Wedding Details

If you were keeping up with our wedding festivities, you'll remember that our reception didn't quite go as planned! We had a wonderful time despite the lack of power, but because of this we had to sacrifice a few details that we still wanted to share.

One of the important considerations for our wedding was that we didn't want to be wasteful nor spend our time/money on details that would be thrown away or die after all was said and done (when it could be helped). We also wanted to incorporate pieces that were made with love, by our own hands. This is why we chose details like our succulent center pieces and a 3'x4' monogram sign, both of which are displayed in our home. It's a constant reminder of our special day which I think makes it all come full circle.

The past couple years I have become obsessed with succulents. I want to buy them all every time we go to the nursery! After so many visits, Josh may not be as big of a fan and may have dubbed me "crazy cactus lady" which I'm thinking is not such a bad gig! Succulents were a perfect solution for our wedding center pieces but the vessels that held them were just as important. We originally planned to make the boxes ourselves, but after visiting Clementine Floral Works in Silver Lake while visiting La I stumbled onto a perfect alternative that was equally as charming. The people at the shop were so helpful and went above and beyond to make sure I got what I wanted/needed. And thankfully I was able to stuff all the boxes and available pots in my carry on!

In the weeks and months leading up to the wedding, I spent a fair amount of time collecting and planting our succulent arrangements and guest favor/seating cards. It was actually quite therapeutic! Not gonna lie, though, I am still learning to say no to extra watering! I'm no black thumb, but I have killed off a few from my eagerness to water them too frequently. In any case, the center pieces turned out wonderfully and made a nice addition to the candle covered tablescape even if they were a bit difficult to see! As for the guest favor/seating card situation, we used these a.dor.a.ble milk glass pots (also from Clementine) and birch veneer wood edging which we stained, cut, and wrote each guest's name on with white ink. We tied each flag place card to the pots with gold twine which was also used on the boutonnieres and invitations. It was a tad difficult to read the names in the low light but we made it work and our guests got to take home a little piece of our big day.

These are still one of my faves.

If you squint you can see the arrangements throughout the table!

Our reception was held in the Carriage House of Cibo, a delicious little Italian joint in downtown Phoenix. We wanted to let our guests know what was on the menu, but didn't want individual menus nor a large sign. Instead we decided we wanted to showcase our menu on easels placed throughout the table. This never happened which makes me a bit sad since I spent considerable time on them and really liked them! But when you can barely see, having a menu to read is not quite a priority so it was only practical to leave off this element. In any case, we used my own lettering for the titles and our invitation font for the descriptions which were printed on kraft paper and then attached to printmaking paper using gold washi tape. The easels were found at Michael's and stained to match the place card flags.

Somehow this is the only image I have of the completed menus. Ya take what ya can get!

Since Josh's proposal sign has special meaning to us, we wanted to incorporate some sort of light feature at the reception. And what better way than a 3'x4' monogram sign?! Originally we wanted to create a marquee type sign with our monogram but later decided this cutout version was better suited for display. We built the box ourselves, carefully cut out each letter with a jigsaw (that D was no joke!), and stained it to match the other elements. The next step was to staple the lights to the inner perimeter of the frame and between the letters. One would think this would be an easy task and not time consuming at all, but that's only true if your staple gun is working. Of course mine was not so I, being the crazy nut that I am, decided to use pliers to separate individual staples one by one and hammer them into the frame to secure the light strand. I think I had carpal tunnel by the end of that brilliant idea! Even though we didn't get to incorporate the sign at our reception, not all is lost--he is happily displayed above the sofa in our living room.

I'll be sure to get a better image soon since this just doesn't give it justice.

I'll share more about our invitations soon so check back in the coming weeks. And hopefully now that the wedding is over and my blogging energy is back, I'll be more consistent with my posting. Hopefully!

xoxo

We Do!

It's official: I'm married! On Saturday, September 27th, Josh and I exchanged vows in a small, intimate ceremony surrounded by our immediate family. It was absolutely perfect!

You’re going to need a comfy chair and coffee, this is a short novel…

As the big day approached, I actually found myself becoming less stressed and more relaxed, which I'm pretty sure shocked my family since I am a control freak with anxiety! I think I even surprised myself! I'm not sure why I was so calm, maybe I figured I had planned as best as possible so the day would unfold as it should regardless of how much I fussed over it. And boy did things sure have a plan of their own!

Friday morning Josh and I ran around picking up last minute things like flowers and food for our family dinner before my parents, older sister, and niece arrived that afternoon. Some of my family wasn’t scheduled to arrive until the next morning, but this at least gave us a chance to get together to go over some of the logistics of the day before the big rush. Despite the casual nature of our wedding, we still wanted to keep some traditional aspects like Josh and I not staying together our last night. Saying goodbye to him that night really set things in motion and made this whole mystical wedding seem like an actual reality! Next time I would see him would be as I walked down the aisle at the chapel!

Originally I had planned on attending my usual yoga class on Saturday morning, but instead decided to take a walk with my niece and Ricky in our jammies to pick up some coffee. And because I love baking, I figured I should pass the morning time by baking muffins for my family. This is normal, right?! Honestly, it was such a low-key, calm morning that felt just like any regular day minus the fact that I was surrounded by my family and there was a wedding gown hanging in the closet ready to be worn in just a few short hours! While I baked, my mom and older sister made my bouquet which turned out beautifully. My mom also made my older sister’s bouquet and will make my little sister’s in less than two months so it’s a bit of a tradition that I really like. We also got the succulents ready for the amazing cakes my friends Nikki and Matt made for our reception. (Not gonna lie, I pretty much ate the entire main cake…by myself. I have no shame!)

With the floral situation in check and my muffins baked, it was time to get my hair did. It wasn’t until after I left the salon with my fancy ‘do that it really started to hit me that today was not just a regular Saturday. I was soon to be a married woman! Also, there was soon to be a big storm headed right toward us. They say rain on your wedding day is good luck, so I figured this had to be some extra kind of luck! And perhaps I should have taken those big black clouds and my good friend/photographer’s ‘I’m going to be a little late, have to wait out the storm’ text as a bit of foreshadowing for the evening, but I just wasn’t going to let it get to me. What could I do about it anyway?!

Up until this point everything had been calm and slow paced around the house, with everyone passing the time nonchalantly. But it was go time once I got home since we needed to leave in just over an hour to get to the chapel. It was also go time for the storm as the streets began to flood, lightning cracked, and the thunder shook the house. Extra good luck, right?! There was something really special about having my family all around me getting ready to share in mine and Josh’s big day. The love inside that house was palpable. My sisters, niece, and I crowded into my bathroom to get all dolled up which made me feel like I was back in high school getting ready. And then to see my parents looking so gorgeous, that made my stomach flutter! Everything and everyone started to come together and despite the storm outside, it was time to make a Mrs.

As we pulled out of our neighborhood to head to the chapel, Josh called to ask where we were because sure enough, he and his family were right behind us! A couple covert maneuvers later by my dad and the coast was clear! Once we got to the chapel, my dad, photographer (Marcos), and I waited in the bridal room while our family waited for the ceremony to start. I was able to maintain composure all day, up until the point Marcos directed me to look at my dad while he set up a shot. My dad gave me the sweetest wink and I just lost it! Suddenly I felt the reality of the day and my emotions got to me. I could hear everyone chatting around the corner and my nerves started to settle in. Thank goodness I had my dad’s hand to hold! Also, thank goodness for smart phones because the disc with my entrance song wouldn’t play; another small hiccup diverted.

The moment “Marry Me” by Train began to play, my heart sunk into my feet. Shut the front door, sh*t is about to go down! My niece (who I may have bribed with a goodie bag for good behavior) began her well practiced walk down the aisle holding our ring box, and shortly after my dad and I rounded the corner to see everyone staring back at us. My heart sunk even more when I saw Josh standing there, staring back at me full of emotions. His face was priceless. If there is one moment I take away from that day, it is that look and the happiness we both felt at that moment. The ceremony itself was short but sweet, complete with our own vows and a rushed “I do” from one anxious bride! We had to remember to keep our knees bent because I’m certain one of us would have passed out from the excitement and nerves. It is overwhelming and emotional, but all in a good way.

Following the ceremony, we took family photos in the brief respite of rain which made for an amazing sky in the background. Marcos whisked the Mr. and I away to take our portraits downtown while our family went back to our house to pick up the cakes and decorations for the reception. As I was oohing and ahhing over the gorgeous sky en route to downtown, I noticed I had a voicemail from the owner of the reception venue. Remember that big storm and Marcos’ ominous text? Yup, that storm wreaked havoc in the downtown area resulting in a loss of power. At our venue. With no idea of when it’d be restored. You can only laugh at this point, so that’s exactly what we did. Since the owner said the show could go on, and since we had planned on having dinner by candlelight anyway, we decided to make the best of it. Plus, there was no Plan B! We continued on to do our portraits and even stopped at my favorite downtown coffee stop, Songbird, to get a drink because picking up coffee in your wedding gown is completely normal. Also, I left my phone there because I’m having a bad phone streak lately.

Our dinner was delicious just as we knew it’d be and you could tell everyone was hungry since not a word was uttered for ten minutes after the main course was served! Given the lack of power and visibility, we didn’t get to set up some of our special touches, but at the end of the night, we got exactly what we wanted. We still had a wonderful meal surrounded by our family, we got to dance our first song together (“Mine Would Be You” by Blake Shelton) and had the traditional father/daughter and mother/son dance (although by phone speaker since there was no power for our ipod), and we got to cut our delicious (despite the sweat) cake. It was imperfectly perfect and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. Not gonna lie, though, air conditioning would have been nice!

Since we don’t plan on taking our honeymoon until next year, we opted to spend a couple nights at our favorite resort to relax and enjoy some time away. Despite being obnoxiously sick with a head cold on Sunday, I still got to enjoy my bloody mary and shrimp cocktail by the pool that I had been looking forward to almost as much as I was looking forward to getting married! I kid, sort of. Next year we also plan on having a big bash to celebrate with all of our extended family and friends since we wanted this day to be a small, intimate, immediate family only affair. Not because we didn’t want everyone we love to not share in our special day, but because our budget and anxiety wouldn’t accommodate all the people we love without sacrifices we weren’t willing to make. In the end, it’s probably a good thing there were only 11 people suffering in the muggy indoor weather and not 100!

I’ll have our surely gorgeous images by our photographer to share in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for those gems.

xo Mrs. DeWyke

Wedding Planning || Engagement Shots

Firstly, an update to my last post: It was only a few short weeks ago that I shouted from the rooftop about our new home purchase.  The excitement radiating from Josh and I was off the charts.  Then we got a call from our lender the following Saturday apologizing for his oversight of one very important factor that would have immediately disqualified us from being eligible for the USDA loan.  From the very first moment.  Somehow, despite the mounds of paperwork we were required to sign and the back and forth crunching numbers, it was missed that our household income exceeds the income cap mandated by the USDA loan program.  We had no idea and were absolutely crushed by this news.  The only reason we were buying a house to begin with was because of this Godsend of a program.  So long story short, we won't be purchasing a home after all.  Womp womp.

In happier news, it occurred to me after sharing some images with Josh's family a couple weeks ago that I never published any of our engagement images.  Oops!  An engagement session wasn't really a priority for us but we needed something to include on our save the date postcards so we set out on way too hot afternoon with a tripod and remote in hand to take something that would be decent enough to use.  It was a lot of trial and error but we ended up with a few keepers and some great bloopers, also!  We shot at two different locations near our house: an empty Potato Barn warehouse and the garden walkway of my favorite neighborhood where my favorite coffee shop is, so name The Coffee Shop.  More on that goodness another day. We decided on the shot above.

DIY || Screen Print Jig

In college I took a summer "Alternative Methods in Printmaking" course that was, by far, one of my favorite classes ever.  My professor was a grad student who happened to be a kick ass roller derby chick with a unique style and encouraging spirit.  One method we didn't cover, however, was screen printing.  I've always wanted to learn, constantly reading up on home setups and even backing a Kickstarter fund for Screen Printing On The Cheap. So when it came time to design our wedding invitations, I knew I wanted to try my hand at it.  What better time to jump start my learning!

Thanks to inspiration from Handmade Weddings, I set off to make my own screen print jig that was small enough to use at home but also mobile in case I needed to take it to the studio.  I had already purchased a screen from Michael's so I knew I needed my back board to accommodate it's size but also allow for bigger screens if needed.  A Google search brought me to these hinge clamps since none of my local hardware stores carried them.  That's all I needed to get started.

Word to the wise, you'll need to create an inset in your back board to allow for the screen to lie flush.  I used MDF which was an easy material to chisel, but you may want to keep this in mind when choosing your material.

That's it!  The hardest part, or should I say most time consuming, is the actual screen set up since it requires several steps with dry time in between.  I'll share more on that process soon!

Wedding Planning || Dress Shopping

Birds sang in chorus, rays of sunshine danced in the sky, I cried tears of pure joy...

Before...

Nope, not even close.  Well, rays of sunshine did dance in the sky only because it's Arizona and the sun shines bright year-long.  And I did cry, but it was out of shear frustration, anxiety, and feeling absolutely overwhelmed.  Not the magical dress shopping experience I was hoping for!

I should have known from the minute we walked in the door that this was not going to go like I had hoped nor how they romantically depict it to be on tv and in the movies.  To start, my appointment (those things you make so you don't have to wait around) was half an hour late to start.  No big deal, I'll just look around the aisles to see if any dresses caught my eye.  I had already reserved a couple dresses to try on that I had found online but figured maybe I'd find more options.  This was not a success.  Not because I couldn't find anything else I liked within my price range, but because I got elbowed and pushed around by momzillas and the likes without any courteous pardons or apologies.  Why are people so rude?  It's beyond me.

Feeling frustrated and a bit overwhelmed already, I was relieved when I was finally assigned a fitting room and chairs for my mom and sisters who accompanied me.  I went inside to try on a bodice/bustier while the gal searched for the dresses I reserved.  This is when the meltdown began.  For starters, how the hell was I supposed to latch all 94758 of those little latchie doohickies by myself?  Deep breath.  I'll just latch it in front and twist it around the right way.  Abort mission.  That sucker wasn't moving, which, I guess is the point!  Didn't matter, I broke down crying, feeling completely overwhelmed and over it all before I had even tried on any dresses.  I broke out into a sweat feeling anxious and claustrophobic.  The lack of moving air in the room and the open ceiling concept which allowed me to hear the cries of the upset flower girl next door didn't help.  At all.

Ok, quick pep talk to get myself together so I could get dressed and call for my mom for backup.  Mom is always the best backup; she'll know just what to do and say.  Holding back my tears, I crack open the door and tell my mom I need her.  Not two seconds after the door closes behind us, I lose it!  Full on ugly cry, swearing off this stupid day, and wishing I could just leave.  I don't need a wedding dress if this is what it takes to get it!  Of course my mom knows what to say to calm me down and she helps me get that stupid bodice back on and try on my first dress.  Deep breath.

The first dress is a style that grew on me in recent years; I like it and so do my mom and sisters.  They smile and take pictures, I fake smile and wish I didn't look like a swollen tomato from all that ugly crying.  Dress two is gorgeous and far from what I expected to like but it really was dreamy.  However, it was not THE dress and didn't compliment my figure well.  Back to dress one.  This is the one.  STOP IT RIGHT NOW!  If you're thinking this was a joyous moment and you're excited, just stop it!  There was no joy in this moment, only relief that I wouldn't have to keep shopping and potentially run into this scene again.  I asked my peeps if it was ok if this was the one and they question whether I'm saying this just to get this whole ordeal over with.  I assure them this wasn't the case (although I was ready for it to be over) and this really is the dress for me.  As is tradition at this shop, they ask if this is the dress and have me ring a bell to seal the deal.  Everyone in the shop claps and I look like the most miserable bride.  If you saw the picture from that moment, you would laugh.  F*ck that bell!  I'm over it!

...After

Despite the mess that this experience was, I'm glad I had my mom and sisters there with me.  Maybe one day I'll look back on it and laugh, but the trauma is still too raw right now!  I'm glad to have this experience behind me, and thankful that this was the worst of it and all other wedding planning has gone smoothly.  And I'm so thankful for my grandparents who gave me a generous gift that allowed me to not only pay for my dress, but for Josh's suit as well.  Speaking of Josh's suit, that was actually a great experience (not on the same day).  I cried during this trip also, but they were good tears, the tears I had hoped for on my day!  He looked so handsome and I just couldn't help myself, thinking about walking down the aisle to him.  It was just all too real for me at that moment! 

72 days and counting...

Wedding Planning || Handlettering

Planning a wedding is no small feat, even one as small as ours.  From the beginning, I knew I wanted to be very hands on, doing as much as I/we could do as possible.  Sure, it could be due to that small control freak quirk I have going on.  But more than that, I've looked forward to the opportunity to learn new printing and hand lettering techniques for our save the dates, invitations, menus, etc.  It's also put a little spark in my etsy shop goals. 

Being behind a desk all day at work, it's nice to get away and flex my creative muscles as I doodle the plans for our wedding details.  We'll be screen printing our invitation package and menu boards so I've been prepping files to bring to our friend's shop this weekend to have our screens flashed.  I've also (half) built a small jig that will allow me to print easily at home or really anywhere.  More on that another day.

That pencil doesn't lie, it really is the very best mechanical pencil.  Ever.  Ricky Ricardo can attest; he's eaten two already.  Go get yourself some and thank me later!

I'll keep you posted with more wedding planning details soon as we're just 3 short months away from the big day!  Yikes. 

Wedding Planning || Guest List and Resources

Even before Josh proposed, we had discussed what we envisioned our wedding to be like.  I've always wanted a small, intimate wedding but Josh wouldn't mind having a big bash.  As a photographer and guest, I've experience both ends of the spectrum.  There were a couple big factors that helped us decide on an immediate family only affair: 1) Josh and I are paying for the wedding ourselves and have a limited (but workable) budget, and 2) I want to be able to soak in every minute with my groom and family which I feel would get lost with a big shindig.  Don't get me wrong, I'd love to share this special day with all those we hold near and dear, but I also know I don't want to spend my wedding day being overwhelmed.  Plus, besides the night of our engagement, our families have not spent more than a few minutes together in passing.  The day of our wedding will likely be the first time our families really come together to celebrate and become more acquainted.  Since this is the most important thing to me, besides actually marrying Josh, I don't want to compromise losing any of these precious moments.

We've caught a lot of flack for our decision to only have our immediate family present and it has made planning a bit stressful to the point that I've considered eloping a couple times!  But Josh sweetly reminds me that our extended family and friends just want to help celebrate us on our big day, so the disappointment is understandable.  We are planning to hold a big reception next year to have all of our family and friends join and think that maybe a one year vow renewal ceremony may be a good time to do this.  That way the pressure is off and I'll have already had my big day and won't be upset should things not go right.  Side note-I'm writing this as My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding plays on Netflix in the background which just solidifies my reasoning!

Our plan is to have a small non-denominational ceremony followed by a family dinner at our favorite local downtown spot--more on venues later.  We want to incorporate some of the typical wedding traditions like first dance, father/daughter and mother/son dances, cake, and good photography, but really it is a simple affair: ceremony and dinner.  And while it may be small, I still want to have a beautiful day and keep as organized (surprise!) as possible.  I ordered All the Essentials Wedding Planner: The Ultimate Tool for Organizing Your Big Day which has been pretty helpful.  I've only made a small dent in all the info and there is a good portion of it that is irrelevant to my specific needs, but it's good nonetheless.

Two years before Josh proposed, I purchased this book knowing that I'd use it one day.  I didn't want to jinx myself, though, so I put it away until the time was safe!  Since the plan is to DIY as much as possible, this book has been extremely handy.  So has this book that my older sister gifted me for Christmas which has gorgeous images and great desert inspiration.  And what kind of bride would I be if I didn't have a Pinterest board that has been collecting inspiration over the past few years!  I've also found the site www.apracticalwedding.com to be full of great tips and spreadsheets which, for someone like myself, is a Godsend.  Love it.

So far we have our ceremony venue booked and my dress picked out but we still have quite a bit to go with only 6 months left.  I can't wait to see it all come together!

On Staying Organized

I'm not ashamed to admit I'm a bit obsessive when it comes to making lists and staying organized.  People give me flack for it, but it works for me!  I'm also big on the idea that there's a place for everything so that should you go to look for something, you always know where it should be.  If you're my fiance who practices a more "anything goes" approach, you never know where you put your keys last or where your Amazon giftcard went!  He does, however, enjoy a good list so there's that.

For me, being organized reduces my anxiety and stress.  List making helps with that, especially now with home projects galore happening and of course the planning of my wedding!  More on the wedding planning next week.  I'm not a journaling type of gal in the diary sense, but I do keep a journal/notebook to keep track of all my ideas, lists, and other miscellaneous info I need to remember; it goes everywhere with me.  I started this back in college when my summer printmaking professor (a rad rollerderby chick) suggested we keep a journal to jot down our creative thoughts and ideas for our work.  This practice has continued and I keep filled notebooks shelved in my office for reference when I need it.

Now, if there is a way to make being organized even more organized, you best believe I'm on it!  One of the things about my current method of list making that isn't so efficient is when I've completed almost all of the tasks on a list but have moved onto a new list, the old tasks still linger.  It's a bit of a pain to have to flip back and find old lists to mark those tasks off.  And then in between those lists are random thoughts, ideas, and other notes that are just jotted down as they come.  Same goes for my notepads at work.  Thank goodness there are people who have thought these things through more thoroughly than I have and thus created a Duh! Why didn't I think of that?! process.  Enter the Bullet Journal method for note taking which I'm nerd enough to admit has upped my notetaking game, both personally and professionally.  Thanks to Pen & Peplum for this resource.  All kinds of organizing are underway since I discovered this last week, including converting these lists and calendar notes.  I bought a new grid style Moleskin since my current one is reporter style and not really conducive to this new method.  I've used other brand notebooks in the past, but Moleskins are my favorite.  Also, I LOVE Sharpie's fine point pens and think you need them in your life, too.

I love when I come across new products, methods, ideas, etc. that help me so hopefully this may help you as well.  If not, now you just know I'm a bigger nerd than you thought!