{wedding day} reception details

photos by daniel meigs

while we were finishing up some post-ceremony pics, our guests enjoyed refreshments and filled out the wish cards for our "guest book."

Don't: think you need to have a "cocktail hour." we set up cucumber water and orange iced tea outside of the reception area along with mints for our guests to relax with. by keeping the doors closed to the reception "barn," it encouraged our guests to linger in the garden before the sun set, fill out the cards for our wish bowl, and mingle with friends. i don't think they minded not having a glass of wine or beer at this time, but i'm sure they did enjoy the refreshing beverages on such a hot day.

Do: take dancing lessons! we so enjoyed practicing in our living room during the weeks leading up to the big day, and still bust out a move in the middle of a store, or on the street when a song puts our feet to action! we also started our reception this way..after the pics, the guests were asked to enter the barn and wait for our arrival..as soon as we entered, our song played..and we danced..it was a great way to kick off the party and gave us an opportunity to then visit our guests at their tables afterwards.

{ideas} because i have control issues.

i am in the process of drawing out every little detail. not kidding. so last night i finished the table layouts..let me tell you that i do realize i am no graphic artist. i am okay with that..but i think this is good enough to get the point across...

Table Scheme:
15 5' tables. Each will have the following:
1 ivory table cloth that goes to floor
1 centerpiece
8 chairs
8 settings (see below for setting details)
3 white votive candles in clear glass holder
(6 of the 15 tables will have reserved signs - thanks to my fab readers who insisted upon me doing so..you gals are life savers!)

Place Settings:
The following will be set at each chair (8 at each table, 120 total):
1 khaki napkin with pocket fold.
1 large fork
1 large knife
1 sprig of rosemary


Cocktail Table Scheme:
5 tall tables. Each will have the following:
1 ivory table cloth that goes to floor
1 khaki tie halfway between tabletop and floor
1 centerpiece (budvase - smaller than the large table centerpieces)
1 white votive candle in a clear glass holder


is anyone else out there as crazy as i am -- taking drastic measures to ensure fewer miscommunications?

{ideas} check, check, & check!

candles:

from here.

violet mints:

from here.

and my scent, of course:

from here.

all currently on their way to the future mil's house!!

{vino} our picks for the reception...

knowing we will have about 150 people attend the reception..choosing wine has been a rather .. delicate matter. we both love our wines. we would really like to share our favorites with the ones we love..but let's face it... that can get expensive.

looking back..i remember the first red wine i first truly appreciated..a pinot noir made by toad hollow. ever since..i've been a die hard fan. so, naturally when we visit wine country, we like to stop off in healdsburg at their tasting room. the wines are easy to drink, easy on the wallet..and easy on the eyes..meaning that the labels have a lot of character...

lucky for us, ryan's uncle is a wine distributor in nashville and has worked hard to get us a good price on our pics and is delivering them for us..thanks uncle bill!

and without further ado..our wine pics:


you can find tasting notes and other information on their website..now..on to the beer...

{random} one lovely weekend coming right up!

tomorrow is supposed to be 76 and sunny in the city. we can't wait! fh is taking the day off and first thing in the morning we have an appointment with her to do a little bit of this:

and then we are going to grab a bottle of wine, pack a picnic lunch and head out to the beach or a park to do a little of this...

...write our vows..together.

sigh.

you can go puke now. :) hope your weekend is full of sunshine and romance!

{ideas} flowers & hospice

i keep having to remind myself to take a deep breath..cause y'all, i am so excited. i spoke with my incredibly nice, patient, and super intuitive floral designer late the other night. we went over flowers, style, colors..everything. she suggested some options without being pushy and i felt completely comfortable with her. in the end, she seemed just as excited as i was about what we came up with...

so here it is:

for the ceremony, we will have 1 bridal bouquet, 3 bridesmaids bouquets, 4 bouts total and 2 corsages for the moms. they will all have the feeling of this:

click on image for larger size

but using a lot of greenery and these flowers & herbs:

click on image for larger size

for centerpieces, banquet tables and cake flowers, we are using these:

click on image for larger size

also... 2 bay leaf and lavender wreath's to hang on each of the white barn doors:


and one large one to hang right above the fireplace:


i think the coolest part about the whole thing is that she can set up for perenity to stop by the next day and take the flowers from the reception to a local hospice hospital. what a wonderful way to celebrate life, flowers, beauty, and hope...

{vendor appreciation} best bakery in town..

ok, so i may be biased..but in my opinion, publix bakery rocks. let me tell you why...

that saturday in nashville, my crew (me, fh, mom, aunt kerry, and fmil) all show up at publix (in brentwood for you local gals) in the middle of the afternoon. it was valentines day and the bakery was rockin'. we walked up to the counter and i explained to the lady that i was hoping to talk to someone about wedding cake. diane smiled real big and asked if i'd like to make an appointment for a future date. oops. i explained that i would not be available since i live 2000 miles away, but my fmil might be able to come by to taste the cake for me..well, diane wouldn't have that. she asked if i could come back at 2pm that very day...she would set up a tasting for me. what?! for real?

sure thing...we came back at 2pm and she had it all set up..different little cakes (chocolate, vanilla, red velvet) and different little fillings and frostings (2 fruity ones..i think strawberry and raspberry, cannoli, cream cheese, custard, chocolate, and vanilla buttercream). we all sat around and ate cake like it was going out of style!

in the middle of stuffing my face with tasting cake this tiny lady pushes thru our little crowd..no smile, no explanation..just a serious face intent on tasting some cake herself. she started to reach for a piece of chocolate cake - i just watched her..i mean, it was sample sunday after all - and just before she was able to nab her a piece, another bakery lady came dashing across the room in what seemed like slow motion, and informed the lady that it was a private tasting. the cake-snatcher just turned around and started to walk away. i told her she was more than welcome to try a piece, but she refused and left. poor lady. i know how it feels when you can smell cake but can't have any...

after choosing our favorite flavors, i showed diane the picture of the cake of my dreams. we worked out the size..and viola! i will have cake!

what flavors did we choose? the best kind: vanilla cake, cannoli filling, and ivory vanilla buttercream frosting. and the best part? we will have a beautiful, tasty cake that will feed over 150 people for less than $500 (including delivery!).

so ladies..don't forget your local grocery stores if you are watching your budget...you might just find a gem.

{ideas} coo-coo for crosswords

i think that if i were having a morning or even an early afternoon wedding, i would have to incorporate something like this for the reception:

martha, of course

but, did you know you can create your own crossword puzzles online and print them out as pdfs? how cool would it be to fill it up with little facts about you and your future 'til-death-do-us-part mate? you could even give away a prize for the one with the most correct answers..

look online for all sorts of these tools..here are some of my favs:

edhelper
create a crossword puzzle!

{vendor appreciation} nashville wins in the service department

wow. it's good to be back...i've missed you guys! my weekend in nashville was a whirlwind! we spent the entire day saturday running errands and it really paid off and i don't know what i would have done without my crew (thanks mom, holly, kerry, and fh!).

my mom drove from knoxville early saturday morning to help with the decision making, here we are at traveller's rest (the reception site):

(we are going to hang a large wreath filled with natural herbs right above our heads..where the spotlight is...and fill the fireplace with ivory candles. it's going to be gorgeous..)

but our first and one of the most important stops that morning was at southern events with jill cole in franklin, tn. this woman was a-freaking-mazing. she knew what she was talking about and helped me pick out so many things that i would have forgotten. let me start out by saying that back when i was looking for rental companies on the internet, i emailed and called several. jill was the only one to return my messages and followed up promptly with price sheets and invoices. when i told her i would be coming in town, she didn't hesitate to pencil me in at a convenient time on valentines day. she helped me pick out place settings, linen, easels, etc. she even had photos to show of previous events so i could imagine what my chairs would look like with my ivory tablecloths. and at moments when i was in a near panic, she was so calm...and she never forced me into what she thought would look best...she always waiting for me to make my decision. it was an absolute pleasure. i highly recommend this vendor if you are looking for a rental company for your wedding or event that has top notch customer service and beautiful inventory to choose from, please contact jill. you will not regret it.

next up..the cake!

{ideas} newest obsession: candles

i've decided that candle-making is not for me...i imagine it to turn into something from "i love lucy." so, to spare my fh added grief and possible burn marks, i am on the hunt for candles, small and large, very large...

you know..something like this for the fireplace:

and upon my web-lurking for the perfect candles, i came across these lovelies on sale for $1.99:

from here.

unfortunately, i don't think they work for me...but for any of you glamorous ladies out there...get them while they last...i can imagine them quite beautifully displayed on a long table with elegant china in that old glam that only hollywood could inspire...

{ideas} glowing inspiration...

a coworker of mine recently got engaged and she was kind enough to let me share her gorgeous inspiration board with you...

i like that her first inspiration board totally focuses on the mood and setting...she calls it "lights & leaves." she is determined to have a plethora of lanterns and soft candlelight amidst an umbrella of trees...just beautiful.

{ideas} let it burn..

i saw this tutorial and about fell out of my chair. i'm in need of a lot of candles for our reception..a few large ones to go in the fireplace, and others spread about the tables and outside...i love the idea of having my new last initial pressed into a big ball of hot wax...

do any of you have experience with making your own candles? is it difficult? cheaper? worth it?

{reception} can it be done?

i love the inside of our reception area...except for the big white lights everywhere...i plan to leave the majority of them off and string those cafe bulbs across the middle..


i also plan on having a big monogram made in vinyl for the spot over the fireplace (btw..it almost makes me wish we were getting married in the winter just so i can turn that thing on!!).

here's the thing...we are expecting around 130 guests and plan to scatter round tables about the area... but i really want the middle left for the dance floor..something like this:

source

but fh says it's impossible...my response (in the words of that great Albert Einstein):

"Only those who attempt the absurd can achieve the impossible."

what do you think?

the perfect spot

i found my ceremony & reception site 4 days after the ring was on my finger. was it because i am a bridezilla in the making? perhaps. was it because i am a woman who knows what she wants? could be. but mostly i think it's because i had to...

after our whirlwind of a time in new york, we got on a plane and headed south to nashville to visit friends & family for the remainder of our vacation. it was the first time we had been back to nashville since we moved to the west coast a year prior. everyone was excited about the news, but no one seemed more so than his aunt kerry and his mother holly.

while holly planned the impromptu engagement party, kerry had me in the car faster than i could say "we're engaged!" we visited churches, gazebos, and much more...but when we arrived at an old plantation that was located just down the street from holly's lovely home, i just had a feeling it would be the one...we drove up the long winding gravel road lined with lush green trees. at the end of the road was a sweet, white picket fence and a yard that stretched further than i could see . the house was magnificent, but the garden is what caught my eye. i could see it...us saying our vows at the iron gate, flowers rejoicing in the garden that would surround us...natural wooden folding chairs in the lawn by the house and family gathering under the old magnolia tree. it was breathtaking. we put down the deposit the next day.

personal photos taken at traveller's rest plantation

i knew i wanted to get married in may, although the rain might be an issue on our special day, it really is the perfect temperature for an outdoor wedding. we had discussed memorial day weekend, and really felt, at the time, it would be wonderful for our travelling guests to have a long weekend to have plenty of time to get back. and of course, there was another couple interested for the same day, although they had not put down a deposit to save their date. here we were with a dilemma...we could put down a deposit and steal another brides date..or we could choose another. we opted for the latter and felt confident in our choice that the weekend following memorial day would be just as lovely.

a week later, the wedding coordinator from the plantation phoned to tell me that the bride had changed her mind on the venue and that i could have the memorial day weekend date after all. i kindly declined. "i love my date," i told her. and i really do.

for any bride looking to book a holiday wedding, please take a moment to read about the bride featured on oprah who chose a 4th of july weekend. it is absolutely heartbreaking and it may help you decide when you want your special day to take place.

i am ever so grateful to everyone involved for the time they took to help us find our perfect spot. knowing we won't be able to return to nashville before the wedding, it's nice to know one of the important decisions about the day has already been made.