Details Details

Alright: So here are some things I've been thinking.

JesseReich is a bit expensive and doesn't give us everything we want... so he's out. We're trying to find another photographer.

But they do have this great PhotoBooth for rent... and it seems realy cool.

And finally! I have found the name of the flower! It's a Grandiflora called About Face. But you have to watch out. Not all of them when you google are the right ones... be sure to double check that the picture is close to the one I provided.

All I know is that we want it to be fun fun fun, especially the reception, because that's where the party's at! And the party is for everyone to enjoy.

Pirate Wedding

Love on the High Seas: A Pirate-Theme Wedding

Some time ago, Jessica dropped a note in our inbox about her pirate theme wedding ... and painted a vivid picture right off the bat:

"I'm 22 years old, and got married in early July (on the hottest day of the year). Now, my wedding wasn't a lavish $20,000 event. My budget was so low, I don't even know what it was! I was my own wedding planner. I searched endlessly online for deals and creative ideas. I even managed to find the dress — you know, "The One" — on eBay for a mere $125.

"In the beginning I wanted the traditional wedding. I had some ideas about earthy seafoam greens and browns. But about a month after trying to figure out how to throw this all together, I got fed up. In fact, I pleaded with my fiancée to just marry me in Las Vegas.

"In the end I found out he wanted a large wedding ... even more than I did. But he also wanted a themed wedding. And somehow, and I don't know how, he convinced me to have a pirate-themed wedding." This, she admits, after he initially pushed for a circus and then a superhero theme.

"It actually turned out rather beautiful."

First the Courtin'; Then the Marryin'

For invitations, Jessica created some of the cutest messages-in-a-bottle we've ever seen. And luckily for us, she shares exactly how she did it.

"I bought 200 plastic sand art bottles with corks for $118. And we designed and printed out our own little treasure maps. I spent endless hours burning the edges, for realism. Then we rolled them up, tied them with gold ribbon and tucked them in the bottles.

Finally, we sealed the cork with gold wax, and stamped the top with an "S." Really, our guests were delighted when they got them."

What's more, she says, they actually mailed these invitations directly in the bottle, with "To" and "From" labels attached. "The post office allows it," she said. "I had no clue we could do this, but my mother-in-law tipped me off." (Editor's note: this is where purists can really see the advantage in plastics.)

"I think it all worked out to about $.60 a bottle," she says. "We saved a lot of money doing it this way." But, she admits, after the twentieth one (out of 200!), the process became a pain. "Printing, burning the edges, sealing, stamping ... yikes."

Droppin' Anchor at Home

Bill and Jessica, who hosted the event in their own backyard, couldn't have dreamed up a better venue, with their spacious yard, lush tropical landscaping, and weathered solid board fencing, oh-so-reminiscent of an island oasis. "We'd looked around for other places, but I just wanted a place where we were in complete control.

"We were lucky enough to have a large yard."

Saucy Wenches & Stylin' Swashbucklers

Still, not everything ran according to plan ("as we headed to the ceremony, I think we both had thoughts of just driving right on to Mexico," says Jessica, who needed some last-minute hair and dress tweaks), but when they arrived, most things fell into place. Including the world's most adorable ring bearer.

"I wanted the ring bearer to be Peter Pan, and the flower girls to be little Wendys, dressed in white nightgowns. Actually, they ended up being little Tinkerbells.

"For the ring bearer, we actually made an alligator pillow out of green velvet."

Bill, of course, wore a pirate costume custom-made for the occasion. "It turned out beautiful." Jessica had her dress custom-fitted by the seamstress who made Bill's costume, and ordered a matching veil.

Okay, but what about the guests? The bridesmaids? The (erk) mothers-in-law? Did they play along?

Indeed, says Jessica. The invitations mentioned that dress-up was an option ... and pointed out that the bride and groom would be really glad if they did. "Most people loved the idea," she said, recalling that a lot of male guests took to classic pirate costumes complete with billowing ruffles, cuffed boots, headscarves and magnificent three-cornered pirate hats. While some donned rentals, others showed up in lovingly-handmade outfits.

"Two men came as islanders, and women mainly dressed as wenches. Of course, not everyone warmed to the idea right away. It took a while to talk the mothers into dressing like wenches.

"But in the end, we did."

Trickin' Out Me Timbers

Once they'd agree to a pirate wedding, the couple settled on a color scheme of black, red and gold. They draped the romantic fencing with wide swags of red and gold tulle, covered the tables with red and black, and punctuated the corners with swaggering skull-and-bones pirate balloons.

They dressed the arch with swags of red roses, and the wedding party proceeded down a white runner strewn with red rose petals. ("Though it would've been nice to find a red one," muses Jessica.)

"Bill picked the music," she adds, "and the wedding party walked out to 'Love Story' from the Princess Bride.

Later on, after the party started, the DJ played 'I'm a Believer' — the Shrek version."

Then I saw her face (ha-ha)
Now I'm a believer (listen)
Not a trace
Of doubt in my mind
I'm in love
(Ooh, ahh, yeah)
I'm a believer
I couldn't leave her if I tried ...

"No one warned me ... but the kids sure loved it."

"I, Mad Dog Bill Take Ye, Saucy Jessica As Me Heart, Me Soul, Me Good Wench."

We had to bring up the tricky subject of vows. After all, Elvis Vows are one of the main attractions at certain Las Vegas chapels. Were we talking pirate vows, with lots of "Yars!" and "Ahoy, mateys"?

"Actually, Bill did want them," says Jessica. "But I wanted real ones. Our roommate tracked down some pirate vows, and they really were funny, but I wanted this one part to be serious.

"It was our roommate, ordained online, who performed the ceremony. I wasn't sure if I could find a normal minister to do a pirate wedding," she laughs.

... And a Bottle of Rum

Sometimes the greatest magic in theme weddings lies in the smallest touches: the witty favors, the movie-set food. Needless to say, this wedding was full of them.

"We focused on finger food. For example, we served lots of kebabs. Like, maybe 400 kebabs, with five different kinds. And we had tropical fruit, and chocolate fountains."

Her sister-in-law came through with the perfect centerpieces ... and even made them herself. "We had small chests filled with jewels on planks of wood that we scattered with sand. And next to these, we placed miniature galvanized pails we filled with three types of mini liqueurs — Jack Daniels for me (I'm a Tennessee girl), tequila for him (he's Mexican), and Captain Morgan for the theme.

"Everyone loved the mini bars."

That Takes the Cake

The really tricky part, says Jessica, was finding the cake topper. "It was tougher than I expected," she said. "Everyone said, 'try eBay,' and believe me, I did, but I wasn't having any luck.

"I spent three solid days looking for that figurine. I asked at Yahoo! Answers and everything.

But I finally found the topper I wanted on Ebay after all — only it was called 'The Captain and His Lover,' and the word pirate was nowhere to be found," she sighs. Still, it was totally perfect.

Set Sail, and On Toward Morning

So, does the couple have anything else to share with other lovebirds hitting the high seas of romance?

"Actually, I don't suggest that anyone ever plan their own wedding," laughs Jessica. "It's so much harder then I expected.

"Still, at the end of the day, we were happy with how it came off. Everything cooled off when the sun went down, and people were eating and drinking — clearly enjoying the dance music the DJ played. In fact, the whole thing went on until midnight." Blackbeard, Captain Hook and most other infamous roisterers would approve.

Check 'Em Out

They're in and they're very fun! Check out our engagement photos!

http://www.destinypix.smugmug.com/gallery/3713104#212895431

What Wedding Dress I want

If I were able to design the dress, or have someone design one for me, it would have the following details:

Sweetheart neckline
strapless
full length
bead work around the bodice and trickles down
lace trim work
light weight
corset top (back laces up)
off-white (ivory, pale gold, etc)

Other than that I have no idea. I want it to be romantic and fun. I had thought I wanted a convertible so that I could be dressed down a bit for the reception, but the more I think about it the more I think "no one else is going to change. They don't expect the bride to, either."

Wedding Dress

Patti and Destiny came down to visit and took me dress hunting. They had scoped out this cute little boutique that had a plethora of wedding dresses! The ones I like the most are all from the same designer: Sophia Tolli. You can check out her website and see the dresses I like. I narrowed it down to three; the Jena, the Emily, and the Danielle. They are all beautiful in their own right.

Flowers

from the website www.pashweddings.com
love ya
mom
» Home » Floral » Using Your Birth Month Flower

Using Your Birth Month Flower
By Sharon Naylor | Published 08/31/2006 | Floral | Unrated

Sharon Naylor
Sharon Naylor is the author of over 30 wedding books, including 1000 Best Secrets For Your Perfect Wedding, 1000 Best Wedding Bargains, Your Special Wedding Vows, Your Special Wedding Toasts, The Mother of the Bride Book, Mother of the Groom, The Groom's Guide, The Essential Guide to Wedding Etiquette, The Complete Outdoor Wedding Planner, and more. She has appeared as a wedding expert on Nightline, Lifetime, Inside Edition, ABC News, Fox 5 News, and on hundreds of radio stations nationally and internationally. Read more about Sharon Naylor here. Sharon is also happy to asnwer your wedding-related questions in her forum.

View all articles by Sharon Naylor
Using Your Birth Month Flower
For years, brides and grooms have used their favorite flowers in the bouquet, the centerpieces, other décor, and the boutonnieres. As weddings become more personalized, they brought in their mothers’ favorite flowers, their grandmothers’ favorite flowers, even the flowers that were a part of their love story – such as pink roses to commemorate the first bouquet the groom ever bought the bride, or Calla lilies because they were a part of the wonderfully romantic proposal scene planned by the groom. These flowers told a story, both as reminder for the bride and groom of each step of their romance, and as a telling touch for guests to appreciate the details of their relationship.

Now, there’s another way to personalize your wedding – using your birth month flowers. The bride born in June would derive extra meaning from her tightly clustered bouquet of white roses, and the groom born in February might have a tiny violet on his lapel to coordinate with the bridesmaids’ lavender gowns. Your two birth flowers may work together wonderfully as a pair – white roses with lily of the valley, for instance – or they may work as individual touches. We’ll list some suggestions in a moment, but first…we wanted you to know about the biggest new trend in birthmonth flowers for the wedding day: giving the wedding itself its own birth month flower. The month of your wedding is the birth of your new relationship, the start of a new life together, and so it’s only fitting that your wedding own its personalized bloom to be worked into your wedding design and celebrated in the future on your anniversaries.

Here is the chart of birth months and their corresponding flowers:

January Carnation
February Violet
March Daffodil
April Daisy
May Lily of the Valley
June Rose
July Larkspur
August Gladiolus
September Aster
October Calendula
November Chrysanthemum
December Poinsettia

Now here are some ways that you can bring your birth month flowers into your wedding style:

• Use your birthmonth flower in your bouquet, using only your month flowers at the start of your ceremony, then adding your groom’s flowers into your bouquet after the ceremony – or switching to a second bouquet that includes both of your blooms.

• Use both of your birthmonth flowers in your bouquet

• Have your birthmonth flower sewn onto your gown, as more designers are doing…with fresh roses sewn onto the bottom of a plunging backline

• Use your birthmonth flowers, as well as the birthmonth flower for your wedding, in your centerpieces and place on each table a note signifying the meaning to your guests.

• Place petals or blooms of your flower on the tablecloth around the centerpiece, around votives, scattered on guest book and gift tables, and more

• Give your mothers bouquets including your birthmonth flower

• Use your birthmonth flower, combined with hers, in her corsage, wristlet or bouquet

• Use your children’s birthmonth flowers in your bouquet, as well as theirs

• Use an image of your birthmonth flowers on your invitations, wedding programs, place cards, save the date cards, and other printed items

• Use your birth month flowers to decorate your wedding cake and other desserts

• Use your birthmonth flowers as fresh accents to serving trays or display trays on a buffet table

• Give your birthmonth flowers out as shower favors, and also as wedding favors when single stems are individually wrapped

• Use the scent of your birthflower for your wedding day perfume, such as a rose scent or lily of the valley

• Use the flower of your wedding month to decorate your ceremony site

• Use the flower of your wedding month as pew bow décor, and as ceremony seat attachments

• Again, use the scent of your birth flower in the candles you choose for your tables

• Choose candles in your birth flower’s scent to give out as favors

• Leave fresh flowers in your chosen months in your guests’ hotel rooms, with a note as to their meanings.

• Give your bridesmaids single flowers in their birthmonths on the morning of the wedding

• Personalize your bridesmaids’ bouquets by using their birth month flowers in their bouquets

• Create personal-wear floral jewelry for the mothers, grandmothers, godmothers, children, bridesmaids and yourself by having your floral designer create a delicate flower bracelet or choker made from your flower (not recommended for poinsettias).

• Use your birth month flower as extra décor in your outdoor wedding setting, such as planting groupings of daisies throughout the yard.

• The men can choose their own style of boutonniere flower, including the option of their birthmonth flower (guys sometimes want to go traditional, and an aster on a lapel may be a bit too much for some men).

• For your tossing bouquet, create it from a combination of your birth month flowers, as well as your wedding birth month flowers.

• Use your birth month flowers to decorate the sign on your getaway car.

• Send your parents bouquets on the morning after the wedding, using your birth month flowers, or perhaps yours paired with theirs.

• Use your birth month flowers as the décor for your morning-after breakfast

• Give guests a single flower just before they depart from your wedding weekend

• Share the story of your birth month flowers, or your wedding birth month flowers, in your wedding program. Most florists can give you the history of the flower, such as the revelation that violets were the original Valentine’s Day flower of choice before roses took over.

• Look up ‘The Language of Flowers’ on the Internet to find out the symbolic meanings of your flowers

Registry

So far we've registered at Bed, Bath, & Beyond as well as William-Sonoma. We've started a registry at Sears, Dillards, and I think there's one more, maybe not. We registered for waaay too much, me thinks. It's okay, right?

Spa and Golf

Okay, So Heather's wedding day was a great example of how I'd like to do things. Have the guys relax with golf or bowling, and the girls go get primped at a spa. I think it's a fabulous idea! I found one place, the Berkshires spa and salon, online. They look fun and relaxing. But I need input from people in the area. I don't want to get ripped off, or get my eyebrow ripped off!

Expected Visitors

Alright, so if a little busy lately, you'll have to forgive me. I've got a dozen and one people planning on coming. Very excited since the season is starting up and we can take them to shows now, too.
Mrs. Ma-in-la' is coming with a family friend, Destiny, and Chris and I get to take engagement pictures in a couple of weeks. Destiny is a great photographer, and I'm really excited we get to utilize her skills for a little bit. She won't be able to make it to the wedding for pictures, though. Sadness. Who plans their wedding that far ahead?! Wait a second... oh...
Tracy is coming in the beginning of November for a joint birthday celebration. Hopefully we'll be able to get last minute seats to the sold-out showings of Peter Pan.

Excited Part Deux

I'm also very excited about my own wedding!!! Chris and I are getting married! Chris and I are getting married! Sometimes I just want to scream it to the world, but that would hurt my throat. So instead, I'll just type it a lot... at least until the caffeine wears off.
I've gone back and found a few more great places. But I'm sticking with these top three that Chris and I have agreed to.
1) Aquarium
2) Gilcrease Museum
3) Cherokee Casino
I think all of them would be fab! Mrs. Mom-In-Law-To-Be, Patti, is checking them out for us, so I'm kind of waiting till the report comes back to decide anything further.