Hand-Made Good'ness by: My Dad!

Thank gawsh for awesome dads!

My dad flew in last Thursday and words cannot describe how fabulous it has been to have him here! My dad and I are two peas in a pod, and I'll be the first to admit that I am a Daddy's Girl. :o)  During my childhood years my dad was my soccer coach and braided my hair, putting beads at the end of each braids so I could look cool and hip like the Fly Gurls from "In Living Color." He taught me to fearlessly ride the waves on a groovy, orange boogie-board. He introduced me to every genre of music and was my trusty date to my elementary school's Father-Daughter Dance. Because of my dad, I enjoy tie-dye, traveling, and shamelessly acting like a complete spaz. In a word, my dad is AWESOME...and if you've met him, I think you'd agree. ;o) Needless to say, my dad is a *B I G* part of my life and so it's only natural that he take on a large role in helping us prepare for our wedding.

 No, that doesn't mean he's footin' the bill. On the contrary, Adam and I are paying for the majority of our Big Day, but all parents are contributing in some way. I would never ask, expect, or allow my father to pay for our entire wedding---not only is it old-fashioned, but I think it's ridiculous to be under the impression that Daddy should pay thousands upon thousands of dollars for every aspect of a wedding. Financial assistance is greatly appreciated, yes, but gee whiz brides-to-be, let's get a little bit more in tune with our inner feminist and take on some of that financial responsibility, eh? I could go to great lengths with this, but I digress...Let's  get back to the real reason for this post, shall we? We shall.

SO! Other than being the best dad in the world and being one of my very best friends and being the one who will walk me down the aisle in four weeks---which, by the way, is something I've imagined and cried about on multiple occasions for a number of years---I am proud to announce that my father is contributing his handy-man skills and making us a variety of awesome, custom-made goodies to go with our rustic and personalized wedding theme!

Tomorrow = Sign-Making Day!
From the get-go I knew I wanted to somehow represent my California roots. Stating the mileage from Chocorua, New Hampshire to my hometown of San Diego popped into my head without any question...but then we thought it would be fun to represent all the other major places our guests are traveling from! We've got friends and family from all over the map---California, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Maine, Kansas, Florida, Costa Rica---so why not pay homage to everyone's homeland? It's always fun to see how far away one place is from another place, right? Right! And it doesn't get any more rustic than old slats of wood (picked up from the side of the road and weathered to perfection), paintin' on 'em with white paint, and nailing them to a post. Stick it in a whiskey barrel and call it macaroni, woo! My dad has worked for years making sets and props for a theater company back in San Diego, so creating something like this is right up his alley and I know he's stoked about it. In addition to the multi-location directional sign post, I'd like to have signs like the ones you see pictured: one to put at the top of the dirt road that leads to The Brass Heart Inn, one that points in the direction of the ceremony, another one that points to the barn, and maybe one to lead guests to the fabulous photo booth that Adam and I will have set up inside the barn (*more info on THAT coming soon!).

Since early this week my dad has been working on constructing an arbor (with the help of Adam's dad, too!), which will be used for our ceremony---something quite similar to a "huppah", except we're not Jewish so I don't feel right calling it by that name. The Brass Heart Inn has one we could use, but it's one of those cheesy white-lattice ones and I just couldn't stand the idea of getting married under something so trite. Having a more natural-looking arbor was what I had in mind, and I knew that my dad would jump on the opportunity to make one. :o) The two dads collected branches from the woods of Salisbury and having been working their magic, creating us a special arbor which we have yet to see! They are anxious to surprise me and Adam with the finished product tomorrow, and I can't wait to see it! I have no doubt it will be awesome and better than I could have imagined, as this is something my father has been obsessing over for at least six months! Not only will it make for a picturesque ceremony site, but Adam and I will be able to move the custom arbor to our backyard and use it as an entryway to our future garden. Aww!

It means *so* much to know that my dad is excited for me and to know that he wants to help in any way, shape or form. Having my dad contribute his creative talents and personal touches to help us achieve our desired wedding aesthetic is truly priceless. Words cannot describe just how sentimental a person I am, especially when it concerns my dad, so I am thrilled about having his creations be a part of not just our wedding day, but the rest of our lives. Maybe we're not the first couple to have a family member construct something for the ceremony, or go with a rustic barn theme, but it still feels pretty great to know that NO ONE else in the world has ever had personalized wedding'y facets created by *my* dad. It's truly the little things that will make our wedding unique and extra-special, and I couldn't be happier. :o)


*Major props and thanks to my dad, as well as Adam's dad, for their dedication, enthusiasm, craftsmanship, and love!*