It's A Celebration

Wedding season is now upon us.  There is just something about the sunshine and vibrant colors of spring and summer that brings out a cause for celebration.  Over the weekend I had the privilege of attending a family wedding up in the Portland area.  I just have to just say, I LOVE special events!  People getting dressed up, sipping wine, eating good food, celebrating ... this wedding did not disappoint in any of these things.

Located on the awe inspiring grounds of McMenamins Edgefield, the wedding and reception was indoors, but guests had time to wander about and take in the scenery.  Since this is Oregon, it rained; but miraculously, the sun eventually came out and illuminated the sparkles on the bride's gown and brought out the colors of the flowers.  And the sky ... it was striated with deep shades of indigo and periwinkle - gorgeous!  It really was an ideal place for a wedding, full of old world charm, whimsical decor, and acres of rolling hills and vineyards.

The bride (my husband's cousin) and groom are honestly the tallest couple I've ever seen get married, and truly looked statuesque in their wedding day attire.  The flowers were stunning shades of citrus, and watching them drive away in a black vintage Bel Air was great fun.  

Ahh, it was a wonderful time of gathering with family and celebrating this couple's new life together.  Lovely, lovely.

The Wedding Party

One of my favorite things to do is look at wedding photos.  Often I cannot resist perusing a wedding magazine even though my own wedding was 11 1/2 years ago.  There is just something special about rose petals and sparkling rings; bright boutonnieres against stark suits; and children dressed up in satin dresses and miniature tuxedos.

Taking photos is also one of my favorite things (as you may have noticed) but venturing into the world of wedding photography freaks me out.  What if I were photographing a wedding and missed the most important moments like the giving away of the bride or the kiss?!  Thankfully, I was able to take photos of the wedding in Arizona and just have fun with it since a professional was hired to worry about the important stuff.

I got to use our new camera and play around with artistic style.  I had different perspectives of the event than what the professionals had.  And I happened to know one of the flower girls personally, so I got some ultra exclusive shots!

There were four flower girls.  The older ones wore very pale pearly pink dresses, while the younger ones wore slightly brighter baby pink dresses.  White satin gloves adorned their petite hands and "Hello, Kitty!" beaded necklaces were made by the mother of the bride.

The wedding took place at the stunning Silverleaf Club & Spa in Scottsdale.  Starting at 4:45 pm, the sun was starting to go down and surprisingly, the air was quite chilly for being in the Sonoran Desert.  The golf green made the ideal background, and the bride (my husband's cousin) was gorgeous.  My daughter performed her flower girl duties to perfection, and even though my son was not a ring bearer, he looked so handsome in his little tux.

He'll have his glass of milk shaken ... not stirred!

Then, shortly after the ceremony a photographer's dream started to come true ...

The flower girls began scooping up the rose petals ...

... tossing them into the air ...

... and provided my favorite shot of the whole wedding!  This looks like a photo from a Martha Stewart Weddings magazine or something.  But what is the greatest thing about it is that it wasn't staged, it was completely spontaneous.

The wedding was certainly quite the event.  I am so glad I got to be a part of it, taking photos ... without any of the pressure.

Gettin' Glam

The main reason for our recent trip to Arizona was for a wedding.  It was a great time of seeing aunts, uncles, cousins, parents and siblings.  It was also the perfect excuse to get glammed up and all fancified!

Here are a few glamor shots to show you what I mean:

Since my daughter was a flower girl in the wedding, we had her hair professionally done.  She made a few faces of boredom and discomfort, but ultimately she was thrilled to be fussed over.

Sitting still in a chair for twenty minutes paid off!  She's like my own little Shirley Temple!

I'm pretty sure I am going to frame this and hang it on my wall.  Gorgeousness!

Although this one is pretty stunning too.

I have to put this on my wall as well.  He's so dashing and cool.  My son wasn't in the wedding, but since his cousins were ring bearers wearing tuxedos, we got him a penguin suit too.

 

He's already a heart breaker!

Okay, so I had to add this photo.  There are rare occasions where I get truly dressed up.  And since I had my hair and makeup professionally done, documenting this rare event was a must!

And here I am with my dapper husband.  It was fun helping him choose his ensemble.

Now ... if I can only wrestle us up some tickets to the Oscars ... I'm pretty sure we could handle such an event!

A Special Day

Today is a special day.  My husband and I celebrate eleven years of marriage!  When I said "Happy Anniversary" to my husband this morning, I could see the look of panic and shock in his face as I'm sure he had momentarily forgotten.  To be fair, we are usually on a Labor Day weekend camping trip with extended family, and usually have to push our celebration back a bit.  Well, this year the camping trip isn't happening, but we still feel a little out of sorts.  All is well though, since we are planning a weekend getaway in the coming months.

Today I am remembering our rather surprising exit from our wedding.  The groomsmen and friends thought we would be driving away in my husband's (not very sexy or impressive) Ford Taurus station wagon.  So they "borrowed" the keys so that they could decorate it with embarrassing things and toilet paper.  As it was time to leave, my husband was having trouble finding the keys.  He fumbled around and I played along, semi whining about our hindered exit.  Then ... there was a rev of an engine and some headlights flicked on and suddenly a friend of ours squealed up in his red 1960s Corvette!  We jumped into the convertible and sped away, waving to the stunned crowd.  It was AWESOME!  The decorators of the station wagon, however, were none too pleased with our switch.  Heh, heh.  

We didn't exactly ride off into the sunset, instead we drove off into the night and that began our eleven year adventure together.

9.3.99

Today I have been doing a lot of reminiscing. I've been thinking back to ten years ago on this day and remembering what I wore, the butterflies in my stomach, and an overwhelming sense of excitement. Ten years ago today ... I got married.

It was a lovely evening - what I can remember of it - and it has been an even better ten years married to the best man I know. I am truly blessed. I wrote more about the details of the wedding last year for anyone who is interested.

In my nostalgic mood, I pulled out my wedding dress and decided to snap a few photos of it. It is so beautiful! Unfortunately, our wedding photographer didn't take any photos of the dress or the shoes, and the details are well worth capturing. So, since I can't wear the dress around town (and since it doesn't fit anymore due to expanded ribcage and bustline, thanks to the kids!) I hope you will indulge me a little bit.

I am far from being a frou frou kind of a girl, but I couldn't resist this bow! I'm sure it looked stunning as I knelt down for communion with my husband.

My bridesmaid's gowns were certainly not apricot taffeta with matching hats! I chose simple navy blue matte satin dresses.

I wish I had more clothes with such impeccable detailing. The embroidery and pearl accents were so lovely.

Although the dress was quite stunning, I think the details of my life with my husband are even more so. It is my prayer that the next 10 years of marriage will be just as amazing.

To my husband: I love you ... more every day.

Nine Glorious Years

Nine years ago on September 3rd, I married one incredible man. I am so proud and honored to be the wife of a person who lives his life with integrity, intelligence and humor. Since our wedding day we have moved four times, bought two houses, had two children, and have laughed a lot.

Our wedding day. September 3, 1999.

I love to look back on my wedding day. I admit that much of it was a blur as I was so nervous and full of excitement. My wedding was beautiful. It was inspired by Audrey Hepburn and her simple sophisticated style. My hair was up, my dress was ivory with embroidery and pearls, and my flowers were ivory roses and pearled stephanotis. We were married at a bed & breakfast in my hometown of Corvallis, Oregon and the best part of it was God was with us that day, and so were our friends and family.

I can't quite fit into this dress anymore as my shape has changed a little bit since having kids. I would choose this dress if I had to do it over again - just in a size bigger.

There is very little that I would change about that our wedding. If I had to do it all over again I would probably get a more artistic photographer, wear a little more color on my face, and choose more color for my bouquets (they were very beautiful but I think a pop of color would be nice), and I would have insisted more photos be taken outside in the beautiful courtyard.

We were both in college in those days and had to work with a budget. I wouldn't change that because it made us be creative with our resources and money. The result was an elegant and lovely affair (thanks to help from my parents), a very fun honeymoon in Tahiti (thanks to help from my husband's parents) and an amazing marriage (thanks to help from our Lord).

After years of marriage I still love to look at wedding magazines and websites. My favorite things are wedding cakes, stationery and bouquets. I think there need to be more occasions to carry bouquets like going to the grocery store, going to church, taking the kids to school ... it would make life a little more special wouldn't it?

This would be a perfect "everyday" bouquet. I could take it with me to the bank or when taking the dog to the vet.


The muscari (blue flowers) in this nosegay would have been perfect at my wedding since my bridesmaids wore navy. It was late summer however and they weren't in season. This bouquet would be perfect for a dinner out with my husband.

This arrangement demands attention. I would save this for a special occasion like shoe shopping.