Wow! Where did the time go?? Hard to believe that my wedding was five years ago today. I still remember all of the details of that magical day and the wonderful feelings I felt at the end of a weekend full of festivities.
In honor of five very happy years, here's a stroll down memory lane...hope you received your invitation. ;)
We did everything exactly the way we wanted...right down to our lopsided wedding party. LOL! I had three guys (including my brother) and three gals on my side while my husband had a 5:1 ratio of guys to gals on his side. His brother was the best man. Instead of a ton of posed formal pictures we went with a photojournalistic photographer who just snapped as we went along...wasn't as thrilled about the results as I would have hoped, but live and learn. (Note to brides: Be sure you know how your bustle works before the wedding day...my dear friend and MOH spent 20 minutes under my dress trying to get that silly train hooked up. Made for funny photos though...)
Our wedding venue was The Farm House in Avondale, PA. My brother had his rehearsal dinner there a few years earlier and we fell in love with the place. Great people, amazing food and a beautiful space. Can't ask for more than that.
The ceremony was outside under a tent just before sunset. Each bridesmaid and every lady at the wedding received a vintage hanky that my husband and I had collected over many antiquing trips in the months leading up to our wedding. I tied little tags to each with a Shakespeare quote that said "If you have tears, prepare to shed them." I carried two hankies myself, that my grandmother had given me..."one to show and one to blow." (That still makes me laugh!) Tied to my bouquet was my grandfather's college ring. Sadly, he had passed away just a few months before the wedding, so I kept him close throughout the day.
After the ceremony, everyone took a stroll to the cocktail reception...it was supposed to be a little like the old European custom of walking from the church, but my new hubby and I sort of took off a little fast and lost the rest of the guests. We were so excited and giddy we couldn't slow down! All along the pathway we had placed tons of red mums and luminarias...was so pretty.
After cocktails, we moved into the main reception room. It was so gorgeous it took my breath away. When the wedding party was introduced we sent them all out with arms full of red and brown feather boas to give each guest...a nod to our many nights spent partying in the French Quarter...that and my mom and I are both such divas that we couldn't have a wedding without boas. I had a huge white one and my husband got a big black one. You should have seen the floor after the wedding...I'm pretty sure they are still finding feathers and that boas have been banned there forever after.
My mother-in-law made a billion jars of strawberry jam with berries she grew in her garden...these were our favors and had little labels that said "Spread the Love." We attached seating cards to each favor so they did double duty. Loved how they turned out and mmmmmm, so delicious!
My mom and I made table runners for all of the tables...they had a burlap look to them with chocolate brown velvety edging...rustic, yet elegant. They set off the flowers beautifully. Each table had a trio of red rose arrangements...we kept them small so people could talk over them and spaced them along the tables with votives for a warm inviting look.
Our music was provided by Philly based Carlo Morelli...a Frank Sinatra singer who brought his 10-piece band with him...so much fun! His piano player did our cocktail hour. Then the full band played for the first half of the wedding. When it got late and people were ready to cut loose, we switched to a DJ for all those songs that "Frank" just couldn't do.
Our cake was from a local bakery called Bing's. My grandmother and Mrs. Bing went back 100 years, so it was definitely a family affair. Every important cake I ever ate growing up came from Bing's. We had them cover it with sanding sugar, so it shimmered like crystal...kind of matched my dress, actually! The florist, another old-school family run business, was supposed to provide cascades of fresh white roses for it, but instead there were white alstroemeria all over it. Not sure if the florist forgot or ran out of roses...I was a little disappointed and still get annoyed when I look at the photos, but what are you going to do??? It was still pretty and I loved the sugared look. For a topper we used a silver Eiffel tower in honor of our Paris engagement.
By the end of the night we were all exhaused from non-stop dancing. I always love to dance at weddings, but dancing at my own was really amazing! What a rush! Luckily my fabulous silver shoes were comfy. Yes, I went with silver, so I could wear them again...plus I can't stand white shoes...sadly there are no photos of my shoes, but I can tell you they were amazing! Wink. Wink.
So again, I say...wow! Has it really been five years? It's true what they say...time flies when you're having fun! Maybe next week I'll share some photos from our honeymoon...we took a long liesurely road trip up the coast of New England. Dreamy. Until then, I hope you enjoyed this little glimpse back in time as much as I enjoyed sharing it.
And Happy Anniversary to my sweet Gabriel....
XOXO, Cindi
