our honeymoon (14/14)

Technically we had two honeymoons. Lucky us. We knew we couldn't do much after the wedding, since I am a teacher, and we got married on labor day weekend. So we went to France for 10 days the summer before, and called this our pre-moon.

A co-worker has a friend who lives in Paris, and needed to sublet her apartment in district 9.  This meant we had a place to stay that was inexpensive, and not in a touristy location.  Of course we ate out, but we also bought food at grocery stores and markets and had lovely little meals at home.

We went to tons of museums (including the Louvre) and parks, saw the Eiffel tower, and traveled all over the map. We caught a Bob Dylan concert in Nantes, went to Monet's Garden in the country, visited Stein, Wilde and Mr. Mojo Risin' at Père Lachaise, walked the colorful grounds at the Palace of Versailles, and ate a ridiculous amount of delicious food every step of the way.

After the wedding itself we went for two nights to Minnewaska State Park Lodge.  This is the area where we met and was the perfect place to relax before we left our wedding fairytale. We spent our mornings relaxing outside the lodge with our breakfast, our days at the park, and the nights reminiscing about the wedding! It was just what we needed.

Thank you for taking this journey with us through our wedding memories. It was certainly fun for us to reminisce together...and I am so happy to have our special moments documented!  This started out as a rewind for a few posts and turned into 14 posts and a summer long project.  Literally, work starts on Monday...and as we approach our 2nd wedding anniversary, and 10 years together, I can honestly say we are more in love then ever!  Life is good.

the BBQ (13/14)

 

The next day, the weather could not have been better! In the morning there was a yummy rolling breakfast buffet, and after folks took hikes through the property,  played music and sat around in the sun. 

Before departure, we had a final gathering at a BBQ. There was yummy food, a game of frisbee going down, conversations to be had, and memories to be made.

After the BBQ when everyone checked out, my new hubby and I walked back to the ceremony location.  We stood in the exact same spot we had been married less then 24 hours before.  We took it all in:  the trees, the water, the sights, the sounds and felt such joy at the wedding we accomplished.

     Just Married!

the Bonfire (12/14)

A few things we knew from really early on: our wedding would be outside, and we would have a bonfire.  When looking for locations, this option was a must have.  After dinner and desserts most folks went back to their rooms and changed (I stayed in my dress ;)...and met back up at the fire! One of my husbands close friends had the job of starting and maintaining the fire.  He took that job very seriously and did a great job!

At the fire we had smores, sparklers, a light-up frisbee and drum circles.  All of these touches were items we planned and brought.  There was also a barn behind us that had a pool table and music.

Good Times.

cards, guest book, treats and signs! (11/14)

Some of the little details:
For the cards we used an antique birdcage my mother-in-law had in her dining room.  Our guests just slide them inside.  Loved it!

Instead of a guest book, we had a bin of postcards with things we love..like art, Dylan, etc that people could write on and pop into the birdcage.

98% of our guests slept over at the resort.  We wanted to make sure they had a special treat when they went into their room that night... so little fairies (I mean our friends) put a little goodie in each room.  My mom and I bought the goodies at BJs, (peanut m&m's and water) and the almost married couple and my mama, sat around one afternoon and put them together with a special note!

Since our wedding was in a remote area, our friend Tim made a sign that they pitched on the side of the road so our guests would know where to turn.

 

It's all in the details.

Potluck Desserts! (10/14)

Potluck desserts, what a great idea! People were excited and happy to do it.  At first I thought I'd ask everyone coming!... but then decided we didn't want to get too wild with it, so we asked our mothers, my aunt, and a few friends.

I heard later, "that was the best dessert table at a wedding...ever!"  I think it was the variety, the yumminess and how each individual dessert was made with love.  My Aunt Diane was in charge of the dessert table.  She set them up when peeps brought them into the tent, and decorated the table.  She kicked that tables butt!  It looked beautiful!

We printed labels with the name of each dessert and who the baker was. We had a lovely variety, that spoke to each person and our families.
We had:

A Rainbow Heart Wedding Cake and Key-Lime Cheesecake made by my mama.  (One of the top hearts was saved in the freezer for our one year anniversary!)

Chocolate covered Coconut Macaroons, Apple Pie, Strawberry Rhubarb Pie and a

Pumpkin Pie made by my mother-in-law.

Sweet Bells (an Indian Dessert made from sweet flour, sugar, vanilla extract and dipped into a mixture of sugar glazed syrup and honey) and Pear-ra (an Indian Dessert made from sweet milk & sugar with almonds and pistachio nuts) from my aunt.  

And finally, Red Velvet Cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, Strawberry Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream, Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting, Blueberry Cupcakes with Lemon Frosting and Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting made by friends.

 Thoughtful. Fun. Delicious.

the Music (9/14) ..guest writer ;)

A few years back, I read a quote from Ray Charles that sat in my gut.  You know that sensation of something so truthful it twist and turns you in all directions? Anyway, what good brother Ray said was, "I was born with music inside me. Music was one of my parts. Like my ribs, my kidneys, my liver, my heart. Like my blood. It was a force already within me..." Sadly, my love affair with music stems only to the heart, mind, ears and eyes...the good Lord decided to pass on extending me any actual instrument proficiency. Regardless, music is the soundtrack to life...and my wife and I wanted to make the most of this matrimonial concert.

When the topic of wedding music came to the forefront, a great opportunity arose. It was like running amuck in the candy store with no worries of a belly ache.   About six hours of musical canvas awaited.  We didn't want to pigeon-hole ourselves with genres or just those lovey-dove run of the mill tunes.  So, we set out,  separating the music with playlist that corresponded with particular chunks of time and settings for the wedding.  No moment without music would be sparred.

I wanted to make the musical sound scape reflect not only our past and present but also our future.  I see so many songs in her, in us, around us...it would be a daunting task.  Maybe someday I'll list the entire wedding playlist, but for now just a couple fairly recognizable tunes will be named out of the hundred plus.

I wanted it to cover every generation and genre imaginable.  From Delta Blues, Folk, Swing, Standards, Classical, Rock, Alternative, Hip-Hop, Soul, Funk, Bluegrass, Country, Unforgettable Nintendo themes, a few contemporary tunes and even undeniable rump shaking Rap numbers.   

The Check-In...guest arrived in their fine clothes and smiles to the tune of some softer styles. My wife and I figured there would be roughly 45 minutes worth of guest checking in at the front desk and getting the gentle once over by the strategic staff.  Some peaceful ear tickling would soothe their hearts and blessings after a long ride.  Gordon Lightfoot "Summertime Dream", Fats Domino "Blueberry Hill", John Prine "Glory of True Love", Ray LaMontagne "Friends", Ani Difranco "Studying Stones", etc.

With the sun still curiously peeking through the pines, the guest congregated on the front lawn for a whimsy cocktail hour.  The playlist there crept from gentle swing and waltz to songs with a slight pep in the step jaunt.  Ray Charles "I Gotta Woman", Stevie Wonder "Signed Sealed Delivered", Tom Petty "Wildflowers", Van Morrison "Warm Love" etc.

After a truly breathtaking ceremony, guest strolled over cool grass in high-heels (not easy mind you), slippers, boots and even barefoot toward the dinner portion of the day. I swear my wife and I floated there.  They were treated to some fine-dining numbers and far more identifiable songs they could lean on.  My wife and I entered twenty-or-so minutes in to, Copleland's "Rodeo".  We were formally announced, took a bow and elegantly fluttered along to J.J Cale's (Magnolia).  Perfecto.  The rest of dinner mood was set with easy listening stuff while we ate.  Frank Sinatra, Bill Monroe and some French Jazz sequences that allowed guest to easily chat with others.  Toward the tale end of dessert we cranked it up a bit and got the asses out of the seats with some James Brown (Sex Machine), Jackson Five (Oh Baby) and one or two Polkas. The Mother's had a nice moment with Louie Armstrong's "Wonderful World".  Such a keeper at any wedding.

Before we furthered that hip and wild vibe at the party barn, we requested use of the fire pit after dinner.  This allowed guests to change out of their formal wear and digest the delicious fireside offerings.  We went with some dreamy numbers, quiet guitars and spacey wanderings.  I think we achieved in stopping the clock hands for once.  The Doors "Indian Summer", Willie Nelson "Hands on the Wheel", Bob Dylan "Moonlight", Doc & Merle Watson "Sitting On Top of The World" and of course, Neil Young's "Harvest Moon" were among the ideal burning embers.  The essence here was...relax...enjoy your marshmallows.

The Party-Barn signaled it was time to kick the fires and light the tires.  While much of my musical pallet isn't entirely danceable, we kept with the times and times forgotten with a nice spread of boogie standards.  We covered many genres and broke into many sweats that fateful night.  Lynard Skynard "Gimmie Two Steps", Prince "1999", Snoop "Lodi", Otis Redding "Try A Little Tenderness", Tea Leaf Green "Let Us Go", Charlie Daniels Band "Trudy", Beastie"Boys "High Plains Drifter", just to name a few.  It was a blast seeing some folks get down and round after a few cocktails and fresh air.

Amidst the hang-overs, paper-cranes and rose petals we all managed to awake.  There was a sit down breakfast buffet available for an hour or so and we had a calming playlist set up for that.  Some Buddy Cage & Stir Fry, Grateful Dead, Dire Straits, Paul Simon, Ry Cooder, Elizabeth Cotton, Hank Snow, Chopin etc.

The BBQ portion of the wedding couldn't have unfolded any better.  Bright blue skies, the smell of early fall whisking by with soft run of the river, bocce ball, frisbee, lawn jarts and of course, picnic tables with the classic red and white checkered tablecloth.  We pumped feel good music through a serious outdoor sound system.  The Beatles "I've Got a Feeling", "Stuck Inside of Mobile" from Dylan, "Kalamazoo" from Primus, Rod Stewart's "Every Picture Tells a Story" to name a few.  There was additional Dead & Dylan tunes, White Stripes and Waylon Jennings.  We could have thrown that frisbee forever that day.

While the party is never truly over...sadly, we had to let the Full Moon Resort have their place back.  Guest checked out without much hassle, still smiling, still full of love.  We sent them off with thankful tunes and bid them all a goodnight.  Goodnight.  Goodnight.