the fairmount bride

'Tis the Season...

...for my job to send us to Boston for a four day meeting the week before Christmas.  My apologies for the lack of posts, I have been swamped, but will resume as normal when I am home and things have settled down. 

A Lesson

While our wedding was wonderful, there are always little things that you would change when you look back at the day.  For me, it is that I wish I had thought about what I do when I get nervous, so that I could have avoided an insane amount of pictures of both my walk down the aisle, and our ceremony, looking like this.What's funny is that I know I make this kind of face when I get nervous.  Or more so when I want to cry and am trying to stop myself from doing it.  I'm fine with it, it's a natural human reaction.  Yet, while I know it is true emotion, I think if I had thought that I was going to do this, I would have been aware to stop when I started.   Because, it really doesn't photograph all that well!!! 

So, my lesson for brides to be is to have a truthful conversation with yourself, about odd habits you may have that tend to come out in times of high emotion.  You may choose to not care about them, or maybe you are like me and want to make an effort to try and fix them.  Either way, I thought rather than giving the same advice you hear after every wedding, I would throw something out there that I assume not many brides have thought much about.  Do with it as you will.

(photo by MB)

Our Wedding, Part II

And for part two...

Our cocktail hour consisted of lots of passed appetizers, as well as a cheese display.  This is just a taste of the many that were served; I positively loved the presentation. 

  

Baseball cards served as our escort cards.  This was an idea I had seen months ago from a wedding on Style Me Pretty, and knew I wanted to replicate it.  It was another DIY project, and worth all the effort, they were a huge hit! 

In lieu of a traditional guest book, we bought various post cards from the island and had guests write us a note.   After we left, our wedding planner mailed them to us.  They trickled in over a few days and we adored reading all the words of love and well wishes.  Thank you to My Big Fat Italian Wedding, who was the inspiration behind the idea!   

  

  

I gasped when I first laid eyes on our tables.  I couldn't believe that what I had envisioned had come together so perfectly.    

We used vintage style baseball cards as the table markers, and titled each table by the player on our guests escort cards.

(**)   

  

Our first dance was to "Into the Mystic," by Van Morrison.  The night was spectacular, and my dream of an open dance floor under the stars came true!  

I had to always wanted to do flip flops, and they were a the saving grace to a lot of sore tootsies!  

I cannot say enough great things about our caterers, The Chef's Garden.  The food was phenomenal and the service impeccable.  I worked closely with Jennifer to create a menu that was suited to our taste, but also gave our guests a little Southern flair.  She went above and beyond with all of the set up, including creating name cards for everything, using our floral graphic.   

   

We opted against doing a cake, and instead offered more finger food sized desserts.  Another big hit!  

What's a Southern wedding without cigars and after dinner drinks?!  

I think this is my favorite shot of the night.  I'm not sure why, but I just love it.  

The wedding was amazing.   The whole weekend was amazing.  It is an overwhelming feeling to look around a room and see all of your friends and family, knowing the only reason they are there is in support of you.  I will never forget it.    And it isn't too shabby that I was lucky enough to marry a man who loves me unconditionally and unknowingly spends his days making me a better person.

(photos marked with ** are by MB, and the rest are from my photographer Thomas Hager)  

Our Wedding, Part I

A little over a month ago, October 25th to be exact, I went from being a "Ms." to a "Mrs."  The weekend was all that we could have imagined, exactly what we wanted when we planned our little destination wedding in Amelia Island, FL.  Here are pictures from the day, enjoy!

The ceremony and reception took place at The Ribault Club, on Ft. George Island, FL. 

Our lovely invitations made by my friend Meredith, of grafikmac designs.  She is great, and so talented.  I can't tell you how much those talents helped me, as you will see in upcoming details.

My hubby pre-ceremony, with my dad and his best man.  

Ahhh, my dress.  I just want to figure out how to wear it again, I absolutely loved it!  I had it made by a dressmaker here in Philadelphia, Kate Ramos.  She is amazing, and helped to make the whole process so seamless and stress free. 

The colors for the wedding were dark pink and brown.  However, Trent wanted to wear a green tie, so I opted for green shoes to coordinate.  

My bouquet was stunning.  Breathtaking.  All the flowers were.  Shea Hopely  is a master at her craft!  

   

Myra, of twigs & honey, created my fabulous hair adornments. 

I love this shot of my mom and I.

My bridesmaids wore dresses from Jcrew, which worked out very well.  They opted for long dresses, so we had to find something that wasn't too formal, or too casual.  These were perfect. 

 

Our tree.  This tree was what sold us when we first looked at the club, we knew that we wanted to get married under it.  (**)

Our pre-ceremony drink station.  Guests had the option of a citrus infused water, for those who wanted something non-alcoholic.  And Pimms Cups, for those who wanted a little kick!  (**)

  

The programs were one big DIY project.  I will detail the how-to's in the near future.  

We went a bit non-traditional for ceremony music.  My wedding party, including Trent, walked into "Here Comes the Sun," by the Beatles.  I walked into "God Only Knows," by The Beach Boys.

(**)

  

Our ceremony was a good length, about 15 minutes, which included two readings.  The first being "Love," by Roy Croft, and the second being "The Apache Marriage Blessing."  

We walked out to "Let My Love Open the Door," by Pete Townsend.  

  

The infamous Phillies pictures.  My jersey was actually a gift I received from one of my bridesmaids, back in August, at my bridal shower.  It only seemed appropo to incorporate it, given the World Series!

More pictures to come tomorrow...

(photos with the ** are by MB, and the remainder are from my photographer, Thomas Hager)  

  

  

  

 

Coming Soon

The cd of images is finally here.  I am in the process of finalizing the ones I am going to post.  Bear with me, it's coming!

It's A Must See

If you are looking for an idea for a date night, or any night for that matter, I definitely recommend going to see "Slumdog Millionaire."  We went last night and I can easily say that it is one of the best movies I have seen in a long time.  

  

I don't want to spoil the movie, because if I am incapable of describing a plot line with out ruining it!  However, I will say that it is a sweet and wonderful love story that promises to have you leave the theatre smiling.

(photo from Fox Searchlight)  

It's a Lovely Day for a Parade

This is such a fun idea!!  I was perusing the blog of  One Love Photo, and came across this wedding where the bride and groom created a love parade for their guests to get from the ceremony to the reception.  How great is that?! 

 

  

  

(photos from One Love Photo)  

More Fun Gift Ideas

I was at a bridal shower this past weekend and totally fell for a gift that my girlfriend received.  It was a framed picture of her soon to be married monogram, and it is super cute! 

 

Found at Jack and Lulu, these adorable pieces of wall art can be created specifically for the audience in which you are buying.  Pick the monogram font, as well as the backround design and color that would best suit a person's style, and personality.  A very cool gift idea!

Flip Flops

I have extra flip flops from my wedding that I am looking to sell.  They are from Old Navy, and are a mix between brown, light pink and dark pink; half are 8's and half are 9's.  I have forty extra pairs, due to mistake in ordering on my part.  If anyone is interested, or knows anyone who is interested, email me at thefairmountbride @ gmail.com. 

A Dress for a Special Occasion

A good friend of mine is getting married next summer and is on the hunt for bridesmaid dresses.  She recruited me to help in the search, but rather than finding a dress for her girls to wear, I found a dress that I need to wear.  All I need is a place to wear it!

 

It is part of the Vineyard collection from Priscilla of Boston, and I love everything about it.  It would make a wonderful dress for a fun, formal holiday soiree.   Hmm, now I just need to get myself invited to such an event... 

(photo from Brides)