In Retrospect

We're married! Oh-me oh-my we made it! What an unbelievable ride this has been. From conception to reception (I made that up!), it's just been amazing, and I thought I'd share a few words reflecting on what made the experience one for the history books.

To truly start at from the top, I must begin with the proposal. I was more nerved up for this act than I was for the ceremony itself, but I'm glad for it. It meant a lot to Ashley (and myself) that I did it in a meaningful way. In the months leading up to the wedding, this event would be reflected on many many times and analyzed for it's creativity, emotion, "me'ness", and most importantly sincerity. To half-ass a proposal would set the stage for a half-assed engagement, wedding, and marriage. So the stage was set for a "whole-assed" experience!

Whatever rules apply to planning a proposal also apply to the wedding planning, but on a much larger timescale. While the proposal requires forethought and effort in exchange for meaning, this can realistically be figured out within weeks or even days. Wedding planning, on the other hand, requires months of attention and many sacrifices. Still, it should be a fun experience that strengthens your relationship with each other and with your families and friends.

I must admit that Ashley clocked far more time than I did on the wedding planning timecard, but nearly every decision - big or small - was made by both of us. We divvied up the to-do lists, did our things, and met back in the middle when it was time to weigh options. The result was a relatively painless (I daresay it was fun!) planning phase and an unforgettable wedding that reeked of our collective personality, and for that we can thank ourselves over and over.

To be a bit more specific, Ashley was basically the art director for the wedding. Virtually every decoration came out of her binder of wedding ideas and was reviewed and refined with me. From paper lanterns, to bird cages, rustic photo frames, flowers, and hundreds of vintage bottles.  While she was collecting and crafting, I was messing around in photoshop. After designing our Save the Dates, Invites, and RSVPs, I had some fun photoshopping our faces into the famous painting "American Gothic" which we used on our candy bar wrappers and as a sign for the seed packet favors. Then there was the task of finding (~140) photos to print as fake polaroids which would be strung up on a clothesline around the corral. With the help of Ashley's dad, we all painted boards with city names and distances as a tip of the hat to how far everyone had travelled. And I can't forget the first dance, which Ash choreographed and taught me in pieces over the span of a couple months. Each of these things brought us together, brought us joy, and gave us a deeper sense of purpose.


[video of our first dance]

Two people can only do so much, however, and when it comes to throwing a wedding and reception for over 100 people, I'm convinced the two people in question would have to quit their jobs for a couple months to make it happen. This is where friends and family can make all the difference. First of all, I should mention that Ash and I were lucky not to have bossy family members who insisted on certain decor or ceremonial proceedings... so crucial! Our parents made many suggestions and contributed an immeasurable amount of help across the board, but their biggest contribution may have been simply to let this be our wedding.

Some (and this is really just scratching the surface) contributions of our parents included the building of a natural wood arbor, painting of many signs, buying, cutting, and gluing candy bar wrappers, planting wheat grass boxes as a stage for free seed packets, preparing huge vegetable, cheese and fruit platters, making gift bags for all the guests at the inn, making a basket of emergency bathroom stuff, hosting the rehearsal dinner, and helping us pay for many other items and services, both small and large. Then of course there was all of the communicating that needed to be done which we were lucky to have help with. By the way, I really feel that our relationships with family and friends were strengthened by asking these favors of them. Not only did we get to spend more time with those who helped us, but they got to really be a part of this super-important event of ours.

We owe thanks to so many friends for their help with the wedding, and rest assured that if you helped you'll be receiving a thank you note. However, there are a few people who I have to mention specifically here because without them the wedding would not have been as special as it was.

Jackie "M.O.H. Extraordinaire" Donnelly made herself super-available to our every need, provided the beautiful bouquets that the bridesmaids held, photographed Ashley and I for the table-name photos, and wowed us all with an incredibly moving (yet very comedic) toast at the reception.

When I told Nick "Every Problem Has A Solution" Mosher that my grandparents would be stuck in a hospital during the wedding, he set his life aside and went and found a way let them be a part of the wedding. Without me even asking, he checked wireless coverage at the Inn and found that we'd probably be able to use his 3G phone as a modem to connect to Skype since the Inn was without broadband. In a day we had tested it successfully on our own computers, and the following morning I was chatting with him via my laptop at the hospital. A massive weight of guilt and sadness that was sitting on many of our shoulders was lifted.

"Reverend" Jonathan Welch, first of all, said "yes" when Ashley and I sat down with him and asked if he would officiate our wedding. He then did the legwork and paperwork to make our union official, and sealed the deal on the 21st by delivering the perfect ceremony -- ask anyone who was there. Few could have told our story with his timing and candor, and certainly no one with his perspective.

At this point I could go into detail describing the ceremony and reception, the tearjerkers, surprises and bloopers. Scott's and Chris' toasts, by-the-way, will stick with us for a long time - if not for their sincerity and the laughs, then because we probably captured them on video. ;) Anyway... I digress. The point is love, and the giving, accepting, and sharing of it. To all of you who attended, and to everyone who has supported us in our lives together: Thank you. You have filled our cups to the brim, and though we dare not drink another drop for fear of bursting with love, you pour on.

Partyin' it up on June 26th...

*The Bridal Shower -- No Water Required!*

My bridal shower was a few weeks ago, but I only just uploaded my pictures onto my laptop, 

so here it is, the long awaited entry regarding my Bride-To-Be Par'tay!

It was a warm Saturday afternoon and Mother Nature was kind enough to refrain from starting a thunderstorm. The day of my bridal shower had finally arrived and I had never been so excited and nervous to go to the Fraser home before! All the build-up leading to this day had my stomach doing cartwheels, and while I still wasn't sure how I felt about opening a ton of presents in front of a large group of women, I knew it wasn't worth stressing over. Brenda, my mother-in-law-to be, went to extremes in throwing a fantastic soirée in my honor, and I kid you not when I say she had been planning this bridal shower since, like, December. The decor, the tasty home-cookin', the gifts.... EVERYthing was color-coordinated and tied in with our wedding theme of yellow, orange, green, and gerbera daisies. I couldn't believe how much work had been put into the set-up and preparation; I was truly flabbergasted and tried hard not to let the on that I was overwhelmed with emotion.

Cake reads: "57 Days... ...and counting!"  Kudos and thanks to Aunty Cheryl for making such a grand dessert!

It's a pretty outstanding thing, realizing that you are the recipient of an outstanding fiesta, all the while being surrounded by family and friends from both coasts and "showered" with nothin' but words of support, encouragement, and love. It was a happy celebration indeed and I think all the ladies there enjoyed themselves. How couldn't they?? The food was phenomenal and the ambiance was perfect: low-key, but cheerful.

My step-mom, Sondra, was kind enough to foot the bill for a rent-a-tent, just in case of rain. We got barely a mist toward the end of the party, but I loved having the tent anyway because it was so fun and festive...and matched the color scheme!

The gift-opening was a lengthy process, but I was ever-grateful for all the fabulous things I received! In a nut shell: 

* lots of orange (towels, kitchen gadgets, home decor!)

* many items from our Target registry (no shortage of Pyrex, hehe!)

* various items that weren't on the registry but are very "us" (fun!)

* Lowe's gift cards (hallelujah!)

One great gift idea came from my mom, where she gave each guest a stamped envelope addressed to me containing a few recipe cards. Each guest is expected to write out some of their favorite recipes and mail them to me so I can add them to my groovy new recipe box! Clever, eh? Looks like I'll be learning to like cooking in the very near future! ;o)

Above: Jackie, Alyssa and Julia engorge on tasty treats created by Brenda and Gram---mmm!

Right: Brenda saw this centerpiece idea in a wedding magazine a while back and thought, "Ooh! This is perfect for Miss Ashalilly!"  
("Ashalilly" is the nickname she gave me when I moved here three years ago)

The time seemed to fly by, and after the gifts had been opened and the food had been consumed, people started to trickle out. It amazes me how fast a few hours can zoom by, making it seem as though no time has passed at all. I felt bad because I didn't get to talk to all the ladies who were kind enough to come and celebrate my bride-to-be'ness. I can only imagine how quickly the time will pass on our wedding day.... Eeek!

Jackie, my Maid of Honor, had the great idea of providing magnets, stickers, and markers so that shower guests could write out messages of "love, life, and marriage." Adam and I stuck them up on our fridge that night, and I find myself stopping to re-read them often. SUCH a fun idea, Roomie---thank you! :o)

Though a good amount of guests had left by 5 o'clock (the shower started at 1:00), the party was still hoppin' and the young ladies who remained participated in the Toilet Paper Bridal Gown game!! Our dress models were Savannah (my cousin-in-law-to-be), Haley (my half-sister), and Isabel (one of my two flower girls). The designers had 5 minutes to create a wedding dress of toilet paper, and I must say that we all did a fantastic job under such time constraints and with such a fragile material! ;o)

My littlest flower girl, Annie, practiced walking down the aisle with my "practice bouquet." Again, my Maid of Honor did a pretty outstanding job in putting said arrangement together---it's fun, it's festive, it's sturdy. I can't wait to put it to use at the rehearsal on August 20th! 

All in all, my bridal shower was just right; I couldn't have asked for a better way to celebrate with all the females in my life. There were a few lady-friends and family members who were unable to make it due to work or distance, but they were definitely there in my heart and I'm excited to see them next month for our wedding!

To those of you who WERE able to attend,  I am forever grateful and fear I will never be able to thank you enough for all you did to make my bridal shower such a special celebration. I truly am the luckiest and have never felt so special This bridal shower really made me stop and think about how fortunate I am. Solely focusing on this bridal celebration, I am extremely blessed because....
*... my mom, sister, "aunty," and bridesmaid Crystal flew out from San Diego to be a part of this day
*...I am welcomed and loved by all of my fiancé's family and family-friends  

*...I have a good amount of female friends in my life that are all fun, intelligent, interesting, and lovey

*...I have four hilarious, amazing, beautiful and supportive bridesmaids who are willing to help with anything

*...everyone who came to my bridal shower truly wanted to be there

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!! 

* Today's Stroke of Genius brought to you by the letter "B" as in "Belt" *

Personal touch....

I am so impressed with myself right now (lol!), and just had to share this genius idea I had no more than 20 minutes ago.

(picture by moi) ---------------------------------->

What you see here is a practice / miniature version of my orange gerber daisy bouquet...wrapped in what used to be my grandfather's belt.

*Cue tears*

After my Papa Springett passed away in 2001, I inherited a few of his groovy pieces of apparel---some plaid shirts, a pair of pants, and this sweet leather belt with a Western silver buckle. While I was doing my Spring Cleaning two months agol, I came across my grandfather's belt. As I was putting it on, the worn-down leather in one particular spot ripped, causing the belt to split into two pieces. I was devastated. I took the buckle off and tucked it away for safe keeping, then I angrily dropped the two pieces of leather belt into an empty trash can. I couldn't believe my grandfather's belt just frickin' broke into two. It's irreplaceable. "What do I do NOW?"

A few days went by and I couldn't stand seeing the two bits of  my grandfather's belt in the trash, so I took them out and set 'em aside, thinking maybe I could use it for scrapbooking or some other creative project one day.

Cut to today: I'm tidying up around the house and come across the pieces of leather belt. I look at 'em, once again disappointed to not have the belt in one piece so I could wear it like I used to, and unsure as to what the heck I could do with these worn pieces of leather. Then it was like something knocked me right upside the head---must have been what they call a "stroke of genius"---and I started crying instantly, overwhelmed with memories of my grandfather and upset that he isn't alive to see his one and only granddaughter get married, but completely overjoyed with the creative thought that came to me. I dashed to the kitchen where I had a few daisies in a vase of water, and when I took 'em out I wrapped the longest piece of salvaged leather belt around the stems. The tears kept comin'.....I couldn't believe how awesome it looked and how fitting it is for the type of wedding we're having. It's rustic, it's personal, it's significant.....it's perfect.

Now I'm thinking of adding my grandmother's pearl necklace and having my deceased grandparents represented in this way, rather than the photo charms I was originally going to buy (or considered just making myself). I miss my grandparents so much.....but by having pieces of my them as part of my bouquet, it'll almost be like they are there with me and my dad walkin' down the aisle.

[In loving memory of Harry and Dodie Springett <3]

{Bring On the Moms}

Exactly one month from now I will be hoppin' into my wedding dress at David's Bridal for my scheduled fitting... with all my mothers in tow. Yepp, my mom and step-mom will be in town because my bridal shower is the day before, and I'm gonna go ahead and assume that Adam's mom and grandmother will join in on the fun because, well, why wouldn't they? After the bridal shower, this qualifies as one of the most major womanly-bonding moments in history! Who would pass up the opportunity to see me stand on a podium in the $450 wedding dress I purchased?! Ooh! Ooh! And THEN watch as the seamstress measures how much material to take off the bottom because I'm friggin' short!? What would be even better is if I've gained weight and don't even FIT into my dress! Wouldn't that be a HOOT?! And if I do miraculously still fit into my dress....well....we can all just stand there and weep because that's what they do on the tv shows!

;o) I'm such a sarcastic ass. I'm sorry.

I know this is a big deal and I shouldn't mock it because if I DIDN'T have any of my moms, family or friends present for this "momentous" occasion I'd probably lose it. I had only my Maid of Honor with me when I was dress shopping (which I think disappointed my mom a little bit...), so inviting the ladies to be a part of  "Dress Donning: Round 2" kind of felt necessary. The sentimental heart inside of me knows that this will be a day I will always remember, simply because the major women in my life will be there. And how lucky I am to even be able to say this. I mean, what if I didn't have my mother in my life? Or my mother-in-law was a horrible human being that I loathed? I know that not every bride-to-be has a handful of amazing women in her life to dote over her as she tries on her dress just months before The Big Day. I should definitely be grateful that I get to share this wedding-prep milestone with so many special ladies....and I am, I really am. <3

Do I think my moms will cry when they see me in my wedding dress? Meh, it's hard to say. We'll just have to wait and see! Do I think I'll still like my dress after having not seen it / worn it for the past 6 months? I sure hope so!! And I'm praying that I haven't fattened up like a Thanksgiving turkey, because how much would THAT suck!? :o/

Off for a run....!

Let them eat cake!

{cake!}

Well, yesterday was Easter with Adam's family...and after stuffing our faces with ham, potatoes, broccoli casserole, and "bunny-rolls," Adam and I got to do our official cake-testing! 

Adam's aunt, Cheryl, kindly offered to make our wedding cake. Seeing as cake-making has been a profession of hers for 27 years (her first creation being her own wedding cake!), and she is family, we couldn't turn down the offer. 

A few posts back I had expressed my desire for cupcakes---I loved the look of the cupcake tree, and enjoyed the cute'ness of just-right eating portions, but was told cupcakes were too much work. So Adam and I, despite being the not-too-into-cake people that we are, decided to just go the easy route and opt for a friggin' cake. Being all together at Aunty Cheryl's place yesterday made it the perfect time to talk about the numerous possibilities, our likes / dislikes, check out Cheryl's photo albums o' cakes she has made in the past,  and decide which flavor we'd most enjoy. 

Decided a three-tier cake is as big as we wanna go----the bottom layer being 12" in diameter, the second layer being 8" and the third layer being 6". Also made it quite clear that we're not big on frosting and do NOT want big glob'like roses, trim, etc. Looking to have a nice, clean-looking cake; simple. Less is more, after all. Maybe a little dot-frosting border, maybe an orange ribbon.....still searching for pictures o' inspiration. 

One thing that is for certain: we shall be stuffing delicious lemon'y goodness into our faces come our wedding night! I had immediately dismissed the basic vanilla, chocolate, or marble cake options because....well....those options are boring, and very birthday party'esque. So we tried the following:

*Carrot Cake--yummy; thick; moist; lots of texture. I liked it, but wasn't sure about having it as a wedding cake. Plus it had a lot of different ingredients in it, including carrots (duh), spices, and shards of coconut. "Less is more" is obviously one of my favorite mantras, and this cake didn't quite fit in.

* Spice Cake--very yummy; reminded me of autumn / Thanksgiving. I wouldn't have minded having this as our cake, but Adam liked the carrot cake better than this one, and the overall thing was that it was much more of a autumnal choice. If we were having a wedding in, say, October, then we perhaps would have gone with this one.

*Lemon Cake--delicious; light and summery; had the right amount of tangy and sweet. Plus it's yellow, so it matches. Ha! This is the winner!!!

I will remember you...

Sad fact about my wedding: my grandparents aren't going to be there.

My mother's parents are unable to make the lengthy journey---after all, they reside back in San Diego and 3,000 miles, even by plane, is an awfully long way for elderly folks to travel.

And my father's parents passed away years ago. :o(

It brings tears to my eyes when I think about how nice it would be to have my grandparents present on my wedding day... My grandmothers and grandfathers have taught me so much over the years and I am nothing but grateful to have so many pleasant memories of them.

Since neither set of grandparents will be able to physically be at our wedding, I've decided to do two things:

1) I will soon be ordering two bouquet memory frames so as to have my dad's parents close to me as I walk down the aisle. Each memory frame is $12.00 at www.myjeanm.com (Jean M invitations and accessories)

2) I will have my grandparents' wedding photos framed and on display. Not sure where...but somewhere. I've already retrieved the wedding photo of my mom's parents---still can't believe my grandmother was only just turning 21 when she married!!! Need to ask my dad to rummage around the house and search for his parent's wedding photo so I can make a photocopy.