AWAY TO CAMP wedding invites

Hillary's wedding invites/sleepaway camp brochures are so gorg, they deserve their own separate post. 

When I asked her if she did em herself, she said, "Yeah, we made the invites. They are little booklets. MK took the photos and did a lot of the copy editing. I did the layout / design and wrapped the feathers."

(MK also took the photos. See a few more here.)

I have the coolest readers.

ESB -

I wanted to write and thank you for your blog. In planning my wedding, it was invaluable - not necessarily for any particular piece of advice or info but for the overall attitude and community.

I am a designer and wannabe party stylist, so I follow the wedding design blogs, too, but yours and APW are the ones that kept me sane; the ones that helped me stop day-long internet searches and settle on a dress that maybe wasn't "the one" but that I loved and was in my price range; the ones that helped me and my husband write our ceremony and vows. Your blog helped me to appreciate that the ceremony IS the most important part of the day and they helped me to really (truly) let go of the projects that weren't done and to give up some control to friends and family that wanted to help. For all of this (and more), I'm thankful. 

I saw the link Meg @ APW shared the other day from a photographer urging bloggers to showcase ALL weddings, the average bride. While I don't agree that the wedding blogs focused on design and styling are under any obligation to feature these typical weddings, I do hope that more blogs spring up like yours that help all brides feel special, understood and a part of a more interesting community.

Thanks again for your humor and independent spirit,
Hillary

P.S. If you are at all curious, my husband and I got married @ a sleep-away camp in Michigan on October 1st. Aside from the ceremony, my favorite part of the weekend was the Friday night talent show (think spoken word "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" and a re-enactment of the bee-girl dance from "No Rain").

We had some cliche things like mason jar mugs, bunting and a photobooth but we did NOT have a bridal party, bouquet toss or cake cutting. We didn't intend to have a first dance either but our DJ friend played some slow song of his own choosing and forced it on us. I wore shoes and accessories I already owned and did our flowers myself (well, with the help of my generous friends). We did not have a budget wedding but we spent all of our money on things like bedsheets and custom targets for the rifle range.

// end over-share //

*****

Please Note: THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS OVER-SHARING ON THIS BLOG.

You rule.

♥ ♥ ♥,
 me

(Hipstamatic photos 1-5: Renee Prisble, Instagram photo 6: emyduck)

Inter-continental wedding woes: FOLLOW-UP

Dear ESB,

Just an update... I was this girl, who was asking your advice on how to plan a wedding for two families from opposite sides of the pond who aren't loaded.

In the end, for many many reasons, we decided to have a ceremony in both lands. The first was a civil ceremony in my Grandma's backyard in Michigan. While the location was originally chosen as she was housebound (and I wanted her to attend my wedding more than anyone in the world beside myself and my fiance), she passed away 2 months before the wedding. The ceremony went ahead, the last family event to take place in her home, after nearly 60 years and 5 generations celebrating all major events there. As you can probably guess, it was a very emotional day, but it was everything I've ever wanted in a wedding. We ate BEFORE the ceremony (a barbeque catered by my former boss), I wearing a burgundy dress that my grandmother wore as her "going away dress" the day after her wedding in 1941.

My family did everything for the wedding for us: decorating the backyard, hiring a tent and chairs, and covering everything with flowers, on a budget of literally 600 dollars. Right before the ceremony, I changed into a light blue 1950's dress. My cousin played Beatles songs on his guitar as my hub walked in with his parents and me with mine. We then danced the night away to an iPod in the pouring rain on the back deck.

On the Irish side, we rented out a boutique hotel in the country, a shabby chic Georgian stately home.  We had a small marquee on the front lawn, and my Uncle Mike, a minister, performed the blessing under a giant willow tree on the property. The music was a small bluegrass band, whom I'd found busking on the streets of Dublin. I wore a dress by Maria Lluisa Rabell, this Spanish designer who only uses unbleached natural fabrics (bought it at a trunk sale and had it altered). Our guests danced the night away to an 80's cover band, and then our friend DJ'ed into the wee hours.

This is all to say, thanks to you and those who commented, it was nice to have some moral support.  And while my Irish wedding was more "weddingy" than my Michigan one, I really preferred the civil ceremony, and in my heart it was my "real" wedding.

Love,
Midwestern Girl

p.s. The first set of photos (the backyard bbq) are by a family friend called Hugh Plummer. Second set (the Irish country celebration): my amazing friend and professional photographer Karina Finegan. 

*****

SO. GREAT.

♥