THE BIG DAY!!

The wedding was so beautiful and it went on without a hitch! While it was a bittersweet day, we're all so happy for Mark and Cass and wish them all the best. But now, it's time for pictures. ;)

                                                         
                                                                 My hair! :)

                                               Me and my third big brother. (We're not related at all, but hey. He's family.)

                                                         
                                                     Brandon helping Manny with his tie.

Mel, my absolutely stunning adopted sister and Brandon's wife. She's one of my favorites.

                                                   Lovely bridesmaids and one of our lovely hairdressers.

Miss Callie :)

The bride getting her hair did. 

                                                                   Cutie Courtney.

                                                                 Migin's gorgeous hair.

                                                   Three out of four parents and Cass's brother, John.

Sara getting her hair done by Sara. :)

Lunchtime.

                                                     The very beautiful and regal Miss Sara.

My gorgeous best friend.

My cousin Lydia refusing to smile.

                                                                  Cass's gorgeous dress.

Time for boutonnieres. We used steak knives to open the lapels in the suits.

Migin and me. :)

My big brother and me. Don't wanna let him gooo.

One of the bouquets.

                                                              About to go down the aisle.

                                                                Me going down the aisle.

Cass and her dad, Jack.

                                                                Handsome groomsmen.

                                                 My darling brother and his darling wife at the reception.

My cousin Asi (ess-ee) and my favorite little guy Julian.

Kim, me, and Migin. Kim would have fit in great with her pastel dress!

Brother sister dance, Lily and Tommy. <3 You can see me starting to cry in the background.

                                                         Olivia and Julian. Love these kids!

                            All of the decorations were made by hand. MANY hours of work were put into them, and while I am not nearly crafty enough to have been of much help, I thought they were very pretty. The puffy pink flowers were coffee filters dyed pink, glued together, and twisted to make flower shapes. I believe the idea was one my mom found at marthastewart.com.

Peeking through the handmade decorations.

Mark and Cass. :)

The wedding went on without a hitch. It was so, so gorgeous and so bittersweet, but very happy, too. Mark and Cass are a beautiful couple. While it will be odd to not have him here anymore, to not have him asleep in the room beneath mine, there's no doubt in my mind the two of them will be visiting often. It was an extremely fun and crazy day. I've not lost a brother, but rather gained a sister. Change is a difficult thing, and welcoming new people into your life can sometimes be a difficult thing, too. But this is a necessary change, and one for the better, I think. Cassandra is a wonderful girl who makes my brother so, so happy, and that's what's most important to me.

A lot of hard work went into the wedding to make it a special day, so thank you so much to everyone that helped out. Thank you, also, to all the guests who attended! It was a crazy night with all the loud music and dancing to match. I'm sore from head to toe but it was worth it. In the morning, seven girls needed to get their hair done by my cousin and her very sweet friend, Sarah. We probably used enough hairspray to destroy the Ozone, but hey, we looked good. I was thrilled with my hair, as well as the rest of the girls' hair. (Thank you Sarah!!)

Now, I don't know what's going to go on in the blog. I'll probably just start writing random posts. Check back in a couple of weeks to see if anything new is up. Thanks so much for following me on this wedding journey. :)

(Most of the pictures used are not mine, except for the ones where we're getting ready.)

The Music!

Sorry for the lack of posts last week! It got very hectic 'round these parts. There are just a couple of posts left until the big day, and maybe then I'll blog about something else. Any suggestions? :) Leave them in the comments, guys and dolls.


The music is a very key part to any wedding. Let's break it into five sections.

1. What are you going to be walking down to?

•    There's always the traditional wedding march. 
• Or maybe Pachelbel's Canon in D Major?
• Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring? 
• Ode to Joy?
• Rondeau?
• Or maybe something completely non-traditional but very meaningful to you and your fiancee. 
• I like Yiruma's River Flows in You but then Twilight ruined it even though it apparently wasn't in the movie.
• WHATEVER.

I know some couples have decided to not actually walk down the aisle, but to just be there when the guests arrive. There's also that one thing about people dancing down the aisle. Whatever you want to do, pick music that's fitting. A wedding is a very joyous occasion, and it should be fun, but please don't make it ridiculous. Take into account how serious a decision that you're making. The ceremony is not meant to be a dance party, in my opinion, as cute as I thought the idea was. (I'm very conflicted on this matter). 

2. What will you be playing during dinner?

• This might be the opportunity to play the older, jazzier songs on your playlist. While I love those types,  it's not very likely that they'll be good songs to really dance to, unless they're for slow dances or if your friends are big fans of that genre. Of course, there are older songs that can get people moving and that they're familiar with, but most people like to sing along to familiar songs that are popular and that they hear often.
• So if you have some a lot of softer songs that you'd like to play during the party at some point, play them during dinner and save some for slow dances. 

3. If you decide to, what are you and your father going to dance to?

• I'm going to get this out of the way right now. DON'T PLAY BUTTERFLY KISSES, I LOVED HER FIRST, ETC. You will have a room full of sobbing people, including you and your father. Save everyone some pain for the love of all that's holy. You can do something very sweet and meaningful without making everyone need to get another stiff drink at the bar to compose themselves. 
• A wedding is a very happy day, but it can be bittersweet for parents. Go easy on them, kids.

4. What are you going to dance to with your husband or wife?

• This, like the father-daughter dance (or mother-son, if you want!) should be meaningful. It doesn't necessarily have to be slow. It could be fun and fast-paced, but it should mean something to the two of you. Again, try to avoid tear-jerkers. People will most likely cry no matter what's played, so maybe that's kind of unavoidable, but try to not add to their suffering. 

5. Lastly, what are you going to play for dancing?

• As mentioned earlier, people like to dance to songs that they're familiar with. If you like older songs, there are definitely a lot of them that are familiar. Even if they're not, they're punchy and fun and fast and should be nice to dance to. Don't, however, fill your playlist with these. Most people listen to the radio, which is pretty much not-great-music-but-fun-to-dance-to-music central. 
• People like to sing along. If they don't know the words, they might feel kind of awkward on the dance floor.
• Pick a fantastic song to start the dancing out with, and bride and groom, maybe you should consider being the ones who start. Few people like to be the ones that start the dancing (I kind of love attention so I have no problem with this, and neither does my oldest brother - the one that's getting married). 
• Definitely have some slow songs lined up! If you have older people at the wedding, chances are they aren't going to be fist pumping to the Black Eyed Peas. Married couples might want to share a slow dance with their significant others, and your parents may not have had their fill of dancing with you. If you have siblings, this would be a good opportunity to get a dance with them in. 

I think that pretty much covers all the bases. Have a fantastic rest of your day, guys and dolls! :) I'll see you week. 

PLEASE CHECK BACK TOMORROW FOR YOUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED BLOGGING.

The Bridal Party.

Listening to: EVERYTHING BY DAUGHTER. NEW OBSESSION. OMG.

Hope you're having a good Monday so far, my fraunds. :)


So the situation with the bridal party is much like the situation with the guest list: it's possible that you feel obligated to ask everyone that you know, resulting in an unnecessarily large bridal party. I know that in some cultures it's customary to have a lot of bridesmaids and groomsmen, and to be honest, it doesn't bother me that much. The only problem is if you are a very demanding bride, in which case you're probably asking them to get a very specific dress in a very specific color and a very specific style, which could be very expensive. (If you guessed that 'very' is the word of the day, you guessed right! Congratulations! Give yourself a pat on the back and buy yourself a cookie. You earned it).

If you decide to have a Maid of Honor, then it falls to that person to throw you a shower, which could also be expensive. If you want a Jack and Jill shower, it's customary to have it in a hall, and those are not cheap, unless you pick the slummiest one you can find. Even if you don't have a Maid of Honor, one of your bridesmaids is probably going to throw you a shower. If it's a personal one for just women, then the cost isn't going to be bad, most likely. However, if you want a big one for both you and your soon-to-be-husband, we just go in a loop and we're back to the same renting a hall problem. Of course, if you have a willing friend that offers to let you use their house for your shower, then fantastic. Bear in mind that planning a shower is a lot of work, and a thank you present for whoever throws you one would be a very nice gesture.

Now onto the next part: how many bridesmaids/groomsmen do I have, and who do I ask? Both of those things are entirely up to you. If you have a large group of very close, intimate friends who you really want in to be involved in your wedding, then ask them. However, don't ask someone to be in your wedding because you feel obligated. Just because you were best friends in high school doesn't mean your as close as you were now, and chances are, unless they're SUPER sensitive, they are not going to be bothered if you don't ask them to be in your wedding. Your bridal party should be made up of your best friends and the girls (or boys!) you care about most. Also, if you have someone close to you but you feel like they'd just be too much to have help plan and arrange things, you might want to weigh the cost of your sanity if they were involved. It can be a sticky situation, but ultimately it's your decision whether you ask them or not. I'd say if they are just so intense that you can't deal with it, don't ask them to be a bridesmaid. There are other jobs you can give them.

A very common trend nowadays is to NOT make your bridesmaids all wear the same dress in the same color, and this is something I prefer. Making someone wear a dress that isn't flattering or that they don't like will be unpleasant for them, so consider giving them a color family or shades (i.e. any pastel or any jewel tone) and let them find the dress from there. They're being in your wedding because they care about you and working hard so that your special day is extra special. The least you can do is let them be comfortable and wear something that they think they look beautiful in. Most will ask you your opinion on the dress, so of course you get some say. But don't control everything they do as far as dresses! They will probably resent being harassed about their dresses in the long run.

 

(the above actually looks pretty similar to what my soon to be sister-in-law's bridal party is going to look like). 

Most of all, though, be kind to your bridesmaids and groomsmen. (Check post R-E-S-P-E-C-T). They love you and care about you. Everyone has been stressed out at one point or another, and if you're stressed about your wedding, your friends will understand. But don't abuse that. Apologize if you rip their heads off in the middle of a frenzy about ivory or pure white roses, and be sincere, and try not to do it again. Talk calmly about your stress. Find a friend who will help you laugh it off and then help you out with your decision. Discuss your stresses with your fiance, but please try to be as kind as you can to everyone. Being rude will make the planning process a lot more unpleasant.

I am fortunate enough to be in my brother's wedding, and the bride has overall been very relaxed. Brides, if your fiance has a sister he is very close to, it'd be nice if you asked her to be in the wedding The same goes for grooms with fiances that have brothers they're close to. It will mean a lot to them. I know it meant a lot to me. :) Have a wonderful rest of the day, my dears!

The Decorations.

Good afternoon, guys and dolls! I'm really loving your outfit. You look fantastic. Also, last week's post is below this one! Check it out. :)

So a big part of the wedding reception is the decorations. Obviously the first step is to think of your wedding colors and what you like as decorations. Do you like balloons, tulle, paper flowers, fairy lights, etc? Do you want to make them yourself or buy them?

The possibilities for decorations are endless. My soon to be sister-in-law is doing beautiful things with lace, paper lanterns, tulle, and puffy paper flowers, which we are going to be working on later on tonight. She, her mom, and the rest of the bridal party are hard at work on the decorations and didn't really buy much for decorations, except for the supplies to do it themselves. I think this is a great option if you have the time and resources, unless you are not someone who really likes to do crafts (such as myself). In that case, there are lots of great decorations on the market. My favorites that are the most traditional are flowers, fairy lights, and candles. Using those three are a really nice way of keeping it simple but still very pretty and classy.

But what if you want a little more pop to your wedding? Go for brighter colors and maybe some ribbon around the chairs and along the walls. Paper lanterns are always a nice touch to every occasion. If your wedding is themed, then choose decorations to match.

At my cousin's wedding, they weren't allowed to put anything on the wall, and my brother and his fiancee are using the same venue. They're playing up the tables and hanging a lot from the ceiling, and so far I think it's going to be gorgeous. At my cousin's reception, though, they kind of back lit the room with purple lights on the floor, which looked really cool. There are so many awesome ways to incorporate lights into a wedding reception. You don't have to use just plain tea lights or taper candles. You can float them on water, hang them from the ceiling, nestle them in grass, whatever you want to do! The decorating part of the wedding might be the more fun aspect and definitely the most creative.

As for centerpieces, do something fun and pretty, but don't put so much on the table that your guests won't have anywhere to put their dinner plates. Choose the flowers you want there, and a couple of candles, and if there's still room, maybe some candy. Pick out original and unique vases that you really like. There's also no law that you have to have flowers! Make it all candy, or all candles, or whatever else. At my graduation party (or wedding) I want to have fake fireflies in jars as centerpieces with some grass around them and small flowers. Just picturing it makes me happy.

To sum up:

1. As always, keep it original, but keep it classy, too!
2. Think of ways to make the centerpieces and tables look really cool, but don't make them too busy or crowded.
3. Come up with ways to make the lighting pretty, but not harsh or too dark. 

Have a wonderful rest of your day!

Getting down to business - the Guest List.

For the past couple of weeks, I have wanted nothing more than to crawl into a hidden cave in the cliffs of Narnia and hide from wedding planning. I've mostly comforted myself with writing and listening to Disney songs on repeat, but it has done little to alleviate my new-found dislike for the details of weddings. Anyway, stepping away from my bitterness and back to the point of this post: THE GUEST LIST.

Let's just get to the meat of it. You don't have to invite everyone you've ever met. Your eighth cousin four times removed most likely isn't going to be hurt not to get an invitation, unless for some reason you are close to your eighth cousin four times removed. But that's the key thing here: invite the people you actually are close to and that you genuinely want to have at your wedding. Sure, there are some people you may be obligated to invite, such as your grandmother that once kicked your dog or your creepy uncle because your mom insisted upon it. I stress, though, that the only people you are at all obligated to invite are family members SOMETIMES.

The point of a wedding is not to have a huge party with a lot of people you don't really know or care about. The point of a wedding is to - get this - marry the person you're in love with. You don't need to invite that guy that was always in your group of friends at school but you never really talked to that much. In reality, having a smaller, more intimate wedding will be far more meaningful in the grand scheme of things. Having your closest friends and relatives for a night of happiness and cocktails is a wonderful things. Maybe later you can have a big party for your one year anniversary with the people that may not have made the original wedding list.

I've found that a lot of people are added to wedding guest lists because the bride and groom want all of the stuff off of their registry, the bride and/or groom are too sentimental, or because they just feel like they HAVE to. None of these are a good reason to have 300+ people "celebrating" your special day (taking advantage of the open bar). Chances are, you are not best friends with three hundred people. PLEASE DO NOT INVITE EVERYONE YOU'VE EVER MET. MOST OF THEM PROBABLY DON'T WANT TO BE THERE. SAVE MONEY ON CATERING AND KEEP IT TO THE PEOPLE YOU CARE ABOUT MOST.

Yep. These blogs are slowly deteriorating, along with my mind. Just snapping in half. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for my brother and his fiancee. There have been many fun times. But even they'll admit that there is SO MUCH planning that they didn't expect, so many small details that need to be attended to, and it definitely does get tedious, irritating, and boring. I'm just saying to all of you planning your weddings, keep a bottle of wine near by.

ERMAHGERD.

Who knew helping to plan a wedding would be so stressful? We just finished cleaning up for my brother and my soon to be sister-in-law's wedding shower, which was a blast but it was hot and humid and sticky and we got rained out so everyone was stuck inside our not very big house. Please check back Tuesday for our regularly scheduled wedding blogs. For now, though, just...just look at some pictures I took. I don't know. I'm dropping the ball here, guys.