That Bride

Currently I Am....

2009-06-16T12:27:00.000-07:00

Where can you find That Bride at present?

At That Wife:

That Wedding: Hometown Reception

2009-03-17T08:41:00.000-07:00

After a full week of absolute gluttony and decadence while on our Relaximoon, it was time for us to put on our wedding attire for the last time and pose as bride and groom. We had gone back and forth so many times about whether the hometown reception was a good idea, or even necessary, but now that it's over I'm really glad we took the time to spend some time with the community that helped raise me.

I wish I had a camera in my hand as we drove up the road to the reception site. Our dear friends who hosted the party for us had sprinkled their property with lamps, torches, and twinkling lights. It looked magical. Guests were directed to park in a lot a few hundred yards from the house, and if they didn't feel like walking (it was a cold October night!), they were escorted up to the house on golf carts.

I smiled as I walked into the tent. I was so happy that we had decided to create our centerpieces ourselves, because it meant we would be able to re-use them later. For very little money we had created a cozy and beautiful atmosphere for the evening.

Of course my mom was walking around with camera in hand before the reception started. I don't think she can leave home without it.

The food! Oh the food was amazing. We worked with Jeff and Michelle of Sage Catering out of Yakima, WA. They worked to create a completely personalized meal that had our guests raving. Their presentation was really got me, since I'm a detail person, and Jeff went out of his way to make all of the food look at delicious as it tasted. If you are a central Washington bride, get in contact with them! I'm really happy with what they did for us.

When they asked what kind of menu we were interested in serving, I mentioned that we would love to have a fusion of foods that described the childhoods of both That Groom and myself. For the Polish dishes they made mini cabbage rolls, pierogi, potato pancakes, sernik (Polish cheesecake with chocolate glaze), and poppyseed cake. That Groom couldn't get enough of the poppyseed cake and said it was some of the best he has ever had! The American style dishes included beef satay, sliders, french fries, crudites, fruit and dip, mini apple pie bites, and chocolate decadence.

I wasn't surprised when many of our guests went straight for the food line instead of coming to see us! Here are the pierogis, don't they look delicious?

Guests were greeted by this frame as they entered the tent. It's a wedding gift from That Groom's aunt, and the pictures are of my cute little husband as a boy with his grandpa. The poem is in Polish, written by his grandfather about the time they spent together. We really wanted to find ways to make the decor and atmosphere very personal at this reception, and putting this poem on display really set the tone for the night.

For the festivities, I did my favorite fancy hairdo. My sister wasn't there that evening, and when talking to her a few weeks later she said, "I heard your hair looked really great that night!" I also loved being able to put on my birdcage veil one last time.

I love this picture of my new husband and my dad.

Who would be crazy enough to have an outdoor tented reception in Washington state at the end of October? We would!

My grandma knit me this very cozy, very soft shrug to keep me from turning into a popscicle that night. Now that the wedding is over, details like this shrug that I can use over and over in my everyday life are my very favorite.

It got so cold that our fabulous hostess dug into their snowmobiling closet for some heat packs. Once the guests saw mine they started asking for their own set as well. I spent most of the evening holding them over my ears and nose.

When I created the postcards for our guestbook at the Seattle wedding, I made sure they were general enough that we could use them for our hometown reception as well without anyone realizing that we made them pull double duty.

The little ones stayed entertained with a free wedding themed coloring book I found on the blu sky designs blog.

We had one of the images from our After Wedding Shoot with my mom on display. I love when couples sprinkle images for guests to look at throughout the reception space.

Although it was quickly thrown together, the slideshow of images from our relationship was a big hit. I was really overwhelmed by the amount of gifts we received. It was wonderful to spend time with so many people who care about us.

Compared to our wedding extravaganza the previous weekend. our hometown reception was a really laid back and informal event. There was no first dance, no cake cutting, and no bouquet. What we did have was good food, family, friends, laughter, and love. I realized that these things are all we ever needed.

Koniec. The End.

Previously:

That Wedding: Bridesmaid Party!
That Wedding: Whole Foods (Rehearsal-ish) Luncheon
That Wedding: Harbor Sailing
That Wedding: Putting My Face On
That Wedding: The Gift Exchange
That Wedding: Dressing That Bride
That Wedding: Bridal Details
That Wedding: The First Look
That Wedding: Into The Woods
That Wedding: Woodsy Family Portraits
That Wedding: To Wed! To Wed!
That Wedding: Showered With Love, Coins, and Hugs
That Wedding: Group Shots With a Little Spice
That Wedding: Those Groomsmen
That Wedding: The Whole Party
That Wedding: Me and My Maids (+Manmaid)
That Wedding: Ring Ceremony Prep
That Wedding: The Ring Ceremony
That Wedding: Let Us Whet Your Appetite
That Wedding: Photobooth
That Wedding: We Dance
That Wedding: Dining Details
That Wedding: Toasting
That Wedding: Bridesmaid Cake Pull
That Wedding: 8 Lovely Cakes
That Wedding: Bedding Down
That Wedding: Grand Exit

After Wedding Shoot

2009-03-08T19:25:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you thought the wedding posts were over by now. I've taken you through 28 posts, detailing everything from the moment I woke up to our Seattle skyline finale. But, I loved my wedding so much that I found a way to drag out it all the way until the next weekend, with an After Wedding Shoot and a Hometown Reception.

The biggest reason for having a semi-TTD (I hesitate to call it such because there weren't any activities that even hinted at trashing since I had to wear it in front of family and friends the next day), was to capitalize on the chance to do a shoot with my mom, Denise Andersen. I didn't realize how much pride I would feel each time someone came over to my married apartment and said "I love this picture, who took it?" I've watched my mom practice her craft for years, and after years and years of taking pictures she can do some really fantastic stuff (as evidenced by my bridal portraits in Rome).

That Groom made one last huge sacrifice, and took these pictures with me on our honeymoon. My advice to you if you are considering the same thing? Prepare to look a little puffy from the gastronomic indulgences you will be making while taking your ultimate vacation. One night we sat in our bed and ate a huge wedge of cheese with crackers and finished it off with an enormous piece of chocolate cake. No wonder our faces look puffy in most of these photos.

If you remember, there are no photos taken inside the temple, and because of this I had no pictures of me wearing my mom's wedding dress and veil from the wedding day. After working so hard to lose 50 lbs over the last 3 years, I was happy to find I could even squeeze myself into the dress at all. My mom had something like a $400 wedding, and she hated her dress, but I'm in love with the meaning behind it.

My mom would probably like me to point out that her sister is the one who added those 80's puffed sleeves to the dress. It was much simpler when she wore it.

You'll notice that the neckline on the dress is pretty low. When I put it on in the temple I wore this turtleneck insert thing underneath. I didn't worry about how awful it looked though because there were no pictures, and it wasn't really about the dress anyways. :)

The lace on the bottom is my very favorite part of the dress.

After a few minutes posing in a dress so tight I could barely breathe, it was time to change into my lovely Evelyn once again.

I hate this pose I am doing (I did it a lot on the wedding day too, what was I thinking?), but I think That Groom looks dashing and debonair.

We took these photos at Cave B Inn at Sagecliffe, a winery/resort I worked at for a few Summers. I love this room just off of the tasting room, with huge unfinished stones for walls.

Apparently That Groom didn't get the joke that I was laughing so enthusiastically at.

We have this one hanging in our dining room. I look at it and smile every time I sit down to eat.

I'm completely in love with this property (have your wedding here, it's gorgeous!), and I had a lot of fun dancing around in my wedding dress in the same places I used to carry room service trays loaded down with heavy plates and bottles of wine.

I'm thinking about printing this photo on canvas for our living room, but I can't decide what version I like best.

Version 1:

Version 2:

Version 3:

Can you see why I am completely in love with this property? The view outside each of the cliffhouses are breathtaking.

We gathered some of the wedding decor suitcases and used them as props. I thought they were a nice subtle addition that didn't take away from the sweeping views.

Look how filthy my dress is! And look how cute my shoes are!

I won't lie, I love having my picture taken.

Then it was time to do a veil change, switching to a longer more dramatic veil that would blow in the wind nicely.

It really tickles when kisses my ears.

Quite possibly my very favorite. My mom's assitant almost threw herself off the cliff trying to get the veil to float for this shot.

And one of the last shots of the day, and my mom's favorite from the session!

You can see my mom's favorites at deniseanderse.com!

That Wedding: Seattle Skyline Finale

2009-02-20T00:00:00.000-08:00

I don't write stories very often, but whenever I do I have a hard time coming up with an ending. My endings always end up sounding trite, or abrupt. I often put the story off to the side and end up forgetting about it because I can't find a way to write in the perfect ending. Telling the story of our wedding day is the one instance where I'm not left feeling this way.

The original plan was to drive with our photographer out to a park with the Seattle skyline in the background and have one last photo shoot for the day. But by the end of dinner I was so tired. All I wanted was to be done with the day, and I told Kelli that we weren't going to go to the park and that after the exit she was done shooting.

I assumed That Groom was feeling the same way I was, but when I told him about my decision he did one of the most thoughtful things he has ever done for me. He reminded me how much I loved the inspirational photos I had found, the shots that gave me the idea to do the skyline shoot. He put aside his own exhaustion and encouraged me to go through with the shoot. We only went up to the park for about 20 minutes, but the photographs we have are just stunning. We look tired, and our facial expressions in most of them aren't the best, but they so perfectly sum up the wedding for us. A classic storybook ending if I've ever seen one.

I'm very excited to have this hanging on our wall sometime soon!

I'm so happy we took a second to grab a shot with our photographer and friend, Kelli Nicole. She was such a huge part of our wedding day, it would be so sad to have her left out of the story completely.

This is the very last photo taken on our wedding day. It says "Done done done! Off to the honeymoon suite!"

The End (of the wedding day). We gave ourselves a whole week to relax and recover before our hometown reception the next weekend. Best. Honeymoon. Ever.

Previously:

That Wedding: Bridesmaid Party!
That Wedding: Whole Foods (Rehearsal-ish) Luncheon
That Wedding: Harbor Sailing
That Wedding: Putting My Face On
That Wedding: The Gift Exchange
That Wedding: Dressing That Bride
That Wedding: Bridal Details
That Wedding: The First Look
That Wedding: Into The Woods
That Wedding: Woodsy Family Portraits
That Wedding: To Wed! To Wed!
That Wedding: Showered With Love, Coins, and Hugs
That Wedding: Group Shots With a Little Spice
That Wedding: Those Groomsmen
That Wedding: The Whole Party
That Wedding: Me and My Maids (+Manmaid)
That Wedding: Ring Ceremony Prep
That Wedding: The Ring Ceremony
That Wedding: Let Us Whet Your Appetite
That Wedding: Photobooth
That Wedding: We Dance
That Wedding: Dining Details
That Wedding: Toasting
That Wedding: Bridesmaid Cake Pull
That Wedding: 8 Lovely Cakes
That Wedding: Bedding Down
That Wedding: Grand Exit

That Wedding: Grand Exit

2009-02-17T00:00:00.000-08:00

I was one of those brides who had the unfortunate experience of switching event coordinators at the venue. Donna did an incredible job and the transition was very smooth, except for the agreements previously made about what Hotel 1000 would allow our guests to be thrown at us at the end of the night. I was frustrated, to put it mildly, when I was told that all of the ecofetti I had invested in was no longer allowed. I forwarded them back the email from the previous coordinator, packed up the ecofetti, and decided that I would instruct the DOC to hand out the packets no matter what.

My rebellion against the system wasn't even necessary because Donna ended up telling me just before dinner that we could go ahead and do the exit with the ecofetti. I don't know that it will be so, but I hope that after seeing these photos Hotel 1000 will allow brides to have this environmentally friendly option at their own weddings.

This was the second time that day that we were greeted by cheers, clapping, and whistles when we walked outside of a building. I absolutely loved it!

In the next 5 photos I can be found smiling, laughing hysterically, ducking, batting ecofetti out of my way, etc. That Groom has the same look of relaxed excitement on his face the entire time. It says "I'm so happy this is finally over."

As you can imagine, my dress was filled with ecofetti. The v in the front created a kind of pocket that gathered a whole handful!

I love the warm colors in this guest photo.

Has anyone else noticed that That Groom really hasn't been covered in much ecofetti yet? Don't worry, his time is coming.

If you look closely at my right hand, you can see the custom ring from our cake topper.

As I leaned forward to give That Mother a kiss goodbye, the groomsmen came out of nowhere and got my new husband right in the face! I love I'm experiencing this special moment with my mother, and he is in the middle of an ecofetti storm.

Don't you just love the look on the face of GM Nate in the far right corner of his photograph?

And it just keeps coming.

That Groom couldn't get away without one last pat on the head by the Best Man to make sure the ecofetti was there to stay.

I love me some in-camera motion blur. Let's get out of here husband!

Kelli Nicole wound up covered in ecofetti after this experience as well.

Previously:

That Wedding: Bridesmaid Party!
That Wedding: Whole Foods (Rehearsal-ish) Luncheon
That Wedding: Harbor Sailing
That Wedding: Putting My Face On
That Wedding: The Gift Exchange
That Wedding: Dressing That Bride
That Wedding: Bridal Details
That Wedding: The First Look
That Wedding: Into The Woods
That Wedding: Woodsy Family Portraits
That Wedding: To Wed! To Wed!
That Wedding: Showered With Love, Coins, and Hugs
That Wedding: Group Shots With a Little Spice
That Wedding: Those Groomsmen
That Wedding: The Whole Party
That Wedding: Me and My Maids (+Manmaid)
That Wedding: Ring Ceremony Prep
That Wedding: The Ring Ceremony
That Wedding: Let Us Whet Your Appetite
That Wedding: Photobooth
That Wedding: We Dance
That Wedding: Dining Details
That Wedding: Toasting
That Wedding: Bridesmaid Cake Pull

That Wedding: Bedding Down

2009-02-16T12:00:00.000-08:00

If you have been reading my posts throughout the planning process I apologize for regurgitating this information for the third time, but can you blame me for wanting to visit such a hilarious event one last time?

Pokładziny-The Bedding Down

In ancient times, putting the bridal pair to bed was a normal and expected part of the marriage customs, and was down with much joking and hilarity. The young couple were directed by the entire wedding party to a room that had been specially prepared for them.

The swat, still overseeing that all went according to custom, placed himself on the marriage bed to "warm it up". The womenfolk jumped up and down on the bed to make sure it could hold up and now break down. Rocks or sharp straw or thorns might have been placed underneath the sheets. The swat and swata then chased everyone out of the room and took the bride and groom to the bed and left them alone. The door was locked behind them and after serenading the bridal couple with some very warm and bawdy songs, along with vodka toasts and admonitions "not to be lazy," the couple were left alone.

The next morning, musicians awake the couple and gave them kasza cooked in milk and vodka that had been dyed red as a sign of lost virginity. The sheets were inspected for the expected stain that meant the loss of virginity. This made everybody happy and was the cause of more singing and dancing.
From "Polish Customs, Traditions and Folklore" by Sophie Hodorowicz Knab

Somehow Kelli Nicole our photographer, 4 of the groomsmen, and 7 members of the bridal party were able to sneak away for who knows how long to complete the Pokładziny for us. MOH Shay had been entrusted with a key so that all of our belongings could be moved up to our honeymoon suite for us. She had been reading my posts throughout the planning process and realized that this was the perfect opportunity to play a little prank on us.

Looks like the groomsmen settled in rather quickly. The groomsmen lying in the middle even took off his shoes and got under the blanket!

Boys will be boys, you know? Looks like they found another use for the Asian-influenced modern decor items found throughout the room.

I've been emailing back and forth with my Hotel 1000 event coordinator, and when she saw these pictures she said "Don't tell management but these are my favorite shots from your wedding!"

Hotel 1000 has very sturdy beds.

I'm just glad this group didn't show up at our door the next door the next morning to "inspect for the expected stain."

Kelli Nicole gets the credit for the brilliant photos, my sister Shaylene Rene' gets the credit for making it happen.

Previously:

That Wedding: Bridesmaid Party!
That Wedding: Whole Foods (Rehearsal-ish) Luncheon
That Wedding: Harbor Sailing
That Wedding: Putting My Face On
That Wedding: The Gift Exchange
That Wedding: Dressing That Bride
That Wedding: Bridal Details
That Wedding: The First Look
That Wedding: Into The Woods
That Wedding: Woodsy Family Portraits
That Wedding: To Wed! To Wed!
That Wedding: Showered With Love, Coins, and Hugs
That Wedding: Group Shots With a Little Spice
That Wedding: Those Groomsmen
That Wedding: The Whole Party
That Wedding: Me and My Maids (+Manmaid)
That Wedding: Ring Ceremony Prep
That Wedding: The Ring Ceremony
That Wedding: Let Us Whet Your Appetite
That Wedding: Photobooth
That Wedding: We Dance
That Wedding: Dining Details
That Wedding: Toasting
That Wedding: Bridesmaid Cake Pull

That Bride in Vegas

2009-02-15T23:04:00.000-08:00

Recognize this adorable lady standing next to me?

Punam!

I'm in Vegas this week at the largest gathering of wedding photographers in the entire world. WPPI is an annual convention where all of our favorite photographers go to learn how to get better at what they love doing. What they all don't know is that I am not only the daughter of a photographer attending the convention, I am also a blogger gathering information for a series I plan on writing to give you an inside look into the wedding photography industry.

I attended a mock wedding this weekend, shot by the worlds greatest wedding photographers (think fees of $100,000+/wedding!), and Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday will be spent in classes taught by the likes of Jim Garner, Jose Villa, Me Ra Koh, Elizabeth Messina, Jesh De Rox, and many, many others.

Tomorrow morning I'm getting up at 4 AM for my very first photo shoot (my very first behind the camera that is). I'll really only have my point-and-shoot Canon g9, but I'm excited to have the chance to shoot a model posing as a bride and see what I can come up with.

Check back to hear all about it next week!

That Wedding: 8 Lovely Cakes

2009-02-13T00:00:00.000-08:00

Bittersweet Hazelnut
Chocolate Raspberry Rhapsody
Chocolate Truffle
Chocolate Velvet Torte
Chocolate White Chocolate
Lemon Coconut
Lemon Blueberry
Strawberry White Chocolate

I cannot think of anything better than a cake buffet at a wedding.

Go ahead, I dare you, name something better. These divine, magnificent, decadent, delicious cakes all came from Simply Desserts in Fremont, WA.

Tiffany and the hotel did a wonderful job setting up this buffet. The only things provided by us were the cakes and the black chargers (found at Wal Mart for $2 each), and the only directions I gave were to turn milk crates upside down under some linens to give the table some height. Those gorgeous linens, the candles, the candles, and the puffy little plants were all a surprise to me and I loved it all.

I wish they had taken the time to slide the cakes off the cardboard and have them sitting right on the platter, but I figure all of our guests were probably so busy focusing on that decadent looking cake they didn't even notice.

In the middle of the room, across from the cake buffet sat our strawberry white chocolate cutting cake.

I had considered several different topper options, and was close to restoring my grandma's topper from 1959 when That Mother told me she had talked to my aunt and asked if we would be able to borrow The Opera Singer for the evening. Created by artist Susan Lenart Kazmer, the piece is actually a jewelry holder covered in removable and wearable jewelry. The Opera Singer holds four rings, a woven thumb ring, two pairs hoop earrings, three fiber bangle bracelets, a stack of twelve sterling silver bangles and Letters to my Lover charm bracelet as her skirt. Susan is a phenomenal artist who has had her work displayed in the Smithsonian, and she has become a family friend after working with my aunt to publish her book and asking my mom to do much of the photography for it.

I scrawled all over this photo so you can see how the jewlery sits on the holder. The bracelet that makes up her skirt blows my mind.

The piece had nothing to do with our books and buttons theme, but I wasn't about to pass up the opportunity to work this one of a kind piece into our wedding day. At the end of the night, my aunt revealed that the hat on top of the singer was actually a ring custom made for me! I love having that little keepsake from the evening.

I should probably stop drooling over those cakes and show you a few photos of that iconic moment known as the cake cutting. Did you know the cake cutting tradition has root in a small wheat cake that was crumbled over the brides head by the Romans to encourage fertility? I hope it worked.

We cut using an antique silver piece my grandma picked up for us at an antique store. It's quite possible that I am whispering "Careful not to cut the cake topper honey, it's worth several thousand dollars."

My brand new husband looks at me with so much love in his eyes. I look at the cake.

Many couples talk about how they wished they had practiced cutting the cake. Looking back on the pictures I'm left wishing we would have practiced the eating part of this ritual. Having your mouth open as wide as possible is never very attractive. Maybe we should have tried feeding each other one at a time?

After the first bite most couples turn and smile at their family and friends, or shove cake in each others faces, or pose politely for the photographer. Not us. After the first bite I went right back for the second, and as soon as that was finished my thoughts immediately turned to the rest of the cakes sitting across the room. I believe I actually heard the Lemon Coconut calling my name.

Kelli Nicole I hope you put the camera down long enough to get some cake!

Previously:

That Wedding: Bridesmaid Party!
That Wedding: Whole Foods (Rehearsal-ish) Luncheon
That Wedding: Harbor Sailing
That Wedding: Putting My Face On
That Wedding: The Gift Exchange
That Wedding: Dressing That Bride
That Wedding: Bridal Details
That Wedding: The First Look
That Wedding: Into The Woods
That Wedding: Woodsy Family Portraits
That Wedding: To Wed! To Wed!
That Wedding: Showered With Love, Coins, and Hugs
That Wedding: Group Shots With a Little Spice
That Wedding: Those Groomsmen
That Wedding: The Whole Party
That Wedding: Me and My Maids (+Manmaid)
That Wedding: Ring Ceremony Prep
That Wedding: The Ring Ceremony
That Wedding: Let Us Whet Your Appetite
That Wedding: Photobooth
That Wedding: We Dance
That Wedding: Dining Details
That Wedding: Toasting
That Wedding: Bridesmaid Cake Pull

That Wedding: Bridesmaid Cake Pull

2009-02-11T14:25:00.000-08:00

Throughout my planning process I kept hearing of this thing called a cake pull. From what I understood it was a Southern wedding tradition, and it happened at the bridal shower. Charms were buried inside of a cake and pulled out by a ribbon, with each charm corresponding to a fortune. I loved this idea, but I wasn't having a bridal shower where all my favorite ladies would be present.

My solution to this dilemma was to incorporate the tradition into the wedding day! Sounds like a great idea right? Well it was in theory, but it didn't quite work out as well as I would have hoped.

Since we had a cake buffet (lots of yummy cake pictures to come!), I simply asked the catering staff to stuff my charms directly into the cake right before the event was to happen. I'm sure they were all standing around in the back talking about the crazy bride (that is the kind of thing I did when I used to cater weddings).

I called each of my bridesmaids forward and told them to pull on a ribbon of their choice.

I held in my hand 8 slips of paper with "fortunes" written on them.

When enough of the cake was wiped off of the charm to be able to see what it was, I handed the corresponding fortune to each girl and had them read it out loud.

Part of me still believes that this could have been really awesome (and as an amateur folklore buff I'm fascinated by the myriad of cultural wedding traditions to be found), but my execution wasn't quite what it should have been. I made up the fortunes myself, since all the fortunes I could find online were really cheesy, but like most of my wedding projects I did it at 3 am the week of the wedding and my fortunes just weren't funny enough.

BM Nay looks at me and says "That Bride, why in the world are we doing this?"

I don't know if I intended for the majority of the guests to gather around and watch this unfold, but that's what happened.

BM Lova was married just three months before me, and I was really hoping she would get the fortune about having lots of babies, but that didn't happen.

I bought the charms from Swedenberg's Gold Chest Jewelers on eBay. I wanted something inexpensive because I knew that most of the girls would lose or throw their charms away that night and the whole set of 9 from this seller was only $15.

As with all of my crazy wedding decisions, my bridesmaids were good sports and played along with smiles on their faces. I would be very surprised if I ever saw this practice repeated again, I don't think anyone would rate it a big success.

Fate was smiling upon me at the end of the Cake Pull, when the second youngest bridesmaid pulled the baby in a high chair charm, with a fortune that stated "You will be blessed with children. Lots of them."

To which her mom cried out "Not anytime soon I hope!"

Good thing I have funny relatives who are always ready with a good joke to get everyone laughing. My advice to other brides who have ever considered doing this would be to have the funniest person you know write these out for you.

Kelli Nicole I wish you could have been a bridesmaid in a pretty black dress, but I needed you there to take my pictures!

Previously:

That Wedding: Bridesmaid Party!
That Wedding: Whole Foods (Rehearsal-ish) Luncheon
That Wedding: Harbor Sailing
That Wedding: Putting My Face On
That Wedding: The Gift Exchange
That Wedding: Dressing That Bride
That Wedding: Bridal Details
That Wedding: The First Look
That Wedding: Into The Woods
That Wedding: Woodsy Family Portraits
That Wedding: To Wed! To Wed!
That Wedding: Showered With Love, Coins, and Hugs
That Wedding: Group Shots With a Little Spice
That Wedding: Those Groomsmen
That Wedding: The Whole Party
That Wedding: Me and My Maids (+Manmaid)
That Wedding: Ring Ceremony Prep
That Wedding: The Ring Ceremony
That Wedding: Let Us Whet Your Appetite
That Wedding: Photobooth
That Wedding: We Dance
That Wedding: Dining Details
That Wedding: Toasting

That Wedding: Toasting

2009-02-10T06:02:00.000-08:00

When I brought up the idea of doing toasts that included flutes of sparkling cider I expected my dad to say "No way." He can be a little bit on the conservative side at times (not like I'm not conservative myself), and although we drink sparkling cider ourselves at holidays sometimes I thought he might say no because of how it would look in the photos. I was pleasantly surprised to find out he was on board with the idea, and it was a good thing because we were well under our catering minimum before this point and I needed a way to beef up menu a little bit.

I'm going to do what 99% of brides do at this point and say that our toasts were awesome. They include the story of how we came to be as related by the best man, some Polish from a real Pole, a little sister tattling on the bride, a teary eyed father, a bride that planned everything except her speech, and an introverted groom ending things on just the right note. But I think I'm getting ahead of myself.

The Best Man's toast was a completely unexpected hit. If you have ever been curious how a farm girl from Washington and a Polish boy from, well, Poland met in the middle of Utah, all you have to do is listen to this speech. This is the point where it was revealed to all of our guests that I was only married at this point because of the "marriage powerpoint" I presented to convince my future husband it was important to try dating.

Best Man Toast from Jenna on Vimeo.

I made sure everyone knew that after I got up the nerve to tell That Groom I wanted to date him, he took 3 weeks to give me an answer!

Was the toast really that funny? Let's look around and see.

Yep, it was absolutely hilarious.

I'm mostly laughing because I came out looking like the smart one after the toast was over. I am the one who decided we should date (and get married!) after all.

That FIL stood up and had everyone laughing, and even did a little speaking in Polish! If you didn't know, people who have never heard Polish before are fascinated by it. It's very common for people to say to That Husband "Say something to me in Polish."

FYI, don't do that to people. It's always annoying and they don't really have anything to say when you put them on the spot like that.

"Ha ha ha, funny FIL!"

MOH Shay stood up and told everyone I used to beat on her when we were kids. Do I look like the kind of person who would beat on her little sister?

This is the face that says "I'll beat on talk to you later about this little missy."

I admit now that I had a rather selfish reason for wanting do have these toasts; I wanted to have our fathers stand up and say a few words. My dad's toast wasn't funny, but it was sweet and sincere. I think my new husband leaned over to me 3 or 4 times throughout and asked "Is this being taped? Are you sure it's being recorded?", because we both knew that it was something we would want to be able to remember and relive.

Thanks dad.

Then it was our turn.

Bride and Groom Toast from Jenna on Vimeo.

My toast was a little bit ho-hum.

That Groom's however, was really wonderful! He was sincere, thoughtful, articulate and eloquent. I'm supposed to be the extroverted one in the relationship who does well in front of crowds, but now I'm thinking I'm really just the one who likes to talk.

We saw lots of touched expressions like this throughout the room.

The lady you see beaming up at my new husband in this photo deserves a lot of credit for making this all happen. Over a decade ago she received the bio for a Polish boy who wanted to be placed in California for the foreign exchange program. All of the California spots were taken, but she contacted him and asked if he would be interested in being placed with a family in Utah. This kind gesture of hers was the first of many of the events that brought he and I together in the end.

That MIL. The love she feels for her son is so transparent in this photo.

Cake teaser! (And someone please get that hideous dead bouquet off the cake table. Thank you.)

Cheers to us, my darling.

Can you name one wedding day event that isn't sealed with a kiss? I don't think there are any.

Take another picture with your click! click! click! click! camera, Kelli Nicole.

Previously:

That Wedding: Bridesmaid Party!
That Wedding: Whole Foods (Rehearsal-ish) Luncheon
That Wedding: Harbor Sailing
That Wedding: Putting My Face On
That Wedding: The Gift Exchange
That Wedding: Dressing That Bride
That Wedding: Bridal Details
That Wedding: The First Look
That Wedding: Into The Woods
That Wedding: Woodsy Family Portraits
That Wedding: To Wed! To Wed!
That Wedding: Showered With Love, Coins, and Hugs
That Wedding: Group Shots With a Little Spice
That Wedding: Those Groomsmen
That Wedding: The Whole Party
That Wedding: Me and My Maids (+Manmaid)
That Wedding: Ring Ceremony Prep
That Wedding: The Ring Ceremony
That Wedding: Let Us Whet Your Appetite
That Wedding: Photobooth
That Wedding: We Dance
That Wedding: Dining Details

So Hard to Wait for Such Pretty Pictures

2009-02-02T00:00:00.000-08:00

As soon as I saw this post on the blog of Ksenija Savic (who might just have a harder name to say than I do!), I commented and asked her if I could repost it here. I loved Anne Ruthmann's post on WB Pro that talked about this very subject (and in fact Ksenija's post was inspired by Anne's post), but Ksenija took things a step further and broke down in hours how long each step of the process takes.

All the words and photos past this point are by Ksenija herself. I hope this helps you understand just a little bit better what it takes to process a wedding.

---------------

why does it take so long to receive my wedding/portrait images?

(Heather & i decided to collaborate on the verbiage for this post!)

while we've been lucky to not have anyone ask this question, at times maybe we wish you would! we wonder if you might be asking yourself this question, or just plain want to know more about the logistics of it all!

however, just to make it easier, let's use a wedding for the example!
here are the basic steps about the process we fine art photographers go through the minute your session or wedding is over.

step one:
we load all memory cards to the computer in order to properly back up your beloved photos.
then spend what seems to be a NEVER ENDING process,
burning dvd's of these files to make extra sure the images are safe, as well as backing them up to an external hard drive!!
EXAMPLE: 3500 images = 8 - 10 hours (MINIMUM)

step two:
all thousands of images are reviewed (often times up to 4500 images... yes 4500)!!!
one by one, we choose the best of the best images, to help make your life easier.
the idea behind narrowing down images, is to make sure only the most perfect shots are edited and given to you.
we take so many to make sure we can have a grand selection of every moment, as well as duplicates to insure the moment is captured!!!
this process takes hours & hours looking at each individual image, deciding which to keep or not to keep.
EXAMPLE: 2500 images = 2 - 4 hours

step three:
somewhere between 100 - 300 top favorite images are selected and then given the very special artistic effect that is custom by photographer's style and makes your wedding unique and special!!
this is the process that takes the most time, energy & personal touch, as well.
in order to provide you with the beautiful, one of a kind, fine art you invested in, this process most definitely cannot be rushed.
EXAMPLE: 75 images = 10 hours (MINIMUM)

step four :
a blog post is created so that you have a great sneak peek to be able to view, share & enjoy some of the top faves from your day!
everyone does blogging a little differently, however for me, i really LOVE being able to make my blog posts as special & personal as possible because of how much i connect with my clients. i want your first look at your wedding to be moving & memorable.
an average blog post from start to finish takes me on average about 24 hours & up (MINIMUM)!

step five:
color and density is corrected with each and every image. images are cropped if necessary.
because your wedding was shot in a multitude of different lighting situations each image can have different corrections needed.
EXAMPLE: 2500 images = 21 hours (MINIMUM)

step six:
the images are loaded to an online proofing company for viewing, sharing & ordering!
depending on the photographer's system and the on-line company used... this process can take several days.
EXAMPLE: 2500 images = 48 hours (MINIMUM)

...so now you can see it has been a MINIMUM of 117 hours - just to get to this point! this of course doesn't include other weddings & sessions shot, client meetings, daily emails, phone conversations, downloading/backing up, orders made, album designs, etc. that all happen in the 'in between' time either!

---------------

Thanks to Ksenija for letting me repost this! Check out Ksenija's blog for more of her beautiful work. If you have any more questions about the processing of wedding photos, ask them below and I'll ask Ksenija to come over and answer them for you.

That Wedding: Dining Details

2009-01-29T06:27:00.000-08:00

Walking into the Great Room for our first dance was my first glimpse of the room, and when we sat down after our dance I took a few seconds to soak everything in. Tiffany (my DOC), my wonderful Aunt Janelle, my mom (because I know she wouldn't be able to resist helping), and Donna (the hotel coordinator) set things up even better than I could have directed, and I didn't have to lift a finger to do any of it.

I love the bright splash of color that the punch adds. This is where not having a color scheme comes in handy.

Our little sweetheart table was just what we needed. We were very gushy throughout the entire meal, staring into teach others eyes and repeating over and over "We're married. Can you believe it?"

Tables were named after locations found in our favorite novels. I have to admit that I was stumped concerning what the tables should be named and That Mother suggested they be named after our favorite novels. Why didn't I think of that? I decided it would be more fun to name them after the famous locations found in those books. It turned out to be a fun chance for guests to try to figure out what novels were being represented at each table.

Our table was named Paradiso. Where else would the bride and groom sit? I liked Inferno much better, but it didn't seem very appropriate for a wedding.

Our fluffy mini book centerpiece was topped off with an antique book That Mother found in France last summer.

Our table name signs were rather flimsy and we needed a way to have them sitting high enough for guests to easily find where they were sitting. The solution was taking wire, wrapping double strands around a pencil to create loops that would hold the paper, and then creating two larger loops on the bottom to hold it up. That Mother's ability to dream up inexpensive solutions to the common problems encountered during wedding planning amazes me.

Table signs were fashioned by ripping (gently) pages out of an old novel we found at antique and thrift stores. That Mother gently taped the book page to a sheet of printing paper and printed the table names directly on the novel's pages. If you look closely at some of the signs you will see that some of them have text from the novel on them! I think it was a fictional book about Cuba. I didn't really proofread the pages, I hope they were appropriate for the event!

Below are all of the table names we used. Can you tell which novels these locations can be found in?

Pretend that "a" is really an "e" to spell Hertfordshire. This is why wedding projects should not be done late at night.

This table contained the only novel That Groom could think of as a favorite. He is more of a non-fiction business themed book kind of guy. He originally suggested Lord of the Rings as his favorite and I said "What location are we going to name the table after from LOTR, Mordor?" We decided to go with The Hobbit instead.

This one was also a little bit of a stretch. I've never actually read Frank Baum's "The Wizard of Oz", but I do really love the play Wicked and I've read the novel that inspired it. That counts, right?

I do realize that Anne didn't actually live in a town named Green Gables. If I can change the spelling of Hertfordshire I can certainly reinvent where Anne fell in love with Gilbert Blythe, right?

Each centerpiece was resting on a stack of antique books. I think my favorite is the enormous yearbook from 1920, with record of women's sports teams playing croquet matches and such. I originally wanted to find books that would be relevant to us or the theme of love in some way, but when you live in a tiny town in central Washington you take what you can get.

As guests sat down I admit they were a little bit overwhelmed with the information presented to them, but tucking things inside and under their napkin seemed like the best way to make sure no one was missed.

The menus were printed on sheets of cardstock cut into thirds. Want to know why the first item on the list makes me smile? Andersen Organics is the brand name my dad farms under, and the soup they served that night was custom made just for us. We managed to organize the whole thing as a surprise for him.

Underneath the napkin guests found a card inviting them to visit our Flickr site and upload their snapshots. Until I got my pro pics back I hit refresh several times a day on our account to see if any new pictures were up.

The other card under the napkin detailed the favor we would be providing them with after the wedding. Kelli Nicole and I worked out a system that would provide guests with the opportunity to go to the proof site, order a print of their choice, and have it shipped to their house free of charge. We wanted to provide guests with something to help them remember the event that they would actually want to keep.

Above the napkin sat the place cards with a button attached. I wanted to find a way to use buttons on the table (like you would expect anything else from me), and as a former waitress I know how frustrating it is to try to read the tiny text at the tables when serving meals. The buttons were not only a pretty decoration, but a secret code for the catering staff. A white button meant fish, black button for beef, and a gold button for pasta.

We also have several gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free and so a map of the room with the location of each place setting and their meal preference/allergies was provided for the catering staff so there would be no mistaking who got which meal.

Dinner was served and I should have been starving, right? Nope. I had to force most of my meal down because of the excessive amount of over stimulation I was experiencing. There were people to talk to, and moments to drink in, and my brand new husband sitting so close to me, whispering sweet nothings in my ear.

I did manage to eat about half of this delicious onion soup. I believe it was a blend of organic shallots, cippolinis, and onions, all of which I shamelessly claim are the best found in the Pacific Northwest.

Oh wait, did I say I had a hard time finishing each course? Except for the intermezzo that is. It was a cucumber melon blend and it was phenomenal. People kept turning to me and saying "Isn't this unbelievable?" The bride can ask for seconds, right?

As we were waiting for the main course to be served the best man/MC called the DOC and I over and suggested we play some type of ice breaker game. I wasn’t so excited about the idea at first, as I didn’t want the reception feeling like a game show with contests and prizes, but I ended up liking his suggestion of having everyone in the room try to guess how to spell That Groom’s middle name. The best man threw a little twist in the game when he revealed in front of everyone that it was actually the entire room competing against ME!

Each table was given a pen and a slip of paper, and we had a few minutes to think. I was stressed, and took a wild guess. I admit I wouldn't have been able to write down anything at all if I hadn't been forced to call That Groom in the middle of my temple recommend interview to ask how to spell his middle name. After a few minutes the best man leaned over to That MIL and asked her to spell her sons middle name.

The emotion you are seeing on my face is pure shock and disbelief. I actually spelled his middle name correctly! It must be a sign of true love or something, because my husbands middle name is MIECZYSLAW. Not only is it crazy authentically Polish, but it is made-up Polish and sounds (to us Americans) nothing like the way it is spelled. No one else in the room even came close, throwing in letters like X and P to be funny.

Dinner arrived, and where was the bride? Visiting with friends, laughing, and enjoying herself. My bridesmaids scolded me and told me to go sit back down and eat something but it didn't last very long. Of course I regret skipping out on the main course now because it was really delicious!

We washed everything down with ridiculously expensive strawberry lemonade. Usually when I go out to eat I just drink water, so having three pretty glasses sitting at my place setting made me feel so happy. Silly I know, but it's the little things that make me happy.

One of the best moments of the night was when a group of groomsmen called Kelli over and said "Kelli! You have to take a picture of this chair!" They were all giddy with excitement and I couldn't figure out why until I leaned in for a closer look.

That Groom and some of his groomsmen graduated with their masters in Information Systems together. These binary chairs were a hilarious unplanned touch!

Everyone except little sister MOH Shay kept their distance from the sweetheart table throughout the dinner. It is the one drawback of a sweetheart table, people think because you chose to sit at your own table that you don't want to interact with them. Definitely not the case, but we don't regret having a little bit of extra time to ourselves.

In this shot I'm instructing MOH Shay to collect examples of the menus, place cards, and other items found throughout the room. It's a good thing to! The one big mistake Hotel 1000 made that night was clearing the room before the event was over. They threw away paper products, plates of desserts (some of them special gluten-free desserts we brought in ourselves) and other things we would have preferred to keep while everyone was downstairs for the grand exit. I'm not sure why they didn't talk to the bride or the mother of the bride about the schedule for this, but they definitely received a scathing email from me for that one.

Guest Photo

Dinner was everything we planned for and more. We really are in Paradiso together.

Guest Photo

Kelli Nicole, that is what I call an "eye for details". I don't think you missed a thing.

Previously:

That Wedding: Bridesmaid Party!
That Wedding: Whole Foods (Rehearsal-ish) Luncheon
That Wedding: Harbor Sailing
That Wedding: Putting My Face On
That Wedding: The Gift Exchange
That Wedding: Dressing That Bride
That Wedding: Bridal Details
That Wedding: The First Look
That Wedding: Into The Woods
That Wedding: Woodsy Family Portraits
That Wedding: To Wed! To Wed!
That Wedding: Showered With Love, Coins, and Hugs
That Wedding: Group Shots With a Little Spice
That Wedding: Those Groomsmen
That Wedding: The Whole Party
That Wedding: Me and My Maids (+Manmaid)
That Wedding: Ring Ceremony Prep
That Wedding: The Ring Ceremony
That Wedding: Let Us Whet Your Appetite
That Wedding: Photobooth
That Wedding: We Dance

That Wedding: We Dance

2009-01-27T00:00:00.000-08:00

My first dance post only has 5 photos, a paltry amount for me.

Why?

Because writing it makes me want to cry.

The First Dance from Jenna on Vimeo.

That is all I will ever see of the dance we took lessons for, the dance we left appetizer hour to practice. The dance my friend said was "like a fairy tale."

That Mother

My wedding was lovely, and I enjoyed every moment. But sometimes I think we all need to voice our regrets, and admit that weddings aren't perfect. So here is my regret: I should have hired a videographer. I should have eliminated that visit to the spa on Thursday before the wedding and paid someone to capture every moment. My pedicure only lasted 2 weeks, but that video would have been with me for a lifetime.

So this is my wedding, full of mistakes and happiness. Weddings are always Mary Poppins Perfect aren't they? Not quite perfect, but because of what we come away with, very very close.

Oh Kelli Nicole, I wouldn't have anything without you!

Previously:

That Wedding: Bridesmaid Party!
That Wedding: Whole Foods (Rehearsal-ish) Luncheon
That Wedding: Harbor Sailing
That Wedding: Putting My Face On
That Wedding: The Gift Exchange
That Wedding: Dressing That Bride
That Wedding: Bridal Details
That Wedding: The First Look
That Wedding: Into The Woods
That Wedding: Woodsy Family Portraits
That Wedding: To Wed! To Wed!
That Wedding: Showered With Love, Coins, and Hugs
That Wedding: Group Shots With a Little Spice
That Wedding: Those Groomsmen
That Wedding: The Whole Party
That Wedding: Me and My Maids (+Manmaid)
That Wedding: Ring Ceremony Prep
That Wedding: The Ring Ceremony
That Wedding: Let Us Whet Your Appetite
That Wedding: Photobooth

Mixers Gone Wild

2009-01-26T00:51:00.000-08:00

Has anyone else seen these?

Is anyone else thinking "Wow Kitchenaid, you really missed the mark when you chose to feature grape vines over Damask."

Would you pay $600 for any of these patterns? If you could design your dream Kitchenaid mixer, what would it look like?

That Wedding: Photobooth

2009-01-23T00:00:00.000-08:00

Usually when things become popular I tend to run in the opposite direction. I either want to be way ahead (doesn't everyone?) or so far behind that what I'm doing is considered "vintage", not trendy.

The photobooth became the exception to that rule. With a photographer willing to supply the manpower, and a mom who already owned the equipment, I just couldn't pass it up. It was free after all.

I collected wigs, gloves, hats, feather boa, and other accessories for people to dress up in. I started to wish my wedding was November 11 instead of October 11, because I would have been able to get all kinds of great Halloween stuff for really cheap! Most of the supplies actually came from the dress-up box of an 8-year old family friend.

That Bride

Currently I Am....

That Wedding: Hometown Reception

After Wedding Shoot

That Wedding: Seattle Skyline Finale

That Wedding: Grand Exit

That Wedding: Bedding Down

That Bride in Vegas

That Wedding: 8 Lovely Cakes

That Wedding: Bridesmaid Cake Pull

That Wedding: Toasting

So Hard to Wait for Such Pretty Pictures

That Wedding: Dining Details

That Wedding: We Dance

Mixers Gone Wild

That Wedding: Photobooth

The Look of a Decade

That Wedding: Let Us Whet Your Appetite

Getting Gallery Wrap Canvas For Cheap

That Wedding: The Ring Ceremony

That Wedding: Ring Ceremony Prep

That Wedding: Me and My Maids (+ Manmaid)

That Wedding: The Whole Party

Winner of Green Bride Guide Contest

That Wedding: Those Groomsmen

That Wedding: Group Shots With a Little Spice

That Wedding: Showered With Love, Coins, and Hugs

That Wedding: To Wed! To Wed!

The Wedding: Woodsy Family Portraits

That Wedding: Into The Woods

That Wedding: The First Look

That Wedding: Bridal Details

That Wedding: Dressing That Bride

That Wedding: The Gift Exchange

Why Is My Free Stuff So Un-Appealing?