Mill Valley Outdoor Art Club Wedding- Elegant & Whimsical DIY Details

We worked on this lovely wedding in October. The bride and groom were full of great ideas and infused the day with so many sweet, personalized touches.

Handmade programs, rose petal cones, and seventeen individual guest books (one for each table) were designed and created by the bride and her mother. As favors, the bride’s sisters who are both accomplished photographers, created postcards that featured beautiful images from their travels.

Another fantastic detail- instead of wedding cake, this couple chose wedding pie. And the pie wouldn't have been complete without the FUN handmade toppers made by the bride, which actually resembled the couple.

Loop designed all floral arrangements. We loved working with this couple and their creative team, which included Julie Nunn Martin of I DO! Events and Laura Grier of Beautiful Day Photography.

Ceremony Programs - Playful and Elegant

We've all seen how much creativity can be put into the menus and escort cards, but I thought the way Leah and David put their personalities into these ceremony programs were really worth sharing. They are elegant, refined, and very playful..an exact reflection of the couple.

Given that the Gay Pride Parade was a couple of days ago, it's worth mentioning that the reading from Plato's Symposium was a nod to their fervent support of gay marriage.

Turkey Bone, Flowers, and True Love

There are so many ways to make your wedding reflect who you are. Being an event designer, of course, I'm extremely interested in the visual expression of a wedding. But, I'm also on a bit of a mission to initiate creativity into the ceremony. After all, the ceremony really is what it's all about.

For the next couple of posts, I'll be sharing how one couple, Leah and David, infused their entire wedding with meaning and personal expression.

I worked with Leah, doing the flowers for their wedding, and I have to say I had NEVER met anyone so genuinely, over the top, excited about her wedding....not just about the wedding, the dress, but about marrying her sweetheart. You could have plugged that girl in and lit up Vegas.

Following is a story from Leah. From my side... I was given a little dried up bone and was told that it was VERY important and needed to be tied to the bouquet. Uh, ooookay. But, really, knowing Leah, I knew it must have some sweet meaning and, it did.

From Leah:

"We started dating in October of 2005. By the time Thanksgiving rolled around, we were on the verge of breaking up  :(   Sitting down to Thanksgiving dinner with my family in NC, my father offered to let me pull the wishbone with him. As I pulled, I made the wish 'I hope David and I are able to make it work'.

I got the bigger piece and saved it. Things improved between us to the point where I told David the story and gave him the wishbone, telling him that my wish really had come true.

He promptly put it in his coat pocket, over his heart, and carried it there ever since.

I snuck it out before the wedding and had them dangle it from my bouquet...  "

Introducing Leah and David and the turkey bone bouquet. :)

Photos by John Griffin

Generous of Spirit - Writing Your Own Vows

I contacted Alison from Alison Events to ask if she could tell me about any particularly moving or creative ceremonies that she'd witnessed. She told me about this lovely wedding they planned last year. It was held at the couple's home in Corte Madera, CA; the land is called Meadowsweet Dairy, sweet indeed...reception photos tomorrow, which, by the way, are by B and N Photography. Check them out.

A nice thing to consider in your ceremony is an appreciation statement as below. Also writing your own vows really makes you stop and take the time to consider what you value, and to who and what you are committing. These are vows and appreciations are so lovely, hopefully they will serve as some inspiration.

Bride’s Appreciation  

I love you because you are generous of spirit, kind hearted and selfless.

I love your irrepressible enthusiasm for life and for helping others.

I love you because you are visionary and view the world and all problems from a uniquely creative perspective.

I love you because you are a loyal father, a passionate grandfather & a loving in-law.

I love your physical competence in the world, and I trust you with my life.

I love you because working with you brings meaning to my life and joy to my soul. 

I love you because you love and support me in such surprising and refreshing ways. 

You are tender, goofy, sexy & strong in just the right proportions.

I love you because you are the earth in which my soul is rooted.

Bride’s Vows

I promise to love you earnestly, with passion and enthusiasm. 

I promise my loyalty and that I will stay by your side through hard times as well as the good.

 I promise to work with you to reach your goals.

 I promise to be patient with our differences and to remember that they imbue our relationship with resilience, strength and humor.

 I promise to keep our relationship fresh and lively and to always remember that you are my lover and my beloved.

I promise to do what I can to stay healthy and fit in body and mind so that I may age gracefully by your side.

 I promise to help create a home that is welcoming, inclusive, spirited and inspiring.

 I promise to cherish your children and their families as my own. I promise to love you all the days of my life and to be with you in spirit even after I die. 

You Are My Sunshine

    The ceremony is often given the least attention in all the planning, when it is actually the most meaningful and important part.

   Tradition has it place, and creating something that is your own has it's place as well. Here are a few things my husband and I did for our ceremony.

   Not for a second am I saying there is a right way to do ANY of this, except for what is right in your heart. These are just some fun and meaningful options that we did...

1 - We walked in together as opposed to him waiting for me at the end of the aisle.

Why? I wanted to make the statement that I was not being given away and that we were entering into this (literally) together and equally.

2 - After walking in we turned and faced each other and then separately walked a circle in opposite directions circling our guests, coming back together at the beginning of the aisle.

Why? We wanted to claim the space (doing so literally), make it our own, and look at our beloved friends and family and take them in. We also like the idea of saying through this symbolic gesture that we are separate, with our own separate paths, and we come together here at this point in time, and we walk this aisle to marriage as two independent people.

3 - We had a bluegrass band play for the ceremony.

Why? Bluegrass is from my roots (the South) and it is very reminiscent of Irish music (his roots). My family and friends loved it, and his family actually commented on how much they liked it and how it reminded them of Irish music.

4 - We had an interfaith celebrant marry us (Lynn Rogers).

Why? My husband grew up Catholic and I grew up Methodist and neither of us have continued with organized religion. However, we both have a strong spiritual connection with the world, each other, and within ourselves, so it was important for us to have someone who represented ministry but in an interfaith, open faith kind of way. We loved Lynn.

5 - We had a sing-a-long. Yep, we did. We sang "You Are My Sunshine".

Why you ask? I love love love the feeling of being united in voice and song. LOVE it. I love the resonance that happens in our bodies and in the room and how all of that sound is filling the room in one voice. It's also playful, and that's the way I roll.