Recap #7: From Inspiration to Reality

As I was cleaning out the no-longer-needed wedding inspiration files on my computer and browser, I was pleased to see how the inspirational images I'd saved - mostly, I think, from that bottomless jar of eye-candy, Style Me Pretty* - were born out in reality.  Though I despaired of ever creating a wedding that could live up to the ethereal images on SMP with a down-to-earth budget, these show that a little ingenuity, and a great photographer, can converge to bring on the pretty.

Inspiration

The relaxed, familial, beach-party feeling of this was just the vibe I wanted...

Reality

We rented enough chairs for all the adults, and spread out beach blankets for the kids.  They got to have fun digging in the sand during the ceremony.

Inspiration

Oooo... the way the blue flags pick up the moody water of the sea....

Reality

Yes, with some bamboo poles from the hardware store, and some flags stitched by Mom (one of our few DIY - or DIFMP [for me, please] - projects), the flags define the wedding space without an altar or other religious symbol.

Inspiration

Sweet, simple bouts.  I'm not so much a fan of roses, and lavender wasn't allowed on the beach because of invasive species restrictions, so we ended up with rosemary (for remembrance) instead.

Reality

Inspiration

I'm a big fan of bright, non-matching wedding party outfits.  My Women of Honor decided that they wanted to match.  For the rest of the ushers and readers, we suggested the wedding colors of persimmon, pomegranate and cobalt blue.  They looked great!

Reality

Inspiration

Bright, bold blooms would energize the rustic setting, and echo the wedding party's bright colors...

Reality

Dahlias were lush, local, and seasonal!

Inspiration

Reality

Ok, one big difference between a SMP wedding and a DIY/ DIT one is the bushels of flowers.  I think we vastly under-ordered on the flowers, but they just weren't important enough to spend gobs of money on.

Inspiration

Reality

 In the final analysis, though, I like my bouquet even more than the inspiration photo!  Even more so because our florist adapted to the strict National Park restrictions to ensure that non-native plants could not invade the park.  (It occurs to me that I have absolutely no idea what happened to it after the wedding - flowers are so ephemeral.  Against all bridal tradition, we might have composted it!  Hopefully, the nutrients are returning to the soil, so that they and the love of that day can nourish flowers for someone else's wedding.)


*I no longer have the links or correct attributions for the inspiration photos.  If one of them is yours, please let me know and I'll post a link or remove, as you request.

Vote Early and Often!

If you read this blog, it's likely that you also read some of the blogs that have inspired me, like The Broke-Ass Bride and A Los Angeles Love.  Back when I didn't think any one even noticed me, Broke-Ass was one of the very first commenters on this blog... to remind newbie blogger me that I needed to provide attribution of my sources of inspiration, including things I saw on her blog (ooops!  Thanks for the head's up on this rookie mistake!)

Dana, the original Broke-Ass Bride, consistently provides funny, thoughtful and eco-friendly commentary on planning a wedding on a budget.  Becca, of A Los Angeles Love, articulates a lot of the thoughts I've had about weddings and marriage with way more eloquence, insight and raw honesty than I've been able to muster.  I've enjoyed following their journeys, and appreciate the individual ways that each of these bloggers has used the lens of her individual challenges in wedding planning to provide insight into the larger phenomenon of planning a wedding in the US in the early 21st century. 

Both of these talented writers are among the finalists for the Wedding Channel's Best Bridal Blog Award.  Vote here (every four hours) for your favorite!

Beach wedding inspiration

Go check out the beautiful inspiration board that Inspiring Brides created for me!

Love the pop of the persimmon (aka orange) next to the bright blue dresses!

Six minutes of enlightenment

I dare you to keep a straight face. I don't think it's possible.

via Adventures of a Barefoot Princess.

Notes from the field: bocce, a bonfire, and Buddhist prayer flags

I'm just back from the lead off to a marathon season of weddings, that culminates with ours in October. I dunno what's in the air this year (new administration? end of the decade? milestone birthdays? graduations?), but no fewer than eight couples in our extended social circle are getting married this year, and we're going to a handful of them. (We had to skip the Dutch/ Indian wedding in the Netherlands in early June because of plane fares. The rest are, fortunately, more local.)

I want to capture some of the highlights of this weekend's wedding before I forget. Pictures coming soon...

• The setting: This is one of the most important things to us, and clearly was to my friends - let's call them Data Monkey and Mountain Man - as well. They chose a spectacular Buddhist retreat center in the Santa Cruz mountains for a weekend-long celebration. Redwood trees, a firepit, hiking trails, a pond, Buddhist prayer flags, rolling lawns - just spectacular! Perhaps the spiritual Buddhist vibe of the place contributed to a serene, peaceful feeling. Plus, we were blessed with sunny, warm weather this weekend, making the setting all the more spectacular.

• The festivities: Friends and family who arrived on Friday were treated to a Moroccan dinner, lawn games, a couple kegs, and a bonfire. When we showed up midday on Saturday, Mountain Man was organizing a croquet game. The game went on until 3:00. The ceremony started promptly at 3:30!
  

• The lodging: Camping and cabins on-site meant that everyone could hang out and get to know each other, change from casual clothes to fancy ones easily, and enjoy the setting. Plus, no worries about driving at the end of a late night. For our wedding, we've got on-site hostel accommodations for about a quarter of our guests. I wish there were a way to lodge everyone nearby, because it really added to the communal feel of the event.

• The vibe: When we showed up, two hours before the ceremony, Data Monkey, the bride, was driving around the site, attending to some last minute details in jeans and a t-shirt, looking completely at ease and happy. I wish I had a photo of her when we first met up - she was so joyful and peaceful. I've got to seer this image into my memory - this is how I want to be on my wedding day. (However, past performance is a likely predictor of future results. I need to work on the grounding and focus in the next five months.)

• The flowers: Data Monkey bought $100 of California-grown flowers at Trader Joe's the morning of the wedding! Friends and family helped her put them in vases that she had borrowed from another recently married friend. The flowers were gorgeous - so fresh, vibrant and seasonal. Data Monkey had planned to order flowers from California Organics, but they were unable to deliver because of the Mother's Day holiday. TJ's flowers were a great choice!

• The decor: Tons of colored paper lanterns lent a festive air, along with the bright flowers and votive holders filled with brightly colored candies (Skittles and M&Ms - a huge hit!). Small potted plants - rosemary and succulents - decorated each dinner table. The couple encouraged guests to take home the flowers and potted plants. They offered us the paper lanterns and a bunch of small vases to use at our wedding. One more item off the wedding To Do list!
  

• The favors: This is the endless debate on the bridal blogs. This couple had favors that were useful. Because there were no servers at the buffet dinner, the couple put corkscrews at each place-setting, and bottles of both red and white wine on the table. That meant the guests could help themselves to the wine, and have a memento of the wedding. And, being huge readers, they created bookmarks with 101 recommended books! So cute!
  

• The dress: Wow! A lace-up corset top creates an incredibly flattering shape. Just wow.

More on the ceremony, the dancing, and the honeymoon coming soon...

Barefoot Life List

Inspired by Mighty Girl, I decided to write down a current life list. I'm a big fan of lists, and I usually have several mental ones running.

Mr. Barefoot and I have tandem lists for the summer that include conferences, weddings (not ours), hiking, climbing, backpacking, and maybe a trip overseas (ya gotta love the academic schedule! However, my list also includes prepping to teach to new classes next fall, and completing my dissertation, so it's not all bubbles and campfires.)

Prior to this summer's list, I had a list called the Big Five. The goals were so monumental that I didn't need anything more on my Life List until I got them done. To wit:

1. Finish my PhD
2. Get a job
3. Get a house
4. Get a spouse
5. Have a baby (or get a dog)*

#2 & 3 have been accomplished. #1 & 4 are well under way. That leaves #5... we're saving that project until the rest are complete.

Thinking more expansively, some other things I'd like to do in this life are:

• Hike the John Muir Trail
• Summit Mt. Shasta (missed by a few hundred feet last summer)
• Live overseas again
• Finish reading A Suitable Boy
• Grow tomatoes in the backyard
• Laugh often
• Lose my fear of public speaking
  
• Teach my nephew to rock climb
• Publish a couple books
• Soak in Iceland's Blue Lagoon
• Float the backwaters of Kerala
  
• Run the Dipsea Race
• Ski a blue trail
• Practice yoga in Mysore
  
• Host dinner parties for awesome women
• Walk with the Shikoku pilgrims
• Climb Mt. Fuji
  
• Cook Thai food
• Speak Tibetan at the Potala
• Sit for ten-days in a meditation retreat
• Hike the Cinque Terre
• Follow the Camino de Santiago
  

and so many more... This will have to be a work in progress.

What's on your Life List? How does getting married change it?

*Not that I'm equating the two!

Shout out to my Lovely Readers

I started this blog as an outlet for my wedding stress - a place to store ideas in words and images so that I could easily get back to them, and not forget them. I figured at most, some friends and family might start to read as the wedding grew closer.

So it's incredibly affirming to find that people out there - who don't even know me! - take time out of their busy lives to read my musings. Thanks so much, ya'll, for coming 'round.

The Un-bride down in LA, who seems like a kindred spirit, planning her wedding for the day before mine, in SF, and whose writing I especially enjoy, graced me with this award sometime back, and I'm just now getting around to posting it and commenting on it. I'm so FLATTERED!

To further share the bloglove, here are the rule for this award:

1. Put the logo on your blog or post.

2. Nominate at least 10 blogs who show great ATTITUDE and /or GRATITUDE
(when it comes to weddings, I'm going for the former...)

3. Be sure to link to your nominees in your post

4. Let them know they've received this award by commenting on their blog

5. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received the award

I nominate these blogs as outstanding for showing great attitude and (and appropriate) gratitude:

A Mindful Bride

Offbeat Bride

Another One Bites the Dust

The Sensible Bride

A Practical Wedding

Cheap & Easy Wedding

Lazy Bride

[catching a theme....?]

Color Me Green

and my two favorite non-wedding, but righteously feminist blogs
Bitch PhD [raised my consciousness a mile high!]

Beauty Tips for Ministers [until there's Beauty Tips for Academics, I'm relying on her hilarious and sensible tips!]