{Unfake Wedding Feature} Takara & Mike, Spelling it Out in Style!

Mike and Takara have always loved playing board games and especially Scrabble. So when the time came for Mike to propose, he thought what better way then to ask her during a game of Scrabble. She immediately say YES and they promptly started planning the festivities. When discussing the overall design with their planners, they both mentioned how important the game is to them. Their designer went to work and came up with a beautiful and fun design that focused on their relationship and their love of Scrabble.

Now, I’m going to throw a caveat in here for all the industry people who might see this post and roll their eyes at the Scrabble theme. Is it the newest, hottest “theme” out there? The answer is no. But you know what? This theme was clearly important to them. It means something to the couple. You know what else? I can pretty much guarantee that the guests at this wedding thought it was clever and cute and meaningful to Mike and Takara.  There’s been some backlash in this part of the wedding world….brides apologizing to photographers that their wedding might be boring to photograph, or not creative enough. Folks complaining about burlap and Mason jars being done to death. All you people? Please shut up and let the bride and groom do what suits them. Whatever you might have seen before is guaranteed a first time for the couple.

*stepping off soap box*

Back to the wedding on deck…

Welcome to the Unfake Wedding of Takara & Mike!

The most important question: wedding night…did you or didn’t you? 

YES WE DID!!!!!

T30SB Commentary: See, see? See how easy it is?

Please take the time to tell me all the vendors you used.

Photographer  Cara Dee Photography

DJ/Band  DJ Johnnie Johnson

Reception Venue  Griffin Gate Marriott

Planner  Always Planned

Guest Hotel  Griffin Gate Marriott

Flowers  Perfect Posy

Dress  Shop: Bridal Warehouse, Gown: Mori Lee

Hair  Wanda Byrd, Lady Byrd’s Hair Design

Makeup Lavonya Parrish

Tuxedos/Suits  Men’s Wearhouse

Catering  Griffin Gate Marriott

Cake  Tinkers Cake Shop

 

Who was your favorite vendor and why?

Our wedding coordinator, Always Planned provided us with such a tremendous and personalized event that there is no way not to say that they will always hold a special place in our memories.

Was there a “method to your madness” in choosing your vendors? 

After our first meeting with Rayna and Mallory, we felt such a connection that we knew they were right for us. From there it was fairly simple. Always Planned has such a huge list of vendors they work with that they were able to put us in contact with wonderful people that helped to make our day magical.

 

T30SB Commentary: How adorable is this picture? Happy bride!

How long did you take to plan your wedding?

The wedding took approximately 6 months to plan, give or take.

How many guests did you invite versus how many came? 

We invited 125 and 100 showed.

What was your budget?

$ 20,000

 

T30SB Commentary: For the record, I designed those vases with the bling. Back when I had a job doing that sort of thing.

Did you include rings and/or the honeymoon in your budget? 

Not the honeymoon, but it did include the wedding bands.

Were you over or under budget? By how much?

Over by 20%.

 

How large was your bridal party? 

We had 2 bridesmaids and 2 groomsmen.

Did you have favors for your guests? If so, what were they?

The favors were Scrabble trays and tiles with the names of each of our guests that went along with the theme of the reception.

 

Did you include any special family traditions? 

No.

T30SB Commentary: I find this interesting. More and more brides are stepping away from tradition, it seems. Or perhaps I should change this question to include any sort of tradition?

What was your biggest day-of crisis and how did you handle it (or rather, not handle?)? 

While we were taking the outdoor pictures, one of the bridesmaids accidentally stepped on the wedding dress. Luckily, one of the attendants from Always Planned was able to get the stain out.

T30SB Commentary: I love these random photos where you have no idea what’s going on, except that fun is being had.

What was your biggest wedding planning crisis and how did you handle it (or rather, not handle?)?

The guest list! Figuring out how many people to invite because that number ultimately impacted our budget.

T30SB Commentary: I’ll say. I think deciding who gets cut is one of the toughest things to do when planning. No, I take that back. It’s the backlash you get from the people who weren’t invited and/or their friends/family. That part is the worst.

 

Who was the biggest pain in the ass on your wedding day?

No big hiccups on the day of the wedding. Everything went smoothly.

 

T30SB Commentary: How cute is that giant Scrabble board seating chart!

 

 

T30SB Commentary: As a rule, I’m not a lover of tall centerpieces. However, I luuuurve the simplicity of this shaded piece!

What was the biggest waste of money that you loved?

Not that they were a waste of money but the veil, shoes and tiara were a great guilty pleasure given they were only worn a very short time.

T30SB Commentary: I want to address this “only wear it for a day” thing everyone seems to have a bug up their butt about. Yes, you wear it for a day. However as one MOB mentioned to me, the pictures of you in that dress last forever. I look at my pictures (often) and still love my dress and how I looked (minus the fact that I have ZERO cleavage). I think the way you feel by being in a dress you love is part of the wedding day experience. I‘d hate for brides to trivialize that experience based on this “one day” thing. Not that it needs to be the end all be all of your day or totally blow your budget, particularly if the dress isn’t your top priority. I’m just sayin’, it’s more than “just one day.”

What was the biggest waste of money that you wish you’d passed on?

Nothing, everything contributed to our special day.

What did you love that was also the cheapest?

The Scrabble tiles that served as table markers.

 

 

What was the most unexpected thing that happened (not necessarily a bad thing, just a surprise)?

Cake in the face of the groom, since we had previously said that was not going to happen.

What was the funniest thing that happened?

Unfortunately, we didn’t get to have any of our own wedding cake!!! Some of our guests had several pieces and we somehow missed out.

T30SB Commentary: WHA? Funny? Planners, PAY ATTENTION! You need to make sure your bride/groom get some damn cake. In fact, they need to be the first who get some!

 

What was the most ooey-gooey, tear-jerking moment?

Our last dance. The reception was at a close and we had the floor to ourselves and it seemed like we were the only two people in the world.

Did you DIY? What parts?

No! With our schedules we knew we had to have the help of our awesome wedding planners.

Where did you go on your honeymoon?

We will honeymoon in Antigua.

If you could do it all over again, what would you change, if anything?

Would have changed the selection of beverage served with dinner and would have moved the ceremony to 6:30 vs. 5:30.

Congratulations to Takara & Mike!

{Unfake Wedding Feature} Liliana + Michelle: A Civil Union on the Chicago River

Okay, I’m SO excited about this Unfake Wedding! My first same-sex wedding feature! After all the Unfake Weddings, I finally have one! I am a full-on supporter of the gay marriage fight, so I’m uncommonly proud to present the wedding of Liliana and Michelle. In fact, when I opened the photographer’s email, I jumped up from the computer, did the family victory dance (think Elaine from Seinfeld) and with fists in the air, shouted at The Candyman, “I HAVE MY FIRST SAME SEX UNFAKE WEDDING!” I think he is just as proud, but wasn’t nearly as excited as he should have been. Pfft. Boys.

Please note this is a pic heavy post. I loved the photos so much, I didn’t do a very good job of editing…not that I ever do!

So with much pride, I’d like to present…

The Unfake Wedding of Liliana & Michelle!

The most important question: wedding night…did you or didn’t you?

LOL….

T30SB Commentary: Sigh. So it’s not just a heterosexual thing…

Please take the time to tell me all the vendors you used.

Photographer  Maggie Rife

DJ/Band  Provided by the Venue.

Reception Venue  Chicago Cruises

Flowers  Angel Gardens Florist

Dress  Casablanca Couture, B053 from Eva’s Bridals in Oak Lawn, Illinois.

Hair/Make-Up Adriana & Lucy Carrasco from Carissima Salons

Tuxedos/Suits  Michelle’s suit was custom made by a private tailor who we would NOT recommend.

Catering   Harry Caray’s Catering in Chicago.

Cake   Provided by Caterer.

Hair Piece   Custom made on Etsy by Hanami Gallery.

Who was your favorite vendor and why?

Our favorite vendors were Maggie Rife (photog) and Adriana Carrasco (makeup). These lovely ladies were at times more emotional than we were during the wedding planning. They were truly happy to see us getting married and were so honored to have been asked to be part of our day.

Was there a “method to your madness” in choosing your vendors?

Somewhat. The vendor we were most concerned with was our photographer. We wanted someone who was comfortable shooting a same-sex wedding and was not just in it for the money. We searched high and low until we found Maggie through word of mouth from other photographers who we had approached but were booked for our date (9/10/11).

Our other vendors (food, DJ) were recommended by the venue.

How long did you take to plan your wedding?

We got engaged on 10/6/10 and wedding planning beginning the day after! So about a year.

How many guests did you invite versus how many came?

We invited 60 and 50 were able to join us.

What was your budget ?

$20,000 for everything. Food, officiant, venue, DJ, liquor, photos, flowers, wedding rings, my dress, alterations, Michelle’s suit, invitations and hotel.

Did you include rings and/or the honeymoon in your budget?

Just rings. We are taking a honeymoon in the summer of 2012 to Europe and we are currently saving for that!

Were you over or under budget? By how much (you can give a percentage)? We were slightly over. $21,904.72

T30SB Commentary: I simply adore these shots of the brides helping each other get ready. It’s not often you see this sort of pre-wedding intimacy!

How large was your bridal party?

Small. I had a maid of honor and so did Michelle.

Did you have favors for your guests? If so, what were they? How much did you spend?

We had a native American wedding vase ceremony. As part of the ceremony, the wedding vase contains a special potion that is custom blended and we both drink out of it. We used a special tea that we had blended for our personalities. We gave out samples of the tea to our guests in little packets as favors. Probably spent about $50 total.

Did you include any special family traditions?

None.

 

What was your biggest day-of crisis and how did you handle it (or rather, not handle?)?

The one thing that Michelle had stressed during our wedding planning was how important the wedding vase ceremony was to her as she is very spiritual. We had premade the tea that goes in the vase the morning of the wedding and we were supposed to bring it with us to the venue in a water bottle. We forgot it! So luckily, we had tons of tea that we were using as favors. At the venue, the catering manager quickly brewed a batch of tea from one of the favors. That was about the biggest drama of the day.

What was your biggest wedding planning crisis and how did you handle it (or rather, not handle?)?

The biggest planning crisis was the guest list. Most of my wife’s friends are from Michigan where she grew up and all of my friends are in Chicago. Only a few of her friends were able to come to Chicago for the wedding. The list was skewed towards most of my friends which she was not happy about. But there was nothing she could really do about it except realize that maybe the friends she thought were friends weren’t really her friends since everyone had ample notice and Michigan is only about 3 hours away. In the end, we all had a great time because through the course of our courtship my friends had also become hers.

Who was the biggest pain in the ass on your wedding day?

Dealing with everyone trying to get ready in our hotel suite and worrying about not being ready on time as a result.

What was the biggest waste of money that you loved?

My dress and Michelle’s suit.

T30SB Commentary: In the above picture, look in the top left hand corner, on the bridge. There’s another bride cheering them on! How cool is that? In fact, I saw it and started blubbering on the spot. I. Am. A. Sap.

What was the biggest waste of money that you wish you’d passed on?

In hindsight, Michelle wishes she had gotten her suit elsewhere than where we did. It’s rather difficult to find a white pants suit for a woman who is petite.

What did you love that was also the cheapest?

I loved my hairpiece and my jewelry. The hairpiece was custom made and under $50 and I found my jewelry on eBay for under $25.

What was the most unexpected thing that happened (not necessarily a bad thing, just a surprise)?

We got married outside while the boat was docked on the Chicago River. The boat was right below a main Chicago street bridge. During the ceremony, we had a whole audience of random strangers and passerby’s. After the officiant pronounced us joined in civil union and we kissed, not only did our guests cheer, but so did everyone else on the bridge above watching our ceremony! I was worried that some idiot would come by and yell hateful stuff but it was the complete opposite.

What was the funniest thing that happened?

I am in a co-ed Latino fraternity (Alpha Psi Lambda) and one of my fraternity brothers decided to stage an impromptu flippy cup tournament on the deck of the boat. It was awesome since most of us have been out of college for almost ten years now!

What was the most ooey-gooey, tear-jerking moment?

We each wrote our own vows and Michelle got especially emotional while I was reading my vows to her.

Did you DIY? What parts?

We made our own invitations. Each invite, including postage cost us $3.01.

Where did you go on your honeymoon?

We will be going to Europe for 2 weeks in 2012. Rome, Florence, Venice, Paris and London.

If you could do it all over again, what would you change, if anything?

I would have liked to have spent more time with our guests. The whole night just flew by and I felt like I didn’t get to talk enough to everyone.

Congratulations to Liliana & Michelle!

{Unfake Wedding Feature} A Private Virginian Home, Dianne + Kent

When you’ve got a venue staring you right in the face, say like, you’re future mother-in-law’s gorgeous home? Take it. I love the idea of opening up a home to friends and family to celebrate a marriage. In fact, what better way? People used to do it all the time. I think brides might get themselves worked into believing that there must be a special venue in order to properly celebrate. Well, I say what’s more special than a family home?

Welcome to the Unfake Wedding of Dianne & Kent!

The most important question: wedding night…did you or didn’t you?

T30SB Commentary: Oh, for goodness sake. Really? How many in a row do we have to have before folks understand, it’s just in good fun? Whether you have sex on your wedding night or not is no indication of your love, commitment or your sex life for that matter. The point of the question is so that everyone understands this fact.

 

Please take the time to tell me all the vendors you used.

Photographer  Robert Holley

DJ/Band DJ Elon

Reception Venue  My mother-in-law’s home.

Flowers  Flower Gallery of Manassas

Dress  Crystal Bridal Gallery (www.crystalbridalgallery.com) The dress Designer was Allure.

Hair/Make- Hair   Sharon King (of JC Penny’s Salon at Fairoaks Mall)/Makeup – one of my best
friends Jenny Lira did my makeup along with my mom’s and niece.

Tuxedos   Kent had his own tux
Catering    Maryland Country Caterers

Cake   Wanda’s Cakes

Ring Box   I used  Braggingbags on Etsy and had a wooden ring box (instead of the ring pillow)
engraved on the front “With this ring I thee wed.” She also made me a chalk board in
which we wrote “Thank You” and used for our pictures to make our own Thank You cards.

Allison Chamblee of Design Perks. She designed personalized labels for our
wedding favors/gifts as well as for our bottles of wine that we served at the wedding. A very
nice touch to the day!

Reverend Dan Thompson  We do not have our own church here, so I had to ask
around and search online for an officiant to marry us. I found Pastor Dan indirectly and he was just wonderful. I cannot say enough great things about him. His ceremony was perfect. He is
extremely kind and giving. He made us feel as if we’d known each other for a long time.

 

Who was your favorite vendor and why?

We honestly loved them all. Everyone took such great care of us from start to finish!

Was there a “method to your madness” in choosing your vendors?

I was lucky in the fact that a couple of the vendors I used were based upon recommendations from my mother-in-law and sister-in-law (whose wedding was just the year before ours). I was also able to find my DJ from the recommendation of my photographer.

 

How long did you take to plan your wedding?

We picked our date in February; I started planning about one or two months later, and we were married in September…so 6 to 7 months in all.

How many guests did you invite versus how many came?

We invited 85 people and had 70 in attendance.

What was your budget?

We were trying to keep it around $15,000, and we actually managed to spend $15,500…so I think we did pretty nicely!

Did you include rings and/or the honeymoon in your budget?

No we did not include the rings or the honeymoon in our budget. Our honeymoon probably cost just about the same amount as our wedding did. It was fun to spend the money on just the two of us without any guilt or hesitation.

Were you over or under budget? By how much (you can give a percentage)?

Pretty much right on target.

How large was your bridal party?

We really didn’t want a large bridal party, so we had my niece as my junior bridesmaid and my two nephews – one as a junior groomsman and the other as the ring bearer.

Did you have favors for your guests? If so, what were they? How much did you spend?

My mom and my aunt actually made homemade strawberry jam as favors to our guests. Allison
Chamblee created labels that coordinated with my colors and my invitations to put onto the
jars. We also had gift bags for our guests staying at the hotel which included bottles of wine, with personalized labels as well.

Did you include any special family traditions?

Nothing to speak of.

What was your biggest day-of crisis and how did you handle it (or rather, not handle?)?

Everyone told me that there would be one issue of the day…and as much as I didn’t want to
believe what I was being told…WE HAD AN ISSUE!! I was having pictures taken, sipping on
a glass of wine and finally enjoying the moment when at about 4:40 (20 minutes prior to the
start of the wedding ceremony), I was told that the shuttle bus had not arrived at the hotel to
pick up my guests. Seriously?!?! I guess you could say that this was an issue that I DID NOT
handle all too well! My “enjoying the moment” quickly went to a “WTH moment”…not such an
elegant photo opportunity I must admit. J After several phone calls with the shuttle service
and the hotel, my guests were packed in like sardines into the small hotel buses…luckily they
only had to suffer a ten minute ride while “snuggled” up so closely to each other. We started
the ceremony about one hour late and a working shuttle bus finally arrived…only 3 hours late
I must say. On a good note, we had a terrific driver for the evening; he stayed as long as we
wanted him to; and we got a full refund for the shuttle service.

 

T30SB Commentary: Holy cow, I love this giant ice tub!

What was your biggest wedding planning crisis and how did you handle it (or rather, not handle?)?

We didn’t really have any thankfully…our crisis just waited until the day of!

Who was the biggest pain in the ass on your wedding day (you can opt out of this if you’d like)?

Honestly everyone was on their best behavior and we had a really fun time J

What was the biggest waste of money that you loved?

Nothing…I loved it all and I don’t think anything was a waste of our money…truly.

What was the biggest waste of money that you wish you’d passed on?

Again, I can’t think of anything.

 

 

What did you love that was also the cheapest?

I really loved the personalized labels…and they were extremely reasonable!!

What was the most unexpected thing that happened (not necessarily a bad thing, just a surprise)?

The shuttle bus fiasco for sure.

What was the funniest thing that happened?

This is actually cuter than funny, but… After the ceremony, we went with our photographer to a little park near the front of the neighborhood where we had some amazing pictures taken. On the way back to the car to return to the reception, I noticed an enormous amount of “prickly things” from the cattail grass that we walked through…these little things had just attached themselves to the lace on my dress. In a moment’s notice, I had my new husband and my photographer diligently picking out what appeared to be a hundred of these little “monsters!” I had earlier mentioned how great it would be to have a photo with us and Rob (our photographer) because we loved him so much…and hence I got my photo op!

There was one other funny moment during the ceremony. I didn’t think it was that funny, but
all of our guests certainly did. Our Pastor was having us say our vows. As Kent was reciting his vows to me, a stink bug landed on the lapel of his tuxedo. It would not go away! I tried
so hard to ignore it and concentrate on Kent, but I just couldn’t stop looking at it! So I tried
to quickly brush it off of him without it being so noticeable. Pastor Dan then made a funny
remark (which I wish I could remember) which caused everyone else to laugh out loud,
leaving me a tad bit embarrassed. But I was glad it was gone and I could focus on my soon-to-
be husband…and not a stink bug.

T30SB Commentary: I just love this kind of photograph! Reminds me of my own family…

What was the most ooey-gooey, tear-jerking moment?

Ironically we didn’t really have a tear- jerking moment. Crazy I know!

Did you DIY? What parts?

As mentioned earlier, my mom and aunt made the jam. I had labels done for the jam plus labels for our wine bottles. I love to bake, and I wanted more sweets than just our cake; so I made an assortment of cookies, brownies and bars that were displayed after everyone was done with dinner. We also did gift bags, which included: a bottle of wine with a wine opener, salty and sweet snacks, dried fruit, water, gum, etc. We wanted our guests to have something available when/if the munchies struck them.

Where did you go on your honeymoon?

We had a two week vacation in which we visited Paris, Venice and Prague. One word – AMAZING. I kept a journal each day of our trip, so we will have not just the pictures but the actual words to “relive” our trip together.

If you could do it all over again, what would you change, if anything?

There is really not much I would change except I wish that I had had more time for pictures with just my family before the wedding. We just ran out of time so quickly!

Congratulations to Dianne & Kent!

{Unfake Wedding Feature} Darienne & Joe Take Whistler by Canoe!

Darienne and Joe are outdoorsy folks.  Joe is an avid trathlete who had just finished the Boston Marathon a few weeks before is wedding (for the record, one must qualify for Boston, which means he runs really fast). Their Whistler destination wedding offered the perfect backdrop for the couple and their personal style. I mean,  Darienne arrived by canoe! Love it.

Welcome to the Unfake Wedding of Darienne & Joe!

The most important question: wedding night…did you or didn’t you?

T30SB Commentary: Hm. Lack of responses to this question have me thinking I should a) not feature those who choose not to answer b) take the question out or c) continue to add in my own snarky comments regarding the unanswered question. Care to weigh in?

Please take the time to tell me all the vendors you used.

Photographer - Gadbois Photography, Pascale Gadbois

DJ/Band - Whistler DJs

Reception Venue - Edgewater Lodge

Ceremony Venue Planner (if you used one) - Sea to Sky Celebrations, Rachael Lythe

Flowers – Eleni Floral Design

Dress - Lisa’s Bridal/ Allure Bridal Style 2419

Hair/Make - Dolly Artistry

Tuxedos - Leading Man Tuxedo

Catering – Edgewater Lodge

Cake – Edgewater Lodge

 

Who was your favorite vendor and why?

Gadbois Photography! The time they took to get to know us and to put that personalization into our photos was amazing.

Was there a “method to your madness” in choosing your vendors?

Not really, since Whistler is fairly small there weren’t too many options. However, we definitely tried to find good reviews of each vendor and meet with them personally to be sure they were right for us.

 

How long did you take to plan your wedding?

We were engaged for about a year and a half, however most of the planning took place within the year. We found that many vendors started filling up spots about a year out, so we were glad to have the time we needed.

How many guests did you invite versus how many came?

We invited about 150 and about 65 ended up coming; however, the majority of people invited live in Ontario so travelling across the country just wasn’t possible for many people. We were very happy with the turn out!

What was your budget?

We tried to stay within 15-20k, most of that went to the big ticket items, the venue, food and photography.

 

Did you include rings and/or the honeymoon in your budget?

Our rings were included but not the honey moon.

Were you over or under budget? By how much?

We were at the high end of our budget.

How large was your bridal party?

We had 4 Bridesmaids (including MOH), 3 Groomsmen (including BM) a flower girl and a ring bearer.

Did you have favors for your guests? If so, what were they? How much did you spend?

We kept it simple, personalized boxes of mints and bubbles for the ceremony, approx. $2

 

Did you include any special family traditions?

Not particularly, although we were originally going to have a civil ceremony but instead were able to find a minister that could incorporate both of our backgrounds.

What was your biggest day-of crisis and how did you handle it (or rather, not handle?)?

There were issues with the seating arrangement, which I had to try to settle with my hair half done. We were able to switch a few people around and it all worked out.

What was your biggest wedding planning crisis and how did you handle it (or rather, not handle?)?

Not having a hair/make up person with just a few weeks to go. A friend did a search for me and I finally found the perfect person. She drove 2 hours and brought several helpers to make sure we were all done on time.

 

Who was the biggest pain in the ass on your wedding day?

Everyone was great!

What was the biggest waste of money that you loved?

We tried very hard not spend too much on unnecessary things, but we’re glad we didn’t hold back on the photographer and the flowers.

What did you love that was also the cheapest?

We rented a canoe for my dad and I to arrive to the ceremony in, it was a complete surprise for most of the guests and made our ceremony very unique and very us!

 

What was the most unexpected thing that happened (not necessarily a bad thing, just a surprise)?

When one of the groomsmen brought our dog out to where we were taking our couple photos. We got some really cute shots with her and it was totally unplanned.

What was the funniest thing that happened?

Our friends made a trivia game for the reception, the responses were hilarious and  for every correct question our kissing got more and more x-rated!

What was the most ooey-gooey, tear-jerking moment?

The speech from my mother. She actually lost her written speech so it was all from her heart, but it started the crying all around the room.

Did you DIY? What parts?

We made the invitations, the programs and a few decorations.

 

Where did you go on your honeymoon?

We did a simple trip to the Sunshine Coast in British Columbia. We stayed at a few bed and breakfasts, and took a more rustic canoe trip. We’re hoping to do a slightly more exotic part two honeymoon to Peru to do the Inca Trail and Machu Pitchu.

If you could do it all over again, what would you change, if anything?

Other than trying to be a little more organized, everything went perfectly, so we wouldn’t change anything on the day!

Congratulations to you both!

{Unfake Wedding Feature} Mira & Jeremy in an Oregon Hayfield

Mira and Jeremy have know each other since middle school and though just friends for the majority of their lives (even attending each other's previous weddings), they some how came together. They brought with them a combined five (!) children to form an amazing family full of love. The wedding took place at Mira's family home in Corvallis, Oregon. They were on a budget; they created the center pieces and all the flowers except the bridal bouquet. They even did all the cooking! Mira’s family home backs up to a beautiful hayfield, freshly-cut for their wedding. The area also had great old trees that were used as a back drop for their first look and family photos.

I just love how cozy this wedding is!

Welcome to the Unfake Wedding of Mira & Jeremy!

The most important question: wedding night…did you or didn’t you?

T30SB Commentary: No answer from the bride. Sheesh. Is it that weird of a question? I mean, it’s really the ONE time it is WAY fess up !

Please take the time to tell me all the vendors you used.

Photographer  Swoon Imagery

Flowers  Stargazer Premier Florist

Dress  David’s Bridal

Hair & Makeup  The Retreat Day Spa & Salon

Tuxedos  Men’s Wearhouse

Cake  Market of Choice

 

Who was your favorite vendor and why?

My favorite vendor was my photographers!!! Swoon Imagery was AMAZING!! They met with us in a little coffee shop so we could get to know them and see their portfolio. It was so comfortable and relaxed. They really wanted to get to know us and capture what we wanted out of our wedding day. They gave us an opportunity to meet with them for engagement shots however, since this is our second marriage and we have five kids, they had no problem turning it into a “family” session instead. They were wonderful with our children and we got the best of both worlds. We got pictures to showcase our new family…but we also got some romantic shots of just me and my fiancé. Then when it came time for our wedding they were fabulous. They were organized and completely prepared. They worked with our rather LARGE family like it was nothing. Everyone complemented them on their professionalism and their fantastic personalities. During the wedding ceremony and reception we didn’t even notice they were there, yet they captured everything and more than we expected. It was a wonderful, perfect evening, but yet it went so fast. Both my husband and I were thrilled at the story that was told by looking at our pictures. A treasure we will cherish forever!

Was there a “method to your madness” in choosing your vendors?

There was no real method to my madness in choosing vendors. My husband and I knew we wanted to do a lot ourselves, but to spend money where it counted. We were paying for the wedding ourselves. Our attitude was that we wanted this to be a celebration of our love, but we also viewed it as a party for our friends and family and we were the hosts! I think that a key in our method was  to pay CASH, to have it represent who we are and to celebrate with friends and family.

 

How long did you take to plan your wedding?

We were engaged on February 5, 2011, at Estes Park, Colorado. It took us a full 6 months to plan and prepare for the wedding. I believe we could have put it together in half the time, but we knew financially we needed those extra months.

How many guests did you invite versus how many came?

We wanted to keep the guest list down around 100 people, but didn’t want to sacrifice true friends being invited either. The end count was around 135. That included about 60 kids!

What was your budget ?

Our budget was about $4500. This only included the wedding ceremony and reception. I believe we spent about $7000 when all was said and done!

Did you include rings and/or the honeymoon in your budget?

My husband I have both been married before and our first marriages were paid for by family. We have bought houses, had kids, got in debt, used credit and have gone through hardships and divorces. Our priorities are different now.  We could have financed an expensive diamond ring, but we didn’t. It was tempting, but the reality is, having matching titanium rings with a personal inscription on them is FAR BETTER! We paid cash for them, they are the strongest metal around, they match completely, and we personalized them with a saying we had fun picking out together: “Amor Noster Permanebit”….in Latin it means “Our love will last an eternity”.

We went on a road trip for the week after the wedding. Our “official honeymoon” was a 7 night stay in Mexico, which we just got back from last week. We waited for 3 months after the wedding to take the trip, not only to save up for it, but also to let the hurricane season in Mexico pass. It ended up being a great way to eliminate wedding planning stress too. We could focus on the wedding and know that we would tackle the honeymoon budget and plans after the wedding took place.

T30SB Commentary: Not a bad idea, folks. Planning a wedding and a honeymoon at the same time can be a little cray-cray.

How large was your bridal party?

I loved what we did for our bridal party. My bridesmaids were my daughters Maggie (9) and Montana (4), and my stepdaughter Kawaiala (9). My husband’s groomsmen were my son Nolan (12) and my stepson Holoakea (15). We had bridesmaids dresses and tuxes for all the kids. We had a great time shopping and involving them that way.

Did you have favors for your guests? If so, what were they? How much did you spend?

We did not do favors.

Did you include any special family traditions?

A special family tradition was the fact that the reception was at my parent’s house. Both my older brother and sister had their receptions their too!

What was your biggest day-of crisis and how did you handle it (or rather, not handle?)?

The only real crisis we had was right before the ceremony began we realized the rings were missing! We had lots of little kids running around. The rings had been placed on a small table next to where we were reciting our vows. I have pictures of all the brothers looking in the grass around the table. I was told what was happing as I was sitting in the house waiting for the ceremony to begin. I took a deep breath and just relaxed. I knew they’d turn up. I just don’t let  those things don’t get to me. Sure enough…a few minutes later! Rings found!

 

Who was the biggest pain in the ass on your wedding day?

You know, no one was really a pain in the ass! I had such an amazing amount of friends and family pulling this DO IT YOURSELFER wedding together…I couldn’t have asked for a better wedding, a better day, or a better group of people.

What was the biggest waste of money that you loved?

I’m not sure I’d say it was a waste of money, but I bought the “Brides Package” at the local salon. It included a month of services leading up to the wedding day. It was a massage, a facial, a practice hair and makeup. I also added waxing, tanning and a hair cut and color. I didn’t need to go to those expenses, but it was just a little treat for me during the month that made me take time out, pamper myself  a bit, and detox a little before the wedding.

 

 

What was the biggest waste of money that you wish you’d passed on?

I don’t think I wasted any money on our wedding. I think we made ever dollar count!

What did you love that was also the cheapest?

I loved my flowers from the Saturday market. They were AMAZING! My husband and I went down the Saturday before the wedding and had one of the flower booths there make us up 18 random bouquets for each table at the reception. We gave her free reign. No particular color, no type, just whatever she felt like and nothing the same. They turned out to be absolutely gorgeous! We only paid $10 a bouquet! In a florist shop, we’d probably pay $100 per bouquet!

T30SB Commentary: $100 for a bouquet yes, but probably not quite that much for table arrangements.

What was the most unexpected thing that happened (not necessarily a bad thing, just a surprise)?

I think the most unexpected thing that happened was just the amount of friends and family that pulled together at the last minute to make it all work and look amazing. We had an idea of what we were looking for and up until the last 24 hours before the ceremony, we weren’t sure how it was all going to come together. All of us we worked side by side and I couldn’t have dreamed it would be so perfect!

 

What was the most ooey-gooey, tear-jerking moment?

My ooey-gooey tear jerking moment was the family and personal vows. We had a white rose on each one of our children’s chairs. Before we exchanged spousal vows we had a vow for each child. The oldest one stood up, with rose in hand. Our officiant asked if he would support the marriage and to do his part in creating this family. My step son said yes, then he went up to our vase on the table, put the rose in it, kissed me, hugged his dad, then all three of us joined hands. One at a time from oldest to youngest this happened. At the end all seven of us were in a circle joining hands and a prayer was said. Then the kids sat back down and Jeremy and I exchanged our own vows. It was truly the most amazing part of the ceremony.

Did you DIY? What parts?

Besides the clothes and the wedding party bouquets, everything else was a DIY. The flowers, the décor, the invitations, the food. It was all done and put together by us, friends and family.

If you could do it all over again, what would you change, if anything?

I would get married to Jeremy over and over again and do nothing different. It truly was the most amazing wedding and the most perfect ceremony. It was my dream come true, from wedding ceremony, to reception, to guests, and of course…MY HUSBAND! Perfect and exactly what I had dreamed of!

Congratulations to Mira & Jeremy!