Browsing Tag

Washington

Alicia and Paul’s Family Oriented BBQ complete with a ring ‘bear’

Photos by Keri Pinzon

The Glö-Couple:

Alicia, a Microbiologist + Paul, a Web Publisher

A fun fact about the couple:

Alicia is great at parallel parking, Paul is a South Paw

Celebration Date & Location:

July 10, 2011
Hood Canal Vista Pavilion
Port Gamble, WA USA

Photo courtesy of Port Gamble Weddings

Tell us how you got engaged:

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.

Your fabulous vendors:

23 Aug 2011

Real Glö-bies, Real Glö-Vites & Sites

Shanelle and Mike’s Camptastic Wedding with Rad Friends, Family and Pie!

I am pretty excited to introduce Shanelle and Mike to you all. Not only are they getting married on my birthday next year (yay!) but they are actually putting pie front and center in their celebration. PIE! How cool is that?!?

The Glö-Couple:
Shanelle, an Operations Assistant &
Mike, a Marketing Manager

Celebration Date & Location:
August 2011
Camano Island, WA;
Camano Island State Park

Tell us how you got engaged:
I actually proposed to Mike! (You go girl!) We went to his folks vacation home (which he loves) near the Canal to escape a busy period in our lives. I was a nervous wreck, so I basically blurted out a speech about loving him and wanting to marry him and then asked him if he would be engaged to me. I even gave him a watch. He said “of course” right away and then got on his knees and said sweet things. We cried and kissed and laughed and then did a shot of tequila! It was perfect.

What’s the overall ‘feeling’ you’re aiming for with your celebration:
Mike and I are pretty laid back, but love to throw rad parties, so our wedding will reflect our interests while still showing everyone a good time. The main idea is to incorporate things we love (camping, hanging out, mason jars) but still make sure others are comfortable and happy. Figuring that out right away has really helped us stay on track. We haven’t stressed about much because everything we are planning is such a reflection of us and sounds like so much fun; it is making us so excited for the big day. My favorite example is the food; Mike and I like to grill, so our caterer is a local street food vendor that makes gourmet burgers and fries. So stoked!

Here’s some of the inspiration Shanelle has collected so far

Are you adding any fun twists on tradition:
I mentioned some above (burgers and fries), but we are also omitting the traditional cake and doing pie instead. We both LOVE pie, so it just made sense. One of our best friends wil be our officiant and I have a guy on my side of the wedding party. We have to leave the main wedding site before dusk, so we will all go back to our group camping site and make s’mores and laugh. Our rehearsal dinner will be a super chill bbq on the beach. Oh! We are also walking down the isle to a Prince song (I Would Die 4 You) since we both love him. Haha!

What was the inspiration for your Glövite Save-the-Dates and Glösite design?
A friend designed our Save the Dates based on a design we had seen online; she is amazing! We just wanted everything to be clear, simple, and reflect who we are and what type of wedding we are having.

Now show us your Glövites and Glösite!

What’s the craziest/funniest/biggest ‘SAY WHAT?” moment you’ve had while planning?
I tried on a silly, frilly dress for my future mother in law and I got stuck in it! It was too funny and surreal to be embarrassing. Haha!

Any good planning tips and tricks for the couples who are just starting to plan?
Have an an honest conversation with your future spouse about expectations, ideas, traditions (wanted and unwanted) and budget ASAP. Once that is all hashed out, have fun and remember to breathe! Mike and I did a lot of the big planning within a couple of months after getting engaged and that was nice, but it has also taken some of the excitement away for the moment because we now have a while until the wedding and the little stuff can wait. I use a great blog called Offbeatbride that helps keep me calm because you can discuss wedding plans with other lucky ladies. I also suggest using a notebook to keep ideas, swatches, contracts, etc. in. Most importantly, don’t take it too seriously! It’s only one day and you already know how it will end.

9 Oct 2010