December 5th, 2011
I know I’m slightly biased but I cannot even begin to describe how much I love this video. We had the most amazing videographer, John Hoel…a true video ninja. He was able to craft the perfect story of the weekend, and without any edits or input on our part (yes!). We gave him a few song suggestions for the final piece and voila! By far the best money we spent on the wedding. Check out the rest of his video work on his website, Vibrant Films and on his Vimeo profile. Thanks John!
cheers!
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December 2nd, 2011
Our reception was the day after our wedding and could not have been more fun. Splitting up the wedding into 2 days (ceremony with the family and reception with everyone) was probably the best decision we made in the whole process. It gave us quality time with family for the meaningful stuff and the next night was a party with everyone. I mean, I don’t think many friends/co-workers care much about your vows or watching you take group photos with your great-great-aunts from Arizona.
We had the reception at an old antiques warehouse in Northeast Minneapolis called Architectural Antiques. They were super accomidating and let us rearrange and use items in the store (think: filling a bathtub with drinks). All of the food for both nights was done by Chowgirls and everything was so delicious. We also had our friend Adam Puncochar DJ for us which was incredible. He’s mighty talented and makes some killer mixes…like his latest Hellaween2. All in all…one of the best nights ever.
cheers!
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December 1st, 2011
I wanted to share one more piece of the wedding that saved us some money. Programs & flowers. Everything in these pictures we made on our own.
The programs were fun to design. I bought bulk paper which was more than enough, cut it to size, printed everything on my inkjet (since it was just black ink), and assembled them all. In lieu of a guestbook, we had little cards in each program that the guests filled out. That way we can put them together in an album with photos. I bought a bolt of muslin and sewed each bag to the size I needed. The smaller bags were used for the candy table at the reception.
I’m not a huge flower person so cutting back on budget by making my own sounded like a win-win. Especially when you think about the cost for flowers for 2 days! We used real flowers for some things like the aisle decorations and bouquets/boutonnieres but everything else was handmade. I picked up TONS of fake flowers from Michael’s, JoAnn’s, IKEA and the dollar store. They take time to assemble, but you can save tons of moolah, you get to keep them forever…or just sell them on craigslist to another thrifty bride-to-be.
If you’re new to the blog, check out some of the other things we made/designed for our wedding:
Wedding Things to DIY
Our Invites
Bridal Party Invite Boxes
The Story of Our Rings
Something Old Made New (The necklace I wore at the wedding)
cheers!
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November 30th, 2011
We had a small ceremony in Ned’s family’s backyard, just family so around 60 people. I loved how personal it felt with such a small group of people. It sounds cliché but it really was one of the happiest days of my life. There’s something about having everyone you love with you for an entire weekend. It was like a big, happy family reunion.
One of my favorite parts was how low-key we made it. I never had to do the dreaded “wedding dress shopping”…I ordered one online, it fit perfectly and was even on sale. Yeah! I had all my bridesmaids pick their own dresses so they could find something that fit their budget/style/shape. The result: everyone was happy and felt comfortable. Double Yeah! Family and friends helped out with the set-up and with a nice combination of handmade pieces and simple details, it was everything I hoped. I think the key is to not get sucked up into wedding hype. It’s just one day (or in our case, 2), so make sure it’s a fun one for everyone and you’ll end up with less stress and more time to enjoy it.
Stay tuned for the reception pics soon!
cheers!
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October 13th, 2011
It took some time for us to decide on a honeymoon spot. We’re naturally very adventurous, not really the beach-going types so we thought about taking a long road trip. Then, after considering it for about 2 seconds we realized the added stress of that on top of a post-wedding brain was just asking for trouble. We then went through the usual suspects, the Caribbean, Hawaii, Greece however in the end, knowing that this would be the one time in our lives (that is, of course, until we become super-millionaires) to do something totally extravagant. So we thought of the most ridiculous place we could imagine going, and after a bit of investigation, booked a trip to Bora Bora!
We spent 6 nights in a hut on a small stretch of land the middle of the Pacific ocean. The ocean waves on one side and a bright turquoise lagoon on the other. Like I said, neither of us are “beach folk” but the silence and calm here were just heaven.
Real coconut milk!
The bungalows were simple but well designed and perfect for 2 people. Recently renovated they were a lovely and even had a section of glass floor in the center so you could look down and watch the fish! We had our own little porch with steps down straight into the water.
The resort we stayed at had a huge man-made lagoon in the center of the property which was home to tons of fish (all safe kinds) and a sea turtle refuge. We just discovered this when we got there but it was by far one of the coolest parts of the place. You could snorkel in the lagoon with the adorable sea turtles and not worry about any pesky sharks or stingrays.
After seeing these little guys I spent the rest of the weekend quoting lines from the sea turtles in Finding Nemo. “Duuuuuuuuude”. Ned didn’t find it nearly as entertaining as I did.
Cheesy but I couldn’t resist!
So much snorkeling.
Ah wonderful, wonderful shade.
The sun was strong here…so much so we both got some pretty gnarly sunburns on our 3rd day. We took it as a sign that we belong in Minnesota but were proud to at least achieve some sort of tan line. Most of the people there were ridiculously bronzed in that healthy, European sort of way.
So many breathtaking sunsets…
Dining next to the lagoon at night.
All in all, it was a perfect week. It couldn’t have been more relaxing and just the change of scenery that Ned and I both desperately needed after the past few months of planning and preparation. Everything I could have hoped for and now I can check “super-crazy-lux-tropical-vacation” off my bucket list. ;)
Also, I’m starting to upload my Instargram pics on Flickr and I have a few from our trip up there now. Check em out!
cheers!
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September 26th, 2011
This past weekend I married my best friend. It was the most perfect few days we could have ever imagined. There was so much laughter and happiness that I’m still full of smiles. Our photographer, Collin Hughes, gave us a little preview and sent us this pic from the ceremony. It was so perfect.
Now, we are headed off to Bora Bora, in the middle of the South Pacific to unplug in a little hut over the water. Fresh air, clear skies and endless water awaits. See you in October.
cheers
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September 16th, 2011
With one week to go until I marry my Ned, I’m quite comfortably un-stressed. I’m actually quite surprised at how nice this past week has been. Up until now there has been so much up in the air as far as planning goes but at the 2 week mark, things really started coming together. Now, here I am with one week to go and I’m just trying to soak it all in. Schedules are being finalized. Checks are being written. Relatives are coming into town. There is still plenty left to do but I feel calm, happy and so so lucky I have such wonderful family & friends to spend this coming week with.
I wanted to share a few little peeks at a few of the things I’ve been making for next weekend. It’s been such a blast coming up with little projects and ways to weave special elements into our wedding day. I can’t wait to see it all unfold!
I also had a fun little surprise a few weeks ago when I saw our invites featured on one of my favorite wedding blogs, Brooklyn Bride. Heck yeah!
cheers!
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August 23rd, 2011
Super-ridiculous invites…that’s what.
But seriously, I’m so happy to say we finally finished our invites! *applause* (and a whole 5 days before the RSVP). Last week we had a whole assembly line going with our parents and after some last-minute trips to Staples and 3 visits to the post office, they’ve all been sent out! When 2 designers get married, it’s expected you spend a little extra time on getting invites foil-stamped, letter-pressed and duplexed.
Exactly one month from today, Ned and I will be spending a wonderful wedding weekend with friends and family. (I can’t believe it’s only a month away!) Early on, we decided to have a small, family-only ceremony on Friday and save the reception for the next night with all of our family and friends. It made so much sense to split up the events so we can all enjoy the time together without feeling rushed…but it makes invites a little trickier. In the end, we came us with a look that can be used for both days yet remain individual.
The ceremony invites are letter-pressed on a heavy stock, using black, grey and white tones. The invite card is duplexed black on white and the folder (see below) is perforated at the RSVP so it can be folded and mailed back in the envelope. Printed at Studio On Fire.
The reception invite cards and folders were digitally printed on a lighter-weight stock. I love the bright color on these! We’re going to try to use these colors and tones for decor (I’ve already share a few peeks…with more coming soon).
cheers!
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