Wedding Stuff
Our 4nniversary
See what I did there? If our 4th wedding anniversary were a movie sequel I’m sure that’s how the title would be treated on the movie posters (and yes, it would be dubbed a blatant rip off of Scream 4). Anyways, as is the tradition, we’re dropping in with our little rundown about how we celebrated four years of marriage last Thursday (see our three year anniversary post here and our two & one year anniversary post here). This year it kicked off, as most days do, with breakfast.
I made this particular breakfast (Strawberry-Orange Stuffed French Toast with Raspberry Butter) as an homage to our so-good-we-took-my-picture-with-it (here) favorite meal during our Alaskan honeymoon. Of course, what I lacked in food presentation (do I get points for my strawberry hearts?) I made up for in flowers in our wedding colors.
We agreed not to do gifts this year (our new laundry project was going to be a joint gift to ourselves), but I broke the rules when I spotted a bunch of bee-themed stationery from Smock Paper. Since Sherry’s an epic list maker and our wedding invite had bees on it, I just couldn’t stop myself from shelling out my credit card digits for a few items. And yes, Smock Paper is a sponsor of ours but no, they didn’t have any part in me buying these. They’re probably finding out about my purchase via this post, actually.
They sadly didn’t have any bee themed big sticky pads, but I got one in the closest color scheme since I knew Sherry was low on office notepads (small sticky notes went unused in our junk drawer, but these big guys are already getting a workout). We appreciate how eco-conscious these wares are in general, but we particularly loved this simple request printed on the bottom: use this to do good.
What I spent in dollars, Sherry matched in thoughtfulness – writing a homemade card listing thirty things she, Clara, and Burger love about me (each of them got ten). I told you, the girl loves lists. And it sure beat the “Love, John” in my card. Oops.
But the day wasn’t about exchanging paper products. It was about doing fun stuff together. So after working the morning away, we ducked out for lunch at one of our favorite casual spots: Sticks Kebob Shop. Yum. And we had a $10 off Groupon for it too. Aw, cheap lovebirds. Or should I say cheep? (Bird joke for the win).
From there we popped over to a local art place called Crossroad Art Center, which we’ve heard lots about but never managed to visit in five years of being Richmonders. It’s basically a massive gallery featuring of lots of local artists, though sadly we couldn’t take pictures inside for ya. One of our favorites was Morgan E. McKinney, but we didn’t find anything in our current price range. Someday.
We did get giddy over these $4 paintings-turned-notecards by Sherri Conley that we thought (once framed with big generous mats) would make for a great little “zen moment” in our master bathroom. So we took them home.
How could we pass up buying something that said “I Love You” on our anniversary? And the photographer’s name is Sherri, so that counts for something too, right? Sherry and I were actually standing in different areas of her booth and each said “this is sweet” at the same time. We reconvened to see what each other had found and we were both holding the I Love You airplane card.
From there it was time to take our annual corny anniversary photo. We’ve got a little tradition of snapping (and later framing) a family pic each year on 7/7…
… and this year definitely proved the hardest. Apparently a 14 month old can’t grasp the concept of “hey, look at the beeping black thing on the funny three-legged stick… and oh yeah, smile while you’re at it.” Guess we didn’t know the blessing we got last year when her 8-week old self slept through the entire thing. But we did eventually manage to get this one. Stacked heads = maximum cheesiness.
Apparently we pressed our luck by trying to get Burger in the picture. This was our most successful attempt. Hey, at least the adults are looking!
Then we headed off to grab our anniversary photobooth picture (more on that tradition here). The place we always go (New York Deli here in Richmond) has an authentic 50-year-old booth that actually develops film strips (not digital prints, like a lot of the others out there). Sadly the booth was having an off day, so the results were especially smeary (note the fourth frame in particular). We were having a bit of an off moment too, apparently. Yes, Clara cried the entire first strip.
Well, that was actually the second strip because we didn’t even keep the first one. During our first attempt the thing started going off prematurely with only me in the booth, so half of the strip is me looking perplexed and calling for Sherry to hurry inside with the bean. But we got some happy squeals during the third attempt from Clara. Good nuff.
After some in-the-car blog tending (what did people do before iPhones?) it was dinner time.
We ate at Brio Tuscan Grille because it was the site of our rehearsal dinner back in 2007 and, well, we hadn’t been back since celebrating our second anniversary. Meaning it was this little lady’s first trip.
Is it just us or is there something hilarious about a sippy cup, some Goldfish crackers, and a Dr. Seuss book on a carrera marble table? Thankfully those magic items (plus her very own pasta meal) were enough to keep Beansie happy and entertained – even after a long day of celebrating.
And as if we hadn’t shoved in enough anniversary bid-ness already, Sherry followed up this July 7th just like she did four years ago after our wedding: by chopping off a bunch of her hair (you can actually see her with short hair waay back in the 2007 archives here).
Yep, say “goodbye” to the honorary fifth member of the YHL team: Sherry’s ponytail.
Though I’d say it’s a fond farewell, since I think my lady looks mighty sexy this way. Note that she was too shy to pose for photos by me, so she snuck off and took pictures in the mirror because “I made her nervous.” Aw yeah, four years later, I still got it.
Oh and Sherry wants me to add that all is right with the world – she can still pull her hair back into a tiny pony when we paint. How would she know? Let’s just say we’re working on the laundry room rightthissecond. More details tomorrow.
Anyway, as much fun as we had this seven-seven, we must admit that our minds have already kinda skipped ahead to next year’s big five year anniversary. In honor of our Alaskan honeymoon, we thought it’d be perfect to celebrate the big 0-5 by going to Hawaii (since it’s sort of Alaska’s non-contiguous partner in crime). We haven’t really planned much at all, but we figure if we keep saying it out loud it’ll force us to actually make it happen next year. Since we haven’t actually flown anywhere on vacation since our honeymoon in 2007. Better make it happen.
Fab Freebie: The (Not) Wedding Week
***This giveaway is no longer accepting entries – see who won below!***
Thanks to random.org’s very arbitrary matchmaking skills, our winner is… Lawren (whose favorite wedding moment was when her cousin’s pocketed dress stored tissues to hand the groom when he teared up during the vows). Congrats!
Hope everyone’s having an awesome Fourth of July. We’re enjoying some family time but wanted to drop in with this week’s giveaway, so here ya go. Thursday marks our 4th wedding anniversary, which typically would make this “Wedding Week” around here. But since there’s not much left of that dead horse to beat (we’ve already shared every last detail about our wedding, honeymoon, traditions, how we met, how we got engaged, and our favorite meaningful momentos), we’re gonna go light on the theme this time around. Don’t get me wrong, the last year has been awesome and we’re planning something sweet to celebrate the beginning of year five (nothing big, but we’ll share whatever we end up doing). Feel free to take a trip down memory lane by checking out a recap of our $4,000 DIY backyard ceremony or browsing old Wedding Week posts from the last three years if you’re feeling sentimental though.
And since this turned into sort of a “Not” Wedding Week, we figured it was the perfect time to do a giveaway with The Not Wedding. They’re a self-described “killer alternative to a bridal show” where you attend a mock ceremony, sit down dinner, and dance-filled reception all in the name of having fun and checking out vendors. Basically you get to experience music, food, cake (mmmm cake) and other wedding must haves in a real-ish wedding setting. This year’s “big day” is on July 21st and two tickets (which include dinner, drinks, and dessert) are up for grabs this week.
But knowing that not everyone can get to Georgia on two weeks notice, The Not Wedding is also hooking the winner up with a $150 gift card to their registry sponsor Bloomingdale’s. Plus, you’ll win a pearl bridal bracelet and hair flower fascinator (in white or ivory) from their accessory sponsor (Fine & Fleurie). Which adds up to over $300 of wedding-tastic swag. Or should I say not wedding-tastic swag? Hmm. Either way… score.
- PRIZE: Two tickets to The Not Wedding, a $150 Bloomingdales gift card, plus a bracelet & hair flower from Fine & Fleurie
- TO ENTER: Comment on this post with the words “NOT ME!” and…
- BONUS QUESTION: … tell us your favorite part about a wedding that was NOT yours. Did a particular family member have an especially touching ceremony? Did your best friend cry or laugh at your killer toast? Maybe your college friend simultaneously had you drooling over her location, dress, and decor? Or – be honest – is it just the time your work friend had an awesome open bar?
- GIVEAWAY CLOSES: Wednesday, July 6th at 8pm EST
- NUMBER OF WINNERS: One
- PRIZE SHIPS: Anywhere in the world!
- USUAL STUFF: One entry per e-mail address is permitted. The winner will be selected using random.org and announced on Thursday as an update to this post. That’s right, come right back here on Thursday for the announcement of our winners. Good luck…
Note: We weren’t paid or perked to host this giveaway, we just like rewarding our lovely readers. See our Giveaway FAQs page for more info. Pics from The Not Wedding, Bloomingdales and Fine & Fleurie.
Wedding Week III: Celebrating Our Third
As wedding week comes to a close, we’ll wrap up with the as-promised details of how we honored this year’s anniversary, including where we went, what we ate, what we gifted each other, and how we added to our collection of sweet mementos around the house.
First, we’re all about checking off some of photographic traditions of the day. Wednesday afternoon we took a trip down to Richmond’s Carytown district to pay a visit to our go-to photo booth at the New York Deli. It was Clara’s first photo booth experience and she loved it so much that we couldn’t resist grabbing a second strip. And now they both live on a shelf in our dining area with all of our other strips from big days gone by (which we shared in Wednesday’s post).
One thing we forgot to show you on Wednesday is that we have another collection of anniversary photos in our bedroom. On the ottoman near the mirror, we’ve got small framed pictures that we took on our last two anniversaries (we plan to add one each year – eventually moving the collection to a wall somewhere). In the left photo (our first anniversary) you can even see us holding the cupcakes that we froze from our wedding day to be eaten 365 days later, they were actually pretty good.
So to continue the anniversary “portrait” tradition, once we got home from our photo strip session we braved the heat to snap a few pics in the backyard – with Clara being an important addition to this year’s documentation (thanks to a tripod and the auto timer button on our new camera).
We especially enjoyed taking this one with the arch that we got married under in the foreground.
After that it was time for the all important anniversary meal. Since we had already recreated our wedding menu for year #1 and dined at our rehearsal dinner spot for year #2 (learn more about those adventures here) we decided to honor our Alaskan honeymoon this year by making some sort of salmon dish. And since I’m in the midst of cooking my way through Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution (Sherry calls it my Johnny & Jamie project a la Julie & Julia) we plucked out a salmon stir-fry recipe that, despite Kroger not having all the right ingredients, turned out quite well. Yum.
Then after dinner (with Clara off to sleep) it was present time. Even though third year gifts are traditionally supposed to be leather, Sherry and I broke tradition and coincidentally each went the art route. She had 12″ x 12″ enlargements printed of two of our favorite pics of Clara from her newborn photoshoot with our friend Dana Duncan and hung them in our bedroom in inexpensive Ikea frames to surprise me (where one of our botanical prints had previously hung). I love that we can now admire our little girl even when she’s sleeping in her nursery across the hall – plus we couldn’t have planned our outfits better (they coincidentally match the color scheme in there perfectly). See the full sized pictures here and here.
And when it came to my gift for Sherry, I knew that we’d soon have a need for lots of postcard-sized art, so I channeled my inner graph nerd to make her a geeky-sweet representation of all of the things that Sherry has meant to me over the nearly six years that we’ve known each other (and the five that we’ve been dating/betrothed/married). I got to work in a lot of sweet things (like how we went from single people to a family of four) as well as a lot of humorous stuff (like the brief time I thought Sherry’s name might be Heather, how she’s always been the passenger in our relationship since she rarely drives, and how I’ve known her as everything from a fish mom to an actual baby momma.
The gift exchange pretty much wrapped up 7/7/10 for us, but it wasn’t the end of our anniversary festivities. We had planned a day-trip too, but with the triple-digit temperatures (insane) we decided to postpone our travel until yesterday when the heat dropped about ten degrees (you know, because the 90′s is sooo much cooler than 104).
So yesterday we hopped in the car and headed west to Charlottesville, VA. Why there? It’d put us at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains, just about 30 minutes from where we got engaged. In fact, we actually spent most of the day just outside of C-ville driving on the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway to soak up the view and tell Clara all about the fun adventures that predated her much-anticipated arrival (being mathy I’m good at recalling where we were and what we did on specific days, so there were a lot of “three years ago on this exact day we were…” conversations). Oh the memories.
We also stopped for lunch near the base of the mountains at the Blue Mountain Brewery. Yes, it’s odd that two non-drinking baby-wearing people would choose a brewery to celebrate, but we had heard good things about its picturesque setting and delicious food. Plus they consider themselves to be a “green” business (we happily counted at least three rain barrels when we arrived) so that always makes us happy to show our support. And although we didn’t head there expecting to see anything home related, as soon as we pulled up Sherry was raving about their deep bronze-toned metal roof. We’d love to have one someday… if they weren’t so darned expensive.
Inside the meal was simple, but delicious (and made from local ingredients). Plus I had the pleasure of rocking my Ergo carrier throughout.
Heck, if you can’t enjoy the view of the mountains – this one isn’t a bad substitute, eh? Clara’s like the seven dwarfs these days (sleepy, happy, bashful, and even occasionally grumpy). Here are just a small sampling of the faces I was getting throughout the meal.
After our second tasty anniversary meal we stopped at my alma mater (to get Clara her first UVA onesie, of course) and then we headed back home to call an official end to the extended anniversary festivities. Well, that is until this morning when we made one last nod to our lemon-&-lime themed wedding with Clara’s eight week photo. She’s such a good sport.
Thanks again for celebrating wedding week with us this year! It’s always fun to take a slight detour and look to relationships & the celebrations that accompany them for DIY and design inspiration. We’ll be back on Monday with our regularly scheduled programming, so until next year we hope everyone enjoys celebrating their own anniversaries and all of those other heart-warming milestones over the next twelve months!
Psst- Clamoring for more Clara? She doesn’t usually hang out on the blog all that much, so just click the sidebar button with her cute mug on it for tons of regularly uploaded photos of Baby P!
Wedding Week III: Bedroom Va-va-voom
In honor of wedding week we whipped up a romantic bedroom mood board just for fun. So if you and your other half are looking to spice things up in the bedroom (er, in the decorating sense of the term) just check out a few of these charming and wallet friendly items.
1. Colors like light and dark plum, brown, mocha, soft teal, and hammered gold make for a romantic and welcoming boudoir. And when it comes to a wall color that we’re imagining for this space, anything from a soft lavender (Benjamin Moore’s Violet Mist 1437) to the warm sand color shown behind the headboard above (Benjamin Moore’s Dellwood Sand 1019) would look lovely.
2. Necklaces and earrings never look more ooh la la than when they’re dangling on a wall mounted jewelry holder- especially when it’s shaped like a sweet little bird cage (and costs just $28 beans).
3. A personalized $30 Etsy print with you and your honey’s name (and even those of your children if you’ve got ‘em) can add more customized whimsy and charm. Plus those blue-green leaves tie in perfectly with this room’s color palette.
4. Matching end tables flanking the bed with these babies hanging above each of them will frame out the bed and make for some super romantic ambiance. And at $48 a pop they’re cheaper than nearly all other chandeliers we’ve seen.
5. This luxe tufted headboard (originally $600 but now on clearance for $269) has sexy curves and detailed button tufting that adds a soft and enveloping vibe to the space, especially when paired with the patterned bedding we dug up.
6. This large champagne colored mirror will add a bit more glitz to the space without stepping into Donald Trump territory. And mirrors always bounce light around for a soft come-hither ambiance that bright overhead lights just can’t provide.
7. Nothing whispers kiss me like a paisley loveseat, right? This one pairs perfectly with everything from the tufted semi-formal headboard to the plum patterned bedding- and it looks like a nice place to sit and smooch for a spell. Plus a seating area in the bedroom always feels kind of indulgent if you can squeeze it in.
8. This organic plum patterned duvet (on clearance!) is geometric enough to please most males without stepping into the dreaded “floral” category of textiles that has most guys exercising their right to veto. And adding some breezy white curtains (Ikea’s Vivan panels are $6.50 a pop and oh so sweet) along with a plush 8 x 10 rug (anything mocha, chocolate, or even cream would work) will complete the look with style to spare.
So there you have a romance-inspired bedroom in a box (well, a board) for anyone who’s looking to feather their love nest. And speaking of romantic touches, what do you guys associate with love when it comes to home decor? Scented candles or a flickering fireplace? Pink tones and ruffled textiles? Plush flokati rugs and velvet curtains? Framed photos and other personalized memorabilia? Do tell.
Wedding Week III: A Few Favorite DIY Ideas
When we think of heart-stoppingly gorgeous and touching weddings, we can’t help but think of Style Me Pretty- a blog that’s chock full of some of the most creative and lovely celebrations that we’ve ever seen. So of course we were thrilled when Abby Larson, SMP’s leading lady, agreed to drop in with her ten favorite DIY wedding touches (which can also be adapted for non-wedding-related events and even used to spiff up your house if you’re itching to tackle a crafty project or two). So without further ado, Abby’s top ten:
First of all, Happy Wedding Week to Sherry and John! They just might be the world’s cutest couple, and ever since we featured their wedding on Style Me Pretty, we’ve kind of fallen in love with them. So when they asked us to be a part of wedding week, we jumped hook, line, and sinker. As a wedding blogger, I have the luxury of digging through our archives to find inspiration for pretty much every project, every party, every whim I ever get. And without a doubt, my favorite archive collection to revisit is our DIY folder. Why you might ask? Well… the projects that are tucked inside are SO cool and so useful, on so many different levels (whether you’re tying the knot or just looking for a fun weekend project) they will definitely make you all craft happy inside.
So although I could blab on forever, I’ll just get to the goods. Here are my ten favorite DIY projects, which are ALL easy on the wallet.
1. Painted Vases. This idea by Twig & Thistle is a really genius way to deck out your wedding for next to nothing. By spray painting a hodge podge of vases found at garage sales and flea markets, you can create a really chic, cohesive look that seems incredibly expensive. Take the idea one step further and you can paint a hodge podge of picture frames filled with images of friends and family- or you can even spray paint a collection of found chandeliers to make a really beautiful overhead element. Learn how to create these vases here.
2. Ice Cream in a Jar. Umm, yep. You read that right. Crafted by City Cradle Designs, these jars are filled with the simple tools and ingredients for your guests to make a little taste of ice cream right in their hotel room. PERFECT for these toasty summer weddings! Not just a getting hitched idea, these are also a fun little treat for birthday parties with the kiddos. Learn how to make them here.
3. Customized Favor Bags. Another awesome idea designed by Kathleen at Twig & Thistle, I heart these bags (which are actually personalized on the front). You can fill them with any sweet on the planet… homemade chocolate chip cookies, penny candy, whatever you want. The options are endless! Learn how to create them here.
4. Cute Confetti Containers. Crafted by Smitten Studios, these adorable cones can be used for SO many different things. Fill them with scraps of ribbon or mini paper poms to toss at the bride and groom OR stuff them with french fries and use them as a cute appetizer holder. You can really get creative with this project, from containers for your candy buffet to vases that you can tie on the end of your church pews. The world is your oyster with these babies. See how they’re made right here.
5. Pinwheels. I die over these. Seriously, how cute are they? Crafted by the girls at Papier Gourmet, these are an adorable addition to your wedding. Line your outdoor wedding aisle with them, give them to guests as wedding favors, place them on the kids’ table as gifts. SO. Freaking. Cute. Learn to make your own here.
6. Yo-Yos. Designed by the cute girls at Posh Paperie, I am OBSESSED with these little fabric gems. Whether you gussy up a plain white tablecloth or stitch them onto a simple clutch for your bridesmaids to carry, these are the cutest (and cheapest) way to add texture and style to your big day. Love, love, love them. Find out how to make them here.
7. Lace wrapped Candles & Vases. This is a project that I’m not only obsessed with for weddings, but I also kind of love it for my home. Especially for the holidays. Designed by Beth Helmstetter, this little number is basically instant style. By adding a little bit of lace to a simple inexpensive glass vase or candle holder, you can bring a sense of elegance and style to your look. Love this. Love, love, love this. See how they’re made here.
8. Custom Matchbooks. They say that it’s the little things- the details- that really transform a pretty wedding into an awesome wedding. Well, what’s more awesome than custom matchbooks? Even if there isn’t a single smoker in the bunch, they are still so freaking cool. Kind of like a collector’s item from your big day. Designed by Elaine, one of our lovely featured brides and the designer behind the brand Papermade, these little gems will be loved by all. Learn how to make them here.
9. Table Runners. This particular wedding blew me away. The amount of DIY that went into the day was insane and yet the wedding seemed like it was right out of a glossy magazine. I asked the bride to send us over a DIY of her choice and she picked the burlap table runners that she and her mom created. And they are really, really great. Placed over an inexpensive white tablecloth, your look is instantly transformed into elegant, organic style. See how they’re made here.
10. Homemade Pie Favors. I love this project for two reasons. One, they are really stinking cute. And two, yours truly baked them (a task that is unfamilar to put it very lightly). I think that homemade gifts are the very best kind of favors. They don’t cost much, they bring your personality in, and they are always made with love. You really can’t get much better than that. Add a cute white bakery box and an adorable custom tag and voila: cuteness overload. Find out how to make them right here.
So there you have it. Ten super cute, super affordable, super charming projects that you can infuse into your wedding day style. In my opinion, every wedding must have a little bit of DIY. It doesn’t really matter what your budget is, it’s the small personal details that make a wedding special and memorable. Plus, it’s really fun to crack open a bottle of bubbly with your girlfriends and make a little something-something for your big day. Just don’t have too much bubbly or things could get crazy! And crazy with a glue gun ain’t pretty. Thanks again to Sherry and John for having me!- Abby
No THANK YOU for stopping in with such inspirational eye candy Abby! Now we want to get married all over again, or at least throw a big backyard bash to celebrate Burger’s birthday or something (he does love pie…). What do you guys think? Do you have any favorites from the roundup? Are there any that you’d like to tackle yourself? Or do you have other fun entertaining ideas to toss into the mix? Spill those par-tay planning beans.
