Further to the magazine piece on my “Ever Wedding”, I thought I’d share with those of you who enjoy this sort of thing photographs of wedding elements Nick and I already decided.

As you’ll see it’s a pretty eclectic deal. The colors and overall theme are set in stone, but the details are basically up to my taste, and Nick’s. It’s sort of like having a cabinet full of mismatched china and serving high tea with cups that don’t match saucers - it has its own sort of charm. At least that’s what I think. The ceremony itself is much the same, but there’s a method to our madness.

Some elements, as I explained in the interview, are in flux - such as when to book the venue and where, the menu (wine list already set in stone…), which bakery will end up doing the cake, etc. It’s been 8 years since we originally talked to businesses about being involved. I have to be realistic; some may be gone by the time he comes back.

But a lot of these items I’m about to show you I already own. They’re boxed up in my parents’ attic, waiting. So what you see here, pulled mostly from catalog photographs, along with my dress (not shown, but owned) is all ready to go any time.

Some pictures are concepts (like the cake concept). Some are selections not yet ordered - and if we can’t get these exact selections like the exact bridesmaid gowns or tuxedos - then we’ll go back to the drawing board for those!

I suppose I should begin at, well, the beginning:

ABOVE: When we got engaged we’d been living with each other for so long. It was sort of a delightful inevitability. And the length of engagement - 1999 to 2001 - meant I had so much time to get all this wedding stuff done. But to announce our engagement to family and friends we wanted to do something more special than just a phone call. So we found this great antique style paper at a custom stationery shop, and a local calligraphy artist who was a friend of Jenn’s. She gave us a great price to hand letter our announcements. We had 24 all told, which were shipped in envelopes all around the world - because Nick’s friends truly are a global bunch!

We didn’t do any kind of newspaper announcement. It wasn’t our style.

The Paper Stuff…

ABOVE: Our funky wedding invitation! I absolutely love it - and you’ll see soon how it fits into the colour scheme of our late October concept. However, this wasn’t an item I could pre-order. But the stationery shop promises me this is a timeless design not likely to go out of print anytime soon. 8 years later he still sells it. He said if it ever does go out of print he will sell me the stationery unprinted, to store until such a time that Nick is back and we’ve decided our guest list. I can then return with the invitations and have them printed!

ABOVE: Our guestbook, for guests to sign when they arrive. It has an autumnal theme. There is a gold pen to go with it. It’s sitting in my parents’ attic…

ABOVE: Our place card, which will be printed with the guests’ names. I did go ahead and buy a box of 200 of these. I cannot imagine we’ll even put a dent in them. We hardly know 100 people let alone 200! But they’re pretty enough and about the size of business cards; what I don’t have printed with guest names I’ll save and maybe print with my name and phone number as a sort of calling card. These are in storage too.

ABOVE: These are the small white pumpkins I talk about in the interview. We’ll split the stems and use them as our placecard holders, so a printed placecard like the one seen above will be nestled in the split stem of one of these little white pumpkins. Guests pick them up and take them to their seating. Obviously I’ll buy these right before the big day so they’re fresh.

The Cake Stuff…

ABOVE: Our cake server set. Boxed up in my parents’ attic and anxious for action.

ABOVE: Our cake topper. It’s simple, but cute…quite small really, so it won’t be obtrusive and ridiculous on our pretty cake. I bought it at a bakery when shopping for cakes.

ABOVE: This is just a SAMPLE - not the actual cake we want - but it gives you an idea what we envision for the leaves falling down the sides of the cake. We want 4 tiers, but square, iced with white fondant. And fondant leaves…

ABOVE: These are the kind of fondant leaves, berries, and nuts we’ll have cascading down the sides/corners of our cake. It goes without saying we don’t have any bakery tied down to our plans, since we don’t know when it’ll all happen.

The Flower Stuff…

ABOVE: The types of flowers, almost the exact arrangement (but with slightly brighter calla lilies), that will adorn our tables and the ceremony spot. Less is more though - small arrangements beautifully made. Oranges, greens, reds, browns, yellows and golds…those are where we’re going with it. Obviously the flowers aren’t on order, but these pictures will help create what we want when we’re ready.

ABOVE: This is an example of the candles that will go with the simple floral centerpiece, to give soft illumination. The arrangement will not be the same, but the tall water-filled glasses with a floating candle at the top and perhaps some silk autumnal leaves suspended in the water beneath the candle would be a nice touch. Muted colors so they don’t clash with the bouquet. These candle holders are popular and easy to find so I haven’t bought any yet.

ABOVE: My bouquet! I am completely in love with it. Those dark orange calla lilies will play a large role in decor.

ABOVE: Nick’s boutonniere. Basically one of the same flowers in my bouquet, accented nicely. Simple, classy, yet fun.

The Table Stuff…

ABOVE: Our ivory table skirt. We will have a mesh tablecloth over it as seen here but NOT this purple color. Ours will be a burnt sienna type, shimmery light gold, or a light green - something that goes well with the flowers. This is the kind of thing you rent from a wedding supply so I don’t have any standing order for it - I’ll hope the place is still in business when he gets back!

ABOVE: Our chair covers will be ivory as well, to match the table skirt. The chair tie will be a bow of gold. I’m kind of leaning towards a sheer gold tablecloth to go over the table skirt and make a perfect match. Again, this stuff will be rented.

ABOVE: Our dinnerware pattern for the place settings, which we will also rent. It’s funky yet subtle and won’t clash.

ABOVE: Our silverware, which we’ll rent. Just a great pattern, a great shape to it. We loved the way it felt in our hands!

ABOVE: Wine plays an important part in our wedding, insofar as we took a long time choosing what to serve our guests. There’ll be wine at every table, in addition to a martini bar. No open bar though - you can have wine at the table, or get a martini of many different kinds. Sodas, seltzer, etc. will also be available at a separate bar/kiosk. Anyway, these are the wine glasses - hand blown autumnal theme. However, the catalog only had a picture of the green one. We are going with a more muted dark gold or light brown. It’s hard to describe the color because it’s kind of a blend of both. Again, we’ll place the rental order when the time comes…

And there will be champagne for the toast, of course. Plain champagne glasses that are pre-filled when the guests get there, and if the toasting goes on a looong time, servers will rove with bottles to refill the empty glasses as necessary.

ABOVE: As opposed to a cork, we’ll have these wine stoppers at all our tables. We’ll order when we know how many we’ll need…which will depend on how many people we have, i.e. how many tables. We have multiple types of wine selected for each table.

You may have noticed we’re sparing no expense, but a lot of these things aren’t all that expensive, and we aren’t expecting a huge wedding…at least I hope we won’t end up with a huge wedding. I’m strapped enough from springing for the Rose Suite!

But this is what happens when a girl’s given a long engagement to get plans…and when her fella likes those plans and has a few ideas of his own.

ABOVE: Calla lily napkin rings, which I was told we can order in different colors, including a muted gold that would go well with the rest of our table decor. So the white shown here will not be what we actually end up with.

ABOVE: These toasting flutes I did buy already. They have a calla lily theme. They will be our bride and groom toasting flutes at the wedding party table.

ABOVE: Our wedding favor. This is a simple tea light candle holder that I think is both classy and fun…and pretty, that’s what counts most! Each guest will receive one with a tag that’s custom printed for our wedding.

ABOVE: Heads up! Strands of crystals of all shapes and sizes will be artfully arranged in crystal spiderwebs…not creepy but beautiful - like dew on spiderwebs at dawn - strategically over tables and elsewhere in the reception space. That one is Nick’s particular fancy, as I mentioned in the interview.

The Bar Stuff…

ABOVE: I tried a recipe for and loved this cranberry martini. It’s very appropriate for fall. So it will be on the menu at the martini bar.

ABOVE: Ditto this pumpkin martini - tried it, loved it, will have it at the martini bar.

The Ceremony Stuff…

ABOVE: Our wedding rings, his and mine. We have an engraving already planned but thankfully we didn’t get them engraved just yet - because the date is part of the engraving, and I don’t know when we’ll get married…

ABOVE: The inscription mock-up for our rings. His ring will have my name, mine will have his. The Latin translates to “my love”.

ABOVE: Packets of birdseed that guests will open and throw at us after we’re married. I’m very hooked on these specific packets because they fit the theme. Hopefully I’ll still be able to get them, whenever…

ABOVE: Ignore the dress, the green ribbon, and the flowers in it - only the white basket is relevant. That’s our flowergirl basket. She’ll throw petals that match my bouquet, probably orange rose petals. At this rate everybody will be too old to be a flowergirl so we will have to wait and see who’s of an appropriate age when Nick returns. Maybe Rachel’s girl? That’d be sweet…

ABOVE: We will light a unity candle, it’s a touch we both like at ceremonies. I purchased this set because it’s very cute, and works with the overall color scheme! My set is personalized with just our names, not the date. As it happened I liked it better without the date, so it worked out well, given the date’s up in the air now.

The Trousseau Stuff…

ABOVE: My veil, which is safely boxed and waterproofed bagged with my dress in storage. I wanted something that wouldn’t compete with my sort of medieval fantasy dress design, but augment it. While there’s something sort of Spanish about the look of this, the way it flows is much like the flow of my dress’s sleeves. It simply works.

ABOVE: My “tiara” and jewelery, purchased as a set like shown. It looks beautiful with the dress, and peeking out under the veil. When the veil comes off at the reception it’s just a wonderful tiara/earrings/necklace set to wear for the party.

ABOVE: My wedding slippers/shoes. They have a slight heel. This was one of those purchases I made because I fell head over heels in love with them. They don’t clash with the dress (though they’re not an obvious choice) and they go nicely with the veil/jewelery. Really it was a matter of wanting these on my feet that day, full stop. When Nick returns I’ll have to break the news to him that we might have four or five weddings, at least, just so I can wear them again and again!

ABOVE: My “something old”. This rosary belonged to my great grandmother, then to my grandmother, and now to my mom. We aren’t planning on having the rosary said at the wedding but I’m going to tuck it into my corset for good luck. After all, my great-grandmother had a long and happy marriage, as did my grandmother, and as has my mom!

ABOVE: My “something new”. This is my bridal purse, where I’ll store the essentials. I won’t walk down the aisle with it myself but it’ll be at hand in case I need something - tissues, lipstick, etc. When I bought it my mother and I went to a craft shop and bought an orange calla lily similar to the ones I plan to have in my bouquet, and replaced the white lilies seen here with the orange.

ABOVE: My “something borrowed”. This is the ring pillow that Jenn used at her wedding, so I’m borrowing it for mine! It’s simply lovely.

ABOVE: My “something blue”. This belonged to my paternal grandmother, who’s now deceased. It was bequeathed to me by her. It’s a sapphire, diamond, and marcasite ring that I think is from the Victorian era. It’s really beautiful, scanning it didn’t do such a good job conveying that. She told me once that it belonged to her great-aunt, initially. So it’s the sort of thing Ellen could have had at her wedding, since it predates even that! I will wear it on my right hand.

ABOVE: My autumnal garter! This is a pretty autumn-themed garter that I’ll wear and Nick will do the traditional, if rather bawdy, pulling it down and tossing it into the crowd of male guests. I once told him no matter how tempting and hilarious it’d be, none of that pulling it off with his teeth nonsense some grooms get up to. My grandmother (maternal, obviously) will be there…God willing Nick returns in time, she’s in poor health now. Can’t have a man’s head up my wedding gown in front of my grandmother, even if I’ve been with him for 14 years (and counting, even though 8 of them have been with him in Rose Red).

ABOVE: This is an awful photograph because of the odd pinkness of this woman’s fingers…but the lady I occasionally go to for manicures, albeit not often because I am not a meticulously-manicured nail kind of woman, did this funky french tip design and had it in her portfolio book. So I borrowed, scanned, and archived the photo so I’d remember what I want. I can’t promise my nails will be this long on the day, but they’ll be long enough for at least a little of the design, which matches my bouquet so well!

The Bridesmaids’ Stuff…

ABOVE: This is the bridesmaid gown I selected in early 2001. Because the wedding wasn’t until October, my bridesmaids hadn’t ordered it by the time Nick disappeared. Periodically I contact the bridal salon to find out if the design is still available, and they assure me if this specific one isn’t, one very much like it is.

ABOVE: This set of jewelery is my gift to each of my 5 bridesmaids (Jenn, another waitress at the restaurant where I used to work in Tacoma, my editor, and two cousins). It’s made by a local artist and I have already purchased all five sets. Obviously it goes perfectly with the theme and color scheme for the wedding, but it’s pretty enough - and could be casual enough - that they can wear it to other events, and it’s sort of a conversation piece. I am absolutely positive Nick has given zero thought to what he’ll give his groomsmen, so it will probably be up to me to choose something for them too.

ABOVE: The flower girl dress. The sash is white and dyed whatever color the bride wishes, so it’ll match the bridesmaids’ gowns. I had initially planned on just one flower girl, but she’s 15 now (a cousin) and so she’s outgrown it! I will ask her to be an usher(ette). As I said before, perhaps Rachel’s daughter can participate. And Jenn has a little girl too, so it could be a flower girl duet.

ABOVE: This is the dress my mother bought for her “Mother of the Bride” gown. The color is perfect but what really sold her was the way the dress moves. The flow of it is as graceful as my dress, with the draped sleeves and the sweeping skirt. No, that’s not my mom modeling it…it’s from a catalog.

The Groomsmens’ Stuff…

ABOVE: This is the tuxedo Nick’s groomsmen, for an undetermined number of them (because initially it was two friends of his, but when he’s back from Rose Red perhaps Steve and Emery will also be in the list…). It’s a classic style so I’m confident we’ll be able to find it whenever the wedding happens. The groomsmen will be wearing this color vest, tie, handkerchief…just as you see it.

ABOVE: A detail of what the groom will wear. Nick likes the same tuxedo as his groomsmen but he chose - and bought the moment he found it - this funky vest that’s black and orange, and goes with the color scheme. As pictured, he’ll have a black neck tie. And you’ve already seen the boutonniere.

The Transportation…

ABOVE: Nick and I both like the idea of arriving and leaving in a carriage/hansom cab, but only if it’s a cab that’s elegant and looks truly period (or even better, is antique)…rather than a modern monster that’s a sort of crass fairytale creation plucked from imagination with no basis in reality or substance. This sturdy, classic cab is in Amsterdam so we can’t very well have this one. But I’d like to find one similar in the overall area. And we made this decision before we got into the whole Rose Red thing, so it’s simply coincidence that it would have been a carriage not unlike this that brought Ellen to her new home in 1909.

The After Party Stuff…

Nick and I have always wanted an after party following the reception. Basically, we anticipate that a hardcore few party-goers will be left by the time the reception’s done that night, and those people will be in the mood for even more partying. So we plan to arrange a smaller, private venue where there’ll be a bar, music for dancing, some tables for cards/poker/boardgames/etc., snacks/finger foods, cigars for the keen, and so forth.

Even though it was well in advance of our wedding, I shopped around after autumn sales in late 2000 for an after party outfit. I wanted something pretty and fun to wow the guests as we left the reception for the after party, but not formal. I tried this completed ensemble on for Nick and he approved. (I’d have worn it regardless…)

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to break out pieces of this outfit to use over the past 8 years, but they are all safely tucked away in my parents’ attic so I can’t spoil them before the big day!

ABOVE: My “let’s get this party started” dress. It’s autumn colors, pretty much the same as our wedding, and I got it at a great price in a pre-winter sale. I think it’s timeless. It borrows a bit from the 40s, while still staying modern chic.

ABOVE: The leather jacket I bought to go with the dress, and to wear during our honeymoon. So completely awesome.

ABOVE: The after party purse, orange to match the dress, and orange to be seasonal for our honeymoon as well. We’ll be leaving for our honeymoon the day after the wedding.

ABOVE: The after party shoe. Now, this was not the original shoe I bought to go with the dress. A few years ago I decided the original shoes weren’t quite special enough once I saw these. These are genuine Yves Saint Laurent stiletto platform pumps. I own several pairs of similar shoes in “lesser” designer names (like Guess, BCBG, etc.). The YSL pumps are the sort you see Posh Spice wear. I think she usually wears the all-black, though; the inside of the heel and sole on this pair is gold…goes great with the dress. They are divine and at almost 5″ on the heel, way more comfortable than you’d imagine. I paid a fortune for them…but I’ll only be honeymooning once. And after the initial bang for buck at the after party, I’ll wear them time and time again!

The Honeymoon Stuff…

ABOVE: A whole brand spankin’ new set of luggage I got on sale, sitting at attention wrapped in plastic bags in my parents’ attic. Nick liked this set. It’s classy. Since we’ll be driving down to Napa the tote-type bags can have the stuff we’ll need for the car…CDs, snacks, whatever.

ABOVE: My wedding night negligee. Not sure when the “wedding night” will be. The hansom cab will take us from the reception to the after party. Somehow we’ll get home from the after party, because I imagine we’ll both be drunk and/or tired. Probably not in the mood for our big wedding night romance. The next day we’ll hit the road and stop in a hotel for sleep. So our wedding night celebration could be in a cheap motel somewhere between Washington and California…and that’s the kind of adventure that suits us. Nick’s not seen this yet, and unless he’s peering over my shoulder as I type this, he won’t see it until the night!

It’s My Party…

ABOVE: I found this when shopping sales for my after party dress. It was cute and the same orange-ish color everything’s ended up being, so I bought it for the “girl’s night out” prior to my wedding day. While Nick will be doing God knows what at his stag night, I’ll be doing God knows what with the girls in this dress!

And there you have it. Whenever Nick returns, this is how things will be. I’d invite each and every one of you to the wedding, but as that’d run up our catering bill rather substantially, I hope you’ll accept this (and any wedding photos I have to share after the event) in lieu. Yes…I know it may be a long long time before Nick’s back. But you can’t blame me for excitedly showing you what I have planned, right?

2 Comments

1. [...] Our Wedding Gallery [...]

   Pingback by Unraveling Rose Red » Brand Spankin’ New Galleries — March 30, 2009 @ 12:52 pm

2. Everything looks great! What a huge project planning a wedding is!

   Comment by Maureen — April 2, 2009 @ 3:13 pm

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