Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Kerry & Amy's Colorful Celebration at Catalyst Ranch

I had the pleasure of creating a ceremony for two wonderful women, Kerry and Amy. They celebrated their union at Catalyst Ranch this month with a sweet ceremony and a great party!


Their ceremony included a family ritual where Amy's daughters and Kerry made vows to one another. They stood in a circle holding hands for their vows - and it was one of the sweetest, most touching moments I have ever seen. It's clear that this is a happy family - there was a whole bunch of love in that room!


As you can see from the photos below, they had a fun and colorful celebration. The guests were asked to wear black and/or white (giving me a good excuse to run out and buy a new black and white scarf) to accentuate the vibrant atmosphere. 


Congratulations, Amy & Kerry! Thank you so much for including me in your special day. I wish you both a lifetime of love and laughter.



Cupcakes by Phoebe's Cupcakes
Love this!

Light boxes!

A family moment

After the ceremony

Monday, July 23, 2012

It's Our Wedding Anniversary! Looking Back 19 Years.......

Mom's creation
Today, my husband and I are celebrating our 19th wedding anniversary. Tonight we'll go through our wedding album and reminisce. 
In honor of our celebration, I thought I'd share a few pages from our album - and some wedding day memories
  1. My mom made my wedding gown. This led to many debates (okay, arguments). I wanted a flowy, hippie-style dress. I wound up with a straight skirt and a detachable train. It was beautiful - but completely different than what I planned. And what was with that cap/veil thingie?
  2. When the flowers were delivered to my house, we realized that we forgot to order corsages for the moms and grandma. I wound up ordering them from Jewel & Dad went to pick them up. 
  3. I went to a friend's house to have her do my make-up before the wedding. I looked like a circus clown when she finished. ("But you need to have more color for the pictures.") I rubbed off most of it off on the way home. 
  4. My brother drove me to the ceremony with my sister and his date. We were early, so we went to Winberie Cafe, a restaurant with a bar. People kept buying us drinks! (Brides, use that wedding dress to your advantage!) 
  5. When I was walking down the aisle, a friend of my husband's stepped forward and high-fived me. Classy.
  6. My nephew (age 2 at the time) was the ring bearer. My sister bribed him with candy to "walk nicely" down the aisle. When he got to the front he yelled out, "Can I have my Tootsie Roll now?!" 
  7. During the vows, after my husband said "I do," I whispered, "You better." I didn't think everyone would be able to hear me. Of course they did.
  8. We did a receiving line at the reception venue. By the time we finished, all the appetizers (that WE picked!) were gone.  And I was hungry. Really hungry.
  9. My parents wanted a German band, I wanted a deejay, so we had both. All my friends danced to the German band. The Deejay played everything EXCEPT the songs on my playlist.
  10. We had a really hard time cutting the cake. No one mentioned that there would be cardboard between the layers. I know that now.
  11. Another thing about the cake. I wanted fresh flowers on top. The bakery said that wasn't possible. What?!
  12. The server that waited on the head table was really mean. She rolled her eyes when we asked for more butter. Nice.
  13. Despite some mishaps, it was one of the best days of my life. 
Other couples make cake cutting look so easy!

If I could do it over again I would: 
  1. Hire a real deejay & play great dance music.
  2. Get a good photographer
  3. Serve cupcakes!
  4. Wear a different dress
  5. Marry the same wonderful man.
So..... I guess next year we may need to have a 20th anniversary party. This time we'll get those details right. 

Happy anniversary, sweetheart!

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Save the Date for Your Geeky Day!

Oooh!! Look what I found!! Geekvites has some awesome save the date cards for you, my geeky friends! 

Of course, this Nemo design made me swoon. 

Check out all the cool options HERE...... But, be warned - you'll find that the descriptions are as creative and brilliant as the designs. I spent a good chunk of my morning reading and chuckling to myself.

And don't forget to visit the blog



Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Alex & Sam's Wedding: The Building Blocks of Marriage - Legos!


Lego Tower for Unity Ritual
Alex and Sam's wedding last weekend at the Lincolnshire Marriott Resort was a true reflection of their love for one another - and for Legos! The ceremony centered around the theme of "building" a relationship on a foundation of love and friendship. So, of course, it had to include a ritual involving Legos. 


Before the wedding, they built a tower out of Legos, with the red bricks representing Alex and the yellow representing Sam.  During the ceremony, they completed the tower with a bridge of orange bricks, symbolizing the life they share. 


And, they capped off the festivities with a Lego-shaped cake from Lovin Oven!


Lego Wedding Cake
Congratulations, Alex & Sam!



Congratulations, Samantha & Alexander. I wish you all the best! 
It was such a pleasure to be a part of your "Happily Ever After."

Monday, July 16, 2012

My New Octopus Tattoo!

Okay, so I admit that I've thought of getting a tattoo since I was in college. But I also admit that I'm a chicken. And....it's too much of a commitment for me. The perfect solution? HENNA! 


This morning, my daughter and I went to MahRose, a salon in Des Plaines, where I've gone several times for henna designs. Shaheen, one of the owners, is absolutely brilliant! I said I had a weird request - an octopus. She graciously complied and this was the result.


I just LOVE my octo-henna!

And while I adore my new design, by next week it will be gone. And then I can go do it all over again!


Monday, July 9, 2012

"Just Fasted"

We went to the Renaissance Faire yesterday and I couldn't resist taking a picture of this. 

Guess we missed the handfasting ceremony!