Miss Capitol Hill Wedding Recap - The Getaway

Because we were staying at the same Inn where we were having our reception, we weren't going to have an end-of-evening getaway, but I love the idea of getaways so we had one from the church to the reception.  

I have to say that I LOVED LOVED LOVED our streamer throws that we used for our grand exit.  They were so much fun for us and for our guests. All the testing I did trying to decide between paper vs. mylar, colored vs. monochome, and Favors You Keep vs. Aerotechnic paid off. 

The multicolored, mylar streamerthrows from Aerotechnic were awesome and made for some really great pictures ...just as I had hoped!  And the best part: b/c they stay attached to each person's hand it makes clean-up super easy...just gather the plastic pods and throw away. 

All photos below the work of Linda Wallace

^Everyone lined up as we got ready to head for the car

^Streamers Away!!!

^It actually started to get difficult to move through all the streamers!

^And we only had streamer throws for about half the guests...imagine if we had one per person!

^It even looks great in black and white!

^Finally we make it to the car

^But the streamers are still attached!

^O.k. now we are streamer free and ready to take off

^This picture is awesome...it's Husband and I in one of the side mirrors 

^And we're off!

To be 100% honest as much fun as our getaway was it didn't go 100% according to plan. I wanted the streamer throws thrown in the church as we walked down the aisle. And despite communicating that over and over again with our coordinator, that message did not get to our guests.  Just another example of one of those things that the bride realizes is wrong and no one else does.  Although Husband and I did have slightly confused looks on our faces when we walked down the aisle and no one threw anything, in the end...it worked out. 

Next up: The Reception!

Vendors So Far:

Video- Monachetti

Photography - Linda Wallace

Hair/Makeup- Daphne Latham

Dress Designer - Vwidon

Dress Salon - Promise for the Savvy Bride

Shoes - Vera Wang new from Ebay

Bracelet- Carolee

Veil- Occansey Design

Purse - Belk

Hair Flower - Ella's Alley

Flowers - Blue Ridge Floral

Suits- Men's Wearhouse

Ties - Wild Ties

Socks - The Gap

Bridesmaid Dresses - Maggy London from Nordstrom

Flower Girl Dress- Rare Editions from Dillards

Sportscar - Sports Car Rental

Reception/Accommodations - The Clifton Inn

Getaway Streamerthrows - Aerotechnic

Miss Capitol Hill Wedding Recap - The Ceremony

Now it's time for the ceremony - 

All photos below the work of Linda Wallace 

^We began with the reading of i carry your heart with me 

^In case you are wondering this is the look a bride gives when someone walks in late during the first reading 

^But the groom is paying attention!

^Ok, I'm paying attention now too. Both fiance and I got a little teary during this reading 

^Pastor Garth says a few words about why we are there 

^Time for more readings - I loved that our readers stood up where they were sitting to read. The church was small enough that everyone could hear, so they didn't need to be at the front with a microphone. 

^I like this shot of my dress and veil 

^Once the readings were done we moved up onto the alter to do our vows and the ring exchange. Fiance was crying when he said his vows which I think got everyone choked up. 

^Fiance putting my ring on my hand

^This is me putting his ring on.  He has huge knuckles so I really had to force it on...it was pretty funny as you can tell from the looks on our faces. 

^Our guests were snapping away 

^The Kiss

^Fiance wiping his nose after the kiss... no one ever thinks that the groom might get emotional and need handkerchiefs so we weren't prepared with any tissues! 

^It's official!

^Coming down the aisle 

^Outside the chapel

^Now we turned to greet our guests and get all the well wishes 

^Needless to say people were happy! 

^There were lots of hugs and kisses all around

Next up...the getaway! 

Miss Capitol Hill Wedding Recap - Walking Down the Aisle

After we were done with a few pics of just us, it was time to start the ceremony. 

^Here are the beautiful wreaths from our florist Blue Ridge Floral Design 

^I told our florist that I wanted green and white wreaths, but that I wanted them to look "modern" which for me meant not having traditional wreath florals like roses and hydrangea. I think she did an awesome job. 

^And here is the inside of our tiny little chapel 

^This is the view from the front looking out the door 

^Our pew florals, which I also loved.  Also from Blue Ridge Floral Design 

^Here come the guys!

^Waiting outside the church 

^I love this pic of my nephew! He escorted my Mom

^Waiting to head into the church 

^Here I come! The families, groomsmen, bridesmaids, and flower girl came before but for the sake of brevity I'm skipping to the key moment 

 

^Fiance watching me walk down the aisle 

^Coming down the aisle. One of my friend's husbands had just whispered something like "you look awesome"...which is why I'm looking at him and not at my groom! Haha 

^Now my eyes are where they are supposed to be! For such a short aisle it still seemed like a long walk when you have everyone watching you

^Finally, we're ready to start the ceremony! My flower hair clip is from Etsy seller Ella's Alley. When I bought it in Feb it was only $9! Her prices have gone up a bit but they are  a steal compared to some of the other hair clips people are selling for upwards of $100 or more. I just didn't see the point in spending that much money and I was thrilled with how my little $9 flower came out. 

Vendors So Far:

Video- Monachetti

Photography - Linda Wallace

Hair/Makeup- Daphne Latham

Dress Designer - Vwidon

Dress Salon - Promise for the Savvy Bride

Shoes - Vera Wang new from Ebay

Bracelet- Carolee

Veil- Occansey Design

Purse - Belk

Hair Flower - Ella's Alley 

Flowers - Blue Ridge Floral 

Suits- Men's Wearhouse

Ties - Wild Ties

Socks - The Gap

Bridesmaid Dresses - Maggy London from Nordstrom

Flower Girl Dress- Rare Editions from Dillards

Sportscar - Sports Car Rental

Reception/Accomodations - The Clifton Inn

Miss Capitol Hill Wedding Recap - The Video

I know I've been major MIA lately, but I'm back to go through the details of my wedding day!

Unlike most brides who like to reveal the wedding to you piece by piece starting with the beginning of their day I'm going to do the exact opposite and show you the whole thing all at once and then go back to the details! I'm going to start with one of my favorite wedding vendors, our videographer - Michael Eller from Monachetti.

Check out our awesome video below (don't worry it's only about 6.5 minutes, so it'll be a good little break from the work you're supposed to be doing).

^Needless to say much of the video quality is lost when it's played through youtube, but the original is full sized, super crisp, and the lighting is better.

I've spoken before about my earlier disdain for wedding videography, so no one was more surprised then me that one of my favorite things from the wedding is something I once swore I didn't even want.

Here are just some of the reasons I'm thrilled with Monachetti -

1) Unobtrusive - Mike from Monachetti was barely noticeable throughout the day. I've seen videographers at other weddings with huge cameras, bright lights, and the cameraman literally in the face of the bride, groom, and guests. But with Mike there were no lights and no giant cameras, and he definitely wasn't in my face...just him and a handheld. I barely noticed he was there.

2) Open - For the most part, I'd like to think I'm not too demanding of a bride but I did have a couple requests. I wanted the video to be in black and white and I wanted the music to be completely un-wedding related (and no country). I didn't want any of the good ol' standards like "at last" or "the way you look tonight." This wasn't a problem. And even after all the editing was done and I wanted a couple extra things added they had a new version done up in less then 24 hrs.

3) Real - Husband and I aren't super models. Our wedding isn't going to be in the next issue of Martha Stewart. We're real people, with a real wedding, and I wanted an authentic video of the day. I LOVE the documentary style of our video. What I hate most about other forms of wedding videography is the overuse of what I call "tricks" - like putting everything in slow motion to make it seem more dramatic, or using soft focus to make things seem romantic. I didn't want our wedding to seem like a Hollywood production. I wanted it to be real. I wanted our video to show us how we truly are....real people---not movie stars. I wanted our video to reflect how our wedding really was. I think Monachetti really captured the spirit of the day.

4) Unique - I've said it before and I'll say it again. No one in our area is doing what Monachetti is doing. Their work is unique, and in my opinion exceptional. I truly believe that other videography companies in this area will have to adapt and follow Monachetti's lead. They represent the new generation of wedding videographers. Modern brides will never look back.

What Should Guests Throw At Me?

The wedding coordinator for our site recently asked us if we were going to have any type of "send away" at the end of the night and if we were what we'd be doing for it. Well if you remember, Fiance and I are having our reception at a historic Inn and we'll be staying at the Inn that night so we won't actually be doing the going away thing. They said they could stage a mock one but that just sounded stupid to me...what would we do just turn around and walk back in?

Then they suggested we have a going away when we leave from the church to the reception and have everyone line up as we go to our car. But since we're taking some pics after the service that means everyone would have to wait on us and then someone would have to gather them while we wait and that once again just seemed a little staged and fake to me.

But I really do like the idea of the "send away" so I needed to find some way to incorporate it. I decided I would have the "send away" as we were walking down the church aisle right after we said our vows. But then comes the question..."what should guests throw at me?" Despite the fact that our church is really old and could be easily damaged they are actually incredibly lenient about this type of stuff so my options were wide open. But I had some rules of my own

1) Sparklers were out. Flammable...indoors...historic church...sun doesn't set till an hour after the ceremony anyway....just wouldn't work.

2) I hate loud noises. For reasons I won't go into, I really can't handle the sound of anything around me popping, banging, exploding or making any type of similar sound. I don't want to be scared on my wedding day. And for other reasons, I can't think of anything worse then the sound of a bunch of bells all ringing at the same time. I want to cover my ears just thinking of it.

3) Nothing minuscule. I can't even imagine what a nightmare cleaning up rice, birdseed, rose petals or confetti would be for the poor janitor that would have to clean up after our wedding. That would be wrong of me and I'm not a selfish enough bride to put someone through that. Outdoors is one thing but indoors would be a nightmare.

4) No poor unsuspecting animal should be used for my personal amusement. No doves, No butterflies.

So that didn't leave many options. I could have done bubbles but I heard they can stain your dress and I was worried about any damage it may do to the carpet/pew seats inside the church.

Well you know the other day when I mentioned that I was looking for something completely unrelated when I found the Favors You Keep website? That thing I was looking for was streamer throws . What are streamer throws you ask? Just see below



^Credit to Innovative Photography

Streamer throws are (surprise!) streamers! I know you're asking yourself "wait a sec...aren't streamers messy?"

Well the great thing about streamer throws is that the thin streamers stay attached to a plastic capsule that you can loop around your hand. So once the streamers unravel you can just gather up all the capsules for super easy clean up. I really like the idea because they will probably make for some good pictures, people still get to throw stuff at me, they won't damage our church, and it'll be easy to clean up afterwards. The only problem is the streamer throws aren't sold in many places.

I found them at Favors You Keep and ordered their 3 capsule sample pack. Each sample pack comes with 1 white paper streamer capsule, 1 colored paper streamer capsule, and 1 silver mylar streamer capsule. Ordering was easy and shipping was lightening fast. Below is what I found when I opened the box


^The capsules are very tiny. I put an 80z water bottle next to them for comparison. The white pipe cleaner loop at the top is what you slide your hand through. You then rip off the paper bottom.




^Once you rip off the paper bottom you can see the mini streamers all rolled up in little balls. This is the colored paper streamer capsule.



^With your capsule open you then aim the streamers at your target and throw just like you were throwing a ball. The paper streamers unravel in the air and hopefully onto your victim.



^Once they have fallen you can see that the streamers are still attached to the capsule around my hand, instead of scattered all over the floor.


^All you have to do after that is gather the capsules and throw away. Easy Peasy.

What I learned from my 3 sample pack was 1) I wanted to order the streamer throws for my wedding 2) The mylar streamers unravel a lot quicker/easier/better then the paper. Some of the paper streamers didn't unroll quick enough. So get mylar 3) I liked the multi-color more then the uni-color streamers.

We decided to order enough so that the kids at the wedding could all have one and the person at the end of each row. We figured one for every person would be overkill and a waste as not everyone will want to partake. We ordered 20 overall.

Unfortunately, Favors You Keep only had silver or gold mylar streamers....not the multicolor like I wanted. So I did a little bit more research and found AeroTechnic.com, they had the throws in multi color mylar so I ordered from them.

The streamer throws from AeroTechnic came in the other day and they are pretty much the same, but I believe the ones from Favors You Keep are a higher quality. The plastic on the throws from AeroTechnic looked a little worn and not as clear as the ones from Favors You Keep and the paper bottoms are taped down unliked the ones from Favors You Keep. But AeroTechnic had the colors I wanted and they allow you to order how ever many you need, whereas with Favors You Keep you are locked into ordering boxes of 24 at a time.

Overall I've been very happy with my experience with both companies. And I'm excited to see how it ends up looking! What do you want your guests to throw at you?

Professional Lighting...Is It Really A Must Have?

Over the last five or so years having professional lighting done for receptions has becoming increasingly common and now it's a virtual must-have for many brides.

I'm really kind of torn on the issue. On one hand I've seen really boring and horrible spaces transformed into wonderlands and I'm truly amazed at the difference it makes. And the conventional wisdom says that a bride can spend less on other decorations like flowers and get more bang for her buck with lighting. Not to mention the visual impact it has on your guests.

The other part of me feels like it's just one more thing that's been added to the "must have" list for brides and if you can't afford it then it's just one more thing your wedding is "lacking." And as much as I'd like to tell myself that brides will skimp on other decorations the reality is many will feel pressure to have amazing flowers AND lighting.

We're not going to have professional lighting done..mainly because we don't have the extra couple thousand to spare, but our space is also quite small and because it's already so beautiful it really doesn't need to be transformed into anything else.

For those brides out there who can't afford professional lighting I thought I'd include the below photos from Night Notes and Wine Spills, the photography blog of Ben Chrisman. Isn't it amazing what you can do with simple candle light???

What are your thoughts on lighting? Are you having it for your wedding?

All photos below credited to Ben Chrisman.

Our Readings

The church that Fiance and I are getting married in has been really open about the readings at the ceremony. The pastor said we could have as few as 1 or as many as we wanted and none of them had to be from the Bible oddly enough. Call me old fashioned, but personally, I like the fact that a wedding in a church is a religious event. I like the ritual of it and the solemnity of it and unlike most brides now days who search every book ever published for the correct verses on Love, I actually wanted readings from the Bible.

That's not to say that I wanted any resounding gongs or clanging symbols, though. So we decided to mix it up with some less common Bible verses and one poem to even things out. So without further ado...here they are:

Reading 1: Colossians 3:12-17 (New International Version)

12 Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Reading 2: i carry your heart with me (E.E. Cummings)
i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)


Reading 3: Proverbs 3: 1-6; 21-24 (New International Version)

My son, do not forget my teaching,
but keep my commands in your heart,

2 for they will prolong your life many years
and bring you prosperity.

3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.

4 Then you will win favor and a good name
in the sight of God and man.

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;

6 in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.

21 My son, preserve sound judgment and discernment,
do not let them out of your sight;

22 they will be life for you,
an ornament to grace your neck.

23 Then you will go on your way in safety,
and your foot will not stumble;

24 when you lie down, you will not be afraid;
when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

Making It Legal - Dude.

Forgoing the traditional priest/preacher route and having a friend or family member preside over your ceremony has been a growing trend for some time now. I don't know all the legalities, but it usually involves some online ordination and authorization by your state government. So if you're going that route, why don't you go just one step further and have your officiant ordained in the "slowest growing religion" in the world? That's right- Dudeism.

A good friend turned me on to this growing faith and now you too can instantly be ordained as a Dudeist priest---complete with certificate! A mix between the tenants of Taoism and the philosophies espoused in the movie "The Big Lebowski," Dudeism is for the truly laid back at heart. My advice for you if you go this route is to go all the way, and you know what that means ---White Russians as your signature drink!

Our Labor of Love

Ever since my friend got married in Atlanta a few weeks ago I've been stalking her photographer's blog. I already stalk like a million photo blogs so what's one more? The bad news is they haven't updated it in 11 days which is like saying "forever" in blog world. The good news is their most recent post is of the cutest wedding so I'm not tired of looking at the great pics. I love the red and white colors...it looks very modern and crisp and the bridesmaid dresses remind me of candystriper dresses...so what's not to love? Plus many parts of the wedding were DIY! Go check out more of Ashley and Dusty's wedding at Our Blog of Love, the blog for Our Labor of Love Photography (those are the folks who took all the great pics below!)

Moroccan Vows from Rebecca Bouck - Part III

If you come from an ethnic background consider wearing native dress for some part of your day. It's such a great way to honor your heritage and if you don't feel comfortable wearing it all day then consider doing it for just the reception, part of the reception, or in day after shots. Your guests will probably be more impressed and fascinated by that outfit then they will be by your wedding dress and your parents will be proud.

Be sure to check out Rebbecca Bouck's blog as well. I've added it to my list so I can keep up with the beautiful things she photographs. If you watch reality T.V. you might also recognize this couple. What a happy ending story...you can see their wedding in her portfolio as well.

All photos below by Rebecca Bouck

Moroccan Vows from Rebecca Bouck - Part II

I love the idea of weaving in details either from your own culture or from the cultures of your favorite places. Think of adding in native instruments or singers, common flowers from the country, or traditional decorations. You don't need much to add the right flavor.

Rebecca's prices start at $4,000 which is pretty competitive for our area and considering the caliber of her work I think it is very reasonable. If you look at her portfolio you will see a wedding she did in Maryland so you know she's willing to travel to our neighborhood :) All photos below from Rebbeca Bouck.

Moroccan Vows from Rebecca Bouck - Part I

I ran across this beautiful wedding in the portfolio of talented Arizona based photographer Rebecca Bouck. The wedding was in Morocco and I love how the couple tied in Moroccan themes without being over the top. This is actually something that I think could be very easy to create even on this side of the world with the right accent pieces.

Going to the Chapel...

Fiance and I spent the weekend in Charlottesville doing wedding related stuff. When we first got engaged we both knew we wanted something small and intimate and for us that meant we had to be married in a chapel. I knew I'd rather have people overflowing out of a little chapel then to get married in a giant cathedral where the guests only fill up the first few pews.

So the hunt began for a chapel that was cute and that didn't have any restrictions on marrying non-parishioners. Fiance and I have to move frequently because of our jobs and haven't really been able to establish roots in any churches where we have been. Finding a church that would marry us was probably the hardest part and honestly some of the churches were downright un-Christian with their responses. Finally, we found South Plains Presbyterian. From the second we drove up I just had a feeling that this chapel was right. Then we met the Pastor, Dr. David Garth, and he was so kind, warm, and welcoming that there really was no question after that.

Considering the age of the church there are very few restrictions about what is allowed (yes you can still throw rose petals inside). The fees are inexpensive compared to other churches we looked at and the chapel seats 85 comfortably so it was a perfect size for us. The only requirements on Fiance and I were that we meet with Dr. Garth 3 times before our wedding so that he could get to know us better.

We had our first counseling session this weekend and at first I was worried that maybe things weren't as good as I remembered. What if I didn't like the pastor as much as I had on our first meeting? I worried for nothing as our session went wonderfully. I love that Dr. Garth is going to marry us. He is very intelligent and has such an easy manor. I love that he really wants to know us as people and I love that the church really embraces the values that they profess. Can you tell I'm excited?


^Here it is! Isn't it adorable?


^I love the old wooden pews, the beautiful windows, and the oil lamps next to them


^Check out the old pipe organ


^ And this is what we get to see on the way out of the church! Joy!