My lovely fiance comes to many of my weddings with me – as I always tell my couples, he sits in the back, he’s very quiet, he wears a tie, and he takes pictures for me. Afterwards, I thank him profusely and buy him dinner (it’s a business expense, right?).
There are occasions when he cannot come to my weddings, and I’m always a little sad, because I love having photos to share and look back on and talk about!
And this was one of those weddings – back in November, Jaseem & Genevieve got married at the Oakeside Mansion, in Bloomfield, New Jersey – a beautiful old house, with gardens in the back, where the ceremony was held. They had a sweet ceremony, with some wonderful traditions and rituals included, that I’ve been telling people about, and I was so excited when I saw their professional photos were up, so I could share them!
They each chose the same vows to read, one of my favorites:
I, Genevieve, take you, Jaseem, to be my husband,
my friend, my love, and my lifelong companion.
To share my life with yours,
To build our dreams together,
to support you through times of trouble,
and to rejoice with you in times of happiness.
I promise to treat you with respect, love and loyalty
through all the trials and triumphs of our lives together.
This commitment is made in love, kept in faith,
lived in hope, and eternally made new.
And they also had a sand ceremony, and a garland exchange, to honor Jaseem’s Indian heritage. Genevieve’s parents came forward to present the garlands to the bride and groom, who then passed the garlands over one another. This ritual symbolizes the mutual acceptance, of both the bride and groom for each other as husband and wife, but also for the parents, welcoming their new daughter or son into the family.
It was one of my last weddings of the fall, just after Halloween, and they had a beautiful, clear fall day.
Nearly six months later – congratulations again, Geneveieve & Jaseem! I know you both will spend the rest of your lives making each other happy.
Photos courtesy of Jaseem’s Flickr.
My friend Lindsey does an Etsy Friday every week on her blog – she takes a theme, and finds fabulous stuff on Etsy that fit within the theme.
I was going to do a straight wedding ceremony Etsy Friday, but then I started looking up the first item on my list – Ring Bearer Pillows/Bowls/Etc – and saw SO many great options that I knew it was going to take a few Fridays to hit them all!
So here’s the first installment – Ring Bearer Props! And you don’t have to have a ring bearer to take advantage of these lovely details… if you have a table at the front with other props for the ceremony (unity candle, sand ceremony, wine, etc), you can add a ring pillow or a ring plate on there to store the rings until their big moment – and not have to worry about them!
I did a wedding in January that used these lovely little ring bowls from Paloma’s Nest. I just love the simple elegance of them, and you can even get custom sayings printed! Afterwards, it’s a sweet reminder of your wedding day, hung on the wall, or set up with a little plate frame on a shelf. [via Paloma's Nest]
Lovely little love birds on a ceramic leaf, with ribbons to hold the ribbon on. There are a ton of other bird inspired wedding accessories (including some adorable cake toppers!) in her shop, too! [via Rain's End]
These pillows come with a matching tie! And in her shop, you can get more ties for all of the men in the wedding can coordinate! [via Me and Matilda]
These plates are customized with a your name and wedding date. Her shop has some more very cute options too (including “The Perfect Pear” with a little pear icon!). [via Just Wright Boutique]
I love that you can choose the colors and little flourish in the corner to match your wedding colors. I also loved this one by the same seller, with a beautiful gathered purple velvet rose! [via Artful Beginnings]
This little ring nest is just so adorable! It would be perfect for a wedding in the woods! [via LuckeyU]
If you’re a little worried about your ring bearer losing the rings – keeping them safe in a box is a great option! [via Details! Creations]
I just love that this ring pillow is made from a vintage quilt. If you have any sewers or quilters in your family or circle of friends – having them whip up a small quilt square to use as a pillow is an easy way to get a beautiful, personal pillow, imbued with some nice love! [via Sew.. That's It]
I just love the colors of this pillow.. the bright green and teal contrast really beautifully with the textured pillow! [via Maihar Design]
Just a few of the many options to have your ring bearer carry on your day. If you want to have a beautiful accent with these, but have a younger ring bearer or are scared that the rings may be lost – many people will tie fake rings to the pillow/bowl, with the best man and maid of honor holding the real ones (just in case). That’s always an option to help alleviate last minute wedding jitters!
I went down to the Abraham Staats House, in South Bound Brook, New Jersey, this past weekend, for the wedding of Stephanie and Gordon (you may remember their awesome wedding invitations!). They were married in this amazing historic home, built c. 1740. The Staats House doesn’t normally do weddings, but for Stephanie and Gordon, two history buffs and members of the Friends of the Abraham Staats House, were able to pull it off!
Photo courtesy of the bride & groom
It was a very intimate wedding, with only about 25-30 people there. There was no bridal party – Gordon and I entered first, then Linda Russell played as Stephanie entered, wearing an amazing black cocktail dress and a beautiful birdcage veil! They were married in front of the fireplace, filled with flickering (LED!) candles, in the South Parlor.
Gordon's Vows
Gordon wrote some more traditional “I do!” vows for them, but the prefaced them with personal vows of their own – where they cited private jokes, and expressed how much they truly love each other. Though there was a ton of laughter and a light air to their ceremony, there was not a dry eye in the house! After their vows, they both leaned forward to kiss – and immediately stopped themselves! But you know what – if you want to kiss during your wedding ceremony – kiss! It was a sweet, romantic, and spontaneous moment!
I ALWAYS bring tissues... but I had only brought ONE to their wedding. Thankfully, family members in the front row had some more to share!
Stephanie & Gordon’s young friend Lilli was their ring bearer, and brought the rings to the front of the room, tied to a book (the theme of their wedding). They also incorporated a handfasting, with a bright red ribbon.
The rings, on the ring-bearing book.
The Handfasting
This was my first wedding of the Spring, and one of my favorites, hands down!
A selection from their Love Story:
On their first date, Gordon decided to do something a little different, and asked Stephanie to attend his monthly amateur astronomer’s club meeting. Afterwards, they made their way to a blues club, where, with some good music and a few drinks, our couple was able to loosen up and get to know each other. Stephanie left the next day to go up to Albany for the weekend, but it didn’t take long for her to hear from Gordon – “Instead of following ‘the rules’ and waiting several days to call, I really liked that there was a message on my machine when I came back Sunday night,” she recalls.
Our bride and groom have proved their love for each other in a million tiny ways, every single day. When Stephanie threw a coat over her pajamas to rescue a stranded Gordon from the side of Route 22 on a rainy Friday night – when Gordon scrapes the ice and snow off of Stephanie’s car on cold mornings – every simple action that they do shows the other how important they are, how treasured, and how much a part of their lives they have become. It is on that note that we have come together today – not to validate a relationship between these two people, but to expand on the wonderful relationship they already share.
If you’d like to see some more photos, check out Stephanie & Gordon’s extended gallery!
I love wedding invitations. Mostly, I love stationary and paper and cards of any kind and I love weddings – so, therefor, I have to love wedding invitations.
I got a really lovely one from a couple who is having their wedding in early April – they’re having a book and literature theme, and really took it to heart with the invitation. The groom, Gordon Bond of BluzDog Graphics, designed these!
It’s a card – here’s the front:
And the inside – just like a book! – with a little bookplate, featuring the couple and their cat, along with a library card pocket with the actual wedding information! On the back are directions to the venue.
The groom is a graphic designer, and they had mentioned they found the book cover that was just perfect for the invitations and looked like them too, so they scanned that (and added in the kitty, if I am not mistaken). I love how off beat they are, how fun, how interesting and interactive and especially how much they reflect the couple being married (just about my favorite wedding thing ever!).
Rehearsal Dinners are always a blast. More low-key than the wedding dinner the next day, everyone’s super excited for the upcoming nuptials, and it allows the bride, groom, bridal party, and parents some quality time to relax, eat some good food, and have a fabulous time before the big day!
But sometimes people forget about the actual purpose behind the Rehearsal Dinner – the Rehearsal! It’s an important element of the wedding ceremony, and can really help to alleviate stress on the day of the wedding.
I don’t always suggest having a rehearsal – if you’re having a very straightforward wedding ceremony (no rituals or ceremonies in the ceremony itself, a minimal wedding party, no music changes or cues), it’s not always necessary. But I do recommend having a rehearsal if you have more than three people on each side of the wedding party, children involved in any way, shape or form, or any rituals or traditions that you may want to practice. It’s also a great way to have everyone in the wedding party know who everyone else is on the day of, which can make everything run really smoothly on your wedding day.
The whole bridal party! The people standing where "honored guests," like grandparents and parents, who walked down the aisle and then were seated.
My rehearsals usually last about 45 minutes – much longer than the actual wedding ceremony! I usually begin by introducing myself, and giving a brief explanation of what we’re going to be doing. I love when the bridal party will introduce themselves, as it makes it easier for me to know who everyone is!
The Bride & Groom practice breaking the glass!
We start by practicing the processional. Everyone lines up in the order that they’re going to enter in. It usually helps if your day of coordinator, venue contact, or very helpful friend can be there to make sure everyone is lined up. If the DJ or band can be there, awesome – if not, we’ll practice without music (and I’ll make sure to go over the cues with them before the ceremony the next day). I’ll show everyone where I am going to stand at the front, and then we’ll start walking!
The Bridesmaids, all lined up
Once everyone gets to the front, we can figure out how everyone is going to stand, so people can know where they’re supposed to go. The great thing about rehearsals is how casual they are! People can be shifted and moved and changed to make sure everything is just perfect at the front.
Practicing the Rings
We can also establish how the bride and groom will stand in relation to the officiant – I prefer my couples to face each other, or (ideally) face catty corner, slightly out towards their friends and family. You get great photos this way, can see each others’ faces, and you don’t have to stare at me the entire time (believe me, I’m not going anywhere).
The bride & groom show the bridesmaids where to stand
We’ll run through the ceremony (quickly – “cue to cue,” so to speak), then practice the kiss (yay!) and the recessional.
Then we do it all again! Just to make sure everyone knows where to go.
Practicing the Recessional: Her groomsman partner couldn't make it to the rehearsal.
Practicing the Recessional: A groomsmen had to drop out of the wedding, so two bridesmaids recessed together.
As I said, it’s great if a representative from your DJ or band or whoever is doing the music for your ceremony can be there – as well as your venue contact, day of coordinator, or very helpful friend who will be lining the party up before hand. This is especially helpful if the bride and groom are NOT seeing each other before the ceremony – so you can figure out the logistics of them avoiding each other until their big moments!
The Happy Bridal Party, right after the ceremony!
I don’t have a lot of photos of rehearsals, so the photos scattered through this entry are from my best friend’s wedding in June, when the boyfriend acted as my official photographer for all wedding related events. Afterwards, we went out for a great dinner of pizza and beer at a very cool restaurant that was full of used books – and everyone got to take home two of their own! What a fun rehearsal dinner.
