Friday, May 4, 2012

Stuck on You: We're Walking

This is me right before the ceremony began.



I'm crying. Actually, I take that back. I wasn't crying, I was sobbing. Sobbing so hard that I could hardly breath (for the second time that day).

I felt as though I had so much emotion, that my body couldn't help but express it somehow-and it just happened to be in the form of tears the size of chocolate chips, and giant chest heaves.

I was overwhelmed. Not by wedding details, or thoughts of seating charts, or wanting to make sure my hair was perfect, but overwhelmed because this was a life changing moment. I was experiencing the moment that I had thought about for so many years-marrying Mr. Pin Cushion.

Despite my brain and body being completely overcome by the magnitude of the moment, I would not be able to walk down the aisle if I was a blubbering mess. Thankfully, my mom saved me by singing "Going to the Chapel", until my sobs changed to laughter.



My dad snuck in a quick hug (which threatened to derail my emotions again), and we began sending our friends and family down the aisle.



Our grandmothers were lead down the aisle by grandchildren.


(I find both of these photos hilarious. 1) On the left, my brother looks like he's thinking "Heeey ladies". And 2) On the right, Alexis, Mr. Pin Cushion's sister, is probably saying, "Hurry up, grandma. Quit dilly-dallying.")


Our bridal party walked down the aisle in twos (while I practice my hee-hee-ho breathing to try to remain calm).



And finally. The moment arrived.



The venue staff that were busy barbecuing our reception food nearby stopped to watch us begin our walk and to wonder why the bride appeared to be hyperventilating.





Oh no. You can see my eyes beginning to water again.



Thank goodness I knew my groom wouldn't mind, since his eyes were just as teary as my own.



During my aisle walk, my eyes were glued to Mr. Pin Cushion. The last two photos show us gazing at one another (if I were better at technology, I would draw a nice laser beam between our eyes to demonstrate [a la football commentators]). I was completely unaware of the guests (sorry guests) and could not wait to get the show on the road and call that guy my hubby.

How do you think your emotions will react when you go to meet your fiance at the altar? Do you think they will overwhelm you, or do you think you'll be able to keep them under control?

All photos by the fabulous Steep Street Photography

Pin Cushion Flashback:
The gals hit up the salon. Then, the gang gets dressed. We have a sob-filled first look.
Our wedding party poses with kids' murals. And we make them wear fake noses and hold balloons.
The cermony site gets pimped out.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Stuck on You: Ceremony Set Up

While we were getting ready and taking photos, our ceremony site was primped and ready for the show to begin.

Looking at the photo below, it amazes me that Mr. Pin Cushion and I almost didn't choose our venue because I felt that this arch was too 'dated'. Now, rather than dated, I see the arch as being 'classic'. Whether that is post-wedding 'it don't mean no thing' attitude, or I actually changed by opinion, I'm not sure, but I sure am happy we chose our venue-because arch and all, it was a beautiful setting.


Our venue coordinator lined the seats in the back and the aisle with ribbons and dahlias. We hadn't asked her to, and weren't planning on having anything on the chairs or aisle, but Marky, the coordinator, said she had extra flowers from the bouquets, so she went to town.

Perhaps some people wouldn't have wanted something done that wasn't part of their 'vision', but I had had no vision for our ceremony site, so I was more than happy for Marky to spiffy it up without consulting me.


Before guests arrived at the site, they were greeted with ribbon streamers and a basket with our programs.


But here's the thing. Our ceremony site was outside, and people were mingling and meandering around and not too great at noticing our programs and actually picking them up. So, I'll share them here to feel a bit more vindicated in making them!




Here's what I like to think all of our guests were doing:
Pouring over every detail of the program. Gather together to ooh and ahh.
At least I know 4 people did that.

Are you making programs? Do you have any tactics to actual get them into guest's hands? 

All photos by the fabulous Steep Street Photography'


Pin Cushion Flashback:


The gals hit up the salon. Then, the gang gets dressed. We have a sob-filled first look.
Our wedding party poses with kids' murals. And we make them wear fake noses and hold balloons.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Stuck on You: Field Fun


Oh hi!

The last stop on our elementary school photo tour was the grass field. And we brought giant balloons.



The photo above makes me smile. Hidden amongst our bridal party are my parents. They came with us for our photo shot (part chauffeurs, part prop masters, part cheerleaders), but they managed to sneak into some of our group shots. I love that we have photos of them with us, since they felt like part of the gang, and helped so much with the wedding.

But after a couple of minutes, I had to awkwardly raise my eyebrows at my parents and scooch them along their way.








Come along, my minions. I mean friends and loved ones . . .




Hey, how did my parent's sneak back in there (note the purple dress on the left) . . .


A note to people using helium balloons for their wedding. Word on the street is that it's a bit tricky to drive safely when helium balloons are floating in the your face. (Thank you for picking our balloons up and for not crashing your car, best man Virat!). So, if you are going somewhere to fill your balloons, bring along a buddy to hold them in place and prevent any wedding day injuries (balloon, human, or otherwise).

All photos by the fabulous Steep Street Photography

Pin Cushion Flashback:

The gals hit up the salon. Then, the gang gets dressed. We have a sob-filled first look.
Our wedding party poses with kids' murals. And we make them wear fake noses.

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Stuck on You: I Love You! And I Don't Care Who Nose It!

In case posing in front of murals painted by elementary school kids wasn't kooky enough, we decided to up the "fun ante" by bringing back a prop that we used in the Pin Cushion engagement photos.

That's right. We used fake noses and mustaches in our wedding portraits.


Trying to keep it classy.
(I sure hope my ears aren't as crooked as those glasses suggest they are.)


It's impossible to keep a straight face for long when you're wearing these things.

Time for some close ups (which were shot against the side of a portable classroom [shows the magic of good photographers]):


The Pin Cushions didn't want to be the only ones allowed to have fake mustache fun. We got everyone involved. First, we lured them in by taking normal close ups . . .


. . . then, before they could move from their spots, we threw on a pair of fake glasses!


I love that everyone's photo shows off a bit of their personality. (And how bridesmaid Jessica [far left] has eyebrows that look windswept!)

The groomswomen and man:



Best man Virat (far right) is cheating! It doesn't look like he's wearing a disguise, since his eyebrows and mustache already look like that. It just makes him look like he has really big nostrils!

All together now!
Do not try this at home! It's very hard to kiss with fake mustaches and noses on!

Are you using any props in your wedding photos? I highly recommend it-they're super fun!

All photos by the fabulous Steep Street Photography

Pin Cushion Flashback:

The gals hit up the salon. Then, the gang gets dressed. We have a sob-filled first look.
Our wedding party poses with kids' murals.