Wedding Part 3: The Devil’s in the Details
Entertaining
by Jenn P. |
on January 10th, 2013 |
Yes, I was a crafty bride. I went homemade for a lot of my wedding decor, not just to personalize the event, but because doing crafty things with my hands relaxes me and brings me joy. If it didn’t, I honestly never would have logged so many hours at Michael’s, cause these little DIY projects can drive you crazy if you let them.
We got a lot of great feedback on how personal our wedding was, but like anything else good in life, it’s not about the stuff. The personal details added warmth to the event, but they’ll never be as memorable as the people we shared it with. That said, if you’re currently planning a wedding or thinking of having one in the future, don’t stress out about the stuff. Get some good people in the door, and you’ll have the greatest day of your life.
Still, we had some cute details at our wedding that I think are worth sharing. So…
Welcome to the weddin’, y’all!
Ceremony
Get you some sweet tea, and have a seat. I’ll show you around.
Our favorite band is the Red Hot Chili Peppers, but Vin is really the super fan. Oddly enough, the day I found this lyric and decided to use it as a display, he came home and said, “So how are we gonna incorporate John Frusciante into the wedding?” I don’t think Frusciante was on this album, but it was close enough:)
A few days before the wedding, my bridesmaid Missy flew in and helped me with last-minute projects, including baking six dozen chocolate chip cookies for the program favor bags. She stayed and helped out the whole week. Did I mention she runs a business and has two children? I don’t know how you begin to thank someone for being so generous with their time when it’s already so hectic. The day before the wedding my grandmother and aunt rolled out the cookies and baked them, then prepped the bags. I can’t tell you how much I love knowing that my grandmother made cookies for my wedding.
Flowers
I loved our flowers and what made them even more special was that my dad’s next door neighbor Cindy (from yesterday’s post) was the one who arranged them! My dad’s wife Angie did an amazing job picking out the pedestals and vases. I wanted the color of the florals to resemble a Texas sunset, but I also wanted to incorporate lots of greenery, succulents and fresh herbs. We were married under this topiary arch right behind my dad’s house.
I did some online research, and learned that rosemary is often given to guests at Croatian weddings, so I wanted to incorporate it into our bouquets and bouts to honor Vinny’s family heritage. Cindy worked in some other fresh herbs (I’m seeing some sage in my bouquet) for an earthy look.
Bridesmaids
My two best friends wore sundresses from J. Crew. I found their hair flowers and earrings at H&M.
Cocktail Hour
While Vin and I took pictures, guests enjoyed cocktail hour on the other side of the yard.
We were able to get a free tiki bar for the night from a local vendor.
Anybody who’s been on a wedding blog in the last few years is sick to death of the photo clothesline, but our guests really enjoyed seeing photos of me and Vin through the years. It was unique to them!
For our guest book, I used an empty photo album I already had lying around and put some glittery letters on the front to jazz it up a little.
I scattered pictures of our guests throughout the guest book, and most people ended up signing near their picture, yearbook-style.
One of my favorite details was the brainchild of my mother-in-law…the Croatian Station! Not only did she wrap up five bottles of authentic Croatian liquors to schlep from New York to Texas, she also smuggled in several pounds of homemade prosciutto made by relatives in Croatia!
Guests went crazy for the meat and cheeses, and my dad is still sipping on the liquers months later.
I kept the Croatian theme going on the escort cards by translating each table number into the language (thanks Google!).
Reception Decor
The reception was held on the neighbor’s ranch property next door to my dad’s house. They were so unbelievably generous to let us use their terrific space.
Can’t get married on a ranch without a few hay bales and wagon wheels laying around…
And as a matter of practicality, we rented a luxury bathroom trailer with three separate loos for our guests’ comfort. Dad, ever the country boy, kept referring to it as “the three-holer”.
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| Photo by Senka Burich |
The amazing Cindy setting things up!
I made the table numbers into luminarias (often seen in the southwest). With the candle lit, the numbers glowed once the sun went down.
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| photo by Senka Burich |
One of my favorite personal touches was the wine, which was homemade and gifted to us by Vin’s cousin Anthony who makes his own wine in California. Isn’t that awesome?!
I didn’t think individual menus were necessary since dinner was station style, so I just made one menu for each table, mounted it on a stick and stuck it in a little potted succulent. I did some basic stitching on each one for a homemade touch.
The Grub
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| photo by Senka Burich. |
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Our caterers were amazing. We went with Southern favorites and served tacos, shrimp sauteed with garlic, jalapenos and tequila, jalapeno cheese grits and truffle mac and cheese served in tiny cast iron pots. So fun!
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| photo by Senka Burich. |
No traditional cake for us. We had an assortment of doughnuts (Vin’s absolute favorite thing in life), cupcakes, and cake balls as well as traditional Texas favorites–pecan pie and banana pudding.
Vin’s mantra. Represent.
And with that…I am officially done squawking about my wedding. Thank gawd. I’m exhausted.
I’d like to give a shout out to our terrific vendors. They all come highly recommended if you’re planning an event in the Houston area.
Caterers: Behind the Bash
DJ: Space City Entertainment (Jason Garcia= PHENOMENAL)
Tent/ Furniture Rental: One Stop Tents & Events
Florals: Cindy Schnuriger, (email me for contact info)
Photography: Jason + Anna Photography (based out of Arizona, but will travel)
Cupcakes: Fiona Bakery; fionabakery.com
Donuts: Shipley’s
Wedding Dress: RK Bridal (NYC)
Groom: Suit by J. Crew
Makeup: Kristin, Mystic Elegance (281-910-2372)
Hair: Margarita Garza (713-805-5208)
Jenn P.
30-something psychotherapist. Loves cooking, hosting parties, exploring new places. Texan by birth. New Yorker by choice. Likes to tell little stories. Pull up a chair; I'll tell you one.
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