Wedding Diary :: Part VII ::

:: The Party ::


Of all my wedding photos, those of the reception are my most treasured. Because Brando and I grew up just a neighborhood apart, we had so many mutual friends come, some who hadn't seen each other in years! It turned into a giant reunion party. We still have people tell us how much fun they had :) I walked around barefoot, gave out a million hugs, smiled so much it hurt, and completely forgot to have a bite of my pie ;) I've been making up for it ever since...




:: Things I want to remember ::

-the tears that came from skyping my best friend, Lauren, while she was living in Jerusalem. Kaitlyn took the computer around to all the guests and gave her a complete tour of the reception.

-the cardboard cut-out of Brando's brother, David, who was on an LDS mission in Russia.

-Aunt Judy's vintage outfit & hat that she wore especially for me

-Mollie, my childhood side-kick (we wore matching cowgirl outfits to preschool) catching the bouquet

-the wardrobe malfunction that I'll NEVER repeat but that resulted in some good laughs with girlfriends :)

-leaving the reception to a line of sparklers as we ran away together!
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Wedding Diary :: Part V ::

:: 6 Generations ::

I incorporated 6 generations of wedding wear from my mother's side into my ensemble.

(some borrowed. Many I'm blessed to now call my own) sixth generation: wedding pin, used on my bouquet
fifth generation: Aunt Roba's wedding lace (left over from the dress her mother made her). I incorporated into a handmade hair piece.
fourth generation: my Great Grandmother's engagement ring
third generation: my Grandma C's handkerchief, used to wrap around my bouquet.
second generation: lace from my Mother's wedding dress (she made herself!) stitched inside my skirt. I also wore a dainty diamond necklace of hers.
first generation: my dress

Wedding Diary :: Part VI ::

:: The Reception Decor ::

When I talked about my wedding, instead of mentioning colors or a specific flower, I talked about "feeling". I wanted a garden reception, where the nature did most of the heavy decoration lifting, but with added nostalgic details. I'm forever grateful to my family friends, Ann & John, for letting me use their gorgeous backyard. Instead of a sign-in book, we had our guest type their best wishes on typewriters from our grandparents. All the table clothes were vintage from the 40's/50's. We used family heirloom quilts on tables, handkerchiefs from generations back. I had been collecting milk glass from thrift stores before we were even engaged! There were fresh flavored lemonades and PIE, because pie is the king of all deserts. My mother insisted on glass plates and metal forks because that "tink" sound when you cut through the pie is part of the experience :) As a thank you to our guests, we had a flower seed table where they could create their own flower seed packet. Everything was lovely and better than I could have ever dreamt up, and all thanks goes to my sweet mom, and amazing Aunt Steph, who put in hours upon hours preparing, executing, and perfecting all the details. 

Wedding Diary :: Part IV ::

::The Luncheon::



After our Temple Sealing, we had our luncheon at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building on Temple Square in SL for our bridal party, close family, and friends. It was the perfect amount of people, the food was amazing, and I couldn't stop laugh-crying with joy. Nothing feels better than being in a room full of people you love dearly who love you right back (I'm laugh-crying just thinking about it!). Our wedding felt like so much more than a union between Brandon and I, it felt like a huge thank you party to the people in our lives who got us to that point, and who continue to be our strongest supporters.

Wedding Diary :: Part III

:: The Wedding Party ::



Brando dressed the men in dapper tuxes and bowties. My mom found the most amazing silk floral dresses for my bridesmaids on Sundance Catelogue for less than $20 each (I loved them so much, I got one for myself!) We shortened them to the knee, and I used the remnant fabric to make headbands and little bows for their shoes. My mom's lovely dress was from Dillards (on sale, of course) and she did a few minor alterations to make it just right. And all flowers were by my talented friend, Angie Miller.

:: Things I want to remember ::

Kaitlyn, my maid of honor and best friend since pre-school, "babysitting" me while I recovered from surgery so my mom could run wedding errands. I don't remember much during those drugged-up days but I do remember watching "Notting Hill" and "The Holiday" while she helped me finish my bridesmaid headbands. And she only sort of laughed at me when I said silly drug-induced things ;) She wrote me the sweetest letter to read while in the temple, it's something I'll treasure for ever.

Carmen, my little sis, and I hadn't spent much time together prior to the wedding. That distance bothered me so much, as I'm sure it did her. Although she wasn't in the Temple Sealing, I felt so close to her, and I wanted to hug her more than anyone when I walked out the temple doors. Somehow, getting married brought me closer to everyone I love.