch drinking run drinks listening to Old House on the River on repeat for who knows how long.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTwiQIKf8YjKh2-mr6Dcsc-LhYn5vF5pj52Id3t__hABiv_B3YoNc3X1xUfJDU8fHredAr8I88gAc7ThlD66WR9DqlZ1xWII_-_NtEbPqqR0RTgIrT45WAEhkQ5TWe4E9keXdBDefnMA4/s1600/Siriano-894.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542415715218412658" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTwiQIKf8YjKh2-mr6Dcsc-LhYn5vF5pj52Id3t__hABiv_B3YoNc3X1xUfJDU8fHredAr8I88gAc7ThlD66WR9DqlZ1xWII_-_NtEbPqqR0RTgIrT45WAEhkQ5TWe4E9keXdBDefnMA4/s400/Siriano-894.jpg" /></a>One of the best parts about having your family perform at your wedding is that everyone can get in on it. My stepfather has been known to play the harmonica with various bands and goes by his stage name, Rico. Potato Moon was more than happy to have him play with them for a few songs and it was a riot. He did great on the harmonica, but also had a secret weapon planned that no one knew about…THE SPOONS. That’s right friends, Rico Jones pulled the spoons out of no where and they were a hit. The next day when we were scouring through left-overs, he announced, “These spoons have never been washed because they are a musical instrument, but I will make an exception to eat chocolate cake.”<br /></p><p align="center"><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/cOwrjBohOP8?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/cOwrjBohOP8?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></p><a href="http://shannonandevan.blogspot.com/2010/02/im-with-band.html">Link to some more Potato Moon videos.</a>Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12598917504237827013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1117151154441201660.post-59452187275892776962010-11-15T00:37:00.000-08:002010-11-15T11:55:16.746-08:00Wedding Recap: Part 9 – The Fun!Without question the best part of our wedding was our entertainment. One of the main goals we had when planning was for everyone to have FUN at our reception. Creating fun is a lot harder than you think. You need a lot of things to fall in to place in order for guests from across the country, young and old, drinkers and sobers (although not that many of our guests were sobers) many who do not know each other, to all get together and have a really fun time. Here are the key components that created fun on our wedding day:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeUvASpEv1yfDQDbbR_fL-jNrltuHl0F1PWVeCgRImwUGkp0SRpUqmDFmb_2TSO_fHwsQP7caYIasPUihRR2GTMvSVr9FkqZki1uc4wIZQIVSgJKuahHw1zzVOSHVmxufjVpVwey3XQH0/s1600/SirianoBlog-240.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539586069149919170" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeUvASpEv1yfDQDbbR_fL-jNrltuHl0F1PWVeCgRImwUGkp0SRpUqmDFmb_2TSO_fHwsQP7caYIasPUihRR2GTMvSVr9FkqZki1uc4wIZQIVSgJKuahHw1zzVOSHVmxufjVpVwey3XQH0/s400/SirianoBlog-240.jpg" /></a>1) No sit down dinner – too formal for us, we wanted the whole evening to feel casual so that people were comfortable meeting new people rather than forced to converse with who happened to be sitting at their table. We strategically placed food tables throughout the space so that people would have to walk around to taste everything. We also had a mix of tall boy tables and seated tables so that everyone wouldn’t all be seated at once.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiha0sAwd9BWQg6FpbQ3dfUDftkBvWlunQ5822q1DbK7uxuQRqGU1UeJt_x1aWu8qyVeMfBcYw0RuDZokXYUKGCmk7N0mO0WphieDv1zV1MdiRlACPxVn-11YA891OjGVUlD3oVpeNJnL0/s1600/2010.06.26.23.20.07.2.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539585782673042578" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiha0sAwd9BWQg6FpbQ3dfUDftkBvWlunQ5822q1DbK7uxuQRqGU1UeJt_x1aWu8qyVeMfBcYw0RuDZokXYUKGCmk7N0mO0WphieDv1zV1MdiRlACPxVn-11YA891OjGVUlD3oVpeNJnL0/s400/2010.06.26.23.20.07.2.jpg" /></a>2) Extra Activity – let’s face it, not everyone is going to get crazy on the dance floor, so in order to give those guests something fun to do. We had a Photobooth where guests could get a little silly and we could get great shots of our friends and family.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisJ8i0pfRK5ZVYmCxxTS5p1BPsc7YWlD0LmaURZiZ-g1jKAzYJdUY81988Fsa61pobuoKAGBdbxNVX66UKSKM-jfd_u8ejl25aD-TZ7lMYPPLTUeq6NmZE5CKJELeGQUe1ujHoJOnF048/s1600/Siriano-822.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539585564177296402" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisJ8i0pfRK5ZVYmCxxTS5p1BPsc7YWlD0LmaURZiZ-g1jKAzYJdUY81988Fsa61pobuoKAGBdbxNVX66UKSKM-jfd_u8ejl25aD-TZ7lMYPPLTUeq6NmZE5CKJELeGQUe1ujHoJOnF048/s400/Siriano-822.jpg" /></a>3) Splurge on the booze – in actuality we got a really great price for our bar service and were just lucky that they were trying to get rid of the top shelf stuff. Our bartender kept the line moving even while mixing up anything our guests could think of. Even my mother was taking shots of who knows what.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHJVF_8fLcWMGqllZNCz7xbff0fJpb3zjC3WmkPGOgpZsHm41iUygXQ2WKz5VMaogikH1WHWws499ZcS9gAaUdGMCXuVCseE2ep4HI_VLktxFbogTszVCfutzbb4pmxGMyfDLVDDIjX0g/s1600/Siriano-478.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539585292786450114" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHJVF_8fLcWMGqllZNCz7xbff0fJpb3zjC3WmkPGOgpZsHm41iUygXQ2WKz5VMaogikH1WHWws499ZcS9gAaUdGMCXuVCseE2ep4HI_VLktxFbogTszVCfutzbb4pmxGMyfDLVDDIjX0g/s400/Siriano-478.jpg" /></a>4) Provide transportation – the big reason that we were able to go so heavy on the booze was because we had reserved a Trolley service to take guests to and from the hotels in the city. Less than half of our guests came by car which made it easy to safely transport the drunks back to Coney Island and then the hotel.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcEdhdlnOpYZQQgG-EJs0UphCMYZKMp06bbrnDzwP6p5idU27aXJBz9z6uduXd5DuoNEMLBsDlrxFjbF8bebcyouz2LDMeQQeADsasQ_AqdalICepydR7-lk9BYsTzc0gCNT_xgdYvBjw/s1600/Siriano-892.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539585069798917506" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcEdhdlnOpYZQQgG-EJs0UphCMYZKMp06bbrnDzwP6p5idU27aXJBz9z6uduXd5DuoNEMLBsDlrxFjbF8bebcyouz2LDMeQQeADsasQ_AqdalICepydR7-lk9BYsTzc0gCNT_xgdYvBjw/s400/Siriano-892.jpg" /></a>5) Awesome Entertainment – I married in to one talented family. Evan’s cousin’s band, the Lonely Jones, performed at our reception and they rocked the house! My step-father got in the action and played the harmonica and the spoons! While the band took a break, his other cousin, DJ Hubbs, kept the crowd dancing. More on the entertainment in my next post…Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12598917504237827013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1117151154441201660.post-11833180336916528152010-11-14T17:02:00.000-08:002010-11-14T17:07:46.559-08:00Wedding Blog<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqiGqPvBiZouxjb7SFvh3wGiHZOe8nPongAJeQKtab22U_2G5my5d47W8X3EMNDp6u2wSue1biz4oteSUCZjzMplBXcHT3EnEtCkxMVuI_4lQX67Lk3BP-rmpK1AQ89mhSUSVzNd3VlbM/s1600/2010.06.26.23.46.53.4.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539576785679841346" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqiGqPvBiZouxjb7SFvh3wGiHZOe8nPongAJeQKtab22U_2G5my5d47W8X3EMNDp6u2wSue1biz4oteSUCZjzMplBXcHT3EnEtCkxMVuI_4lQX67Lk3BP-rmpK1AQ89mhSUSVzNd3VlbM/s400/2010.06.26.23.46.53.4.jpg" /></a>Is a wedding blog like a wedding gift? What I mean by this, is do I have a year to update in order to still be on good terms with the happy couple? I sure hope so because I have so much more to share and finally have some time to put together some more posts!<br /><br /><div>Stayed tuned this week...</div>Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12598917504237827013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1117151154441201660.post-6305590094249557312010-08-16T12:09:00.001-07:002010-08-16T12:12:44.147-07:00Wedding BrickI understand that this blog title might be confusing, so let me explain. As you know, Evan and I were married in Detroit, the underdog city. Detroit is working very hard to try to rebuild their city and their reputation and one of the major projects going on is the expansion of the Detroit River walk. As part of this expansion, donors can sponsor a brick that will be part of the River Walk.<br /><br />My mother and mother –in-law bought us a brick as a wedding gift!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtUYoP-SYHScpbrgTRX8zDPJTSk3U7uMUcuFwG1nNFwDR9siNJhs9cVJ2a8vbvZStOddMW7yaxc9OVR6-0xL_BP_M6qn8qjyWjPMuNaq4XOBfARU9tp5zpqffL7jkaI7tVPhT3aPaS80k/s1600/wedding+brick2.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 225px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506087639794297090" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtUYoP-SYHScpbrgTRX8zDPJTSk3U7uMUcuFwG1nNFwDR9siNJhs9cVJ2a8vbvZStOddMW7yaxc9OVR6-0xL_BP_M6qn8qjyWjPMuNaq4XOBfARU9tp5zpqffL7jkaI7tVPhT3aPaS80k/s400/wedding+brick2.jpg" /></a>Last week, my in-laws were traveling through Detroit and made a stop to see if they could find our brick. And lucky for us, they did! I am surprised that it is in place so quickly and excited that our wedding date is stamped on Detroit for good.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIPRKJeQUue4hcjyUn5aFT9Nsb1CieBavtEvQ8K_vp3nbHlCCOmlQIW1lgcmUj780bYtWbraDfyo5BTymJ-f_M5fdxyR0AVKmn9CBTsRnQfzwJbXAwxc4vxj0WkFHiNz5AMtVjg1GaSW4/s1600/wedding+brick.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 225px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506087330675599826" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIPRKJeQUue4hcjyUn5aFT9Nsb1CieBavtEvQ8K_vp3nbHlCCOmlQIW1lgcmUj780bYtWbraDfyo5BTymJ-f_M5fdxyR0AVKmn9CBTsRnQfzwJbXAwxc4vxj0WkFHiNz5AMtVjg1GaSW4/s400/wedding+brick.jpg" /></a>Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12598917504237827013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1117151154441201660.post-29555514692628520852010-08-13T14:55:00.000-07:002010-08-13T15:08:01.996-07:00Wedding Recap: Part 8 – My Wedding Day Look<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikze3npBLnQkMjIMH_ZO_7Qa2zK2MDj30oEaKsrnTYODmrejjw1tBmO3lRZHdFlc5Pc5z3MNaeFN751LbjFPdF3TFXKCPSCskTxPehqlj8ae8YEhlPgQHWqw_slVLEXx13CbGvX6H9r7k/s1600/outside+shot.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505019525536726722" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikze3npBLnQkMjIMH_ZO_7Qa2zK2MDj30oEaKsrnTYODmrejjw1tBmO3lRZHdFlc5Pc5z3MNaeFN751LbjFPdF3TFXKCPSCskTxPehqlj8ae8YEhlPgQHWqw_slVLEXx13CbGvX6H9r7k/s400/outside+shot.jpg" border="0" /></a>Want to know why I looked so good on my wedding day? I have friends with some wonderfully wedding-y talents. My good friend and long time stylist, Jamie, took care of my wedding hair to the point that all I had to do was show up. Literally, all I said was, “I don’t want an up-do” and she said, “Ok” and took care of everything from my color to the style without me having to make one decision. My make-up was the same scenario. Another friend, Nancy, who is Jamie’s beautification partner in crime, came over for our hair and make-up trial and asked me what I wanted. I said, I don’t know, but I don’t want a natural look, I want to look like I’m trying, but not trying to hard. These are not good directions and yet somehow she just said, “Ok” and I ended up looking way more fabulous than I ever could have figured out on my own.<br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxNI6029WZOLlZ6zjlj12qpYgYuYkOVL9yH0WlPSbqSaazr9IVw2EW5zvhFTdBDsMMXn1EI7-G2lGd0XUGkAb2UHSiTMC5rrSiOQKuiiwfdnuj7UcZV1W2-LVzT6oDIznGYuVNJ0x9mpE/s1600/getting+ready+1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505017295213939810" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxNI6029WZOLlZ6zjlj12qpYgYuYkOVL9yH0WlPSbqSaazr9IVw2EW5zvhFTdBDsMMXn1EI7-G2lGd0XUGkAb2UHSiTMC5rrSiOQKuiiwfdnuj7UcZV1W2-LVzT6oDIznGYuVNJ0x9mpE/s400/getting+ready+1.jpg" border="0" /></a>One of the best parts about having your friends do your hair and make-up for your wedding is that it makes the getting ready part of the day even more fun. My little brother used to work with Jamie, so their banter was cracking me up all day long. He was making fun of her for being so meticulous with every single strand of hair (which is why she is such an amazing stylist). She was teasing him for thinking he is a big shot. She was spraying absolutely excessive amounts of hairspray sometimes accidentally in Nancy’s face while she was doing my eyeliner. The jokes were flying all day long.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinYnbkW0nxBjkQM8-_L84E-norFlAIHo8-QZj5GL9Iuus-PUfQvQhI8Z3Vq-SVBY9S2jSmK-Ca8Tsc66svzydd1a8epHhTKKPt5UTQtT1po_eVkcvXdhZG7-FrDrPrpf91EZaaTTefD7g/s1600/hairspray.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505017115780905874" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinYnbkW0nxBjkQM8-_L84E-norFlAIHo8-QZj5GL9Iuus-PUfQvQhI8Z3Vq-SVBY9S2jSmK-Ca8Tsc66svzydd1a8epHhTKKPt5UTQtT1po_eVkcvXdhZG7-FrDrPrpf91EZaaTTefD7g/s400/hairspray.jpg" border="0" /></a>Not only did I get amazing special treatment, but so did the rest of my ladies. It just so happens that the stylist, who regularly does my mother’s hair, is also a long time friend of the family. Heather took care of my two Mamas (my Mom and Evan’s Mom) and one of my bridesmaids. The rest of my crew was taken care of by my bridesmaid, Stephanie, also a talented stylist. Is that a hook-up or what?<br /><br />Even better than all the fun we had getting ready was all the fun we had at the wedding. These girls are not just good at making other people look good. They are hot Mama’s themselves! This is always a nice thing to spruce up those wedding guest photos!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn67QqVtJrk76SyPS33B0LGKnqV45kgNFUkif-_fcnuIphhSi7RxrBBz7O3OJCGztho_gpU8XTSXrb3HagTKbfPYCD9-opw5uFgfh_YNbZ-EHG-pMd_obrl323VnSMY5N7PMQ__3_-ztI/s1600/meandjamie2-horz.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505016822006126322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn67QqVtJrk76SyPS33B0LGKnqV45kgNFUkif-_fcnuIphhSi7RxrBBz7O3OJCGztho_gpU8XTSXrb3HagTKbfPYCD9-opw5uFgfh_YNbZ-EHG-pMd_obrl323VnSMY5N7PMQ__3_-ztI/s400/meandjamie2-horz.jpg" border="0" /></a></div>Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12598917504237827013noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1117151154441201660.post-90306310343330197802010-07-30T07:57:00.000-07:002010-07-30T08:11:27.352-07:00Wedding Recap: Part 7 - "Day-Of" Pictures<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcmB7TpeULMNtQzks2Zu6XlO7aWRobm-8Zz24cyt3FJhsGk8hdBhuTbM84OK6obOuQgR1XGJVKjymQKbK6bvh_DC9tD0hY3NhfdmhyphenhyphenVwWsMYz-AhtAaLHV3Hnx4qedL5rZ_gx2nN-rBvA/s1600/first+look.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499717075684174674" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcmB7TpeULMNtQzks2Zu6XlO7aWRobm-8Zz24cyt3FJhsGk8hdBhuTbM84OK6obOuQgR1XGJVKjymQKbK6bvh_DC9tD0hY3NhfdmhyphenhyphenVwWsMYz-AhtAaLHV3Hnx4qedL5rZ_gx2nN-rBvA/s400/first+look.jpg" border="0" /></a>On our wedding day, we decided to go the non-traditional route that is becoming more and more popular. We planned a “first look”. We knew we wanted to do pictures in the city of Detroit, but we didn’t want to miss out on our reception. The only way to make it work was to do pictures before the ceremony.<br /><br />At around 3’oclock on my wedding day, my little brother walked me through the Detroit Renaissance Center to meet Evan on the first floor of the GM Building. Along the way people were asking me if I was a bride, stopping and staring and some even snapping pictures. Evan stood with his back to me and I approached. It was kind of a funny thing that we probably didn’t need to go through, but it is the new tradition and could have made for a good surprised face photo. After a few moments of looking each other over, we headed to the People Mover to go on our photo tour of Detroit.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHN8CwiqR5gilYWRwUdyQVbaUqUdHlBh4Vrldh4l_uxDZ3_eEeGLlLGHy7zuf1mo6UD5qv8JpE6jP6sUHX-8ejd7QiWuPSYn-hUGLGO9SKdhRfoH_j3tTl_gVcgHZ7ItMsL1tmLaYYoF8/s1600/people+mover.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499716890638941570" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHN8CwiqR5gilYWRwUdyQVbaUqUdHlBh4Vrldh4l_uxDZ3_eEeGLlLGHy7zuf1mo6UD5qv8JpE6jP6sUHX-8ejd7QiWuPSYn-hUGLGO9SKdhRfoH_j3tTl_gVcgHZ7ItMsL1tmLaYYoF8/s400/people+mover.jpg" border="0" /></a>The weather was warm on the day of the wedding, so we were a little worried about getting sweaty before the ceremony. Luckily we passed a CVS on our way out of the building and Evan and our photographer, Chris, stopped in to get something to keep us dried off. The best thing they could find was a pack of socks. So we each had a sock that could be ours to keep dry and luckily had some extras to give to the groomsmen once the whole bridal party was to meet up outside.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNFNhDFHmcUMs3t_GBCbJK3GKK7pmeK0gNgU4KJ0afBrVfyCXm08NZPuHu6pZD4KWg-L9s1x4Qs2xJ_AgcZI1WowwYyBdmEh1dXw8XXumAYxQPqZ2Rl0uyC3Rp1py9xR5vixQOqhb2YhU/s1600/street.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499716751509206066" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNFNhDFHmcUMs3t_GBCbJK3GKK7pmeK0gNgU4KJ0afBrVfyCXm08NZPuHu6pZD4KWg-L9s1x4Qs2xJ_AgcZI1WowwYyBdmEh1dXw8XXumAYxQPqZ2Rl0uyC3Rp1py9xR5vixQOqhb2YhU/s400/street.jpg" border="0" /></a>Armed with a roll of quarters we jumped on a off the People Mover to get pictures all over the city. Again our photographers already had sites planned where they wanted to shoot. Some empty city streets, some at the People Mover stations, the classic monument shots and strolling through Greektown. All day cars were slowing down and honking as they passed, people yelled congratulations out the windows and some took photos for themselves. It was comical to watch me carry the dress around town, trying not to totally brown the bottom.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK6IJHGykEvn3BjSTGfYYfCVTriKkvzcanpb6lqMBL2Dwwlnl3N6lEXWiHiVC-P1KUuBsPwRQ1RrljaU8AK-fuvPQmDUwQK5TP8ux6sPOOBW-U4TT381fD9BfU7Git4sCG51wHvbGfAdo/s1600/spirit.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499716575559200962" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK6IJHGykEvn3BjSTGfYYfCVTriKkvzcanpb6lqMBL2Dwwlnl3N6lEXWiHiVC-P1KUuBsPwRQ1RrljaU8AK-fuvPQmDUwQK5TP8ux6sPOOBW-U4TT381fD9BfU7Git4sCG51wHvbGfAdo/s400/spirit.jpg" border="0" /></a>Fortunately, the dress was easy to manage once I figured out my system. I was so happy with the way all of these pictures turned out. And it was no stress at all to know that we still had plenty of time until the wedding would begin, instead of having to worrying that we were missing the party.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM7_J8ZyoHnQecMonTEc7m-pgCTPAdXnlwfoaITySeSI2It9bsIue1k2Z0d9Ukk-OdDLK2QIK-VFn2P79a-DSDaAshKFoSBdBv5XDg0CX_IqH-JF7poIav1TAEF1PyxD30-DpAo0BfeJE/s1600/greektown.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499713840923116146" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM7_J8ZyoHnQecMonTEc7m-pgCTPAdXnlwfoaITySeSI2It9bsIue1k2Z0d9Ukk-OdDLK2QIK-VFn2P79a-DSDaAshKFoSBdBv5XDg0CX_IqH-JF7poIav1TAEF1PyxD30-DpAo0BfeJE/s400/greektown.jpg" border="0" /></a>Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12598917504237827013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1117151154441201660.post-48050574964607068612010-07-27T16:54:00.000-07:002010-07-27T16:54:00.569-07:00Wedding Recap: Part 6 Engagement Session<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk5z_WKC5-6gydRBbWXQCWVUTf0RNY4E1RSF2uudeRFZYPeFXFyDK4Wwavi9qhvhwDuz1Hq1VnQHFDWHrj6rvTf9tuLLn3XHK4ZNHZQoA2txWULMf0dNjXh3W4ueWJr806W_S8TgrQmyk/s1600/engagement4.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498368403971944658" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk5z_WKC5-6gydRBbWXQCWVUTf0RNY4E1RSF2uudeRFZYPeFXFyDK4Wwavi9qhvhwDuz1Hq1VnQHFDWHrj6rvTf9tuLLn3XHK4ZNHZQoA2txWULMf0dNjXh3W4ueWJr806W_S8TgrQmyk/s400/engagement4.jpg" border="0" /></a>We had our engagement photo session the Thursday before the wedding. It was a nice feature that was included in the photography package we chose and it was good practice for us to be in front of a camera. Neither Evan nor I consider us to be very photogenic, so it took a little while to get used to having people take our picture. We had looked through lots of photographs that our photographers had done for photo shoots and the scenes from Belle Isle really stuck out to me. So we chose to do our session there, on largest island park in the United States.<br /><br /><a href="http://inspiredartportraits.com/"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498368269316213394" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTxlKuby8FUrkicx_g1HOGaNwBkmte14Oy9frUNzVGfdkoilnwt20a8kaug6H-pW1vyFr2rG14HzMpXoBKAtqL-5yfOIgWoqUGcijU-Ah8lXLepwDLv-oM-d-iPyVyRGU32Pprcm-LfbQ/s400/engagement1.jpg" border="0" />Our photographers</a> already had a bunch of different sites around the island scouted out for our photos. They look at things completely different from us. They see light and texture and all kinds of details that don’t even flash in my brain. One our favorite pictures from the session was this photo that they took in the reflection of a big puddle in the road.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxwsvtRmIk_bBr8WQfzSA7hPYTLbGELy-TJJPukjyBjpr-s1QIe8jKoIykbDy6eEAFBGhvvuGS82OYoQ-oZ4cK5PSo3iiOYF0MhQTaSlYV86E-8VShW8CbG8M2pk6CooCenkPZjlencT8/s1600/engagement2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498368121557278546" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxwsvtRmIk_bBr8WQfzSA7hPYTLbGELy-TJJPukjyBjpr-s1QIe8jKoIykbDy6eEAFBGhvvuGS82OYoQ-oZ4cK5PSo3iiOYF0MhQTaSlYV86E-8VShW8CbG8M2pk6CooCenkPZjlencT8/s400/engagement2.jpg" border="0" /></a>Belle Isle was a wonderful place for pictures, but I would have had no idea where to even begin if it weren’t for Michelle and Chris. We were pretty awkward at the beginning of the session, but their direction and calm demeanor put us at ease. The whole session was less than two hours and we got pictures at a ton of different sites. I am really glad to have these photos of us while we are young and pretty.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDAwjTFUqdFQWiJj2XZLVXfL57lsgbq4oWYi_AK9gnveQkxlN472VUJgbqCuxMArWPGWT0GEh0dsvjYCLXaUlUnG6Zai8bVklANlaIO7P_eRg3xbWQ88aU1WT6Y5o7cbd2xEy2Yk7lEik/s1600/engagement3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498367963522195778" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDAwjTFUqdFQWiJj2XZLVXfL57lsgbq4oWYi_AK9gnveQkxlN472VUJgbqCuxMArWPGWT0GEh0dsvjYCLXaUlUnG6Zai8bVklANlaIO7P_eRg3xbWQ88aU1WT6Y5o7cbd2xEy2Yk7lEik/s400/engagement3.jpg" border="0" /></a>Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12598917504237827013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1117151154441201660.post-87626582136264282432010-07-25T19:30:00.000-07:002010-07-25T19:37:08.751-07:00Wedding Recap: Part 5 – The Photographers<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibD-_4gp3HPkQ_E_Ox6uiRPrHNJXiw9OFZcxIP_y3Olt9Nr4akcykWmeLeB9eA6pY_MborVNSQU1SaexFjvOFPpJUar5hyoVoN1peJIKypPKCt-sfeaTaW8fBQ2dyUhtX5aB4zHXRB7Ho/s1600/dress+in+light.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498037838612183666" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibD-_4gp3HPkQ_E_Ox6uiRPrHNJXiw9OFZcxIP_y3Olt9Nr4akcykWmeLeB9eA6pY_MborVNSQU1SaexFjvOFPpJUar5hyoVoN1peJIKypPKCt-sfeaTaW8fBQ2dyUhtX5aB4zHXRB7Ho/s400/dress+in+light.jpg" border="0" /></a>I received a lot of advice from people while wedding planning, but one of the things that stuck out in my mind was something my friend, Jenn Mapp, said to me right after her wedding. “Get a great photographer!” She told me this as her wedding was being featured on <a href="http://www.stylemepretty.com/">Style Me Pretty </a>and in <a href="http://weddingsunveiledblog.blogspot.com/">Weddings Unveiled Magazine</a>. The photos of her wedding day captured the beauty of her day in a way that took you right back to the feeling of the day. I knew I wanted that.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Ebqv_y2SxK8Jnmzmmdypg9o0062jtxYJQYekUEhosySPqiiY3-gIyRJu8XZWRugTWbp9Dqe0CNXNnDhRcP7Exm84WHgZbr5ScK1qUxYGsrSe2ogIewqZb0oxWOAvaY-AyoEIdHP6NHk/s1600/side+view.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498037671199692370" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Ebqv_y2SxK8Jnmzmmdypg9o0062jtxYJQYekUEhosySPqiiY3-gIyRJu8XZWRugTWbp9Dqe0CNXNnDhRcP7Exm84WHgZbr5ScK1qUxYGsrSe2ogIewqZb0oxWOAvaY-AyoEIdHP6NHk/s400/side+view.jpg" border="0" /></a>One of the main reasons I hired a wedding coordinator was to recommend me a great photographer and that she did. Chris and Michelle Gerard of <a href="http://www.inspiredartportraits.com/">Inspired Art Portraits</a> are two of the most talented people I have ever met. And they are just great people in general. We visited their studio in Ferndale, Michigan on one of our planning trips and were thoroughly impressed. These two are true artists with their craft.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwew876XSYDRiVyU72tOxt1YpIwd3kvPlOvSsak6CfGOpSu3HF-CVM-UkTo-5hsvlOQCMGLqhRCK5OwMd_1uRUvObcpQymPuXbpMEhxFBawqnFKgyyC1j2oEjKPVFT3Pl19gQlnCWZqgQ/s1600/detroit+air.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498037511408303650" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwew876XSYDRiVyU72tOxt1YpIwd3kvPlOvSsak6CfGOpSu3HF-CVM-UkTo-5hsvlOQCMGLqhRCK5OwMd_1uRUvObcpQymPuXbpMEhxFBawqnFKgyyC1j2oEjKPVFT3Pl19gQlnCWZqgQ/s400/detroit+air.jpg" border="0" /></a>There were two major things that I had not expected about our photographers. Number 1, they had our pictures from the engagement session up online for us to view less than 10 hours after the photo shoot. Same goes for the wedding pictures. Michelle had posted on facebook, an amazing assortment of photos from throughout our wedding day the day after the wedding! It was so nice to be able to immediately share pictures with people who couldn’t be at the wedding. Not something your average wedding photographer can do. (I don’t think she sleeps.) The second thing I was surprised by was just how amazing the photos turned out. I had seen their work before and knew how talented they were, but it was incredible to see the wedding day through their lenses. Everything was even more beautiful that I had remembered and that is an amazing feat.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh26iAAsePVttD2y5BNGnJvxjIYsQNqc-5OTa77teGYKKKOtd8QSgo7gvvrDprNphw9f7THPNyXQICXsrD5d3yCllyJcIpktQ2DyCY8xa2Hja4QF6yNccbOSAD01O8XdC3fGM40oWJCbII/s1600/blackand+white.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498037351939265410" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh26iAAsePVttD2y5BNGnJvxjIYsQNqc-5OTa77teGYKKKOtd8QSgo7gvvrDprNphw9f7THPNyXQICXsrD5d3yCllyJcIpktQ2DyCY8xa2Hja4QF6yNccbOSAD01O8XdC3fGM40oWJCbII/s400/blackand+white.jpg" border="0" /></a>More amazing photos coming this week. Stay tuned!Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12598917504237827013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1117151154441201660.post-52181197044622294182010-07-23T05:00:00.000-07:002010-07-23T05:06:59.307-07:00Wedding Recap: Part 4 – The Décor<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW4E_WUx_E_ypDavfErHeMoXaiu1lrY3VaIwDRvfc5D7p8sBvY3PTTljh7Pr8XeGOrV8-UccVzVLffI7IyDxMLbG9mN-K6TsWCz6caFsPzY3H0nCsI-9ur7ThlKK7ww-XIeB1cykXzS74/s1600/flowers.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497071728315042882" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 299px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW4E_WUx_E_ypDavfErHeMoXaiu1lrY3VaIwDRvfc5D7p8sBvY3PTTljh7Pr8XeGOrV8-UccVzVLffI7IyDxMLbG9mN-K6TsWCz6caFsPzY3H0nCsI-9ur7ThlKK7ww-XIeB1cykXzS74/s400/flowers.jpg" border="0" /></a>Wedding decorations are the thing that most brides obsess over during the wedding planning process and I was no exception. I bought countless Brides Magazines and read the wedding blogs on a daily basis to get ideas for décor. Flowers, candles, crafts, tablecloths and chiavari chairs were all I could think about for months. Happily on the wedding day, everything fell into place and the event was beautiful.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkbpypHptQxkBvWHxFSpUkIUSkY80M8pGUas9yM_fB8tmrJOqF3VmnEE5oK-5CSp5uJtbUh2mkS2VcKkj4_ed_l9YMz134GSoyGrgtEmcKi-hUVSNpfGt_mTU0UlVnF40XRDZ9ZE2cgBs/s1600/love.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497071573430232882" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkbpypHptQxkBvWHxFSpUkIUSkY80M8pGUas9yM_fB8tmrJOqF3VmnEE5oK-5CSp5uJtbUh2mkS2VcKkj4_ed_l9YMz134GSoyGrgtEmcKi-hUVSNpfGt_mTU0UlVnF40XRDZ9ZE2cgBs/s400/love.jpg" border="0" /></a>Our set up for the ceremony was simple and elegant. We had our ceremony in a rehearsal room at the Max Fisher Music Center. The space was long and narrow and the room had a golden glow to it. I knew that I didn’t want to get married under a floral arch and when I saw a photo in Martha Stewart Wedding Magazine, the L.O.V.E signs were engrained in my brain. My florist, Sandy of <a href="http://www.wesleyberryflowers.net/-florist/Wedding-Flowers.asp">Wesley Berry</a>, did an amazing job of creating a beautiful and simple look for these signs from the tiny little picture ripped from the magazine. She added the floral accent and the candles inside the stands which were really nice touches. The must have chiavari chairs were set in simple rows with my tissue pomanders on every other row. To save a few dollars, we used the same chairs for the reception. The event crew simply pulled the chairs out of the ceremony room and set them up in the reception area while guests were in line at the bar at the beginning of the cocktail hour. I sincerely don’t think anyone really noticed the switch out. And this little savings is how I rationalized a linen upgrade.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9K_sAyZhXPP1TXzOV7klvX6nniZ4GhEsNZpMiZ_57HZanuLWnZu99jr12rsG27H-vkMzUKC3J_b3r_V_YFgTuuIyDmsA2dVHYb-uSa12VK69APQUBYsusnaaKm2AqnDPDCjyTD2uqwZ0/s1600/set+up.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497071202505267858" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 303px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9K_sAyZhXPP1TXzOV7klvX6nniZ4GhEsNZpMiZ_57HZanuLWnZu99jr12rsG27H-vkMzUKC3J_b3r_V_YFgTuuIyDmsA2dVHYb-uSa12VK69APQUBYsusnaaKm2AqnDPDCjyTD2uqwZ0/s400/set+up.jpg" border="0" /></a>The “tablescape” was something I spent a lot of time thinking about. Since we did not have a formal dinner at our reception, I knew that we wouldn’t have place settings on our tables. I didn’t want the tables to look empty, but did want there to be space for people to eat. The florist did an excellent job creating the look that did exactly that. We did single flower arrangements in different sized cube glass vases. On the larger tables we had three vases and on the smaller tall boy tables we had just one arrangement. The arrangements were great contrasting colors in orange, green and cream, that looked really nice next to our glass bluebird wedding favors. At the last minute I added some frosted votive candle holders to add a little mood once the lights went down. Linens for the reception space were the brightest orange the rental company, <a href="http://www.specialeventsrental.com/">Special Events Rental</a>, had in their racks. The lobby space was steel grey floors with gold and russet accents. I knew I wanted something bright to liven up the room.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM851BS9G43psnAILcef8FItAL7Db1hQMkpa1nsHaXY4_25Duy8_JTngiZlKLjyiIZdMk_64gC3zbk86_MM1YzHTaDW_9ZIL2tStZYBBskSnmtVsM3d-DI8reXiSikv53r8mz87q5YtJw/s1600/stairs.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497070746258085170" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM851BS9G43psnAILcef8FItAL7Db1hQMkpa1nsHaXY4_25Duy8_JTngiZlKLjyiIZdMk_64gC3zbk86_MM1YzHTaDW_9ZIL2tStZYBBskSnmtVsM3d-DI8reXiSikv53r8mz87q5YtJw/s400/stairs.jpg" border="0" /></a>The venue itself was a space that needed very little to make it feel glamorous. The gold and marble staircase was one of my favorite features of the space. Evan and I spent some time watching our guests on the dance floor from the top of the stairs while the party raged. It was a great place to reflect on it all. Having the wedding reception at a theatre was the perfect venue for the kind of vision I had for my wedding day. I wouldn’t have done anything different.<br /><br />All Photos were provided by <a href="http://www.inspiredartportraits.com/">Inspired Art Portraits</a>.Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12598917504237827013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1117151154441201660.post-83269718320852847462010-07-20T14:32:00.000-07:002010-07-20T14:35:43.838-07:00Rehearsal Dress<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjnWIxfWcu235UPONIyJJqBO3JBTrY5TsJgjJmEiOVepaCrg7-pC1egC4gjoLkiQDFzbEDsWwxUvzaSj0buVj95_6_QNi3HaJvhUoUOBj4IUPuWHh9XaKuIE4XalnO4f1D4RDlF3OAJEc/s1600/line+up.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496105123211031666" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 225px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjnWIxfWcu235UPONIyJJqBO3JBTrY5TsJgjJmEiOVepaCrg7-pC1egC4gjoLkiQDFzbEDsWwxUvzaSj0buVj95_6_QNi3HaJvhUoUOBj4IUPuWHh9XaKuIE4XalnO4f1D4RDlF3OAJEc/s400/line+up.jpg" border="0" /></a>The dress I wore to the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner was another generous gift from my little brother. I have been getting so many compliments on this dress, I figured I could post some more pictures.<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyOMQvh1skDPApu_ppIL3XKBJSzyDlFSO1zj0znkzaQLEyu9xR6mGyCT-kloXWvDdlGGfNrvHEtmCOcNXqzuqdHG5Z3V0nrGLVG8K_EWQ-1xlqkaEzOD6ao8RcMrHJG060RsmIGLVFn8s/s1600/dress.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496104983957094610" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 293px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyOMQvh1skDPApu_ppIL3XKBJSzyDlFSO1zj0znkzaQLEyu9xR6mGyCT-kloXWvDdlGGfNrvHEtmCOcNXqzuqdHG5Z3V0nrGLVG8K_EWQ-1xlqkaEzOD6ao8RcMrHJG060RsmIGLVFn8s/s400/dress.jpg" border="0" /></a>(Sorry about the photo quality, these were borrowed from friends on facebook since I did not take any photos of my own.)<br /><div><br />The dress was a beautiful royal blue satin faced organza. The top of the dress was a similar bodice as my wedding dress and the skirt was a frayed super-mini. Thank goodness I had a spray tan that morning. All I told my brother was that I wanted a blue dress. He did the rest. I had purchased the bright yellow heels just for fun a few weeks before the wedding. They went perfectly with the bright blue frock.</div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCSLiixYdiOMIfwrGmyGoo83PMrGK5LJP8U1g3Bj7yGPpDPwhAAhVacEWf8HMKDHNPkhFUFWlKv_kPMzUPZeegA1Ke9nIDvgWHo2j0V1sc3G2JlyrmTNKRpleCBkdBEh0KWvnuDnQ1k28/s1600/girls.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496104840342086882" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCSLiixYdiOMIfwrGmyGoo83PMrGK5LJP8U1g3Bj7yGPpDPwhAAhVacEWf8HMKDHNPkhFUFWlKv_kPMzUPZeegA1Ke9nIDvgWHo2j0V1sc3G2JlyrmTNKRpleCBkdBEh0KWvnuDnQ1k28/s400/girls.jpg" border="0" /></a></div></div>Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12598917504237827013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1117151154441201660.post-13966603045458809962010-07-19T17:12:00.001-07:002010-07-19T17:16:31.735-07:00Wedding Recap: Part 3 – The Rehearsal Dinner<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw1j-CNVqfGrpj3pkMlXwrkBoblGzw8Zt1JylGw9wNuY8Zbb9o6ZA1oSO2EnBz0fdCnaCxWkaxMWUWsoZs6VCg5PLVgf-d6IAAzOysBIvy7tKjGh0qE7RCXMU6YIljodEhza_CfjjKsHc/s1600/rehearsal4.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495775436806957778" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw1j-CNVqfGrpj3pkMlXwrkBoblGzw8Zt1JylGw9wNuY8Zbb9o6ZA1oSO2EnBz0fdCnaCxWkaxMWUWsoZs6VCg5PLVgf-d6IAAzOysBIvy7tKjGh0qE7RCXMU6YIljodEhza_CfjjKsHc/s400/rehearsal4.jpg" border="0" /></a>When scouting the hotels where we would book our wedding block, a nice restaurant where we could have our rehearsal dinner was one of the criteria we looked for. The Marriott at the Renaissance Center had a ton of wonderful amenities and the beautiful set up at 42 degrees North sealed the deal. The restaurant’s patio overlooked the Detroit River and Canadian skyline. On the day we visited in March the temperature left something to be desired, but the day before our wedding the weather was blue skies and perfect!<br /><br />When we originally spoke to the assistant manager, she quoted me a $500 fee to reserve the patio for our party of 26. Since the patio sat 50 people, I decided not to pay the fee to make our dinner private. As luck would turn out, we had the whole patio to ourselves anyway! So, the evening before we tied the knot, we invited our bridal party to dinner on the beautiful patio at 42 degrees North.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirXsLNdmDq9lkwTT2_b7wBg8oa_BIMJk5zvo_CuuXJbCOT1RtFAo7tXG5q2rCjVTBfgwhSTGWpfQbme076W0APThnktXZtyzw4kXRLtWMyDKIr0Off464-f_OYOlB1OabFQTPUurpGub0/s1600/rehearsal3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495775263512305266" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirXsLNdmDq9lkwTT2_b7wBg8oa_BIMJk5zvo_CuuXJbCOT1RtFAo7tXG5q2rCjVTBfgwhSTGWpfQbme076W0APThnktXZtyzw4kXRLtWMyDKIr0Off464-f_OYOlB1OabFQTPUurpGub0/s400/rehearsal3.jpg" border="0" /></a>When we walked out and saw the set-up, it reminded me of something out of a Top Chef episode. The silver tables were set up banquet style in a long line. At each place setting was the customized menu that I slaved over during my bridal crafting sessions. The beautiful blue sky and matching clear water in the river. The scene was picturesque.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTBDQuAyXTcchyphenhyphen0VJN9n6ZbYrKX8tikvgcdcra7uKxCUYufk5HE1eY9Cl10cJci-lGtfX_v6hEb9Wg0DDsbqM74vjFFz9lBj_oRtFp8sMP4cW2Q5Aa8bvSyRpIQLZubBManvt4mExnRB0/s1600/rehearsal2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495775137225236962" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTBDQuAyXTcchyphenhyphen0VJN9n6ZbYrKX8tikvgcdcra7uKxCUYufk5HE1eY9Cl10cJci-lGtfX_v6hEb9Wg0DDsbqM74vjFFz9lBj_oRtFp8sMP4cW2Q5Aa8bvSyRpIQLZubBManvt4mExnRB0/s400/rehearsal2.jpg" border="0" /></a>The beautiful view as we ate was just extra to the wonderful company of our friends and family. We were entertained by Michael’s stories about how he used to work on the big cargo boats that cruised up and down the Detroit River. He told us the secret to how you identify what country of origin the boats are from. If they have a Canadian flag, they are Canadian boats and if they have an American flag, they are from the United States. That logic seamed simple to follow until the next boat drove by with both flags waving.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSrezclcTNUrXkp89x5-n-YRj8oZpAmxWH7zkIaPmLl0JVdHdEZoSSNLp9hj8XgpVDCvwt9SYIEaHhdFB7BNpJVy39u0y7OyO6YQBRbuwDSxkLfQo5ya8lO-jk8eQmiviyuOpJ9gM2QII/s1600/rehearsal5.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495774961065950050" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSrezclcTNUrXkp89x5-n-YRj8oZpAmxWH7zkIaPmLl0JVdHdEZoSSNLp9hj8XgpVDCvwt9SYIEaHhdFB7BNpJVy39u0y7OyO6YQBRbuwDSxkLfQo5ya8lO-jk8eQmiviyuOpJ9gM2QII/s400/rehearsal5.jpg" border="0" /></a>The dinner was a really nice time to welcome and thank all of the people who traveled to be part of our celebration. The thank you gifts we brought for our bridesmaids and groomsmen were wine glasses and beer mugs that were painted with caricatures to look like each person in our bridal party. I found the etsy site, <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/FizzyArtist">Fizzy Artist</a>, through an update that our day of coordinator sent out. They were a little silly, but definitely a hit.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBDRpqWKiwYYm8D9FtoJv-oDonFvAbOHlwFzCURdeSwrUB46V4dPkCBrfDkREMGWzkw3LmiYLJjsaVRi-cshQHQcMb3k1QdJYQseLSvvpHmMO7xn_GpxWf3vMjJd_ymHwmsOE4TM038C4/s1600/rehearsal1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495774765954662514" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBDRpqWKiwYYm8D9FtoJv-oDonFvAbOHlwFzCURdeSwrUB46V4dPkCBrfDkREMGWzkw3LmiYLJjsaVRi-cshQHQcMb3k1QdJYQseLSvvpHmMO7xn_GpxWf3vMjJd_ymHwmsOE4TM038C4/s400/rehearsal1.jpg" border="0" /></a>The final surprise of the night was a little something that my mother-in-law and I had planned. I wanted Evan to have a grooms’ cake and thought it would be nice to do it as a surprise for him at the rehearsal dinner. Evan has always been a big fan of Kid Rock and since we were getting married in Detroit, I thought we could do something with the Kid in his hometown. Evan’s mother had a great idea to put a picture of Evan in an outfit very similar to something the Kid would wear on the cake with a Detroit message, “Ain’t no party like a Detroit party”. So I sent the picture of Evan and she did everything else. She had it made at a store in Evan’s home town, Kalkaska, and had to bring the edible photos with her all the way to Detroit to put them on the cake herself. It was a total surprise.Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12598917504237827013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1117151154441201660.post-68594244485363125502010-07-11T16:06:00.001-07:002010-07-11T16:12:32.500-07:00Wedding Recap: Part 2 – The Maids<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6l0317wKKU80E2-IXVL2CUzLyMKXQgW1aJ8CdYy8177Jq_rBXhNMiq_FEjzZlKsV3vWFJkyUQuqhpLJChQVAii0kFmSxvIJrSxTEWxYmVUwCWLNuhfRYFr_5arte3U40eZIqhVFwbpwk/s1600/BMS.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492790216216733362" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6l0317wKKU80E2-IXVL2CUzLyMKXQgW1aJ8CdYy8177Jq_rBXhNMiq_FEjzZlKsV3vWFJkyUQuqhpLJChQVAii0kFmSxvIJrSxTEWxYmVUwCWLNuhfRYFr_5arte3U40eZIqhVFwbpwk/s400/BMS.jpg" border="0" /></a>The story of my bridesmaids and their dresses is a comical one indeed. I don’t know how to pick out clothes for other people. I barely know how to pick out clothes for myself. I wear a different version of a black dress every day of my life. And since my girls weren’t wearing little black dresses, the process of picking out what they would wear went something like this.<br /><p>Brother – “What kind of dresses do you want the girls to wear?”<br /><br />Me – “I don’t know, something cute.”<br /><br />Brother – “You need a dress that is simple so that all the girls will look good in it.”<br /><br />Me – “OK”<br /><br />Brother – “What about something like this (holding up a strapless dress in teal from his rack-o-dresses)”<br /><br />Me – “OK”<br /><br />And that is how the dresses were chosen. Not very eventful. See, I have this problem. All my friends are way too nice and would never tell me they don’t like something. They just say, “what ever you want, you are the bride.” This seems like a good problem to have, when in fact, it makes me crazy. I never know if in actuality I am “that bride” that is making my girls wear something that they hate and they are secretly cursing me and planning revenge for when they get married.<br /><p>Believe me, I deserve this revenge.<br /><br />The first debacle was the shoes. I wear high heels almost every day of my life, so I don’t really have a concept of what kind of shoes normal people wear. So I picked a pair of strappy heels from Nine West and yes, I knew they were 4 inch heels, but aren’t all heels at least 4 inches? Some of the girls were a little worried about the heel and worried about the strappy, but no one would directly tell me that they didn’t like the shoes. I would hear from one girl that another girl was concerned about them, and then would throw in, “don’t tell her I told you”. I was pretty much stuck. My only saving grace was that Nine West has unlimited exchanges online, so they could try different sizes until they found ones that fit and were the most comfortable. Plus, they looked really cute, so once the girls saw them, they like them (so they tell me to my face.) And luckily the shoes ended up going on super sale and running each girl around $30. Thank goodness.<br /></p><p>Now for the dresses, let me start by saying, these girls looked gorgeous in these dresses. The process of getting them fitted was not the most ideal. I took the first measurements after a glass of wine during my pom pom party. They weren’t terrible, but some of the girls’ measurements confused my poor designer. He did the best he could to get a first draft ready and brought the dresses down for the girls to try on about 7 weeks before the wedding. (Jessica, Evan’s sister, was not there for the fitting with my brother, more on that later.) I didn’t exactly organize this fitting as if to say, plan it on a calendar and invite people to attend. I just kind of called people the day before and said, “Can you come try on this dress?” When they had free minute one Sunday, they one by one stopped over my Mother’s house to get fitted. We had to take one of the dresses in the backroom of Hats In the Belfry for my girl who couldn’t get off work. He pinned and tucked to make sure every dress fit perfectly, took them to New York for alterations and then shipped them back to my Maryland the week before the wedding. Two dresses still weren’t quite right and had to be shipped overnight back to New York for final alterations. I am sorry to who ever had to work overtime to fix them two days before the wedding.<br /></p><p>Rewind to a place in Michigan. Since Jessica couldn’t be at the fitting with my brother, we shipped her dress and told her she could take it to any alterations shop if she needed alterations. The seamstress that ended up working on Jessica’s dress didn’t really know what she was doing (didn’t see our vision) and ended up shortening the dress, significantly. After alterations, it just wasn’t something that Jessica could picture herself wearing. She had a mini-breakdown (because she also happened to be taking exams in accelerated courses at Michigan State) and I told her, she didn’t have to wear the dress. Really it was not worth the stress, since I had no idea what the dress looked like after being chopped by an unknown seamstress. She would be much happier in a dress she could pick out herself.<br /><em></em></p><p><em>Side story: I was talking with Evan about this decision to have Jessica pick her own dress. I told him that I know exactly how she must feel. I would get so overwhelmed during College exams that I could barely sleep at night, let alone plan for a family members wedding in a dress that was way too mini. Evan’s response was, “yeah, but Jessica is not like you, she is really smart.”</em><br /></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQAyV5szd1vsTi4Whs32w-jmEPNWzY9XgwQCjxmsm8fYHHfiTjYRTXlM1rdeNw8xmzY03OMCZa3Kx-peHrn5o10M90pbVIpLMm9Was5x3i_LRpZl1CzwigJUlSN9FVZqKEOFvx8DQ805E/s1600/Group+Shot.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492789444149549778" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQAyV5szd1vsTi4Whs32w-jmEPNWzY9XgwQCjxmsm8fYHHfiTjYRTXlM1rdeNw8xmzY03OMCZa3Kx-peHrn5o10M90pbVIpLMm9Was5x3i_LRpZl1CzwigJUlSN9FVZqKEOFvx8DQ805E/s400/Group+Shot.jpg" border="0" /></a>Day of the wedding, all the girls (including Jessica) tried on the dresses for my brother to see. Turns out, they all looked fantastic! Everyone was excited and happy to put them on and be the most beautiful version of bridesmaids that I have ever seen. That was until; we told everyone that they weren’t allowed to sit down until after the ceremony. Yes, you read that correctly. The first bridesmaid (who happens to be a very skinny girl) sat down and her dress popped open right under the zipper. Oops! Good thing we had an excellent sewer in the room who was able to fix it with not even a hint that it happened. Thus the rule, “no sitting in the dress.”<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-gzgPd_PNgsOmvMDz3BwfAPW6c2fmMVG0VBTSfBKhpmhbrxfgf7qjX1GvNhm8Kz5PUsVebEIceK7ELqW9WVkiFkbC_BpgjeKEwam7llazqqNh3HjEpaLNmogURTKb61EcHP60KfjuN6Y/s1600/girls+standing.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492789279851871890" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-gzgPd_PNgsOmvMDz3BwfAPW6c2fmMVG0VBTSfBKhpmhbrxfgf7qjX1GvNhm8Kz5PUsVebEIceK7ELqW9WVkiFkbC_BpgjeKEwam7llazqqNh3HjEpaLNmogURTKb61EcHP60KfjuN6Y/s400/girls+standing.jpg" border="0" /></a>My girls were absolute troopers. No one complained even the slightest. One of the most memorable moments of the day was the trolley ride to the venue. All the girls (including myself) stood-up and held on for the ride through Detroit. All the guys sat comfortable in their suits except for my brother who stood with us because he was the one who made the rule about sitting (isn’t that sweet). Once at the venue, some girls started to find things to lean on, or asked for help taking the 4 inch heels off until the ceremony started. My brother kept a watchful eye on the girls in the dresses, to make sure no one tried to sneak a seat. After the ceremony, I told all the girls to get themselves a drink at the bar and grab a seat. But by that time they were having too much fun to sit down. I don’t think Jessica sat the whole night and kept the heels on!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgde9Am1I7D54PbpKMW97SHSiBg2z41zxtd8kSejcgAarCktzNGkixWrDm9nxfuKAcx2AdO1kPhlh7ur8a2rYY5l1E9fqCjwPc8FIdPOtI4KMxWzSB_Ih3GKhSG2aUzPKtHnY6ZHrACYGA/s1600/shoes+off.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492789136716272082" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgde9Am1I7D54PbpKMW97SHSiBg2z41zxtd8kSejcgAarCktzNGkixWrDm9nxfuKAcx2AdO1kPhlh7ur8a2rYY5l1E9fqCjwPc8FIdPOtI4KMxWzSB_Ih3GKhSG2aUzPKtHnY6ZHrACYGA/s400/shoes+off.jpg" border="0" /></a>I expect that I will be wearing a full Chiquita Banana Fruit Headdress, with a hot pink body suit and Lady Gaga 6 inch platform heels in order to make this up to my girls. I owe them all big time! </p>Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12598917504237827013noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1117151154441201660.post-7943000373465565822010-07-07T16:27:00.000-07:002010-07-07T16:37:19.314-07:00Wedding Recap: Part 1It is hard to know where to begin when it comes to wedding recaps. Do I post chronologically starting from our drive to Michigan? Do I do all the wedding week recaps first and the honeymoon recaps second? What about all the other pre-wedding things that I still haven’t posted, do I just forget about those altogether? This was a tough decision that I had to make, but I am confident that you all will be happy with my decision of where to begin. I give you the DRESS…..ES!<br /><br />That’s right! I am bringing out the big guns.<br /><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4862KNC49kWLtjv4ft_vYpqAtSlxVWWAdn_mlU6350mz7f8Vvlt23kF6UD46hQ1YXwptdrAIHhhO2mdFvpewZUQbd602brpcc6AOn5E3BfKfAkLTDsxkqUwa5zxEkjmICCXRYdejVxTc/s1600/dress.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491311416132391842" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4862KNC49kWLtjv4ft_vYpqAtSlxVWWAdn_mlU6350mz7f8Vvlt23kF6UD46hQ1YXwptdrAIHhhO2mdFvpewZUQbd602brpcc6AOn5E3BfKfAkLTDsxkqUwa5zxEkjmICCXRYdejVxTc/s400/dress.jpg" border="0" /></a>It is amazing how different a dress feels on your wedding day. At my final (and only) fitting that took place just 4 weeks before my wedding day, I felt the same way I have felt every time my brother let’s me try on one of his runway masterpieces. I feel like a super model and can’t believe that he created this amazing gown. But I wouldn’t say that I felt bridal. The dress fit perfectly and didn’t need any alterations, so I just tried it on, walked a few steps and then the fitting was over. At that time in the NYC studio, it didn’t really feel like my dress. I left excited to be wearing it at my wedding, but didn’t necessarily feel a connection to the dress itself. All of that changed when the huge box arrived at the Marriott in Detroit. While I was checking in to our room, the head of the concierge desk approached me and said, “I have your dress.” Butterflies. They wheeled it up to the room and I unpacked it carefully in the spare closet, making sure Evan could not to see it. I stood in the closet and thought to myself, “This is the most amazing dress I have ever seen and it’s mine”.<br /><br />At that moment I felt that if a wedding dress could be a person’s soul mate, this was mine (other than my husband, of course). The white satin and tulle masterpiece created by my little brother was more beautiful than I could have ever imagined in my wildest dreams. On my wedding day, my brother held it open while I stepped into it in a room full of my best friends in the world. It was a stop-and-remember-this-moment moment that I had been advised to relish in. I felt like I was wearing a cloud. </p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-8DaVAACfbPeluSQ7ips6HsvMgPyF4IpGljI-hfBpVveX5U_R3J6UEUAakN2t0Rzo4IO2Qg9pC4VqIo1a8L0D7zbiLnE7rFyb4M4Rd4jmQIIg0rcSaZ7cMY8iWStNUUlMwz29ikh20cg/s1600/shannonandchris.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491311297790802386" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-8DaVAACfbPeluSQ7ips6HsvMgPyF4IpGljI-hfBpVveX5U_R3J6UEUAakN2t0Rzo4IO2Qg9pC4VqIo1a8L0D7zbiLnE7rFyb4M4Rd4jmQIIg0rcSaZ7cMY8iWStNUUlMwz29ikh20cg/s400/shannonandchris.jpg" border="0" /></a>After I was dressed, my brother helped me walk through the hotel to meet Evan on the bottom level. Taking that dress down 3 escalators was truly a laughable task. I was asked several times if I was a Bride which I responded to, “No, I’m not.” which really threw some people for a loop. Evan and I spent the afternoon traipsing around Detroit City with our photographers of Inspired Art, taking the most beautiful pictures I have ever seen. I mastered the art of holding the dress up, so it wouldn’t drag on the ground. And then it was time to get married to my best friend, in my dress, my beautiful wedding dress that my little brother made for me.<br /></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC1E1ldad-9SR6dElhyzgu5zv0hfUAlvSPS8M66mhk4XMASs-8Gr90aqyjFRHEP1czZw-zUU-d71SPLDRr53nnYEyzxEmld3ZapUKZl87LmvPkBJJ_Iwnr4tIIk7aXrnp8y_ZyyyMsR2s/s1600/love+2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491311136623305410" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC1E1ldad-9SR6dElhyzgu5zv0hfUAlvSPS8M66mhk4XMASs-8Gr90aqyjFRHEP1czZw-zUU-d71SPLDRr53nnYEyzxEmld3ZapUKZl87LmvPkBJJ_Iwnr4tIIk7aXrnp8y_ZyyyMsR2s/s400/love+2.jpg" border="0" /></a>After the ceremony Evan and I rushed upstairs to have a moment to relax and realize what just happened. It was another stop-and-remember-this-moment moment that was captured by our photographers in my favorite picture of the day.<br /></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQXEBgszz6Fj0ClmVx5SrEfIFSq4uvWz8gj8GF3GWqhF8G2cozk0bqG5BBxAvrCQRsEjzvfZ0ZGqbyLSUzp5i7d4InuZaLVcWDzxXYQY1hwPIsifHWbyXJRY-tqtAEjJNqVdnF3ONCKF0/s1600/red.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491310884404108546" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQXEBgszz6Fj0ClmVx5SrEfIFSq4uvWz8gj8GF3GWqhF8G2cozk0bqG5BBxAvrCQRsEjzvfZ0ZGqbyLSUzp5i7d4InuZaLVcWDzxXYQY1hwPIsifHWbyXJRY-tqtAEjJNqVdnF3ONCKF0/s400/red.jpg" border="0" /></a>Then everything went in a whirl, cake cutting, toasts, first dance, and the first two hours were gone. After a few dances and a few drinks I decided it was time to get busy and changed into the party dress. The party dress was what I had been keeping as a surprise, but when it came down to it, I didn’t have time to make another entrance. I just casually walked in the room and hit the dance floor. The short flirty dress still felt bridal, but bridal in a fun, let’s dance all night, kind of way, and dance I did, all night with a few short breaks to mingle with guests.<br /></p><div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDSYMC9YmUJGXGxFKEtyaS0ddnZw1hArMO8SL4YJlyfD-LWc-cDnU7JrV6EBmz4VQMmFUDsLNdJIU2u8WupziJeyEz-w7JteNrDXzj4TuotjVROW_O5T_TmN5umFXaC6s1HTYw3cOcBuw/s1600/Uncle+Terry+1.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491310269127140322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDSYMC9YmUJGXGxFKEtyaS0ddnZw1hArMO8SL4YJlyfD-LWc-cDnU7JrV6EBmz4VQMmFUDsLNdJIU2u8WupziJeyEz-w7JteNrDXzj4TuotjVROW_O5T_TmN5umFXaC6s1HTYw3cOcBuw/s400/Uncle+Terry+1.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div align="center">Photo by Uncle Terry</div><div align="center"></div><br /><div>The dresses played a big part in my day as a bride and I can’t imagine the day in any other outfit. </div><div><br />More on the attire of the day coming soon. Wait till you hear about those bridesmaids.</div><div></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:85%;">**All photos provided by <a href="http://www.inspiredartportraits.com/">Inspired Art Photography </a>unless noted otherwise</span> </div></div></div>Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12598917504237827013noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1117151154441201660.post-39039772409710168552010-07-06T18:38:00.000-07:002010-07-06T18:42:05.693-07:00Bridal ShowerFirst I want to say thank you to all of my readers and friends who have sent lovely messages over the last two weeks. I know that everyone is dying to here about the BIG DAY, but unfortunately we will all have to wait a few days for me to get those posts going. We just returned from our amazing honeymoon in San Francisco, Calistoga and Napa, California. We are unpacking and settling back in to life. Back to work tomorrow. :( But I hate to leave everyone with no news. So, I give you my Bridal Shower recap!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzWMRAVIs2D4Nft2UhTtcLqapuAghsF2i5qH0tulkESIvMAPX2spBNMnh04_yqkWThihpK2dWlL6dQZH4BBqDq3GRtRgIiiLkspzO7TUmwDsomlV3WZoD3Bx82OTTDnQ6Ks2ZiI93KCjQ/s1600/girls.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490973394959929394" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzWMRAVIs2D4Nft2UhTtcLqapuAghsF2i5qH0tulkESIvMAPX2spBNMnh04_yqkWThihpK2dWlL6dQZH4BBqDq3GRtRgIiiLkspzO7TUmwDsomlV3WZoD3Bx82OTTDnQ6Ks2ZiI93KCjQ/s400/girls.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div>I find myself remembering fondly the past few weeks of bridal love from my wonderful friends. I am very fortunate to have accumulated a wonderful group of ladies who have supported me in many aspects of my life. It was really nice to be able to share all of this wedding excitement with them.</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlDmqJyEHVTRF6WLKdJsiIIUJ8dMWZRaTzm0vpAVFJBC2C_pYc1Dtrw-Jb9u2PaClnwFBaCdFoVxokyrh6RfL6Mpzh9nKMvVKCQGp3m1SvM_-oXiKAkSh7tt_QYVCiihyphenhyphentODEr3KZCyXI/s1600/undies.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490973258705756018" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlDmqJyEHVTRF6WLKdJsiIIUJ8dMWZRaTzm0vpAVFJBC2C_pYc1Dtrw-Jb9u2PaClnwFBaCdFoVxokyrh6RfL6Mpzh9nKMvVKCQGp3m1SvM_-oXiKAkSh7tt_QYVCiihyphenhyphentODEr3KZCyXI/s400/undies.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div>One of my best friends in the world and my longest friend of life, Jill Barber, planned the most wonderful Bridal Shower a girl could ever ask for. Every little detail was perfect. She had a very creative theme planned for the shower, “Around the Clock”. She sent invitations with a picture of a clock and each guest was assigned a time of day and told to bring a gift that represented that time of day. It made things a lot of fun without silly bridal games. My guests picked gifts that were personal and clever, gift sets for a picnic lunch for the mid-day hours, gift baskets with all the things for a perfect morning of sleeping in for the morning hours, adorable PJs from Mom and of course the nighttime attire that only my dancer friends would know would have me turning shades of purple from embarrassment for those late hours.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVHMlxCzyDkiJx-2j6igadq4Cvmd6cFRdgcHj2UKQRHR-rEPebi67M3TEeUlXi32v2GCICa2NA2pFaa5hGT5Qmi84pD11uk8HpOBTgclTBJHp2rob_cybdGQ05H423g5ECqNiMHcmNe8M/s1600/shower+9.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490973110883246130" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVHMlxCzyDkiJx-2j6igadq4Cvmd6cFRdgcHj2UKQRHR-rEPebi67M3TEeUlXi32v2GCICa2NA2pFaa5hGT5Qmi84pD11uk8HpOBTgclTBJHp2rob_cybdGQ05H423g5ECqNiMHcmNe8M/s400/shower+9.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div>Jill knows that I am not one for games, like making a wedding dress out of toilet paper, so she picked a couple quick activities that were fun for a group of women all ages. She had a trivia game to name famous married couples and a “who knows Shannon best?” activity that I even had trouble answering all the questions. I think my Mom won that one. She did a beautiful job of making it the perfect mix of classy and casual. Literally, some of my guests left with notes for future showers that they planned to host.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicAEwQsKNjInGZhboPGihdC4MvucKHRf142Vovax6hKzO6zmxf5M6zY9fPuiCT27RQy2bJiBjN7_agiTIHQzx2fzF8CXM-qgN24VT9y77wSsaej1YPit810i2wio_3k5wdFkfP4R40SsA/s1600/desserts.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490972881527295186" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicAEwQsKNjInGZhboPGihdC4MvucKHRf142Vovax6hKzO6zmxf5M6zY9fPuiCT27RQy2bJiBjN7_agiTIHQzx2fzF8CXM-qgN24VT9y77wSsaej1YPit810i2wio_3k5wdFkfP4R40SsA/s400/desserts.jpg" border="0" /></a>Jill’s parents hosted the shower at their house and prepared all the food and desserts. Mrs. Barber used to have a pastry business and is known for throwing great parties. Since I was a little girl, I have been going to parties at the Barber’s house. Jill and I would run around and grab for goodies when grown ups weren’t looking. My favorite of all of Mrs. Barber’s desserts has always been her cream puffs (mini-éclairs). When I was around 10 years old, I ate 10 of them at one of these parties until I was discovered and shooed away. I am pretty sure I was sick from all the deliciousness. At my shower, I could have as many as I wanted! But, it was hard to focus on the cream puffs when she had 4 other mouth watering desserts displayed including a tiramisu cake. Guests are still talking about those desserts.<br /><br /><p>It was a wonderful day with great friends. I couldn’t have asked for a better kick-off to the wedding whirlwind that would ensue in the following weeks.<br /></p><br /><p>Wedding recaps coming this week. I promise. </p></div></div></div>Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12598917504237827013noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1117151154441201660.post-81383315397951977202010-06-28T15:53:00.000-07:002010-06-28T15:56:57.339-07:00Best Day of My Life...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYh4vvNDtYNYXejkmpmSI0eKdqkWL3SgPCng39CsYsOVgx7U0XdPjSoWAyVDNrJJeeFuFoUJk2liwwaOm_GzkCz_GEJqnE9q0wTQ3vGNcKz1QZubLf7dcm20b50mul1XT9VwiZgsQ87EI/s1600/Just+Married.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 399px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487961810975814578" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYh4vvNDtYNYXejkmpmSI0eKdqkWL3SgPCng39CsYsOVgx7U0XdPjSoWAyVDNrJJeeFuFoUJk2liwwaOm_GzkCz_GEJqnE9q0wTQ3vGNcKz1QZubLf7dcm20b50mul1XT9VwiZgsQ87EI/s400/Just+Married.jpg" /></a>was June 26th. Can't wait to tell you all about it, but we leave for our honeymoon in the morning....see you when we get back!Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12598917504237827013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1117151154441201660.post-76673710342889259612010-06-20T17:55:00.000-07:002010-06-20T18:00:07.815-07:00Getting Ready<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAk-C-w2ZLUqfhyxFeiIGCrRDYPIBwbYbZLgejNNaq36fWKYCT78k49d_UnVASqAaCLIKVEwEqZmb1WfkrPyusIzGOkwdJqPIcZ3wQe3c-_Ygmg1daVGKmCcbDS86kTYTboUIH3_31cG8/s1600/Hair+and+Make-Up+006.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485025282919191954" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAk-C-w2ZLUqfhyxFeiIGCrRDYPIBwbYbZLgejNNaq36fWKYCT78k49d_UnVASqAaCLIKVEwEqZmb1WfkrPyusIzGOkwdJqPIcZ3wQe3c-_Ygmg1daVGKmCcbDS86kTYTboUIH3_31cG8/s400/Hair+and+Make-Up+006.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div>This weekend is our last single weekend. This time next week, we will be married! Time has just flown by and there are still so many things that I plan to share on the blog, but this weekend was dedicated to getting ready to go. In preparation of the BIG WEEK and our drive to Michigan, we got our oil changed, cleaned out the car, cleaned the house, did all the laundry, got Evan a haircut, got me my eyebrows threaded and organized all the wedding items that need to be packed. I feel pretty good that we are set. Evan has been incredibly helpful in getting everything together, but today while he was packing up our wedding crafties he accidentally snooped in his (not very well hidden) birthday present. I had planned to give him his gift early since his birthday is July 3rd and we will be on our honeymoon. So today was the day. Evan got a set of super sharp chef’s knives straight from Restaurant depot. We immediately went to the store to get something to chop. And while we were shopping, a case of Blue Moon Summer Ale, aptly named Honeymoon, caught my eye. I had to have it. A couple beers might be just what I need to get to sleep tonight. I am getting so excited! </div><br /><div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhftUCrUBGAeEZK7DMtTBGCX6a83BW4AzizApgCiVF89Qgm5Q2_WoIKRvtNpGQKD6nlQpGF62j14OqidEUPt8o9r48KaTurQx_wk2NSlHzl7P0O4gfbGmyMEUNBLzezDdKAxiFx_F_jp3Q/s1600/Hair+and+Make-Up+004.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485025012438718146" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhftUCrUBGAeEZK7DMtTBGCX6a83BW4AzizApgCiVF89Qgm5Q2_WoIKRvtNpGQKD6nlQpGF62j14OqidEUPt8o9r48KaTurQx_wk2NSlHzl7P0O4gfbGmyMEUNBLzezDdKAxiFx_F_jp3Q/s400/Hair+and+Make-Up+004.jpg" border="0" /></a>Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12598917504237827013noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1117151154441201660.post-46703005712057257012010-06-01T18:05:00.000-07:002010-06-01T18:09:44.915-07:00FittingsI know I have disappeared for a bit, but I’m back with good stuff to share. We are officially in count-down-mode. Today is June 1st, 25 days until the wedding. OMG, is an appropriate way to express how I feel about that. But you don’t want to read about my mini-anxiety attacks, you want to read about dresses, right?!<br /><br />As of last week, I had not seen or tried on my wedding dress. This would make some Bridezillas totally insane. It made me a little crazy, but I had faith that my brother wouldn’t let me walk naked down the aisle. The dress simply wasn’t finished because 1) I changed my mind about what dress I wanted and 2) the skirt was being made in India and they had to wait for it to get to New York. I dreamt of what the dress would be like, but until this weekend, I couldn’t know for sure.<br /><br />Saturday, I met my dress. Evan and I took a quick trip up to NYC (on the Bolt Bus for $22 each one way, deal!) The dress is so big, that there was no way my brother could bring it to Maryland and then back to NYC and then get it to Detroit. Evan patiently waited in the office, while I tried on the most beautiful wedding dress ever made. It was a perfect fit! No alterations needed! I barely knew what to do with myself in the dress. I felt like running down the street, but I wasn’t really sure how I was supposed to walk. It looked even better than I dreamed.<br /><br />I know you are probably waiting to see pictures, but a girl’s gotta keep some secrets ;) So to give you a little something to hold you over, here are some shots from the bridesmaid fittings…<br /><br /><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMOwS7lsuZtB8NrNvZb3QX3N9E_1GOkxZS9bR8R0Vt06C_AgRUOqS8wZhFiYdwLfQtRGQ02UOaOZAntiDGz2O9xLrq1pr1qMg0qH3ix60hxiNzeMM4rnR3C3fyd32kT5wPjyn2SFB98qc/s1600/Picture+039.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477976841741825730" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 310px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMOwS7lsuZtB8NrNvZb3QX3N9E_1GOkxZS9bR8R0Vt06C_AgRUOqS8wZhFiYdwLfQtRGQ02UOaOZAntiDGz2O9xLrq1pr1qMg0qH3ix60hxiNzeMM4rnR3C3fyd32kT5wPjyn2SFB98qc/s400/Picture+039.jpg" border="0" /></a>My brother came down on Sunday so that my girls could try on their dresses. I took their measurements months ago during our pom pom party, so I was pretty nervous that if they didn’t fit, it would be my fault. Fortunately, there were only a few alterations that needed to be made and they weren’t anything major. The color looked beautiful on all the girls, the length looked great. We decided that some of the girls would have a draped sleeve(s) to make the dresses look a little different. I am so happy with how they turned out. All the girls are going to look beautiful!</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4nlP62DOHLllz7LEHjqbPfcVA8bigldlm5YfU8vYc3bgz0X44yNuH03x801U6qfoIzf2j155rG-45DPlQAp3GHVSK5OFSIc0OmO6hHzQgczoMdwGajhi8bEFFH-OtTWpx3E4jSVWw-0Y/s1600/Picture+038.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477976594641293682" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4nlP62DOHLllz7LEHjqbPfcVA8bigldlm5YfU8vYc3bgz0X44yNuH03x801U6qfoIzf2j155rG-45DPlQAp3GHVSK5OFSIc0OmO6hHzQgczoMdwGajhi8bEFFH-OtTWpx3E4jSVWw-0Y/s400/Picture+038.jpg" border="0" /></a></p>Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12598917504237827013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1117151154441201660.post-88590922572878694272010-05-04T17:00:00.000-07:002010-05-04T17:08:21.278-07:00OopsSome Brides make mistakes and though I hate to admit it, I am one of those Brides. I thought that I knew everything that I needed to know when finalizing the little details. I have done my research, read all the blogs, Bride Magazines and regularly check Martha Stewart’s wedding website. Where was my fatal flaw exposed? I do not know anything about menswear. I made the ridiculous mistake of ordering the wrong ties. Instead of men’s ties, I ordered cravats. Don’t know what a Cravat is? Neither did I! I had to google Cravat to figure out what I had ordered even after they arrived.<br /><br />This was the picture featured on the website.<br /><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0-IELH_N3oZnaTplEh2MkR1gCwwV_rGN8SPBPog-xAgsW6wM49o-jHVXH4YdS5Oj8jQB-vR4cRKi2x2dUSVJQAFmqCXWfiGyt608vn44MjXLtkXCoR0PxPY4yGI-WFeglUMr7W77LA6g/s1600/cravat+custom.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 298px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467570061754327682" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0-IELH_N3oZnaTplEh2MkR1gCwwV_rGN8SPBPog-xAgsW6wM49o-jHVXH4YdS5Oj8jQB-vR4cRKi2x2dUSVJQAFmqCXWfiGyt608vn44MjXLtkXCoR0PxPY4yGI-WFeglUMr7W77LA6g/s400/cravat+custom.jpg" /></a></p><p></p><p><br />It looks like a tie to me. Right?<br /><br />Well, not quite. This is what a Cravat traditionally looks like when tied.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIewgMp7bFbcZxmAJhCr-Lx6nZDu9WVNmC6wXJfbZ4mc8R586kSprZJY_rqMLXrzwRa9Vi0Vpu5VCcUKxpyTfV4Vnms1PXBSShDPn3s4dRTAEP7_66HG_GVDQxBaor9OJqxiu4ZtYkgJ8/s1600/paisley-day-cravat.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 220px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 203px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467569438525860738" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIewgMp7bFbcZxmAJhCr-Lx6nZDu9WVNmC6wXJfbZ4mc8R586kSprZJY_rqMLXrzwRa9Vi0Vpu5VCcUKxpyTfV4Vnms1PXBSShDPn3s4dRTAEP7_66HG_GVDQxBaor9OJqxiu4ZtYkgJ8/s400/paisley-day-cravat.jpg" /></a><br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNNZp4aIg0X37itrMrXCKhDCZT0E3P2vNh8NZIa_tYZvCVUyuRP3wJHFyZKXzshPdr0Yp_-LUnFKqBFcA46pImnQBzCIu3IzfEa3l3mGwjsf2Er0vmTziMrAJebDdV4qOehWUiU-p6s_g/s1600/cravat.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 285px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467569296605110482" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNNZp4aIg0X37itrMrXCKhDCZT0E3P2vNh8NZIa_tYZvCVUyuRP3wJHFyZKXzshPdr0Yp_-LUnFKqBFcA46pImnQBzCIu3IzfEa3l3mGwjsf2Er0vmTziMrAJebDdV4qOehWUiU-p6s_g/s400/cravat.jpg" /></a>Not exactly the look we are going for.<br /><br />Luckily, I was able to contact the company that I ordered these from and they told me that I could exchange them with no problem. I guess I wasn’t the first Bride to order the wrong thing, because as soon as I called he knew what I wanted to return.<br /><br />Did you have any "oops" moments when planning your wedding?Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12598917504237827013noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1117151154441201660.post-12933937395476980602010-05-02T16:20:00.000-07:002010-05-03T04:45:48.705-07:00Hair FlairNow that I am more excited about my hair looking good, I have been on the lookout for hair accessories to complete my wedding look. I decided long ago I didn’t want to wear a veil. I am just not a veil type of girl. Plus my dress isn’t something that needs a veil or major accessory. I am thinking simple earrings and a small flair hair piece will be perfect.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjStM4X19mdGsYR21S5eIFPkSmhb0PsHDga7o7E9MQHiNGC055Oj1ihaPYGRbDEy_EOa33Iu8GyPz5deoLCNEBJPC_BqshG7DAfzDm14Rr9MzUIwcY9vcCia0q0yLVA9IRxYNy-8ZqUUfU/s1600/sjp.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 303px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466819052409799714" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjStM4X19mdGsYR21S5eIFPkSmhb0PsHDga7o7E9MQHiNGC055Oj1ihaPYGRbDEy_EOa33Iu8GyPz5deoLCNEBJPC_BqshG7DAfzDm14Rr9MzUIwcY9vcCia0q0yLVA9IRxYNy-8ZqUUfU/s400/sjp.jpg" /></a>Sarah Jessica Parker has made hair flair on your wedding day a major trend for the Modern Brides. This gorgeous blue feather not only satisfies the need for hair accessory, but also contributes to the age old, “Something Blue.” SJP combines a major hair accessory and a veil, but I’m just not that trendy.<br /><br />Feather head pieces don’t have to be quite as extreme as the blue Carrie Bradshaw feather. There is a simpler feather hair pin:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd_wDcv5WtTVTQJorC_ypgDGA_Nw4nAHKboXWTGivxUd9bFH5TbvN7s5XjewbPL-hZ9SzvVlWqWzXD5FxoZlpfZb86bMHSPXRifivRxvhZnImkQptOUrf7sdk7L2TPCr1bNQiRDPKGWAE/s1600/feather+headpiece.png"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 330px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466818828966625442" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd_wDcv5WtTVTQJorC_ypgDGA_Nw4nAHKboXWTGivxUd9bFH5TbvN7s5XjewbPL-hZ9SzvVlWqWzXD5FxoZlpfZb86bMHSPXRifivRxvhZnImkQptOUrf7sdk7L2TPCr1bNQiRDPKGWAE/s400/feather+headpiece.png" /></a>or a luscious white feather poof:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTqBjhcLOKpkGniabRXjBI_lyjNr5iBESEiU21Ne0bvVt4CD1_z5Pb9SM1Ab9x7VOQ8InBVvmzidYWCcNuWEfVuVPAhM-XM8StfoSpDY4X28dHu0YtjM2xZHEn9M9vCTDeyEFa6kPqnfw/s1600/ralston-white-retreat-wedding-photos-04.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 272px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466818532556758626" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTqBjhcLOKpkGniabRXjBI_lyjNr5iBESEiU21Ne0bvVt4CD1_z5Pb9SM1Ab9x7VOQ8InBVvmzidYWCcNuWEfVuVPAhM-XM8StfoSpDY4X28dHu0YtjM2xZHEn9M9vCTDeyEFa6kPqnfw/s400/ralston-white-retreat-wedding-photos-04.jpg" /></a>I have kept my eyes out for something feathery like these and preferably blue. I saw something that I thought would be perfect at Hats in the Belfry downtown Annapolis. My bridesmaid, Jen, manages the shop and I pick up shifts there from now and then. They had this small hair clip in turquoise straw and turquoise and yellow feather wisps. I noticed the clip one day when I stopped in to say hello and the next time I came in it was gone. Bummer. <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb2tONTUpxVCxXvFVk6-ZSw6YcQ3E08cvch01GzEQwo2pmxzk_e49jqXnIkKKQID_Fc29gRJ3S5z6_3N4HHG88OfIx0DeKcqOEJ1UjI0pn7NICEkFpgaonFegcEh61-n6MzVdNg8p0dNM/s1600/hair+piece.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466817266174261026" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb2tONTUpxVCxXvFVk6-ZSw6YcQ3E08cvch01GzEQwo2pmxzk_e49jqXnIkKKQID_Fc29gRJ3S5z6_3N4HHG88OfIx0DeKcqOEJ1UjI0pn7NICEkFpgaonFegcEh61-n6MzVdNg8p0dNM/s400/hair+piece.jpg" /></a>Two weekends ago, I was scheduled to work for a few hours on Sunday. When I went in Sunday morning, I noticed a bag of hats in the backroom that had one of these turquoise hair clips sitting right on top. Written on the bag was “Shannon”. I thought to myself “Could that be for me?” I waited for the other sales girl, Ashley, to come in and asked if she knew who that bag of hats was being held for. She had no idea. I anxiously waited two more hours for Kelsey to come in and asked her. She said that a guy named Shannon had put them on hold yesterday, but he never came back. It was a sign! This was destined to be mine!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf2hgpTdNv1-ntMy4IS37wojFnG4iViHZXyCDCdZjqbn1oFe4Gf6c__v2XxNABsaynimj5ZxfBDPV26FqVYYIOo8MH5luQ_it48ZETHPiAkeD__kgeFuCytc-Yv3ZLTovUTB-AqVWWO4A/s1600/Picture+035.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466817080495541938" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf2hgpTdNv1-ntMy4IS37wojFnG4iViHZXyCDCdZjqbn1oFe4Gf6c__v2XxNABsaynimj5ZxfBDPV26FqVYYIOo8MH5luQ_it48ZETHPiAkeD__kgeFuCytc-Yv3ZLTovUTB-AqVWWO4A/s400/Picture+035.jpg" /></a></p>Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12598917504237827013noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1117151154441201660.post-32048886243068864962010-04-28T17:01:00.000-07:002010-04-28T17:17:13.818-07:00Food Finally Finalized!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoJLAQyyZEOa3_Wu3V4iHyIsKjEmMAAlx6ErSULMCEPtSZvUmIhGrNZLAxLcmnjZNki9cleMBWYsyZST31zQPaLu2w2yupJSRXIUSA0UcQdd9TITlGBv__2hVxRW74955iUfvrk3TCev0/s1600/Latke+%26+kisses.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465345832060613330" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoJLAQyyZEOa3_Wu3V4iHyIsKjEmMAAlx6ErSULMCEPtSZvUmIhGrNZLAxLcmnjZNki9cleMBWYsyZST31zQPaLu2w2yupJSRXIUSA0UcQdd9TITlGBv__2hVxRW74955iUfvrk3TCev0/s400/Latke+%26+kisses.JPG" /></a>I am very excited to finally share some of the details of our catering! As you may have read in my earlier <a href="http://shannonandevan.blogspot.com/2010/02/blog-post.html">post</a>, we are having a cocktail style reception. We have been working diligently to convey our vision for our reception in many a catering meeting. I am so happy to report that we finally found a caterer who gets it. Zingerman’s Catering it is! For those of you from Michigan (particularly the Ann Arbor area) you may already know all about Zingermans. They started as a small deli in the 1980’s and have expanded their business to be a staple of the Ann Arbor Community by serving quality fresh made foods. The food and the service are sure to be amazing. Check out this excerpt from their <a href="http://www.zingermanscatering.com/about-us/">website</a>.<br /><br /><em>We pride ourselves on treating our guests like royalty (in fact, we’ve written a book about it). With Zingerman’s Catering and Events you can be confident that the service will be five star.</em><br /><div><br />So far we have received great service from our contact, Laura. Exceptional service is a wonderful thing, but if the food is no good, it doesn’t really matter. Trust me when I say this, the food is going to be delicious! We had four people at the menu tasting in March: Evan, me, Evan’s Mom, Jane and Evan’s sister, Jessica. We all left stuffed and satisfied. Here were some of the favorites:</div><div></div><br /><div>Bruschetta</div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRw9f9X9svdGRR5O3IPAA3CrObRmDf_BZ98E5qkSbP-usOwF78Mb4B5Th0iG0Mvob0kcgAxNAjnEugwM3EdBVxHWAvNE4a3_hUatBbC3g1Zhs9cYERYGLm9qpRLcJg0fZQGEWFv8QPzGY/s1600/bruschetta.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465344938747301378" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRw9f9X9svdGRR5O3IPAA3CrObRmDf_BZ98E5qkSbP-usOwF78Mb4B5Th0iG0Mvob0kcgAxNAjnEugwM3EdBVxHWAvNE4a3_hUatBbC3g1Zhs9cYERYGLm9qpRLcJg0fZQGEWFv8QPzGY/s400/bruschetta.JPG" /></a><em>Our Bakehouse baguette is made to eat the same day it is baked, with a thin crispy crust and a soft interior. Grilled baguette slices are topped with a creamy spread made with Zingerman’s Creamery cream cheese and imported Italian Roi pesto, or fresh tomatoes with fresh basil.</em><br /><br /><div align="left">We sampled two types of Bruschetta, tomato and pesto. Both were absolutely delicious! This was probably my second favorite thing that we tasted. I was on the fence about serving bruschetta, but after tasting this, we knew it was a must have.</div><br /><div align="left">Meat Skewers </div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmboqznRKn9fvFBE7PT0PCvsmDKjXXJmFimtmjN_fC-Ga_AP-SoV1uclEDbnKA5Q4tA2Dpn0p2BmJXWouxPkReUpSzMDpn2_iCvA_kPaUSZVbgy0B3nqAgzyawkmfYZleY3DCzLmAJlBU/s1600/beef+%26+chicken.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465344326972579810" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmboqznRKn9fvFBE7PT0PCvsmDKjXXJmFimtmjN_fC-Ga_AP-SoV1uclEDbnKA5Q4tA2Dpn0p2BmJXWouxPkReUpSzMDpn2_iCvA_kPaUSZVbgy0B3nqAgzyawkmfYZleY3DCzLmAJlBU/s400/beef+%26+chicken.JPG" /></a><em>Marinated chicken with spicy peanut sauce, ginger and balsamic vinegar. </em><br /><br /><div align="left">When talking about how we should serve meat, a skewer sounded like a great option. You don’t need a knife to eat off a skewer and it keeps everything bite-sized so you can grab as many or as few as you like. We are going with the chicken skewer which should hopefully be a crowd pleaser.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><br /><br />Italian Platter<br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBRv4QYrRwVGm5QDHnQgaGFmRDTz_4_gfbPo4OeJA5wI_OaEufYYJIj2RcaCQhBBHBFNnAygTdFVo6Wy_cMW85gMpqptscDciH1_Nc5-bBra3m3o0rPIs5Kyj2D6PTb0IO_m11qbY90Fo/s1600/Italian+Platter.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465343605289146898" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBRv4QYrRwVGm5QDHnQgaGFmRDTz_4_gfbPo4OeJA5wI_OaEufYYJIj2RcaCQhBBHBFNnAygTdFVo6Wy_cMW85gMpqptscDciH1_Nc5-bBra3m3o0rPIs5Kyj2D6PTb0IO_m11qbY90Fo/s400/Italian+Platter.JPG" /></a><em>Classic antipasti at its absolute best. We selected the best of our Italian salamis and cheeses and curated a selection just for you, featuring genoa salami handkerchiefs, Parmigiano-Reggiano bites and aged provolone pyramids.</em><br /><br /><div align="left">Another item we were “on the fence” about was the antipasti platter. We narrowed the selection down significantly from all the items we tasted, but let me tell you, I could eat handfuls of the parmigiano-reggiano. This will be a nice little bite for people who like some salty cheeses and salamis.<br /><br />Meatballs<br /></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465343211238087026" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUAywYhH19SaZW0hWBvQL3FulGgBnMfX4imitEnuDEj_YzgDf-1Fq1FPL90iu1zT1CXDdBVDp6NisJjX1OF6PJ14Q5Pwv3W1m1gOmcHjsONVaHx_OWzTwQnFMI_uLsknZmgvCLko9gpvo/s400/meatball.JPG" /> A<em> very old family recipe from food writer Elizabeth Minchilli’s Italian mother-in-law. Served in homemade tomato sauce. We use local beef from D-Kay Cattle.</em><br /><br /><div align="left">Meatballs are a little less formal for a wedding, but these were my absolute favorite thing that we tasted. They were delicious at room temperature which is most likely how they will be served. I didn’t want a big steel warmer as part of our food display, so I am happy that they could work with us on that.<br /></div><div align="left">I am confident that the food will be a memorable part of our day because of the beautiful display, great service and amazing tastes. I can not wait to chow down. I hope someone saves me a plate! </div></div>Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12598917504237827013noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1117151154441201660.post-54656332430864702822010-04-27T15:52:00.000-07:002010-04-27T15:54:31.520-07:00Invitations<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ObOXVLC-wZ6dDziFDPj2Jy_tzg8R6DN6V4hVCWY6PtNoxNqlkdRpHhXiPDip9sz2Uu7laah5hXahd1AVsH4-nPESC3Gk8h7wcBV-YML_OPVP7ZrZEs9ebnVyCjbP4uv-2f3PwP539pQ/s1600/invitations.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464954328214682738" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ObOXVLC-wZ6dDziFDPj2Jy_tzg8R6DN6V4hVCWY6PtNoxNqlkdRpHhXiPDip9sz2Uu7laah5hXahd1AVsH4-nPESC3Gk8h7wcBV-YML_OPVP7ZrZEs9ebnVyCjbP4uv-2f3PwP539pQ/s400/invitations.jpg" /></a>Photo from Still Dottie </div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left">I am pretty confident that most if not all guests have received our invites by now. I have wanted to share these babies since before they were even printed. These beautiful invitations were designed by our good friend, <a href="http://stilldottie.blogspot.com/2010/04/letterpress-wedding-invites.html">Ann</a>, and printed by <a href="http://www.swashpress.com/">Swash Press</a>. The orange is our wedding color, but everything else was completely Ann’s design. They are just so lovely. I couldn’t be happier.<br /><br />Now we just wait for the RSVPs to come in. </div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left">60 days to go!!! </div>Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12598917504237827013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1117151154441201660.post-29471835971289993422010-04-22T18:31:00.000-07:002010-04-22T18:43:38.987-07:00Invitation Postage<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh1RLI192FjQl-jlJA49FMaEtz7soLIIIOLF3zhCb3eW7x6yteKCEQ4mCBL1R5ftiwET58d695yovRqAs-_L0IWb-BXA-k2q2w2VSI0ebg5cX_086e-ADrMS9tYRSRtZBIZLiu-O_dklo/s1600/Picture+036.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463142298154031666" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh1RLI192FjQl-jlJA49FMaEtz7soLIIIOLF3zhCb3eW7x6yteKCEQ4mCBL1R5ftiwET58d695yovRqAs-_L0IWb-BXA-k2q2w2VSI0ebg5cX_086e-ADrMS9tYRSRtZBIZLiu-O_dklo/s400/Picture+036.jpg" /></a>I am getting really antsy to post our wedding invites, but since they might not have reached all of our guests just yet, I have to use some restraint. What I can post for you today is a little story about our wedding postage.<br /><br />I have been shopping around for websites that do custom postage. I thought it might be fun to print a custom stamp to use on our invites and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">RSVPs</span>. This is becoming pretty popular on the wedding planning circuit. Different couples choose different options for custom stamps.<br /><br />Some use wedding themed stamps:<br /><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwUWvdsSI74-kWVxX049KGapXVoJFBu5P5a3rE7yUR4x8AUqIV_A_7Gl0-OI5s1_cZU6L7FG5TJkC5D-wnm8fiypAnutDFEeIxWOb1HXx3uXTafsZaeX9HI3Z5BfSPYkf0t0VPi3ZJitY/s1600/ring+stamp.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 124px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 96px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463142126110795266" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwUWvdsSI74-kWVxX049KGapXVoJFBu5P5a3rE7yUR4x8AUqIV_A_7Gl0-OI5s1_cZU6L7FG5TJkC5D-wnm8fiypAnutDFEeIxWOb1HXx3uXTafsZaeX9HI3Z5BfSPYkf0t0VPi3ZJitY/s400/ring+stamp.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsWofdsYl9qdYYqAremf3dyb7aMlFpdYE2cO3L71MMp4jYeMGcAvWLvrLEQGXykaDMzIsFdmAIPajP6t4TzC8Izq52f8R8NEPw8NVa8ESpRhU1ENHGC1cAhF3_zjn52Rgvz68GBWYiqlI/s1600/cake+stamp.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 116px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 116px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463142018051726130" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsWofdsYl9qdYYqAremf3dyb7aMlFpdYE2cO3L71MMp4jYeMGcAvWLvrLEQGXykaDMzIsFdmAIPajP6t4TzC8Izq52f8R8NEPw8NVa8ESpRhU1ENHGC1cAhF3_zjn52Rgvz68GBWYiqlI/s400/cake+stamp.jpg" /></a>Some couples go for a personal picture of themselves: </p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8On9Szi4bKzu7sR7FYTNLD9-jY-gXS9g02XsJR5gXk0h920dxsRanbqpb7wCh8ulecH5YvfmkvdC1tI5S1zZSuC-OObvoUi9YvJTBrEQSUSjBnAZY61c9YrqXwcfLid4-9H7E-KA67h4/s1600/evandshan+stamp.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 124px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463141722276419970" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8On9Szi4bKzu7sR7FYTNLD9-jY-gXS9g02XsJR5gXk0h920dxsRanbqpb7wCh8ulecH5YvfmkvdC1tI5S1zZSuC-OObvoUi9YvJTBrEQSUSjBnAZY61c9YrqXwcfLid4-9H7E-KA67h4/s200/evandshan+stamp.jpg" /></a>Since we <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">didn</span>’t really want something too wedding-y and we can never agree on a picture of the two of us that we both like, we decided to try to find something to represent our destination, Detroit! I searched for images of Detroit logos, Detroit landmarks and Detroit <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">cityscapes</span>. I came up with a lot of great images, but had to narrow it down. Evan and I decided that we both really liked the image of the Spirit of Detroit. So, I uploaded this picture and planned to print a stamp that would look like this: </p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg98GnkRSbGCu9reG1xQntP6Dqyp4WTXezGk3V5ZrVEpzev6cYpm8FR9uCQgSlwXZa0xRbZvBNManx_OESDimLYgqY2vaMYot6UTA4Cm40KqQ6MC7w2SJyUZPdEGS_owhwbgMkf00Z9qXk/s1600/spirit+stamp.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 124px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463141572354228226" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg98GnkRSbGCu9reG1xQntP6Dqyp4WTXezGk3V5ZrVEpzev6cYpm8FR9uCQgSlwXZa0xRbZvBNManx_OESDimLYgqY2vaMYot6UTA4Cm40KqQ6MC7w2SJyUZPdEGS_owhwbgMkf00Z9qXk/s200/spirit+stamp.jpg" /></a>We plan to have our photo taken in front of this famous landmark on our wedding day, so it seemed a great landmark to represent Detroit. It was very surprising when I received an email from the website stating something to the effect of, “we can not print your stamps because it violates our policy to not print any religious symbols.” (This is extremely paraphrased.)<br /><br />What???<br /><br />Don’t they know that this is a monument that is dressed in a Red Wings jersey on a regular basis? He wore the Detroit Tigers jersey a few years back when they were in the World Series and he was even dressed in a tuxedo one year when the Three Tenors came to Detroit. I never thought of this is a religious symbol. It is more like Detroit city’s Statue of Liberty. Since I can’t argue with a website, I had to pick something else to use on our stamp. For fear of being rejected again, and not wanting to waste too much more time, I decided to make a compromise with myself. I would use a regular postage stamp for the invite envelopes:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNlEGtKI6r0Rovy5kUgFTBgWQNpHujehP2q7XjqJKmTBR_Ebdjf2sQlvaIF59OEGWwrVtUyf3-SJtw5VhBQZliMDlq-BsqXlwYDa_vv96yE7dE2gssgfUfq-ajtgStxWHDUk8mpff_AkU/s1600/wedding+stamp3.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 132px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463140408035994354" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNlEGtKI6r0Rovy5kUgFTBgWQNpHujehP2q7XjqJKmTBR_Ebdjf2sQlvaIF59OEGWwrVtUyf3-SJtw5VhBQZliMDlq-BsqXlwYDa_vv96yE7dE2gssgfUfq-ajtgStxWHDUk8mpff_AkU/s200/wedding+stamp3.jpg" /></a>And customize our RSVP stamp with an image that is more personal to us: </p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh073XqrPg8nByEQNfe51XfaTGKGRky6bjVvtQ0aBZjCDRFXGv0qxxE3rQ10jq79-cqXrz6imPCy1cVyuWH4RszBaaK5yxcuUdwbREojo9vs3Q752Uhf0CRP6krgGsN1yalslBYwX35S9c/s1600/bluebird+stamp.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 124px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463139961758146354" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh073XqrPg8nByEQNfe51XfaTGKGRky6bjVvtQ0aBZjCDRFXGv0qxxE3rQ10jq79-cqXrz6imPCy1cVyuWH4RszBaaK5yxcuUdwbREojo9vs3Q752Uhf0CRP6krgGsN1yalslBYwX35S9c/s200/bluebird+stamp.jpg" /></a>We used the bluebird image created by our good friend Ann. I absolutely love it! We are using this image as part of our wedding logo, so it only seems fitting that it be part of our invites. It all worked out in the end, so maybe it was a sign from a higher power, or from the streets of Detroit. </p>Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12598917504237827013noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1117151154441201660.post-74606096182617487032010-04-20T17:01:00.001-07:002010-04-20T17:05:29.564-07:00Final FloralsI recently received an email from my Crate and Barrel registry stating that we are 68 days away from our wedding date. Ahhhh! It is coming up quick. Good thing that big decisions are getting finalized. One of those big decisions was the flower arrangements for our wedding reception. After some inspiration from www.theknot.com I worked with my florist to create a unique floral plan. We will have three different arrangements in cube glass vases in 4 inch, 5 inch and 6 inch. Each arrangement will have one type of flower.<br /><br />Orange roses:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGD3yZXqNjgV4PVLn4TMXw7yH7T3V5T_8xxZtCqcu6D8D2hf7267XK9ZQce129DOnyrcxLdWM6TwUzCHx-6K8ns3S5BAjgekVz4xRzSB7rXnXyulqBbbFMP7aE_DykRp6axclydtYOpPA/s1600/centerpiece+ideas+4.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 310px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462374754844223074" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGD3yZXqNjgV4PVLn4TMXw7yH7T3V5T_8xxZtCqcu6D8D2hf7267XK9ZQce129DOnyrcxLdWM6TwUzCHx-6K8ns3S5BAjgekVz4xRzSB7rXnXyulqBbbFMP7aE_DykRp6axclydtYOpPA/s400/centerpiece+ideas+4.jpg" /></a>Green hydrangeas:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4lQVD1cpzXZlHU01hsrfRqubKf1WTAd20pI0BTzLIWCfUAqrsFTFpdQ4DlJPkU04BUD8gvM6oZEBj6DDN_qYE3K1mvS9OmEDFuxpfo0OpWGOozDMevaNgnCJgl4G9MYhKGJSGxGRwh9E/s1600/centerpiece+ideas+2.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 310px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462374540107083490" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4lQVD1cpzXZlHU01hsrfRqubKf1WTAd20pI0BTzLIWCfUAqrsFTFpdQ4DlJPkU04BUD8gvM6oZEBj6DDN_qYE3K1mvS9OmEDFuxpfo0OpWGOozDMevaNgnCJgl4G9MYhKGJSGxGRwh9E/s400/centerpiece+ideas+2.jpg" /></a>Cream lisianthus (like roses):<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKVMlHK5d1ngIsz0yo8APRGrokGfuequRXMmijY36Oj62Ex-3AOK0CI6ZhyphenhyphenOnvBCCdzGUiCt8eJZe8HLymlGD5RGWGOfFyde5XNgfbYrCFt2Vk1njmI3osexZDB0rDaAdQjLFYnUkMA1s/s1600/lisianthus.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 310px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462374413198840770" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKVMlHK5d1ngIsz0yo8APRGrokGfuequRXMmijY36Oj62Ex-3AOK0CI6ZhyphenhyphenOnvBCCdzGUiCt8eJZe8HLymlGD5RGWGOfFyde5XNgfbYrCFt2Vk1njmI3osexZDB0rDaAdQjLFYnUkMA1s/s400/lisianthus.jpg" /></a>Because that was much too easy, I asked that we switch up the arrangements on each table, so that we have a different look on each table. It got so complicated to explain that I had to put in on a map that my planner created for the table set up.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ0sePBQmTV7S5VlQ9F3-tUvt_QGolXd63jzKNKKEYVi4XpIdRFn80qY8Tlm4FWoc2HMo9K57t5WPKaVfIkvh3isG5bU0TCfFWMucmkIb0g2UKJ3FKK_GvN5OQtcG_BbudXVl4njyUfQg/s1600/Table+Set-Up.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462374243898126610" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ0sePBQmTV7S5VlQ9F3-tUvt_QGolXd63jzKNKKEYVi4XpIdRFn80qY8Tlm4FWoc2HMo9K57t5WPKaVfIkvh3isG5bU0TCfFWMucmkIb0g2UKJ3FKK_GvN5OQtcG_BbudXVl4njyUfQg/s400/Table+Set-Up.jpg" /></a>I think the creamy color pallet of oranges, creams and greens will look really nice on the bright orange table linens. I can’t wait to see them in real life!Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12598917504237827013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1117151154441201660.post-43875589539978804512010-04-19T15:01:00.001-07:002010-04-19T15:12:58.364-07:00Hair ExcitementI was having major hair dilemmas last week. My hair is longer than it has been since I graduated from college, my color had faded and I was just not feeling like myself. I started to think more about what I wanted to do with my hair for my wedding day look and was feeling quite overwhelmed. You see, not to brag, but I have had some really awesome hair styles in the past few years. My stylist is amazingly talented and for at least the last 6 years, I am used to having people ask where I get my hair done. That puts some pressure on a bride who happens to work for a hair salon and who has a history of award winning (literally) hair cuts.<br /><br /><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0v2zCv2VLSm92XB370I0jLUWhgW_lqtHBicmRec2F1RRfYJr5FzV1R9bTx30Xl3ekdviFzF5x1W0A2b__1dVvTByTVpXd8Pclo8ZAaG71Tg3EwqAmX-0wpN_dCzDtRkywirXVwrsvZpE/s1600/hair2.bmp"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 252px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461973702922343186" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0v2zCv2VLSm92XB370I0jLUWhgW_lqtHBicmRec2F1RRfYJr5FzV1R9bTx30Xl3ekdviFzF5x1W0A2b__1dVvTByTVpXd8Pclo8ZAaG71Tg3EwqAmX-0wpN_dCzDtRkywirXVwrsvZpE/s400/hair2.bmp" /></a>Hair Style from 2005 </div><br />I was seriously stressed out about my hair problems and to make matters worse, I was having a really tough time finding hair inspiration in Bridal Magazines or on Wedding blogs. I do not want to wear my hair in an up-do style for my big day. I know this is going to sound odd, but I am really self conscious about my long neck. I know many women wish to have a long slender ballerina neck, but as a former ballerina, I don’t want to look like I am performing Swan Lake at my wedding. Does that make sense?<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461972899633033010" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR7jL646NeW6_TgR1tgArpmcB6pC3inSe3nhbcdCN0cXzVvttj7RDsxZWWe373LXdfxwU3FecGtecGLLVxXteM2ozjYaCfPTJQnpzbmVHL2WgdJnJTP-JhkBOE_Fh0LVp5CjFCXFMr3ZA/s400/hair.bmp" /><br /><p align="center">Hair Style from 2006</p><p align="left">Hair stylists that I work with were telling me that I had to find a style where I felt like myself, not like a person dressed as a bride. My problem was I couldn’t visualize what “looking like me” would be. I was seriously thinking about telling my stylist to chop it all off and just go as a short hair bride. Thank goodness I didn’t go through with that. </p><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGgF4TfhDJyvTkgzDYzy1BdeJ-hnZj8TNZ7ntMJPNfn7ekSUpUFffUWh2Z9NbEnTAX-Y-Aqjbsgkl7dUaAOOp3Ijc4aX3UN6TzUyXKyBEGbdMUPgM2nBpjfkI7JFY21vEGxUe149xz14w/s1600/hair3.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461972523045390690" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGgF4TfhDJyvTkgzDYzy1BdeJ-hnZj8TNZ7ntMJPNfn7ekSUpUFffUWh2Z9NbEnTAX-Y-Aqjbsgkl7dUaAOOp3Ijc4aX3UN6TzUyXKyBEGbdMUPgM2nBpjfkI7JFY21vEGxUe149xz14w/s400/hair3.jpg" /></a> <div align="center">Hair Style from 2006</div><br /><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="left">I had my appointment last Thursday and vented my frustration to my stylist and good friend, Jamie Sugg @ Bubbles in the Annapolis Mall. She said, “Of course you don’t feel like yourself, your color is totally faded.” Then after a very short lecture about not washing my hair every day, we decided…I am going to be a funky bride. My hair is usually funky in real life, so why try to get conservative for the big day? Jamie as usual created a beautiful look with vibrant color and didn’t cut one inch off the length. I feel like a new person and am really excited for my look on my wedding day.</div><div align="left"><br />She said straight to me, “You don’t have to worry about what your hair is going to look like on your wedding day. That is my job.” Isn’t she the best?!<br /><br /></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461972305047176226" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-YzXRtUUqNNKtLH2Q7csyNTPxBvAOPcfc8QVKHbFXTTHzuJL6_YUhO-2Nsd-dBEhueiuive4x_Sxul-y9PzTSLcNH2Actke5fe_w-N7gy3NfL7PXED-7r7CcgZVytwnSAc6XlJq9b-M8/s400/Picture+037.jpg" /> <p align="center">Picture from 2010!</p>Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12598917504237827013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1117151154441201660.post-54632909795875019832010-04-18T14:46:00.001-07:002010-04-18T14:49:42.187-07:00Wedding Day Timeline<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguenDd_o7W3e0pMTQgGlN2nccWQXDlDZWOFY249o7J1TdPibDVkxGgr7v57MUesvBfdNVWua-MwWDYTCfELuHqF8W9mA2v6f2Cln95eKZCJjxwmLfwo4VwnEDhwgds779Pe1qh5hNH9sQ/s1600/Wedding+Day+Timeline.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461597838104128178" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguenDd_o7W3e0pMTQgGlN2nccWQXDlDZWOFY249o7J1TdPibDVkxGgr7v57MUesvBfdNVWua-MwWDYTCfELuHqF8W9mA2v6f2Cln95eKZCJjxwmLfwo4VwnEDhwgds779Pe1qh5hNH9sQ/s400/Wedding+Day+Timeline.jpg" /></a>As our date approaches, I am starting to work out some of the little details for our wedding day. One of those little details was inspired by a post on one of my favorite wedding blogs, <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/04/14/wedding-day-timeline-a-la-pug/">Weddingbee</a>. One of the brides posted an adorable wedding timeline that I recreated for our wedding day. This timeline is not the same as the timeline for the Bridal Party. That one will have many more times and places that people need to be. The purpose of this timeline is to let guests know what is coming next on our wedding day.<br /><br />Guests for the most part know that the wedding starts at 7:30pm Saturday and the reception follows directly after. The wedding day activities like the cake cutting and the first dance might not happen exactly on schedule, but are fun to have on the timeline. The activities that guests might not know about include cocktails in the lobby bar on Friday night @8pm and the trolley pick up times the day of the wedding. This seems like a really fun way to let guests know about those two things, especially.<br /><div><br />I had a few other items that I thought about listing on the timeline. The rehearsal dinner on Friday evening, but that doesn’t apply to all of our guests. The last trolley stop on our wedding night at 1am, but we know who will need to be informed of this little tid (mostly members of the wedding party). We are also having breakfast at the hotel restaurant Sunday morning, but we aren’t planning a “Farewell Brunch”. We plan to have breakfast around 9:30-10:00am on Sunday and will be available to meet with guests who are staying overnight. Two reasons I don’t want to include this on the timeline is 1) we might sleep in and miss this and 2) I don’t want people to think we are providing a breakfast (we just didn’t have it in the budget.) </div><div><br />I think we have a good number of items on our timeline and we will have to find another way to communicate the extras to our guests who need to know. </div><div><br />Here is the timeline I modeled my creation from:<br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 259px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461597393380579970" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6qtn8A1mIO0hNEJapZdpsZNbdwtog_d7v2mI3HBxsfMT8IzK82jAzWTwoXTWfH7OhEoEspz7c_uMdvQV8xVl3NIx3fVQXs_hdrBDJo2gSTlAiLq1eTsiJmGMb3MpKRqwvIM-X51ROOXo/s400/timeline+idea.jpg" /> </div>Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12598917504237827013noreply@blogger.com0