In honor of "Throwback Thursday," we'll be featuring some of our favorite wedding stories on the blog, along with some reflection from the couples! I hope these insights from real brides and grooms are helpful to all of you as you plan your own weddings!
We're kicking off this series with a stylish modern Pasadena wedding and a fun-loving couple who found Pinterest-free ways to personalize their day.
From the bride, Lisa: I have a confession to make. It may shame me among brides, wives, and general craft lovers the nation over – but here it goes: I am not a fan of Pinterest.
Don't get me wrong- I took a peek for "inspiration" on a few things here and there and I loved just about everything I saw. The problem was I loved everything. I wanted it all and tried to fit it all in to our wedding day. When you're going for a simple and modern wedding- trying to squeeze in a paper flower backdrop with ballons and harps was a bit much.
That's when Shawn and I decided to just delete all my virtual inspiration boards and work on what we wanted; a simple, modern wedding with as much personalization as we could muster.
That meant doing a lot of things ourselves. One; because we couldn't afford those awesome harps, and two, we didn't want our guests to say "those flowers are on my Pinterest board too!"
We rolled our figurative sleeves up and dove in.
We spent many a bottles of wine "pouring" over ideas of how to personalize the weekend- little things like creating escort cards with an inside joke for each guest. It was tedious but deliciously rewarding to see their faces as they compared with other guests- who knew they would double as ice breakers as guests shared their stories with each other!?
We made our own invitation suite, spent hours creating our "LOVE" sign, had a graphic designer friend create a logo for us, and called in some favors for linens, flip flops, and candy (and a few other hundred details).
Then came the traditions; how do you personalize a tradition? I'm not sure although I'm sure Pinterest would have some ideas! :) We wanted to honor the requests of our families and make sure pieces of their support were present in our day. For us, the traditions passed on were not grandiose requests of venue, colors, or something we couldn't easily work in. They were simple but meaningful requests; carrying my mother's rosary down the aisle and Shawn and I drinking out of coffee mugs that were replicas of the same mugs his parents used on their wedding day. (although on our wedding day, the coffee may have been replaced with champagne)
We thought it was nice to be able to do things for them in hopes that our future family will pass on a few traditions we thought of along the way. Like having breakfast with our moms before the craziness starts, or wearing Shawn's personalized cufflinks, or having the bride and groom get a minute or two of dancing with each of the new siblings gained; small things that give a nod to the history of the relationships that have shown us what love and family mean.
The most important thing I learned from the year and a half process is that what everyone says is true; weddings are amazing and after all is said and done you get to wake up next to your best friend. What they don't tell you is to appreicate all the people that support you in the journey. The amazing women who give up their day to assemble flowers, the brothers who hunt for socks, the bridesman and mother in law who are willing to break tradition and go on a fantastic bachelorette party without so much as a "really?…"
For Shawn and I they helped create amazing memories, pushed to us to break a few traditions, carry a few on, and create a few for the future. To them, we owe endless thank you's.
- Lisa
Thank you, Lisa, for sharing your tips and your day with us! I love all the ways that you and Shawn made your wedding day a beautiful reflection of your personalities! Be sure to check out Lisa and Shawn's wedding photos by Candice Benjamin Photography for a close look at all of those fantastic details.
What do you think of the Pinterest wedding craze? Where are you finding inspiration to personalize your wedding?
