wedding

It was a family affair!

All photos by Greycard Photography.

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This past October I again had the honor and privilege of being a part of someone’s very special day, and a family-friend none-the-less!  I’ve known Roxy, the bride, since we were born, really: she’s the daughter of my uncle-in-laws sister, and our families hung out together all the time when we were growing up.  Although our lives have taken different paths and we’ve settled in different cities, I still remember slumber parties at her house, playing in her parents driveway, and going for walks and bike rides around their neighborhood.

Roxy came over to my house one night just to get some pointers and advice for her wedding day, and I was truly honored when a few weeks later she asked if I could help with Day Of Coordination.  HECK YES!

This wedding was so special because I already knew so many of the guests, many of whom I hadn’t seen in years-so I was so excited to provide my expertise for someone I care a lot for, while also catching up with so many childhood friends.

The strong family ties and friendships on both sides was a constant theme throughout the day.  I loved seeing Roxy and Michael’s family and friends helping and coming together for both of them.  It was a true testament to how great they each are.

Roxy and Michael worked so hard to make this day beautiful-and their hard work truly paid off.  All the little details came together perfectly to create an elegant look.

Roxy and Michael also entrusted Nuestras Manos with a special project…

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We were so happy to be able to hand craft this special touch for their wedding, and their home!

As always, this day would not have been possible without a great vendor team:

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Reception: Bells & Whistles!

So most receptions have the standard “must-haves”: music, food, CAKE!  Lately I’v noticed that photo booths have moved into the “standard” category for most weddings.  Some wedding receptions like to add something extra special, and although it increases the budget a bit, they DO make the guests quite happy!  A couple “extras” that I have LOVED from weddings I coordinated last year:

Chunk n Chip: what’s better than cake?  Or ice cream?  Or cookies?  COOKIE ICE CREAM SANDWICHES.  They have your favorite fresh baked cookies, with unique and delicious ice cream flavors (horchata or french toast with candied spiced bacon anyone?), in any possible combination that you want.  They also have an adorable set up for private events and weddings.

chunk n chip cookies
chunk n chip sandwich

Churro Borough: same concept as Chunk n Chip, but with CHURROS.  I mean..C’MON!  Flavors like vanilla custard, horchata sherbet, and black forest cheesecake sherbet.  YUM.  They also offer paletas, churro fries, milkshakes, and pastries.

Dessert Lab OC : I think you can see a pattern on what my weaknesses are.  But seriously: 30 different flavors of cheesecake ( including french toast cheesecake with bacon!)?!  This was used for a dessert table rather than something in addition to it, but the desserts were so unique that I just loved the idea.  The couple ordered an assortment of cheesecakes and different desserts, and they went SO QUICK.

Do you have a favorite vendor that you used or will be using for your event that helped put your event over the top?  Share in the comments!

Bouquet Toss Alternative

On Saturday I saw a bouquet toss alternative that was so cute and different that I had to share!

Instead of tossing the bouquet, the bouquet was placed inside a bird cage which was locked.  There was a display of vintage keys on an easel, that was moved to the dance floor along with the bird cage, and all the single ladies lined up to pick a key and see if it unlocked the bird cage.  There were enough keys for almost two rounds, and it seemed like the ladies enjoyed this much more than standing and trying to catch the bouquet–and subsequently there was no injury to the bouquet!

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This and That…

I started this on The Merry Ministers website, but now I think it’s more appropriate on this website, since I include random wedding stuff (not just ceremony specific), so from now on I’ll try to share my favorite wedding bits from the internet world a little more frequently 😉

I’m loving this new trend of having a frame or something to post instant pictures onto (a recent wedding I worked had bicycle frames to put pictures on because the bride and groom were avid cyclers!).

lasting memories

 

Same idea for seating cards is also great!

seating chart

I’ve seen plenty of small vases for center pieces (usually mason jars), but I really like this idea of using votive candle jars with wild flowers:

center pieces

What are your favorite ideas and trends?

 

Getting the Gift that Gives

Do you already have everything you need for your home?  Do you have a passion for giving or volunteering?  Then maybe instead of doing a traditional wedding registry you should do a charitable wedding registry or charitable favors!  This idea seems to be gaining popularity, so there are several websites that provide this service so you don’t have to take care of anything other than registering and picking your charity!

IMPACT favors

“IMPACT Favors promotes nonprofit organizations at weddings and events by utilizing IMPACT Favor cards to ignite a ripple effect of awareness and donations.”  This is a charitable favors wedding, meaning that instead of spending money on favors that possibly will never be used, you purchase favor cards after making a donation to the organization of your choice ($50 for 100 cards).  These favor cards are placed at each table setting, and the hope is that your guests will make donations as well!  The organizations you can chose from (as of May 6, 2015) are: Angelman Syndrome Foundation, Safe Families for Children, Wish Upon A Wedding, and Pathways to Independence.  There are no fees taken or added to donations.

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“I Do Foundation helps engaged couples celebrate generously by making charity a part of their wedding.  I Do Foundation has two primary goals: 1) Help couples raise donations for a charity of their choice; 2) Change the culture of the bridal industry so that charity becomes an accepted and expected part of weddings.”  Like IMPACT Favors, you make a donation to a selected charity through the I Do Foundation, and I Do provides you with place cards for each table setting (you can purchase the cards through The Knot Shop starting at $19.95 or you can print them yourself with a template that is emailed to you).  I Do Foundation also has selected charities in the following areas: Children, Youth, and Families, Community Development, Education, Environment, Health, and Social Justice. There is an 8% fee that is added to a guest’s donation when they make a donation online.

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Truffles For a Cause is a way to donate AND give to your guests: you can make a donation or pay a portion per truffle, and get a favor card as well as a truffle for each guest.  You can find a list of the charities to chose from here (you can even pick two different charities).  Their pricing can be a bit tricky, as each option (DIY, DIY boxed, caramel, foil, etc.) is different and each option has three payment options: you can make your own donation in addition to the cost of the truffles, you can donate a portion of the cost of each truffle, or you can make no donation at all (which defeats the purpose, in my opinion, hehe).

Want to go beyond wedding favors?  Check out this list from Bridal Guide and see how many little details of your wedding can be reused or re-thought, from donating your flowers to a local nursing home/hospital, to involving your bridal party in a volunteer event and more!

Hopefully I’ll be able to add some more resources to this post in the future!  Do you have a website that you used for your wedding?  Let us know in the comments!