First Year

One year down, a lifetime to go...isn't that how the saying goes? Luke and I celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversary last month. As previously mentioned, we went to brunch at North Pond in Lincoln Park. We exchanged cards and the traditional "paper" gifts. He gave me some beautiful card sets from Papyrus. My Mother-In-Law also showered us (okay, mostly me) with gifts too. She's so sweet! Flowers, antique china and diamond earrings!!! Luke mentioned to her that she was "showing him up" (haha), but I didn't really mind. It was a wonderful gesture. I can't believe it's already been ONE year. Time flies when you're having fun!

I was adamant about saving the top tier of our wedding cake (a.k.a. cupcake tower) for our 1 year anniversary. The Carrot Cake was delicious back then...could it be just as good a year later (and frozen)? After defrosting and unwrapping it, it looked safe enough to try so we both dug in. Verdict: Very yummy! The coconut frosting was still my favorite part...thanks again, Traveler's Cafe!

Photos ©2010 Keg Design.

Recap: Our Youngest Guests (Part 2)

Caleb was such a trooper, and he liked to give kisses too! 

Best Man & MOH walking into the party with Caleb.

Caleb and his Mom (Loren) - so cute!

This is Cameron, Caleb's younger brother!!!

Check out those blonde ringlets...I love 'em!

Everyone getting their "groove" on.

Photos by RHB Photography.

Recap: Our Youngest Guests (Part 1)

This might be my favorite recap so far! It's all about the cutest, most adorable guests that attended our wedding...the kids! Even though we had an adult-only reception (if you weren't at least in high school, you didn't make the cut), there were two very important exceptions...Caleb (3 years old) and Caleb's younger brother Cameron (1.5 years old). Their mom, Loren, who is my first cousin, was also a bridesmaid. Caleb was our ring bearer, and by far the cutest, most well behaved member of the bridal party. The photos are priceless...

Photos by RHB Photography.

Recap: Our Wedding Video

Luke and I went back and forth deciding whether or not to hire a professional videographer for our wedding. We knew that we would want the memories, but we weren't sure who to use or if our budget would allow for it. After extensive online research and a few phone calls, I found A Family Affair Video in Lyons, IL. Scott and Barb Scheman, the owners, were very professional and accommodating over the phone. They were willing to work within our limited budget, and they helped us come up with a video package that fit our needs. 

Luke and I decided that we wanted only our ceremony (not reception) captured on camera. Our package included anything taking place at the church...so the arrivals of the bride/bridesmaids and groom/groomsmen, the processional, ceremony, recessional and trolley "getaway." If you've been keeping up with my blog, you know that the morning of our wedding day was not pretty. The stress and anxiety caused by storms and a major power outage the night before, left most things a mess. Fortunately, the church never lost power, so we knew the ceremony was still on. Nearly forgetting about the videographer in the midst of the chaos, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw Scott taping my bridesmaids and I as we arrived at the church. Scott was wonderful to work with the entire afternoon - we hardly even knew he was there! He captured everything we wanted and even took additional time after the ceremony to shoot close-ups of our flowers and other important details. 

 

If you click here, you'll be directed to a sample video of our "Bridal Party Entrance" (processional). That's Caleb, our ring bearer, above - he's the cutest 4 year old in the world! You'll also notice that our church had the narrowest aisle in the world (haha). The sample clip is only a small sliver of the 50 minute, fully edited video that we recently received from Scott and Barb. And yes, our package included professional editing with voice and music overlays. Luke and I were able to choose 3 songs to use for the opening and closing credits of the video. 

It was an absolute delight to work with A Family Affair Video. We were 100% satisfied with our experience. I would highly recommend Scott and Barb to anyone looking for high quality videography services for a wedding. Currently, AFAV is offering "Video Stimulus Packages" for couples looking to incorporate videography into their wedding on a budget. You can also view additional testimonials and video samples on their website. Thanks again, Scott and Barb!

Recap: Photo Booth Art

I'm so giddy about the new art piece hanging up in our condo - it makes me smile every time I walk by! When Luke and I decided to have a photo booth at our wedding reception, I knew I had to do something cool with the photos...albums are nice, but they get looked at once or twice and are put away never to come out again. I wanted something creative and different. I came up with the idea of having our photo booth strips placed into one, large frame in a montage-like style. I wanted it to feel organic and playful. I started to investigate doing the whole project myself, but decided it was best left to the experts. I'm glad I did, as it ended up being a 50x30 inch size piece (aka: huge)!

The contrast of the playful pictures with the ornate frame is perfect for our home. I think the black and white color of the piece also keeps it feeling sophisticated. When it arrived last weekend, we had the perfect spot in our hallway for it - I feel like we have a mini art gallery in our condo now! This project was the first time in which I used a high end framing studio to do the labor for me. I got to pick out the frame from a million options (so fun!) and decide on all the little details. The price tag wasn't very budget friendly, but I'm absolutely thrilled with the end result. I can't wait to go home tonight and take another look...

Recap: Old, New, Borrowed, Blue

As with most things in my life, I went a bit overboard with the "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue" tradition. I wanted to have options, and that, I did! I had numerous special items that fell into each of the four categories. I wore all of them proudly.

Something New: My Earrings

Something Old & Blue: Vintage Pin I bought at a resale store many years ago. I wore it pinned to the inside of my wedding gown.

Something Old & Borrowed: My great grandmother's emerald cut ring (tied to my bouquet).

Something New & Blue: Garter, graciously purchased at the last minute for me by my best friend and bridesmaid, Kristie.

Something New: My bracelet, purse...and, of course, wedding dress!

Something Old, Borrowed and Blue: My great grandmother's handkerchief (wrapped around my bouquet).

Recap: Our Wedding Program

I'll be sharing more "recap" posts with you guys from my wedding day - sorry it's taken so long! I had a lot of fun creating our wedding programs - we made them as interactive and entertaining as possible. We included the words to our hymn, Come To A Wedding, as well as information on the ceremony, our wedding party and a special thank you to all of our guests. The design, obviously, coordinated with our wedding invitations. I purchased the black and white ribbon at Michael's Crafts, and with the help of my wonderful MOH, I managed to get 125 programs folded and tied two days before the wedding.

The entertaining portion of our programs included a short write-up on each of our attendants. Luke and I had shared a lot of laughs while writing these, and we think our wedding party and guests truly enjoyed reading them. We included basic information such as our relation to each person, as well as one or two more personal facts or funny stories about each. This was definitely my favorite part of the program.

World's Finest...

Luke and I had the World's Finest wedding favors...literally! If you're from the Chicago area, you definitely know World's Finest Chocolate. They make those amazing chocolate bars, with and without almonds, that schools and organizations sell for fundraising purposes. Luckily, my aunt and godmother, Jojo, works at WFC and donated all of the bars for our wedding. I created the scroll design for the label and had them printed in black & white to coordinate with our wedding colors. My mom and aunt glued on the damask paper pieces and tied 200+ bows! Thanks, ladies! At the end of the reception, there was not an extra favor in sight - they were definitely a huge success. Thanks again Jojo, you're the World's Finest aunt!

Half up, Half down

In regards to hair and make-up, the most important thing to me on my wedding day was that I ended up looking like me! I have naturally curly hair, and I didn't want it hidden in an up-do or straightened with an iron. I went with a loose half-up, half-down style. It suited my personality and complimented the grecian look of my gown. I loved how the side curls swept across my face and twisted into the barrette in the back of my hair. I wanted the hair accessory I choose to subtly enhance my hair style, not overwhelm it. The rhinestone piece I found did just that! Overall, I was really pleased with my wedding hair...

All photos by RHB Photography.

They're In...Professional Wedding Photos!!!

Actually, I've been drooling over them for the last few weeks - my photographer was amazingly quick in getting our online gallery up. There were over 1200 photos, so it's been a little overwhelming (to say the least). Here are a few of my favorites. I'll be sharing many more with you over the next few weeks and months...stay tuned!

Photos by RHB Photography.