After being together for over 10 years, Steve surprised me last Christmas with a totally perfect engagement ring. We were both happy as we were, but were ready to “finalize” things… and throw a big party!
What was the overall ‘feeling’ you were aiming for with your celebration:
Our goal was to host a party for our favourite people in the whole world, putting most of our resources towards what we thought matters the most to guests: food and booze.
Most of our guests were from out of town, so it was important to have a downtown location to make it as easy as possible for them to enjoy and appreciate our beautiful city. We organized a Friday family dinner, a Friday bar night and a Sunday open house, so we could spend as much time with our guests as possible.
We had our ceremony at the same location with minimal fuss, then moved on to a cocktail hour, then right into our reception.
I used the talents of my friends in order to cut costs – one friend was our DJ, another made our beautiful wedding cake, another helped me create centerpieces from flowers that I bought in bulk. I bought all of my decor off Kijiji and because our venue had stunning views and bright red carpets, I kept the look as simple and clean as possible – all black and white.
I put my time and energy into planning a logical flow of events and not worrying about the things that you “must” have. Says who?? Pick what matters to you and focus on that. For example, I wanted beautiful bouquets but bought flowers for the centerpieces in bulk and did those with a friend on the Thursday before.
Did you add any fun twists on tradition:
Our focus was on entertaining our guests – we were our own MCs and everyone loved hearing from us. Someone described it as a “stand up comedy routine.”
We had a photobooth that was a big hit. We set it up near the dance floor and it created a really fun, dynamic experience for those people who weren’t really dancers.
What was the inspiration for your Glövite and Glösite design? If you made them yourself, tell us how you did it.
I wanted the site to match our decor – black and white, clean and simple. My husband helped with the text to create a personal and funny tone. Our goal was to keep it personal, but informative. We got lots of compliments on the site. Even my parents, who were very skeptical of an online invite and RSVP system, came around.
I loved weddingchicks.com! I used their template for the save the dates, and their retro style suite for the invitations and everything else – seating chart, thank you cards, favour cards. Both were easy to print out on white card stock and mail to those older relatives who don’t have email (I had to mail 4 cards – yes, just 4)
Let’s show off your Glövites and Glösite
Any good planning tips and tricks for the couples who are just starting to plan?
As a lover of lists, my best find was the customizable wedding to do lists at Google Docs: http://www.google.ca/weddings/
What’s the biggest “say what?” moment or funny story that’s happened since you started planning?
As I was having my final dress fitting, the song that I was going to walk down the aisle to came on the radio. What are the chances?
Who are the magical partners who helped bring this celebration to life?
We were at a Christmas tree farm looking for our first tree, and Andrew pulled out the ring in the field and asked me to marry him. At that moment it started gently snowing all around us.
What’s the overall ‘feeling’ you’re aiming for with your celebration:
The first thing we did was decide what we didn’t want. That saved a lot of stress and money, and helped us realize that we valued a relaxed and casual location/vibe, good food, and fun things to keep people entertained. We didn’t waste time on all the extra paper goods and trappings that you’re expected to have (menus, place cards, aisle runner, attendants, etc.) because it didn’t directly contribute to fun. Instead, we focused on lawn games, good music, and letting people relax and hang out. We didn’t want to micromanage everyone’s time with a heavily structured wedding.
Are you adding any fun twists on tradition:
We wrote our ceremony with our good friend who was our officiant. We included marriage equality statements, audience participation, and ribbon wands for the guests. We had a call-and-response section where our guests pledged to support us as our community and help us fulfill our vows to each other. It was a great way to get everyone involved and create an intimate, community feeling that lasted the whole day. Everyone waved their ribbon wands enthusiastically! It was so much fun.
What was the inspiration for your Glövite and Glösite design? If you made them yourself, tell us how you did it.
We chose the Bluebell design from E.M. Papers because we used a lot of blue in our decorating, and the flowers look a lot like the prairie flowers and grasses in Wisconsin. It made the website and invitations seem local and specific to our celebration.
Let’s show off your Glövites and Glösite
Any good planning tips and tricks for the couples who are just starting to plan?
Utilize the hell out of the Glovite text messages and RSVP management page. I sent reminders to RSVP using text emails from Glo, and looked at the RSVP page for numbers and to make changes almost every day leading up to the wedding. I don’t know how I would have stayed organized without those features. As far as planning goes, make sure you hire vendors you trust! We hired our favorite local restaurant to cater, found an awesome photographer who loves her work, a day-of planner just building her business, and a venue that is run by a fantastic couple. All of these people cared about our celebration, and did whatever needed to be done to make it happen. They were more like friends than people we hired to do a job.
What is your favorite moment or memory?
There were so many. I loved dancing the night away with my family and friends, and it’s true that the people who show up are the people you need to celebrate with. Most of all, I’m really glad we made our own wedding day playlist instead of hiring a DJ because I have memories associated with every song. I can listen to it and re-live the day over again.
What’s the biggest “say what?” moment or funny story that’s happened since you started planning?
Even though it was listed on the website and I told people multiple times, I was still asked repeatedly what guests should wear. It clearly states that we don’t care. You’re adults! We trust you to dress yourselves! I was surprised how concerned people were about attire.
Who are the magical partners who helped bring this celebration to life?
The Glö-Couple (tell us a fun fact about each of you):
Heather, a student &
John, a non-profit executive
Celebration Date & Location: Ceremony: location (linked if possible)
Medford, NJ USA
Tell us how you got engaged:
We decided to get married over a weekend camping and canoe trip where we realized we could row a boat together through punishing heat and muscle aches and then a two week long Facebook chat while John was far away adventuring. We bought engagement kayaks instead of rings.
What’s the overall ‘feeling’ you’re aiming for with your celebration:
We wanted to be able to celebrate with as many people as possible. We both work with the Scouts so our friends have kids. The ability to have a lot of kids and a canoe full of beer was central to the planning. We wanted a really fun party that wasn’t stuffy, where people could relax, feel included in the day and know they were valued.
Are you adding any fun twists on tradition:
Heather is Buddhist so the ceremony including a sake ceremony and our vows had a Buddhist bent to them. We greeted all our guests before the ceremony as they came off the trolley from the parking area so that we could make sure we really saw everyone, in a nod to our camping background we had 50 or so kids making s’mores at one time in a fire pit and we had a dozen pinatas full of Ring Pops and Hershey Kisses for the kids to bash at night.
What was the inspiration for your Glövite and Glösite design? If you made them yourself, tell us how you did it.
Any good planning tips and tricks for the couples who are just starting to plan?
Lists and spreadsheets and Ask For Help from your friends and family. Everyone will want to help and give vague “anything you need” offers. If you can break what needs to be done into individual tasks you can delegate to those who want to help you and keep things manageable. This means that you have to be very organized up front so that you can let go of control on the back end. Also – get someone to run your wedding on the actual day! I had a binder of lists and instructions that was very clear and I handed it off the night before and worried about absolutely nothing for the rest of the wedding.
What’s the biggest “say what?” moment or funny story that’s happened since you started planning?
The wedding was in the backyard and we were greeting guests in the front yard. The officiant gathered people in the back and gave them their instructions and when they were ready for us they let up a cheer so we would know it was time to start. The cheering was one of the best parts of the day but as we rounded the house to the backyard, I swallowed a bug. I was trying to keep smiling and enjoying all the love being thrust on us while swallowing in unknown insect.
We dated for 5.5 years before getting engaged. We met while finishing up our last quarter of college. We had both already secured jobs before meeting, one job in northern CA, one in southern CA. So, after a couple years of long distance dating, we moved in together. Scott proposed to me in the town where we met, after recreating our first 3 dates (Starbucks, frozen yogurt, pizza and wine at a beautiful lookout). And I said yes!
What’s the overall ‘feeling’ you’re aiming for with your celebration:
We just wanted the people we love and who love us most to be there for the wedding. We tried very hard to only invite people we both know. We ended up inviting a few people who only one of us knew and giving a “plus one” to a single friend, but it was so wonderful to look out at our guests during the ceremony and see so many people we love gathered in one place.
We knew we wanted to get married outside, and once we picked Northstar. Scott was obsessed with the idea of getting married up on the mountain. So we and our guests took two gondolas up to the ceremony site! It was really fun and different and the view was amazing!
Other than those two things, we really didn’t have any “must haves.” I just wanted pretty flowers, so I told our florist the bridesmaids would be in navy blue and let her do her thing. Having a traditional wedding cake wasn’t a big priority, so we bought several cakes from Nothing Bundt Cakes and Scott’s aunt and uncle picked them up for us. They were so good, the guests were raving about the cake!
Are you adding any fun twists on tradition:
We skipped both the bouquet toss and garter toss (although I did wear my grandma’s garter!).
I had my brother walk me to the end of the aisle and Scott met me there. I walked the rest of the way down the aisle with Scott.
My aunt made Scott’s tie out of a dress shirt!
We made s’mores at the fire pit at the reception site! YUM.
What was the inspiration for your Glövite and Glösite design? If you made them yourself, tell us how you did it.
I just thought the design was cute! Simple, pretty colors. It didn’t “match” our wedding, but I didn’t care about that!
Now show us your Glövites and Glösite
Any good planning tips and tricks for the couples who are just starting to plan?
I loved Glosite! It was really fun to see that people had opened the invitations five minutes after we sent them! And super easy to use, too.
I love the blog A Practical Wedding, and recommend it to anyone I know who is engaged! Helps keep the sanity :)
What’s the biggest “say what?” moment or funny story that’s happened since you started planning?
You may be wondering why we are all wearing sunglasses during the ceremony. It’s not (only) because we are super cool people. It’s because when Scott and I were taking pictures an hour before the ceremony, a big gust of wind blew something into my eye. It would not come out! We called the mountain patrol guys in to help and my aunt, a nurse, tried to help too. But whatever was in my eye, was IN MY EYE like a splinter. I couldn’t open my eye at all for awhile! I think my aunt got a piece of it to break off with a q-tip, because eventually I was able to open my eye as long as I kept my gaze down. The wind and sun outside were going to be too much for my poor eye but I figured I could just wear my sunglasses. I told the wedding party to get their sunglasses on (so I wouldn’t be the only one wearing them) and we powered through the ceremony. Even our ring bearer sported shades!
My eye splinter came out on its own after the ceremony and I had a blast at the reception, even though my eye was a little wonky. During the whole eye splinter debacle everyone kept commenting on how great it was that I was so calm. I wish I had been more upset because crying would have probably flushed my eye out!
This was the ONLY crazy thing that happened the entire wedding/planning process. No family drama, no bridesmaid drama, nothing. So I think we were due for some sort of mishap!
What is your favorite memory from your celebration?
Favorite memories:
My family made a tunnel for us to run through as we entered the reception! That was really fun.
I just remember feeling really emotional as I walked down the aisle with Scott, knowing how important this moment was going to be for us. I was so worried I would cry through the ceremony, but after a couple minutes I was fine!
I had so much fun dancing at the reception! I had no idea we had so many dancers in our families!
Alex and I met in 2005 during our graduate school internships for our county’s solid waste division. Our love flourished over a large-scale worm compost system, and adjacent cubicles. We got married after we both settled into our current environmental jobs, and after we had the money!
What’s the overall ‘feeling’ you’re aiming for with your celebration:
Choosing a gorgeous and comfortable setting for us and our guests, and a setting that was also meaningful, were our top priorities. Gosh, actually – there are so many competing priorities when planning such a big event! Local food was also super important, as was having as close to possible a zero-waste event.
The overall feeling we created was being close to nature, and natural. We didn’t decorate (who needs to in such with such a beautiful, tasteful venue in Mt. Hood Organic Farms).
Are you adding any fun twists on tradition:
Photobooth! A must for weddings! It was THE single best decision we made for our big day. We used HappyMatic out of Portland, and Michelle Lucille, the owner, is fabulous.
Another big thing for us was that I would not be given away. I walked out of my cottage, and Alex met me halfway, then we completed the walk together. Family and friends got so excited that they started cheering us on our way DOWN the aisle – the applause was better on our way down than it was on the way out (well, I don’t even remember applause on the way out!) It made us feel even more excited, and it was lovely to be treated so nicely by all our loved ones.
What was the inspiration for your Glövite and Glösite design? If you made them yourself, tell us how you did it.
Flowers were a natural choice because of our outdoor venue, and love of all things nature.
Now show us your Glövites and Glösite
Any good planning tips and tricks for the couples who are just starting to plan?
DO think very hard about your guest list; we would have made a few changes to the guest list in hindsight. When planning a wedding the stress and excitement can easily overtake sense you might otherwise have, so only invite those people who really do matter in your life; not the people who you THINK might matter more after attending your wedding.
What’s the biggest “say what?” moment or funny story that’s happened since you started planning?
Guests canceling the day before the wedding. That was shocking to me, at least in the number that cancelled. And, no-shows, or people who attended the ceremony, but then left without even saying hello to us. That still bums me out, and I simply don’t understand the behavior.
What is your favorite memory from your celebration?
My favorite (and sort of embarrassing) moment was a couple of cute goofs in my vows. The whole evening was perfect, but I also really loved first look photos with just me, Alex and the photographer. The session was a blast, and I had thought it might be awkward. Alex loved it, too, which surprised me so wonderfully!
The Glö-Couple (tell us a fun fact about each of you):
Beverly, a Life/Movement Coach and baklava addict &
Brandon, a Visual Effects Artist, expert precision rifle shooter, and blueberry pancake baker
Celebration Date & Location:
February 2012 Jashita Hotel
Tulum, Mexico
Tell us how you got engaged:
One Day, Brandon sketched Beverly a book called “Tale of the Princess”. The first 10 pages had the beginning of their love story with blank pages to follow which represent their future. A year later, on a rainy day in Los Angeles, they checked themselves into the Ritz Carlton for a little R&R. It was there, he got down on one knee and proposed. Stunned, it took Beverly a few moments to realize that the word yes hadn’t made it’s way from her heart and out her mouth…and after a few repeated “pleases” from Brandon, she accepted. Beverly is sketching in the book where Brandon left off and is giving it to him on their 1 year anniversary…sssshhhhhh
What’s the overall ‘feeling’ you were aiming for with your celebration:
Everything had purpose.
We’re both born and raised Californian’s. We’ve been living and working in New Zealand for the past couple years and when it came to planning our wedding, we decided to have a small destination wedding in Tulum, Mexico. This way, we got to spend quality time with our closest friends and family (30 in total). A vacation for all, if you will. We rented out an incredible beach front resort for the week, so everywhere we looked, it was people we knew. Even our photographer was a friend (fortunately for us he’s a professional to the stars…)
My husband’s niece was the flower girl and had a matching mini (age appropriate) version of my dress
International influences: The resort in Tulum Mexico is owned and run by an incredible Italian family, my day of wedding coordinator was French, my dress was custom made by Wai-Ching (Cantonese for wisdom and virtue) who’s based out of Washington, the chef was flown in from Prague and I planned the entire thing from New Zealand.
We wanted to spoil everybody. This wasn’t just about us. It was about love and union and friendship. The Weekend included: Fire-dancing, zip lining at night, massages, all the meals were freshly caught that day, on-site chauffeurs & boats/captain anytime/where we wanted, live music and waitstaff.
Our married guests said that it felt like they renewed their vows. Our engaged guests said it helped them break the expectations of tradition and inspired them to plan according to what THEY wanted and our single friends got to flirt with each other and bask in the comfort that they weren’t the only ones holding out for the BEST.
Did you add any fun twists on tradition:
Our moms married us in a circle-esque ceremony. (We did the legal paperwork at the Beverly Hills Courthouse). We just didn’t feel right about a stranger marrying us and who better to say the words.. “Do you Brandon, take my daughter Beverly” than Mom herself. There wasn’t a dry eye on the beach.
My friends and I made my bouquet of Something old, new, borrowed and blue. Although it broke in the airport when I helped a man who almost dropped his child and luggage. It ended up as our main dinner centerpiece instead :)
Our registry was a “Celebration Registry” we did right on a Glosite Page using paypal. All the money went straight into our paypal account which helped us fund the weekend. So our guests didn’t have to pay for anything specific, or get us a tangible gift, but rather they contributed to the whole experience. (snorkeling, massages, gratuities, etc…)
We delegated certain people to pack our favorite wines in their suitcase. One person was allowed 3 bottles into Mexico, so we bought our favorites in California, wrapped them all cute and delivered them to our friends to pack with them.
Our best friends two boys walked me down the isle. One was responsible for making me laugh and the other one for reminding me to breathe. You can tell by the pics who had what job :)
What was the inspiration for your Glövite and Glösite design? If you made them yourself, tell us how you did it. Celebration + Vacation= Celecation
Our guests’ experience with Glovite/Site was like booking a vacation. Right down to the music and villa bookings….
Now show us your Glövites and Glösite
Any good planning tips and tricks for the couples who are just starting to plan?
For the communication, keep it consistent. When you’re communicating online with your guests, it’s easy to break off and have side convos in your personal email accounts. Chances are, if one person had a question, there are 3 other people that had the same one.. so don’t be afraid to update your site with the new info, and answer that way. On the same note though, anticipate any questions your guests might have so you don’t have to keep sending out “updates”…most likely your guests will tune out from you in their inbox. I suggest you have 2 of your closest friends receive the first ones to proof it (1 male and 1 female because we just think differently).
We sent 4 ‘Glovites’ in total
1. Save the Date
2. Invite (with an RSVP date)
3. Reminder to RSVP (1 week before the date listed on invite)
4. Thank You’s (this way when they clicked on the link, they got to experience the “After Math” of the wedding.. where we added a photo section, which was really just a link to pictage our photographer created, a lost and found page and our new address… You could even send a thank you to people who didn’t attend, but did send you a gift, that way they can see the site & pics too!
For the decor, don’t be afraid to mix DIY with professional help. i.e., we paid big bucks to rent out the resort, but when it came to table decor, we ordered clear votives and candles online (75 for $30), brought them in our suitcase and filled them with sand. WAY cheaper than renting candlelight from the decorators.
What is your favorite memory from your celebration?
My favorite memory was sitting at breakfast, watching my friends and family play in the environment we created for them. My husband looked at me and said.. “I didn’t know this is what I wanted.” Meaning, even he was surprised by the incredible outcome of following the vision only you guys could have made.
What’s the biggest “say what?” moment or funny story that’s happened since you started planning?
There are 2!
1. A baton of bubbles.
Sooooo, our friends in New Zealand called the resort and said they wanted to treat us to a “Bottle of Bubbles”. They interpreted this as a “Baton of Bubbles” and proudly gave it to us with a note from our friends. We looked at the incredibly sweet concierge and said, “Are you sure they didn’t mean champagne?” And he said, “No..they said bubbles”. We didn’t have the heart to push it any further because he searched high and low for bubbles that came in a baton! So we just giggled said “Muchas Gracias”! To our surprise one of our guests actually blew them as I walked down the isle. Which turned out to be a MUCH better contribution to our wedding.
2. Part of the ceremony decor was beans sprinkled out in a circle that our guest’s stood around. Jashita left the decorations there for the week and they ended up sprouting! To this day, they’ve left the greenery there (where it was once just sand) because they believe it is a sign of life/fertility… pretty sweet.
I can’t even explain how privileged I feel to introduce our next Real Glöbie couple, who were among the first gay couples to be married at City Hall in New York City on July 24, 2011.
(photos from New York Wedding Day by Liesl Henrichsen from PhotoPink. Photos from “Celebration of Love” party by Jerry Zalez Photography other photos captured by various media outlets to celebrate first day of Gay Marriage in NYC. hooray!)
Photo by: Lauren Colchamiro/Metro
The Glö-Couple (tell us a fun fact about each of you):
Gisela, Studio Manger (I am a Certified Good Time) &
Alena, Executive Assistant (Makes the World’s Best Mac N Cheese)
In April of 2010 while in Miami (we love Miami) I made a custom scratch off card for Alena with the question: Will you Marry Me? Alena started laughing…I was like I am serious! She said yes…we partied like rock stars!
What’s the overall ‘feeling’ you’re aiming for with your celebration:
We wanted an intimate Celebration of Love – that was catered to us. We were not concerned with having the fanciest venue and dresses – but more concerned with how we could be creative and FUN.
Are you adding any fun twists on tradition:
Alena and I baked 150 cupcakes the night before our party, had a stepNrepeat backdrop made, custom m&ms, pens, a slideshow and even a specialty drink menu. We designed a “Celebration of Love: logo and it was EVERYWHERE!
What was the inspiration for your Glövite and Glösite design? If you made them yourself, tell us how you did it.
Nothing to fancy. We wanted it to be sweet and informative – with a tease for what our guests could expect the night of the party. I used photos from the day of our ceremony in New York, combined that with some cool text and VOILA!
Now show us your Glövites and Glösite
Any good planning tips and tricks for the couples who are just starting to plan?
When you are planning your party remember that you will never be able to please everyone. There will be people that can’t make it on a specific date. The party is about YOU. And you don’t need to go broke to prove to everyone that you are in love.
What’s the biggest “say what?” moment or funny story that’s happened since you started planning?
About an hour before our party Alena had a true bridezilla moment about us not being ready…she went to run up the stairs and tumbled UP the staircase! Luckily she didn’t break her neck.
Care to share some of your vendors?
Photo Pink – for being there the day we got married. Jerry Zalez – took pictures day of our party. 9th and Coles Tavern – the local bar that also provided back up for liquor consumption :)
It was 4th of July, 2010. I had taken Paul to my hometown which is known for its spectacular fireworks show. After the show I was freezing and wanting to go inside but he asked me to just sit with him and watch the lights. Then he got down on one knee and asked me. I replied by screaming, “ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?!?” twice…before I believed he was actually proposing. After I was thoroughly convinced I said, “yes” and sealed it with a smooch =)
What’s the overall ‘feeling’ you’re aiming for with your celebration:
We wanted it to be comfortable, not stuffy and a whole lot of fun. I wanted cute kids in the wedding party and we only had one person standing for each of us. We had a schedule and it was loosely minded, it wasn’t stressful and there was a lot of dancing, great toasts and love. It was very important to me to have kids be a part of the day. I didn’t want to be bossing people around or be angry…and I wasn’t! It was beautiful.
Are you adding any fun twists on tradition:
Our choice for a ring bearer couldn’t say ‘bearer’ so when he came running to me announcing that he was going to be my ‘ring bear’ and his mom told me he had bear paws I knew it had to be. My mom raised me until I was 6, when she met my step-dad. I wanted to honor her commitment and sacrifice for me so we had a mother-daughter dance that she LOVED. I think that was the best part of the reception for both of us. Paul and I are big fans of Brandi Carlile and a lot of her music really speaks to us and is part of our relationship. We incorporated some lyrics into our vows as well as used ‘The Story’ as our first dance, complete with the rock out in the second verse.
What was the inspiration for your Glövite and Glösite design?
Classy, simple and beautiful. That’s all we really strove for in our celebration and the Glovite designs really helped us achieve that.
Now show us your Glövites and Glösite
Any good planning tips and tricks for the couples who are just starting to plan?
I would have left earlier than I did to get ready, I only had 1 hour to do: my hair, make-up AND get my dress on. I really missed out on a lot of lady bonding time with all my friends and family.
What’s the biggest “say what?” moment or funny story that’s happened since you started planning?
Oh the stories I could tell… We received a gift 4 mo. before the wedding, and I sent her a thank you note. She emailed me asking why we weren’t waiting until after the wedding to open them. I gently tried to explain to her that 4 months is a long time to wait for acknowledgement let alone a thank you, and assured her that we wouldn’t use them until the ‘deal was sealed.’ I think she then got the idea of how absurd she was being.
You might recognize this couple from the Glö homepage and examples page. I just love their story. These two were best friends for 15 years before they fell in love, decided to get married, and then had a beautiful little girl named Ottoline.
One day, Stuart decided that there was no one else he’d rather spend his life with than Fenella. But it was quite a wooing process, complete with a Shakespearean-esque sonnet, candlelit home-cooked meals, and many late night talks about love, commitment, friendship and marriage. Finally a formal proposal came about in the most unexpected of places.
How do I know so much? Because Fenella is one of my closest friends and Stuart is right up with her in my book. To top it all off Fenella and Stuart were among the very first Glö beta-testers, so for me they’ll always hold a special place in our Glö-history and hearts.
The Glö-Couple:
Fenella, a management consultant &
Stuart, a company director
Celebration Date & Location:
August 2010, Pekes Manor, Chiddingly (near Lewes), East Sussex, UK
Courtesy of Pekes Manor
Tell us how you got engaged:
We had just been to a wedding in Texas. We had only been dating for a few months, but we had been friends for 15 years before that. After the wedding (a great weekend affair on a ranch outside Austin) we went to a shooting gallery (as you do). While holding his Magnum .44, Stuart asked me to make his day!
What’s the overall ‘feeling’ you were aiming for with your celebration:
We wanted it to be relaxed with lots of good food and wine and plenty of opportunties for us to catch up with old friends and for them to catch up with each other. We definitely decided that one day would be too short and so tried to find a place where most people could stay on site and we could have events over several days. Instead of getting a wedding catering company, we found some great cooks who lived in the village and gave them our favourite recipes.
Did you add any fun twists on tradition:
We wrote our own ceremony and each had a best man and a best woman – which made for a lot of speeches! The twists were more with what we took out. The focus was on the people, the food, the wine, and the band. We spent little or no time (or money) on table decorations, favours, my dress or the wedding cake. The table decorations were a a candle with some scattered silver stars a friend had in her garage, the dress was a white 1920’s knee length dress from a ‘vintage’ shop (bought 3 weeks before the wedding), the cake was made by a friend (with plain white icing), and we dispensed with favours altogether.
Also, our daughter Ottoline was turning two the weekend after the wedding, so the morning after we held a “Welcome to the World” party for her – we had a child’s entertainer (which the adults absolutely loved…) and a naming ceremony conducted by her fairy god-mother and father (the closest she’ll get to having god-parents.)
What was the inspiration for your Glövite and Glösite design?
We wanted a simple, clean modern design, that was not too over-wrought or ‘wedding-y’. We were hosting the wedding in the countryside so liked the leaf motif.
Any good planning tips and tricks for the couples who are just starting to plan?
1. Ask friends for help from the planning stage and on the day itself – they are delighted to be involved!
2. Nominate someone to be the key person for all the suppliers on the wedding day itself – you don’t need the stress and you won’t have time.
3. The day can go very fast. Plan some time to just be together with your partner to take it all in.
What’s the biggest “say what?” moment or funny story that happened while you were planning?
Work got very hectic a few weeks before the wedding. A friend suggested I get a wedding organiser to help with the last pieces of planning. The first one I called asked me, ‘What’s the one thing that has to be right… the dress, the car, the cake…’ – totally not the sort of wedding I wanted!
I was working late, but my boyfriend was persistently texting me about when I would get home. When I finally got home, he told me he’d e-mailed me a new edition of his company newsletter. I always ask to read his work. I babbled on about my day as he nervously waited for me to open the e-mail. When I did, it was a special newsletter full of sweet stuff about us and photos. When I looked over at him, he had the ring. It was perfect for us because we met working on our campus newspaper and bonded over our love of news.
What’s the overall ‘feeling’ you were aiming for with your celebration:
We wanted to have a fun, casual and eco-friendly night that celebrated our love with all our friends and family. We aimed for an elegant, Southern feel, but still laid back.
Photo by Sarah Kobos.
Photo by Sarah Kobos
Any fun twists on tradition?
Here is one of Liz’s blog posts about the fun details of their wedding day (professional photos by Sarah Kobos):
Since I didn’t have a wedding planner or coordinator, coming up with the details that make a wedding a whole lot more than just a party took a lot of originality. I brainstormed what I liked and scoured wedding blogs. Some of the ideas I liked I stowed away on a Tumblr blog. Since we were tying the knot in sleepy South Carolina, we went for a Southern-esque theme.
So, we had quilts. My mom loves quilts. And hay. Bails of hay are really pretty cheap.
We hung a timeline of photos on a clothesline with clothespins along the wall in the carriage house. We made sure to includes photos of us with each of our guests so they felt a part of our day.
On tables we had ranunculus that I ordered online. They didn’t turn out exactly as planned but I actually really like the look. We put them in cans painted with metallic paint and tied with raffia. And tealights.
I came across a few weddings on blogs that used cotton. I loved the look and was determined to use a lot of cotton. I succeeded. The cotton was free because it’s South Carolina and my sister-in-law has family that lives on/near a cotton farm. She really helped me pull it off.
So we used cotton on some tables in mason jars.
My amazingly creative mother then made wreaths with cotton and tied wooden letters in the middle.
Meanwhile, my handyman father built country road signs.
He also made the chalk board bubbles for the “Faux-to booth.”
Speaking of the photobooth. Here’s how it turned out.
We also had yard games for people to play. One of Chas’ groomsmen got us Bocce and cornhole.
And my most favorite detail — the chairs.
What was the inspiration for your Glövite and Glösite design?
We went with South Carolina pride because it’s where we fell in love. After living far away for several years, we miss the South. We played up the Palmetto Tree to incorporate this. We made both in photoshop using free fonts and free brushes.
Now show us your Glövites and Glösite
If you uploaded your own design(s) – how did you make them?
We made them in photoshop using free fonts and free brushes.
Any good planning tips and tricks for the couples who are just starting to plan?
Think simply. The more you plan, the more you have to do. We should have made it even more casual and laidback, but that’s just us. Just be aware that anything you want, you have to actually pull off.
It has to be about what you and your fiancee want. We were pulled in many directions from everyone, but in the end, you want to be happy on your wedding day. Sometimes this means saying, I just don’t like that. I wouldn’t go overboard and become bridezilla. Know when to fight for something and when to cave-in.
When the day actually rolls around, just go with it and don’t let the little things get you down. My niece, our flower girl, was very sick the day of. So she missed out, but we were more worried about how she was instead of that we didn’t have a flower girl and she wasn’t in our photos. My sister-in-law, and matron of honor, and brother had to leave early to take her to the hospital, so we didn’t have an actual wedding toast. No big deal! (My niece is fine, by the way! No worries.) My mother forgot the pretty decorative and personalized napkins I’d ordered. We now have about 400 napkins left over, but it wasn’t a problem. And no one let anything bother them on that day. It was perfect.
The best advice I heard before was that the day go by so quickly that you have to take a minute to enjoy it. I’ll admit this is tough to do, but I tried. Before you know it, it’s over and you aren’t ready for it.
I let my mother and my mother-in-law login to our Glosite to update guest information. They added addresses and contact info. for people we didn’t know. When it came time to write thank you notes, we had all the addresses in one central location, so we didn’t have to ask for addresses again. The site has just kind of helped us keep track of everything: gifts, addresses, who came, etc. And we can access anywhere, so it’s been way better than a spreadsheet.
Photos by Melissa Welsh Photography
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Celebration Date & Location:
