A Meaningful Wedding

One thing I think that is important to keep in mind for planning your wedding is to make it meaningful and make it your own. This couple did just that. There are a few things I want to point out about this wedding which I think added meaning. Another thing that I'm excited about for this posting is that their wedding photographer, Brandon Jones (www.brandonjonesphotography.net) let me use some of his pictures for my blog! What a nice guy. It will be nice to have some professional pictures on my blog instead of just my iphone pics.

Wedding Music:
Grandparents and Parents entrance: Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring
Wedding Party: Pachelbel Canon in D
Presentation of the Bride: Storybook Love - From Princess Bride
Recessional: All I Want is You

I think this is a beautiful picture that Brandon took of the Denton Bible Chapel. The lighting is wonderful for pictures and it is such a beautiful wedding chapel. 

The stage decorations were beautiful. Here's a secret though, the columns are actually cardboard, but they look so real! I asked where they got them and they got them from Oriental Trading. (www.orientaltrading.com). Just type in wedding columns and they come up, in different sizes. An inexpensive way to add some volume to a rather large stage.

Brandon Jones

 

The pew bows were lovely

Brandon Jones

Before the wedding and pictures is the pinning on of the boutonnieres. I guess I'm picky in how I like them to be. I just don't want them falling off.

One way she made her wedding more meaningful is that she used a string quartet for her wedding music. The bride herself plays the violin, so what better way to express yourself with music than to have her fellow violin friends play at her wedding. It was so beautiful!

The bridesmaids

One other thing about the wedding is that the Pastor they used for the ceremony was a friend and former boss of the bride. He was able to make the wedding more personal because he knew them.

Here is the groom. For the wedding, he didn't wear the hat, but he wore the Fedora at the wedding. Here is getting ready to go into the reception.

The Reception

Table décor

It's hard to see in these pictures, but they had a little cardboard bride and groom favor for the guests. The bride had M&M's in it and the groom, Skittles. I'm sure that showed their taste as well.

The fillers for these centerpieces are FloraCraft Clear Water Beads. Once again, you can find them on Oriental Trading. Just add water to the beads which are at first like sand, and they balloon up and fill the space. Little LED lights were added to these centerpieces as well.

 

Head Table

 

The first dance. They did a bit of a choreographed dance that seemed to fit them well.

Another meaningful thing the couple did had to do with this cake. It was two entwined trees. A bit unusual I thought, but then the couple quoted a poem as they prepared to cut the cake.

Cake Poem:

Love is a temporary madness,

it erupts like volcanoes and then subsides.

And when it subsides you have to make a decision.

You have to work out weather your roots have so entwined together

that it is inconceivable that you should ever part.

Because this is what love is.

Love is not breathlessness,

it is not excitement,

it is not the promulgation of eternal passion.

That is just being "in love" which any fool can do.

Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away,

and this is both an art and a fortunate accident.

Those that truly love, have roots that grow towards each other underground,

and when allt eh pretty blossom have fallen from their branches,

they find that they are one tree and not two.

 - Captain Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres

I must mention the food at this wedding. It was just horsd'oeuvres, but they were fantastic. Extreme Cuisine Catering did the food. I'm not sure what I didn't get a picture.

 

The tossing of the bouquet

 

The Happy Couple!

 

Leaving with Bubbles!

Brandon Jones



Frisco Freedom Fest

For the 4th of July this year we attended Freedom Fest in Frisco where we live. It was a day of events which ends in a fireworks display. We left before the crowds came for the fireworks. Besides that, I had thrown by back out a few days earlier and even though I was having a good day, I didn't want to push it. (For fireworks, we were at a friend's house in Valley View where they put on a great fireworks display on their property every year. That was the Saturday before the 4th.)

Freedom Fest is basically a patriotic party at Frisco Square's Simpson Plaza at City Hall and the FC Dallas Stadium.  It has a community stage where local talent come and sing, a Children's section, local vendor booths, community service displays and the taste of Frisco where you can taste food from local restaurants. We have a major league soccer team in Frisco called FC Dallas. They had a game as well. (We haven't gotten around to going to one of these games, maybe because I don't really understand soccer, but I figure we should go sometime since it's so close to home.)

Vendor Booths

Uncle Sam did a juggling act. The FC Dallas Stadium is directly behind him.

Frisco has a CSI van. We think that's kinda funny since there is hardly any crime in Frisco, but it's cool.

There was fun for kids. They had a small train, clowns, and other activities for kids.

We had to stop at one of our favorite downtown Frisco stores, Poparella's. They make all kinds of gourmet popcorn. They have around sixty different flavors of popcorn and they let you taste it too! Flavors like: White Chocolate Oreo, Zesty Ranch, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Heath Toffee Almond, Lime Cilantro and on and on. They say a house favorite is Dill Pickle, I haven't even considered trying that one. They make fudge too. One of my favorite things about this store is that the family that owns and operates Poparella's is from Pittsburgh, PA, where I'm from! It's easy to tell their from Pittsburgh because they always have some sort of Steelers popcorn display. You can also order online: www.poparellas.com

The Steelers popcorn display at Poparella's!

Another place I had wanted to visit downtown was Dimples Cupcake Factory.

 The cupcakes are big and  cost $4 which includes tax. We split a lemon which is one of my favorites. They offer 17 flavors of yummy confection. I'm anxious to try more sometime.

Satisfied customers!!

The 4th this year was not that hot. At least not hot for Texas. There was a cool breeze so walking downtown was pleasant. We enjoyed spending the day together. We also saw Man of Steel the same day. What's more patriotic than Superman, going to Freedom Fest then home where we saw some fireworks in our backyard! :-)

3rd June Wedding

June just flew by. It's hard to juggle a job, family and three weddings in one month. So it was a busy month and it is nice to have a few weekends off this summer. What I like about weddings is helping a bride with her day. Sometimes thinking about working as many weddings as I did that month sounds a bit stressful and thinking about it was more stressful than any of the actual wedding days were. Once I drive up to the venue and meet the bride, it energizes me. This wedding was particually energizing because of the bride, Brittany. She has a vivacous personality and you can tell she loves life. One thing that was particualarly important to this couple was dancing...and that they did! They did more line dances than I have ever seen at any wedding. They sure looked like they were having fun. This wedding took place at the Lone Oak Ranch.

This time I'm including some of the music they used in the wedding and reception:
Seating of the Grandparents and Parents...She's Like Texas
Wedding Party...Marry Me
Bridal Entrance...A Thousand Years

Here is Brittany and Jay's engagement picture

 

Wedding Portraits

 

 

The bridesmaids took some pictures before they got dressed. They all had matching shirts, jean shorts and cowboy boots. Cute!

 

 

Bridesmaids after getting dressed in their choral dresses

 

 

Ceremony in the chapel. This chapel was built in the 1800's so there is no insulation. It was hard to keep it cool in there in June. So...its was a little warm, but not too bad  

 

The Officiant that did this wedding is attending Liberty University online. Of course that is special to me since I graduated from Liberty University. Not many people here in Texas know where Liberty is or what it is, so that was fun

 

 

I snapped a pic just as they were coming out of the chapel during the recessional. Just Married!

Their recessional song was Til My Last Day

 

Here is Brittany and I taking a "selfie" in the golf cart while going to take pictures

 

This is the cake table. They were not that big into cake, so they had a small cake and a few sheet cakes

 

 

Bridal pictures on display

 

Entering the reception as Mr. and Mrs to the song Bring Em Out

 

First dance to...Wanted

 

Song for cake cutting...How Sweet it Is

 

The long toast by the best man. Eveyone cheered when he was finished. It was funny

 

Guest bench...very practical. I thought this was a cute idea. Guests sign it and they use it at their house. Very memorable

 

 

Dancing insued into the night and early morning. In this picture you can see the couple dancing with their guests, some sort of line dance

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2nd June Wedding

June is usually a big wedding month and this year was no exception. This was the second wedding that I coordinated this month. The couple had a baby several months ago. It was an outside wedding at the Lone Oak Ranch. It was a little warm, or hot, but it didn't last that long and we were on to the reception. One thing that went wrong at their wedding is that the officiant forgot the vows, now that is major, but the couple made up for it and said their vows at the reception, into a mic, so everyone heard them. 

A walk down the aisle

 

Pew bows

 

Chalk boards are popular this year. This was a cute way to let know guests know there was no bride or groom side.

 

The wedding party, pretty in pale pink

 

 

Adorable ring bearer and flower girl

 

Fun pics with the guys

 

The happy family

 

Guest book picture frame

 

 

The carriage ride to the reception