Plans: Storage Bench / Coffee Table { Ana

Plans: Storage Bench / Coffee Table { Ana

Altar Decor

I'm torn on how to decorate the altar area for the wedding. It's such a pretty setting on its own, I don't really want to make it too fussy or obstruct the lake view. As a reminder, here's the wedding site video. The "i dos" will take place right in the middle of those bushes (but in front of them). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWkurrIKISQHere are the options I've come up with:

1. Wrought iron candleabras with floral arrangements in the tops. The candleabras rent for $40 each. The florist quoted me $175 each for the floral arrangements, plus tax & delivery. So...this has gotten expensive...$500 expensive.


2. Black urns filled with floral arrangements (ferns, hanging baskets, whatever we find at HomeDepot that week, etc) and doctored with some curly willow, add'l flowers, etc. The wrought iron urns are on sale for $60 each. The others are likely cheaper at Home Depot or the like. If not black, we can spray paint. Flowers could be as simple or elaborate as we can do ourselves. I think this could be done for $250, right? So half the price of option 1.
   


3. A rustic bench/table for the altar, adorned with a simple unity candle and perhaps a simple garland on the front. The minister and us would stand on the crowd side of the table (or I guess the minister could stand behind it?) This is a pic of a bench, not sure where to get a taller version. Maybe Dad could make it easily with his scrap wood so it will look weathered? Then we can have it on our porch forever, which I think is kinda cool. Who else has their wedding altar on their porch as a daily reminder of their commitment? I like this because it's so simple. This would likely be the least expensive of all, depending on where the bench came from.

Soo...what do you think will look the best without overpowering the site or overextending the pocketbook? We could combine option 2 & 3 if we needed to.

Say CHEEEEEEEEEEEESE

Our engagement pics have been posted, at least a teaser of them! We should have more in a few weeks, but check them out and be sure to leave comments on the photographer's blog.

http://www.wscottchesterblog.com/

Here are my faves...

Our flower princess

Over the weekend, J, Lula, & I housesat for Wes & Anne. Their daughter's going to be our flower girl, though we hadn't officially asked her yet. Ella is a precious little girl who is in LOVE with all things princesses. Frilly dresses, tiaras, Disney heroines, you name it.

Over the weekend, we arranged a little Easter surprise for her. When the family got home on Sunday, Ella had a card sending her on an Easter Egg Hunt throughout her house. The card told her that if she found all of the eggs, a present would await her in hopes she'd be our flower princess on our big day!

Plastic eggs were filled with her favorite candy--Starbursts (but the jelly bean kind for Easter, of course). We left her parents a cheat sheet so they wouldn't miss any of the treats (for the dogs to find later). At the end of her quest, a special present was hiding in her closet: a gigantic "Disney Princess" gift bag filled with a princess tutu, a wand, tiara, and princess gloves. Do you think she likes it??

Hey Good Lookin'

Anyone wondering what the fellas are wearing? It won't be their birthday suits...don't worry!

The cotton suits are a faint gray pinstripe, similar to seersucker...but NOT seersucker. (Jason hates seersucker, so this is VERY important!). The stripes are like seersucker, but the texture is flat, very very very unlike seersucker. Jason & Zach (best man) will wear vests. The other guys, no vest. White shirt & a mismatch of coordinated, yet different, lime green ties. On their feet? Likely Chuck Taylor converse sneakers. The guys have the suits, but the ties & shoes are still TBD... take a sneak peak...personally, i think they're pretty darn dapper.

We have a location!!!

For months we've been trying to nail down our ceremony location. The first option turned out to be WAYYY too small. The second, a lovely lakeside estate, was sold. Over the weeks, my moods swayed back & forth:

• Bridezilla moment "Jason! What if we can't find a place to get married? What will we do?!? Maybe we're not meant to be!!! Should we postpone the wedding??? This is too much!" (Bridezilla usually occured after a few glasses of wine).
• It'll-be-fine moment: "heck, if we don't find the right spot, we can just block off the road for a few minutes, i can walk along the yellow stripe, stage a quick ceremony, and be on our way. "

You'll be happy to know that both of the twin personalities have disappeared, and I'm happy with our location. Mom, Jason, and I headed up to the lake to check out a few spots we discovered online (after MUCH MUCH research). Third time's a charm, right? Here's where we'll get married. It's the front lawn of a horse barn...so if it rains, we may just tie the knot in a horse barn. So, if anyone ever asks me if I was born in a barn, I can honestly reply "No, but I was married in one." Check it out...

Reception will be held in the Lake Rabun Pavilion, an open-air stone & timber structure with lots of rustic charm!! You can see it here: http://www.lakerabun.org/080427_lra_008.htm

Martha's Seal of Approval

I subscribe to Martha Stewart's daily wedding ideas. Looky here what today's cover was (pay particular note to the hot pink dress and envision it in chartreuse!!):

Rest assured, we have Martha's stamp of approval!!! Whew. And if she only knew we got it on sale!!