my Wedding–part 1

In October, Casey and I will be married 7 years.
Last year I showed a few photos of our day but realized…..I don’t have the best pictures to share.
It’s such a shame.
We had a nice photographer but none of the files are digital, there aren’t many “lifestyle” photos or fun close-ups to capture the details of the day, and it was before I–or other family members–had nice cameras. So we’re left with a handful of simple pics.
But I’m hoping to change that!

Last year I also promised I’d pull the wedding dress out of my mom’s closet, try it on, and share the details with you.
So this summer, I did!
And it fit!
Then I asked my friend Katie if she’d take bridal portraits of me (funny, right? 7 years later?) She did a phenomenal job.

Then I thought, why not share my wedding planning book and other details too?
I’m certainly no wedding expert. Our party was simple and pretty and I loved it. But who doesn’t love a few wedding ideas and pics?

I’m breaking the photos into two posts:
Today–the wedding details, colors, and design
Tomorrow--the dress, designing it, the cute lady who made it, and the updated pics!
————————————————–

COLOR:
Classic red and hot pink.
I wanted it to be fun and bright, but classy and girly–with a Spanish/Flamenco twist? Haah. Pretty sure I didn’t achieve that. But if money was no object, I can still picture it in my mind.

Now this was long before Pinterest. So I made a simple 3-ring planning binder and filled it with inspiration pics from magazines. Cute dresses and colors I like:
I just love the compliment and contrast of red and pink.
I organized everything into sections and while it was helpful in the moment, I’m also glad I have it now. It’s fun to flip through the book and remember those days of excitement and preparation.
And…..I just couldn’t help jumping on Pinterest to see what other pretty pictures I could find. Check out my Red and Hot Pink Party board for more ideas.

red heels * red and hot pink dress * magenta paper flowers * red tissue pom poms * pink flowers * red and pink cake and flowers

And here’s the simple color scheme we came up with up. Not the best photo but here we are with my parents and 4 of my siblings. My sister Camille’s pink two-piece outfit is my favorite.

HAIR:
I wanted my hair pulled back so the dress would shine and I could wear dangly earrings. The photo on the right is my favorite but I just went with a simple bun and a white flower on the side (similar to the photo on the left).
SHOES:
I love this picture, pulled out of mag:
It was exactly what I wanted and man, I’d still love those shoes. I searched high and low for something similar (within my price range of course) and settled on some white strappy sandals, sans the bling strap.

And…I don’t have a single photo of them!
See, I told you we’re missing all sorts of details from the day. And over the years of moving I must have given them away cause I can’t find them now.

The understudy?
Last-minute heels from Payless:
I bought these for the updated dress pictures that I’m sharing tomorrow.
Not bad for cheap shoes!

JEWELRY:
I’m in the camp of either a showy necklace or showy earrings–but not both. So I went with dangly diamond earrings, no necklace, my princess cut wedding ring, and this beautiful handmade bracelet.

(one real; the rest imposters)

The bracelet is made of iridescent glass beads, strung in lines–each line slightly longer than the previous. My friend had made one for herself and when I commented on it, she made one for me to wear on my wedding day. How sweet is that? I still love it.
CAKES:
I was pretty much decided on this before looking at pics. Everyone in my family has had the same dark chocolate cake with white chocolate cream frosting–topped with white chocolate shavings. Oh wow. It’s amazing. So that’s what I went with (of course no pics!)
So here are some other pictures I had pulled out of magazines. Who knew Vons grocery store made pretty cakes?
The cake on the left is a fun idea–mostly because of the cute party favors below. Caramel apples for everyone! Darling.
And if you’ve been pinning this last month, certainly you’ve noticed a few of these ruffled cakes. They are just the prettiest thing ever.
DECOR and Atmosphere:
My idea was to have a draping canopy of fabric and lights to make my parent’s backyard feel like a colorful tent (similar to the pinterest photo collage above). We drew it out and strategized but the logistics just weren’t working. So we went with a canopy of lights instead–stringing them in lines over the tables, from the house to the fence. Here’s the best photo I could find–though it was much more charming in person.
And more important to me than the decor was the atmosphere of the party. We had tons of yummy food, desserts, and a live jazz band–that was the main thing I wanted. And the music really made the party.
Of course a bazillion balloons would have been fun too.
And some days I think I should have done something entirely different and bright:

I’ll just have to wait till Lucy gets married….and remember that she might want something that has me scratching my head. Who knows what the future holds.

Have a great Thursday!
See you tomorrow with NEW wedding dress pictures and info!

  1. 1) Sarah

    Love your energy.
    Always choose wedding shoes with closed toes….means “good luck”! Bet you never heard that one…..

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  2. 3) Elen

    I remembered my wedding)))) mmmmmmmmmmm Thank you))

  3. 4) Carrie

    I knew it was the LA Temple when I saw The Tree! Beautiful pictures and I admire that you can zip up your dress. Our wedding pictures were a disappointment, so this is a great idea.

  4. 5) Stargirl

    I’m so happy you’re LDS! That makes me love your blog even more. 🙂

  5. I had a feeling you were LDS! I really enjoy your blog and all of those great projects! Thank you! You have a super sweet family too!

  6. 7) Anaise

    I was looking at your circle skirt pattern (I’m making 12 of them out of silver lame for all of the nieces to wear at my brother’s wedding this summer!!! 8 down, 4 to go . . .), when I got tired and decided to hop around a bit here. This post made me a little bit mushy because my husband and I were married in the LA temple nearly 15 years ago–our anniversary is in 6 weeks. 🙂

    I love to feel a little bit mushy at random times.

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