Prayers Please

I am touched by how many of you sent emails of concern for my husband.... and that any of you are still here since its been AGES since I posted anything.

My husband is fine but a part of the search and rescue team. As of yet, there is no good news to report, meaning there are 9 families who are facing potential loss of a member. For lack of a better phrase, this did hit awfully close to home. And your thoughts and prayers were very welcome.

I will be back soon to finish wedding recaps and begin blogging about life as a newlywed military wife. In the mean time, go hug your significant other and make sure they know exactly how much you love them because you really never know.



[Note: I did not make this video, as far as I can tell my husband is not in it, I just found it on Youtube and thought it a nice tribute to the most underfunded and overextended of our armed forces.]

Eternal Father, Lord of hosts,

Watch o'er the men who guard our coasts.

Protect them from the raging seas

And give them light and life and peace.

Grant them from thy great throne above

The shield and shelter of thy love.

— (1955) CWO George H. Jenks, Jr., USCG

I'll be back soon with happier news and more cheerful topics.

Our dancin' song!

Remember when I asked you what you might dance down the aisle to?

I couldn't remember the name or artist for this song at the time but THIS is the song that, a few months ago, we would have been dancing down the aisle to. (My mother is yet again saying thanks that I hadn't seen this video before the wedding.) It just came on and I quickly jotted down the info to share! (Michael Franti/Spearhead singing "Say Hey (I Love you)"



:)

What would your song be if you would have danced down the aisle?

I was a BLUSHing bride

I've received lots of inquiries as to my dress and the color, so I thought I'd fill everyone in.

First of all, just in case you have missed it the zillion and four times I've said it before, these are my opinions and my experiences. I am a unique individual (just like everyone else) and things that work great for me my be a disaster to someone else. That being said....

I am not a fan of the stark white wedding dress. I think there are very few people that it really looks good on, and I think details of the dress can get lost in the blinding white.

[Side note: This is especially true if you have a photog who tends towards "blown out" photos. There is one photog whos work I love to see, but I wouldn't have wanted for my photos because while the images are magazine beauty edgy, so many details get lost. I can't count how many of the blog posts that I ooh and ahhh over the photos, and then realize not a single one showed the grooms face or details on the dress. (This photo is from a Flickr discussion group, NOT the photog I was talking about. Just an example of a detail-free dress.)

And didn't most of us put waaaay too much time effort (and dare I say money?) into choosing our dresses!? Anyway, thats just a thought for any of you who are still choosing a photog - don't just think the photos are cool and beautiful, make sure they capture the images and feelings you want from your wedding.] ..... {stepping off soapbox now}

Anyway... what was I talking about? Ahh... my being anti-pink and how I ended up in a blush dress.

So I am not a big fan of stark white in general, and none of the white dresses I tried on did anything for me. Most of which (like the one below) ended up in the "ewww and unflattering" dress post.

That being said, everyone's skin type and coloring are different so even if after reading this you think "no way am I wearing white!" I still recommend you try a few on just in case.

So I was in the hunt for an off-white dress. But for me, this was like being armed with a credit card and hunting with a blindfold on. I would say that I didn't want white and they would stick me in a white dress saying it came in ivory too. Great - can I see it in ivory? uhhh - no, just imagine! Ha. Some of the ivories and champagnes were beautiful and soft and really brought to life the details of the dress. But some looked dingy and made the lace look like it was from your great grandmothers coffee table doilies! So, I was not up for imagining.

When I tried on what would become my dress, the sales woman told me it came in white, ivory, and blush. Blush?! Do I look like a PINK girl to you!??! I don't think so!!! I'll take this amazing ivory I am wearing thank you very much!! .....store girl looks a bit sheepish as she explains to me that I am wearing the blush.... Wow, glad I wore my mint flavored shoes today!

My dress was a beautiful glowing ivory. It looked radiant and light without so much as a hint of pink.

Who would have thought that come April 4th, I was literally a blushing bride.

Why Walk When You Can Dance?

I am sure most of you have seen this already as is has been extremely prolific on facebook, but just in case you haven't... take two minutes to watch and laugh..



...and then tell me what you think!

• For those already married, would you have done this?
  
• For those still planning, are you considering it or just think its a fun video?
  
• For everyone, IF you were to do this, what song would you use!?

For my answers, IF I had seen this first, IN A HEARTBEAT!! (This is all under the assumption I could convince Adam to go for it.)

Funny story: I sent this to my mother... who may or may not read this blog...hmm... if so, Hi Mom! Her response was "I'm glad you didn't see this before the wedding!" Our priest, however, reposted this on his facebook page thinking it was a great idea and that he might have the choir and acolytes process into Sunday service like this! (Note, my mother is in the choir. :) ).

As for the song, I'm not sure. My first thought was some Jimmy Buffet, but that isn't quite "dancy". Redneck Yatch Club is fitting of our crew, but itsn't "lovely" at all. My best idea thus far would be Wynnona's Burning Love from Lilo and Stitch. Of course (as you'll hear about later in recaps), if we did "Mustang Sally" we could have had our priest singing!

Ok - And you???

Capricious Creativity: Barefoot Sandals - DIY "How to"

Remember when I decided to make the "shoes" for myself and my bridesmaids? Well, I made the demo set's and then mailed them all around the country to my girls so they could figure out which ones they wanted for their fabulous feet.

UPDATE: I actually wrote this ages ago (like October!) and for some reason, never posted it! Whoopsidaisies!

A few months later... I've got everyone's choice... and only 1 set of measurements. I had a couple of girls tell me "my foot's a size 9". ummm... Great. I can go BUY them shoes, but I can't make them!!! Click HERE to be reminded of how surprising it is that I have figured out how to make these in the first place.

Well, I have to start somewhere, so one set of measurements it is! Thus began my Saturday... and now begins my first attempt at how to DIY!!

Note: This makes the grand total of TWO pairs of these I have made. There may be better ways to do this, and I know there are better ways to photograph and explain this... but you aren't on Martha's blog, you're on mine... so bear with me! If you have any questions for clarification - just ask! (All photos courtesy of me!)

Start with a fixed end, a la use a crimping bead. See how it looks like I'm using fishing wire? Its actually not, I used "stretch magic" because I wanted these to have a little give to 'em.

Continue adding beads in whatever pattern you like until you have a large loop that is twice the circumference of the ankle this is being fitted for. Add a clasp to the other end and you've essentially made a big ol necklace. Its the next step that makes it a shoe!
(Contrary to the picture, this doesn't have to be done need an apple keyboard. Though in my house, you are never that far from an apple keyboard. ) :)

Next up, you are beading a single line with a toe loop at the end. I always started with the toe loop because its just easier that way.
Notice JUST below the big dark blue bead is a crimping bead. When I had enough tiny white beads for the toe loop, I crimped it off so that it was done and I didn't have to worry about it anymore. Plus, then I can put it on my foot and figure out how long the top part is/needs to be. Hint: Always use little bitty beads for the toe loop - much higher comfort quotient!
Continue beading the straight line that will run up the top of your foot until you have the desired length. (I think this length is the most crucial to get right.) Just because I thought it looked nice, somewhere in the middle of each top line, I added a much larger bead to stand out. End this line wiht a crimping bead - DON'T CRIMP IT YET - just string it on.

So now you have a big 'ol loop, and a small loop at the end of the straight line of beads. Put the loop on your ankle with the clasp towards the back. Find the beads that will be at the front of your ankle. This is where the top line will intersect and be hooked to the loop. Lightly stretch the beads apart so you have space take the tail end of the straight line, loop it around, and back through the crimping bead.
Now crimp that bead and everything should be connected!

And this is what the finished product will look like.

Ta-da!

Ok - so my instructions sound confusing when typed! Just take it step by step and it really is pretty simple.

UPDATE: So as it turns out, its a zillion times easier to make one with the foot actually there with you. This ended up being the only pair I made by measurements. The remaining four I made within a month of the wedding, and the last pair being finished after the rehearsal dinner. While I had originally given them several options of style choices, I realized that I needed the foot in front of me, and this was the simplest style. So while each one was unique in beading etc, they were all this style. Rae captured such a cute shot of them all and it was even featured on Weddingbee.com's Gallery Photo of the Day!

Anyone else find that the actual DIY is much more simple than explaining it?!

Why Everyone Should Have a Photobooth

Almost every wedding blog has one thing in common.. they've all talked about or posted photos from a photobooth. Seriously. For all you brides-to-be stalking other planning blogs, find ONE that hasn't done a post with one. I dare ya!

I know its a trend, but with everyone doing photobooths, or faux-tobooths, we were hooked. There was such a wide variety of types, some whimsical, some vintage, but they were all fun, and the pictures are priceless.

(Unless otherwise noted, all photos were clipped from Weddingbee. Click on the photo for its blog-post-link.)

All you really need is a camera, a tripod, and maybe a sheet with a fun print.
Oh, and props, cause everyone loves funny hats and mustaches.

Below, Mrs Cookie went with a traditional rented photobooth, and even provided colorful paper to attach the photo strips to!

Mrs Avacado even thought to bring in a dry erase board for people to include messages!

We knew our reception was going to be a party. We knew that people tend to be silly when happy (and drinking) and we REALLY wanted to encourage this and capture it on film. I've shown you before what can happen with our family friends at weddings. So, true to form, our friends, and our families friends were all drinking and laughing and having a great time... and we caught it all on "film".

(And by "we" I mean our uber wonderful photogs.
Rae and Wes set up the background, provided the props, and snapped the shots! )

I think some of these may end up being among our favorite photos. And as you can tell, it was a hit with the entire crowd, not just us "kids".

They captured the feel of the party and the wide variety of personalities regardless of the ages. It was worth every penny, and in the near future I'll do a full post on our photobooth photos.

A few weeks ago, my husband came across these and we think they would be a great addition to anyone's photobooth props!

And one last idea that I found on weddinbee by way of Martha Stewart,

How fun is that? Use the chalkboard for messages and backdrop!

So, there you have it. Photobooths are just plain fun and you end up with pictures to look at and laugh with for years to come. I highly recommend it!
Anyone else planning the booth route?

Wedding Day Drinking

So its been such a long time I'm almost hesitant to post! I've got lots of fun stories of being a military wife and newlywed, mini-moon and hikes and rafting and camping, and arguing over curtains. But since this is my wedding blog, I'll stick to that for now.

I don't have the digital files from my photog yet, (We have to choose the ones for our album first....hmmm..... I think I'll start post-it noting the ones I like best right now!.... No, wait... I am blogging FINALLY. I will not be distracted..... oooh... shiny thing!) :)

I thought I'd bring up a topic that I never read about and put ZERO thought into before the wedding. We planned the meal, we choose wine and champagne that fit the feel (and budget!), and special ordered beer. We had thought it all through.... with one small snafu... I hadn't given a moment's worth of thought to what I would be drinking.

When we arrived at the party and finished the sword arch, one of my parent's friends came over, gave me a great big hug, and asked me what I wanted to drink because she was going to get it for me. Gotta love the South. ;-) I was caught off guard (not expecting this question quite so early... and for some reason I envisioned going to the bar myself - HA!), and asked for a glass of the red wine. I thought some version of this would be me:She LAUGHED (loudly) and said absolutely not with my pretty white dress. Huh. Not the reaction I expected (I guess even at your wedding when asking for an alcoholic drink I am still "John and Mary's kid" and my requests will get laughed at as such). She brought me a glass of white wine, which I am really not a fan of.

I sipped on it just as long as she was talking to me. All the while thinking "OK - I'm not aloud to have red wine... and she does a have point, I am my father's daughter thus, I will end up wearing it. I don't fancy white wine. I will be a diabetic before the night is over if I drink champagne all night. People are obviously going to keep my hand full of whatever I am drinking so mixed drinks are OUT OF THE QUESTION. So what the hell am I going to drink?!" At which point my oh-so-wonderful-brand-new-husband walked up with one of our specialty beers! (Kona Brew Company) PERFECT! I quickly snagged it from him and said thanks! And then I was pulled into another "Congrats - It was beautiful!" conversation, and someone quickly got him a new beer. :) All was right with the reception world.

Like the propped up pinky? I figured it was a dressy event and here I was drinking beer, so I'd fancy it up a bit. =)

Of course, later on, when everyone had been drinking a bit, the eel came out and became the limbo stick. So, beer in hand....

Everyone thought it was funny that the bride was drinking beer all night (except for the toasts), but that was just fine by me. I had a good time, wasn't stressing about each sip, and wasn't getting wasted. Just good friends, fun music, a fabulous new husband, and a night to remember.

Has anyone else put any thought into it? What will you be drinking?