Ribbon Wand-erful!

I was stuck on the idea of wedding flags. Having people waving fun congratulatory words like "yay" and "congrats" and "hooray" just seemed like so much fun. While I've seen some pictures of flags and completed projects, I've never actually seen a photo of them in action, which gave me pause. Hmmmmm...

I knew I didn't want bird seed and I wasn't sold on bubbles, but I did want to provide folks with something for guests to do that would herald our new status as husband and wife. Then I found ribbon wands, and I fell in love. I mean, how fun will it be to skip back up the aisle, surrounded by a sea of waving ribbons? Never seen them in action? Take a look:

They seem so joyous and celebratory. That's exactly the feeling I would like to invoke at our ceremony. I ordered almost 60 white dowel rods from a craft vendor on Bonanzle for less than $7. I'm planning to purchase red satin ribbon from Nashville Wraps, which is approximately $6, so the whole project will cost less than $15... totally in the budget!

My DIY Pomander

I've mentioned before that I am fascinated by pomanders. They are just such lovely little balls of happy that I can't resist. When envisioning my ceremony, I saw myself gliding down an aisle lined with them. I couldn't resist the urge to try to make one. How hard can it be, right? It's just clipping silk flowers and jamming them in a styrofoam ball, isn't it?

My first vision was an orb of snow white carnations, perhaps with a few pearls tucked in for some sparkle. Well, trips to JoAnn's, Michael's, A. C. Moore, and Hobby Lobby yielded exactly zero white carnations.

Hmmm... now what? Roses? Perhaps, but when they are too large, the ball looks a bit comical. Comical is NOT what I'm going for in my ethereal vision of pomanders. Do they have to be white? I guess not, let me see what I can find in the red department. So I did. I decided on mixing red and white flowers, with small pearls tucked in for a little gleam.

So I got to work, clipping the flowers off the stalks. I got a little help from my buddy:


In the end, I really like the mix of colors and I lurrrvvve the pearls. I even like the organic quality achieved by tucking in leaves here and there.

We also have seven silver lanterns that we plan to alternate: pomander, lantern, pomander, lantern... you get the idea. Pretty and festive- what more could you ask for?

Music, anyone?

Admittedly, I'm not a total music addict. I enjoy it, and I even have songs on an mp3 player that I listen to occasionally. BUT I don't have a gigantic CD collection, and I don't often look to expand my music literacy.

That said, I have taken our wedding music VERY seriously. Spoiler alert: For anyone that wants to be surprised by our ceremony... quit reading here.

OK, now that they're gone, I can divulge to you our fun music lineup for the ceremony. For the prelude, we wanted a variety of upbeat love songs that would speak to our guests. Here is what we've decided upon:
Prelude:
• All I Want is You (Juno Soundtrack)
• If I Had $1,000,000 (Barenaked Ladies)
• Somewhere Over the Rainbow (Israel Kamakawiwo ‘ole)
• Banana Pancakes (Jack Johnson)
• Alright (Darius Rucker)
• Love Will Keep Us Together (Captain & Tennille)
• How Sweet It Is (James Taylor)
• I Say a Little Prayer (Dionne Warwick)
• Annie’s Song (John Denver)
• Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m Yours (Stevie Wonder)
• Ain’t No Mountain High Enough (Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell)
• Long, Slow, Beautiful Dance (Rascal Flatts)
• Livin’ Our Love Song (Jason Michael Carroll)
• Too Good is True (Rascal Flatts)
• What A Beautiful Day (Chris Cagle)
• Beautiful Day (U2)

That is probably more music than we'll need, but I had to make a CD for the DJ, so I filled an entire hour with selections.

The ceremony music has been a little more challenging. My mom's favorite song is Ave Maria, so I really wanted to have the parents seated to that song. It's more traditional than I would have chosen, but I wanted to include it as a little thank you for the work she's done on the wedding. How, then, do I transition to the more contemporary music in the rest of the ceremony? The answer? Vitamin String Quartet, a fabulous group that does traditional string versions of contemporary songs. It sounds traditional, unless you listen closely and then you realize what the songs really are.

Since we are doing an outdoor wedding, there is no side entrance from which the officiant, groom, and best man can enter. As a result, we're having the men go down the aisle first. To VSQ's Star Wars Theme. Then the ladies will enter to VSQ's remake of Journey's Don't Stop Believin'. Glee fans rejoice! I had to have a classic 80s anthem in there somewhere.

I'll be entering to The Riddle by Five For Fighting. Our recessional song is This Will Be (an Everlasting Love) by Natalie Cole.

Fun, right?

Current Obsession: Pomanders

Perhaps it's the fact that it's May Day and I'm consumed by thoughts of flowers, but I've decided to take a hiatus from my OOT bag obsession to move on to a new fascination: pomanders. Those lovely, little balls of flowers that adorn so many weddings these days. They are fun and happy, and isn't that what a wedding should be? I love them made out of tissue. I love them made out of fabric. I love them made out of real flowers. I love them made out of silk flowers (Is it me, or do I sound like the Cat in the Hat? I love them in a box, I love them with a fox).

Not sure what I'm talking about? Well take a look:



Mark my words, these little babies will show up somewhere in the future. Stay tuned...

Our Officiant!

Hello all, meet our officiant, my brother, Chad! (Pictured here with his wife, Ruth.) I'm thrilled to announce that our wedding will be officiated by my brother. He and Ruth are doctors in Tulsa, Oklahoma and spread the love of Christ through medical mission work all over the globe. They are part of a wonderful organization called In His Image (IHI). For more information about how IHI serves God through medicine,Click Here. I wanted our officiant to be someone that we know... and who knows me better than someone who's been there 36 of my 37 years?