Real Wedding ::: Jennifer + Sean's Wedding Details

And lastly, my favourite...

B: Could you provide us with the details on the details?

J: I think it is the details, which help make a wedding memorable. In putting our wedding together, Sean and I had 3 objectives: make it personal, make it unique, and fill the day with surprises. Here are some of the special touches we put into our day:

The Crinoline: I wanted “something blue” to go with my somethings-old, new, and borrowed. So I dyed my crinoline using my washing machine, a package of Rit Dye in Light Blue, and easy instructions I found on The Knot. It came out great – the guests would catch glimpses of it when Sean and I did our choreographed first dance. It was unexpected and whimsical.

The Card House: Sean is an architect and I knew some day he would build me a house. Little did I know our first house would be this 2-foot long model built out of balsa wood. Sean did the basic design and construction and I took care of the details and decoration. We put some fun details like a staircase and plexiglass walls but also made sure the house was functional. There was a cut out on top where guests could drop their cards and envelopes.

The Bamboo Arch: Keeping with the Asian Contemporary look we wanted for the wedding, Sean and I made this arch out of three bamboo ladders we bought in Chinatown and about 1000 capiz shells. This was the most labour-intensive project as we had to individually string the shells on fishing wire, leaving space for the orchid heads from our florist.

Ceremony Details: As we had an outdoor ceremony, we thought it important to keep our guests comfortable. We provided sandalwood fans, again bought in Chinatown, which guests could pick up on their way to their seats. Satin ribbons in our colours of apple green and chocolate brown were tied to the fans. After the ceremony, our guests walked down the aisle towards the other end of the courtyard where cocktails were served under the tent. On their way, we had servers holding baskets of cold hand towels. These towels, known as Oshibori, are typically served hot or cold, and are used in many Japanese restaurants. I ordered the towels online from a firm in California in a peach-mango scent, again keeping with the Asian theme. Our venue collected the towels and we donated them after the wedding. It was a great way to refresh our guests after sitting under the hot August sun.

The Favours: For our favours, we decided to give imported chocolate covered espresso beans to reflect our love of coffee. We put the beans in capiz shell boxes which had picked up on our trip to Asia last year. For tags, I decided to use mini-tags available from www.moo.com. This was probably my favourite project. The Moo tags come in boxes of 100 with a photo on front and six lines of text on back. You upload photos to the Moo site from your online album (I used Flickr). I used photos from my and Sean’s childhood, school days, prom, family photos and put our thank you message on the back in English and Tagalog (the Filipino language). They were a big hit and some guests were even trading the photos!




B: Can you describe the single best moment of the day?

J: The best moment was when I was standing alone, ready to make my walk down the aisle. I took my first step and said to myself "Wait...slow down..ENJOY THIS". At that moment, I stopped being the wedding planner and instead became the bride. It’s like when you’re at the start of a rollercoaster ride – you know exactly what is going to happen yet you’re excited and surprised just the same.


{The Something Blue Crinoline}

B: Is there anything you'd do differently? Any regrets?

J: Overall, there were no big regrets but if I had to do it again, I would have forgone the receiving line and instead enjoyed the cocktail hour with my guests. The cocktail hour was something my husband and I were so looking forward too but taking of photos took longer than expected and we missed this mingling time with our guests. I would have liked the chance to speak more with everyone, and to see the Mashed Potato Martini bar we had during cocktails.

B: Would you list some "things you know now"?

J:
* I know now that it’s the details which make your day feel personal and help your guests feel considered, so put some effort and make it memorable and unique.

* I know that you should select vendors whose personality you like, and then trust them to do their job.

* I know that there will always be things that go wrong, but those are far outweighed by the wonderful things that do happen.

* I know that the tone of the day is set by you and your groom. If you are happy and relaxed, your guests will be so as well!

B: Could you offer any wisdom to other brides?

J: Be bold, be creative, and let your wedding be a reflection of you as a couple. There are no 'rules' with weddings today. Your wedding can be intimate or grand, traditional, or on a beach. Do not be afraid to make it different and truly “yours”.


{The "Something New" Specialty Cocktail - Lychee Martini's}

{All photo credits to Firefly Studio.}

Thanks Jen, and congratulations again to you and Sean!