DFW Brides: One Last Reminder!

Seriously, this is the last time you will ever see this image again, I swear.

Just one last reminder that Mrs. Hydrangea and I will be meeting up this Saturday, the 24th, at 12:00 pm at the Starbucks in Northpark mall, and then heading to the 12:30 pm showing of Bride Wars.

Please won't you come join us? I'll bring treats and stuff them in my purse, I promise! Maybe even something extra special and homemade 'cause I love you ladies. XOXO See you soon!

The Look of a Decade

This post by Becker has me thinking "Will my wedding day look stand the test of time?"

All of these brides are ridiculously beautiful but you can definitely tell some of them are brides of the 90's by looking at their photo.

Did you focus on a wedding day look that's classic, or did you embrace the 2000's and go with what you love? Do you have any predictions for what the look of a bride married in this decade will be? What will Becker be posting 10 years from now?

That Wedding: Let Us Whet Your Appetite

We exited through the sliding glass doors right into the library area thinking we were going to have to stand around and greet all of our guests receiving line style, as has been the case for every single LDS wedding I have ever attended. We were lucky and that didn't happen! Over the course of the weekend we gave our guests several opportunities to spend time with us so there was no need. Phew!

That didn't stop my recently married best friend from charting a course in my direction to give me the Pre-Wedding Night Chat. "Are you nervous?" She asked me. "Don't lie to me, just tell me how you are doing." As a culture of virgins, this talk runs rampant throughout the celebration.

I don't remember much about the hour of appetizers. I know we didn't spend all of it together, but we sure did laugh a lot. Although appetizer hours aren't practical for every budget we ended up having to expand our appetizer menu to meet our catering minimum because of the number of declines we had to our invitations.

Jamie Smith

This joke was even funny enough for my 5 chins to come out and celebrate with me!

I spent most of the time wandering around without my new husband (except that time when we snuck into the hallway to practice our first dance, which may have caused any guests watching us to raise an eyebrow at, since it may have looked like we snuck away for a little time alone).

Most of my time was spent begging people to visit the photo booth. After I got the pictures back I realized not many people listened to me.

Guest Photo

It's so fun to sort through the wedding photos and get an idea of what others experienced while I was wandering around being a bride. Nothing makes all of the time and work put into the planning more worth it than seeing the laughter and smiles of friends and family throughout the day.

Apparently two of my cousins decided to stay in the atrium after the ring ceremony to use button covered aisle as their own personal runway.

Jamie Smith

Work it darling!

Jamie Smith

See those smiles I was talking about? So worth it.

Jamie Smith

I love this close up shot of the aisle runner, I didn't even notice the pretty pattern on the day of. And you know I love my buttons!

Jamie Smith

It wasn't until the appetizer hour was about halfway over that I encountered my first tray of delicious food. Everyone else grabbed their food off of silver trays, but Donna, my hotel coordinator, had them arrange a beautiful tray specifically for the bride and groom.

From left to right: Miniature baked brie with fruit compote, Poached lobster with avocado mousse on cucumber rounds, Rare beef crostini with caramelized onions, Grilled prawn skewers with coconut dipping sauce.

There was something special about many of the dishes they served that night. Two days before the wedding my dad brought in several boxes of organic potatoes, shallots, cippolinis, and onions. Those onions you see in the shot below are my dad's! The chef customized the catering menu for our event and included the produce we provided in most of the dishes served throughout the night.

Gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, hypoglycemic MOH Shay Shay grabbed an apple to tide her over until dinner since she couldn't have any of the appetizers.

Jamie Smith

Ordering custom Gocco napkins from South Main Design with our wedding quote on them was a fun touch that didn't break the bank. I was very happy to receive a stack of these after the wedding, since it meant that the staff treated them well and realized the extras shouldn't just be tossed in the trash.

I didn't give a single thought to the cocktail table decor. Or a single penny. The tea lights provided by Hotel 1000 worked just fine.

I didn't know the term until I became entrenched in the world of wedding planning blogs, but apparently ours can be labeled a "dry wedding." We even had the audacity to serve nothing but water during appetizer hour. The horror I know.

Our guests put away the garbage they were planning to throw at us in protest of the bland choice of beverage when they saw our pretty citrus stand. We know how to to a dry appetizer hour right, with lemons, limes, and orange wedges.

Guest photos show that one flavor of citrus round or another made it in almost every glass.

Guest photo

To the right of the citrus rounds sat the guestbook and card box area. We saved the prettiest suitcases for displaying inside so we didn't scuff them up on the streets of Seattle.

We had worked through our family to spread the word to our guests that we would be flying back to Dallas after the wedding and that transporting lots of gifts would be next to impossible. Next to the suitcases was a sign asking:

"Please place your gift cards full of well wishes in this suitcase to have them delivered to the bride and groom"

I thought it was cheeky to have things placed in a suitcase to have them delivered! Obviously I'm not afraid to get a kick out of my own ideas.

We did a postcard guestbook, and we've giggled over more than few responses found on the cards delivered to our mailbox each week. I bought the sassy little suitcase for holding the postcards at an antique store in Seattle, and taped a card inside the lid instructing guests to fill out the postcards and leave them inside to have them delivered to us at a later date.

On the front of the postcard I used an image from the time I visited Poland with Mamacado in May of last year. The back encouraged guests to leave their name, and asked a few questions designed to think about the past, present, and future.

We're seriously considering some of the names suggested (except the one where they took both our first names and turned them around backwards, LOL, so the girl would be named Annej, a play on the difficulty my family/friends have in pronouncing Polish words), we were reminded of so many memories we had forgotten, and we love getting feedback on what others enjoyed most.

Photo by me

Each week my wonderful Grandma slides five of these cards into an envelope and sends them down to us. It's delightful to have the chance to relive our wedding a little bit each week. We still don't have the cards from Groomsmen N, seen smirking below, or what I imagine will be the wickedly witty card from Groomsmen C captured here in deep thought.

Guest photo

My crowning achievement in terms of DIY creativity for the wedding decor elements was the seating card display. I love it because I came up with it completely on my own, one of the few times I didn't use a photo, blog post, or magazine clipping as inspiration for a concept used at the wedding. The suitcase used to hold the cards was my grandmother's in high school.

I can take credit for the suitcase and what sits inside, but credit must be given to my DOC, aunt, and mother for designing the crazy chic moss and ribbon decor surrounding it.

Sitting inside that family heirloom suitcase guests found simple cards with their name and table assignment nestled in a bed of rice and buttons. I love that it used the buttons, that it was simple, and that it was something I came up with all on my own.

Jamie Smith

The suitcase would have looked ridiculous all by itself on a 6 foot table so my mom and my aunt (I know my fabulous mom had a heavy hand in this design) sprinkled the table with buttons, moss, and old books we had collected over the months. I saw several guests picking the books up and reading them during the appetizer hour, which made me laugh. Who doesn't decor that doubles as entertainment?

Jamie Smith

Somehow Kelli Nicole managed to enjoy herself and eat a few appetizers in between catching shots of all the details she knew I would want to write about later (it was fun having a half guest/ half photographer for the day!)

When I saw this shot on Our One Heart, I knew I had to have one of my own. Of course I am biased but I like mine better than the original inspiration.

This ring shot looks like Seattle to me. Woodsy, funky, natural, unique. I loved the city before, but it holds an extra special place in my heart now.

Don't worry, Kelli Nicole won't be taking breaks from photo shooting to eat appetizers at your
wedding. Unless you ask her like I did. :)

Previously:

That Wedding: Bridesmaid Party!
That Wedding: Whole Foods (Rehearsal-ish) Luncheon
That Wedding: Harbor Sailing
That Wedding: Putting My Face On
That Wedding: The Gift Exchange
That Wedding: Dressing The Bride
That Wedding: Bridal Details
That Wedding: The First Look
That Wedding: Into The Woods
That Wedding: Woodsy Family Portraits
That Wedding: To Wed! To Wed!
That Wedding: Showered With Love, Coins, and Hugs
That Wedding: Group Shots With a Little Spice
That Wedding: Those Groomsmen
That Wedding: The Whole Party
That Wedding: Me and My Maids (+ Manmaid)
That Wedding: Ring Ceremony Prep
That Wedding: The Ring Ceremony

Getting Gallery Wrap Canvas For Cheap

I've recently been crying over the cost of gallery wrap canvas prints . I want to fill my house with them and create my own version of the oft cited Martha gallery wrap layout.

Source

Unfortunately ordering them through the company my Mom uses for her own professional printing would run me $75 for an 8X10 (that's wholesale people!).

I was delighted when my photographer friend Chriselda sent me a coupon for 20% off of all orders from the website Picture It On Canvas until January 21st using the code "jan09".

I've never ordered through them so I don't have first hand experience, but you can read about someone elses on The Butterfly Has Landed.

Of course if you do have any problems you can always take advantage of their 100% satisfaction guarantee! According to their website you can receive a full refund or a free reprint if you contact them about your dissatisfaction within 3 days of receiving your order.

Now to start sorting through my photos to decide which ones I want to hang...

That Wedding: The Ring Ceremony

Our officiant stepped forward and everyone quieted down. He welcomed our guests, thanked them for coming, and introduced himself. We call him President Christensen because he is a member of the area priesthood in my hometown. He was also a close friend of my dad's in high school (and sources report he even dated my mom a little bit!). It was important to have someone that knew one of us well officiating, as well as someone with authority in the Church.

President Christensen called my grandpa forward and we began with a word of prayer.

When we asked President Christensen to officiate we also asked him to prepare a few words about temple marriage and why we chose to be married in the temple. We felt this was an important opportunity to share a fundamental part of our belief system with those close to us who may not understand it well.

The message he shared was beautiful and tailored to us personally. He based his words on The Family: A Proclamation to the World, a document released by the LDS church which explains why we believe in marriage.

President Christensen has a very warm and gentle tone and he knows when to be funny and what kind of humor is appropriate for the occasion. I love how many photos there are of Mr. Avocado, myself, our parents, or our guests smiling at something the said.

I was glad I had decided to write my words down instead of memorizing them, otherwise I would have been so busy trying to remember everything I wouldn't have been able to really listen and soak all of it in.

I think Kelli may have captured my dad taking a quick little cat nap. It was a long day for all of us!

In the middle of his words on marriage President Christensen called us forward. I remember clearly his advice "People are going to begin asking you when you are going to have children, when you are going to start your family. It's important that you realize that the two of you became a family today."

He encouraged us to "be quick to forgive and forget. Learn that love, like faith, is a verb, not a noun. Do something every day to lift and encourage each other. Put the interests of each other ahead of your own."

He then presented us with a copy of The Family: A Proclamation to the World, and one to both of our parents as well.

I thought it was really touching that he went out of his way to get a copy of the proclamation in Polish for my in-laws.

Why marry in the temple? from Jenna on Vimeo.

Our friend L was invited to come forward and read the quote we chose by C.S. Lewis:

Being in love is a good thing, but it is not the best thing. There are many things below it, but there are also things above it. You cannot make it the basis of a whole life. It is a noble feeling, but it is still a feeling. Now no feeling can be relied on to last in its full intensity, or even to last at all. Knowledge can last, principles can last, habits can last; but feelings come and go.

And in fact, whatever people say, the state called "being in love" usually does not last. If the old fairy-tale ending "They lived happily ever after" is taken to mean "They felt for the next fifty years exactly as they felt the day before they were married," then it says what probably never was nor ever could be true, and would be highly undesirable if it were. Who could bear to live in that excitement for even five years? What would become of your work, your appetite, your sleep, your friendships?
But, of course, ceasing to be "in love" need not mean ceasing to love. Love in this second sense--love as distinct from "being in love"--is not merely a feeling. It is a deep unity, maintained by the will and deliberately strengthened by habit; reinforced by the grace which both ask, and receive, from God. They can have this love for each other even at those moments when they do not like each other. They can retain this love even when each would easily, if they allowed themselves, be "in love" with someone else.

"Being in love" first moved them to promise fidelity: this quieter love enables them to keep the promise. It is on this love that the engine of marriage is run: being in love was the explosion that started it.

This quote is the reason why we decided we needed to have programs sitting at each seat. It's not a quote that is traditionally romantic and we wanted to give our guests the chance to really read it and think about what it means.

It doesn't speak of undying love or fate or soul mates. It's about hard work, trust, and acknowledging the reality that a happy marriage filled with love will only come because we both strive for it. Our favorite line is the last in the first paragraph. We know that if we increase our knowledge, hold on to our principles, and improve our habits, that our love for one another can last into eternity.

My new husband and I stepped forward and read our words to each other. We called them "non-vows" because that's what they were. They weren't vows (in fact the church provides almost no guidelines for ring ceremonies other than no vows in any form shall be exchanged), they were the personification of our love to one another. We already made our promises earlier that day, this was a chance to publicly acknowledge our love for one another.

I posted about my temple time capsule previously, and as I was writing my vows I remembered tucking a note to my future husband inside. I broke out the can opener and opened it up on the spot to discover I was right. I ended up incorporating the note I had written 8 years previously into my non-vows.

Growing up I called myself a princess and hoped to find Prince Charming and live happily ever after. Reading C.S. Lewis taught me that marriage isn’t a fairy tale, and I’ve grown up enough to know that ours won’t be. You aren’t perfect, and I am most certainly not anywhere near it. Our relationship works because we are both able to acknowledge each others imperfections, love each other despite our differences, and work together to make improvements in our attitude and behavior. That you for helping me improve every day. There are so many reasons I am a better person because of you.

Our love isn’t flowery, simple, or easy. It is rooted in practicality, common goals, and a deep respect for each other. I will be working each and every day to seek forgiveness for my faults and praise you for your achievements. I know that in choosing to be sealed in the temple we created a union that will last for eternity.
I have always known the temple is the right place to be married. On October 10, 2001, as a 16 year old girl dreaming of true love I wrote you this letter:

“To my sweetheart,
We are finally getting married. I am so excited. I have been excited for this day as long as I can remember. I know that as long as I am getting married in the temple, we are right for each other.”

Thank you for taking me to the temple to be married today. When I stopped looking for my perfect happily ever after, I found my forever.

Kocham cię
I love you

We kept our non-vows a secret from one another until that moment, and I'm so glad I pushed Mr. Avo to do it that way. He worried that they wouldn't sound the same, that we would look like fools exchanging completely different sets of ideals in front of so many of our nearest and dearest.

When I think back on it I'm even surprised that the feelings and ideas we expressed were so in tune with one another. He blew me away that day. I'm known as the writer in the relationship, but that didn't stop him from dictating a sonnet of love for the two of us. It's something I will always hold close. I won't be writing his words here, you'll have to watch the video if you want to experience them for yourself. :)

Non-Vows from Jenna on Vimeo.

We didn't know if we should kiss or not, since we hadn't done the ring exchange, but in the words of the officiant "I think that deserves a kiss!"

I pulled his ring that I had been wearing off my own finger and slid it on his. We both laughed because he had never tried it on before and it was way too big. We both knew right then that he would never end up wearing it.

Notice anything strange about this picture? I'm actually having him slide my wedding band(s) onto my right ring finger. I didn't want to overwhelm my engagement ring so I switched things around and decided to wear my wedding bands on my right hand in European fashion. It's the fitting thing to do when marrying a European, no?

And then suddenly it was over. We still had one more event to stress over (the first dance) but for the most part we could relax and enjoy ourselves from this point forward.

And one more kiss to end on the right note.

After the closing prayer we made our way out to the sounds of Yo-Yo Ma once again, with very little fanfare.

I flashed a cheesy grin at my Aunt and ended up with one of my favorite ring ceremony pictures. When you walk back down the aisle look up and around at your family and friends. It's fun to see the expressions on their faces.

Photo by guest

We did it!

Jamie Smith

Can you believe one person captured all of those angles? Somehow Kelli Nicole did.

Previously:

That Wedding: Bridesmaid Party!
That Wedding: Whole Foods (Rehearsal-ish) Luncheon
That Wedding: Harbor Sailing
That Wedding: Putting My Face On
That Wedding: The Gift Exchange
That Wedding: Dressing The Bride
That Wedding: Bridal Details
That Wedding: The First Look
That Wedding: Into The Woods
That Wedding: Woodsy Family Portraits
That Wedding: To Wed! To Wed!
That Wedding: Showered With Love, Coins, and Hugs
That Wedding: Group Shots With a Little Spice
That Wedding: Those Groomsmen
That Wedding: The Whole Party
That Wedding: Me and My Maids (+ Manmaid)
That Wedding: Ring Ceremony Prep