A Foxy Fête: Food & Details

(Can't get much more clever with a title, can you??)

One thing I've mentioned briefly in previous posts is how Foxy and I were shooting for a cocktailesque-style reception. The two of us have always agreed that cocktail hour is consistently our favorite part of the weddings we've attended, so we figured.. why not just have our whole wedding be like that?! (In all honesty, we really just wanted a fun wedding without a formal sit-down dinner, so cocktail style seemed to be the way to go.) We worked with the Vandiver during our two year planning period to figure out how to make the reception different enough from cocktail hour to be discernible, but also to still keep it relatively casual and cocktail-y.

The result was a nice mix of high top tables spread throughout the pavilion and surrounding property, with five large round tables in the middle for folks to sit at should they want to (with a few reserved specifically for family). 

All photos by Exclamation Imagery unless otherwise noted.

I'm still obsessed with our linens. I also never thought I would utter those words.

Photo by Mrs. Pony

The actual food stations were spread throughout the pavilion, which successfully kept people moving about and mingling for a large portion of the evening. So no, we didn't technically have enough seating available for everyone to sit down at the same time.. but that was kind of the point. As far as I'm aware, it actually worked out really well!

And so, after our teary-eyed and laugh-worthy toasts were over, our food stations officially opened up for everyone to enjoy. Yay food! 

I don't have too many pictures of the food itself since we gave our photogs the go-ahead to relax for a few minutes and get themselves a bite to eat (you know, instead of just watching everyone else eat.. that can't be fun). However, I can tell you that I personally dug into anything and everything that John (the owner of our venue) brought over for Foxy and I to eat. I can also tell you that there was absolutely a good five minutes where I was completely by myself at a high top cocktail table, stuffing my face.

So.. yes. I ate at my wedding. I ate a lot.

And since we don't have any photo documentation of my little food-party-for-one, why don't I show you bits and pieces of the rest of the (freaking delicious) grub we had spread out?

There was chilled tomato soup and caprese salad..

Photo by Mrs. Pony

..made-to-order pasta with different noodles, sauces, and toppings..

..freshly cooked and carved smoked turkey and beef tenderloin..

..and made-to-order crepes that transitioned from sweet to savory throughout the course of the reception!

You guys.. I know most everyone says that the food at their own wedding was the best ever, but let's be serious. This food was the. best. ever. We're still getting random compliments about how scrumptious it was! (Not to toot my own our venue's horn or anything.) (toot toot)

I also like to think that the food was only enhanced by the atmosphere that the Vandiver staff, Officiant Em, MOH Copper, and many other friends and family managed to create earlier that day. I'm still amazed that my broad concept of flowers, mason jars, lanterns, lace, chalkboard signs (you know, all that quintessential rustic-wedding-type stuff) somehow managed to come together in a relatively cohesive way!

Photo by Mrs. Pony

Photo by Mrs. Pony

Photos by Exclamation Imagery

Photos by Mrs. Pony

Photo by Exclamation Imagery

Photo by Exclamation Imagery

Photo by Mrs. Pony

Photo by Exclamation Imagery

While these bits and pieces of the overall picture made me all warm and fuzzy inside on their own, seeing it all together - from a distance, almost - somehow made it even more magical. Everything was really representative of Foxy and I, and you could just see the love that went into the planning, coordinating, and beauty of it all.

One thing I want to throw out there, especially for brides who are still in the planning phase - try not to get too caught up in the whole "it's so overdone" mindset/judgement. Does "rustic chic" seem to be the new buzzword in wedding land? Absolutely. Do most people even have a clue what that means, or have they seen it before? Probably not. My wedding decor may seem pretty generic to a few people who are immersed in the wedding world, but believe you me - the majority of my guests (even those recently married or in planning stages) were amazed by the amount of personal touches and detail we put into things. Just do you, whatever that may be. Foxy and I did simple, rustic beauty, and we couldn't have been happier. Sure, I had a bajillion and one sources of inspiration to choose from thanks to lots of other people thinking along the same lines, but whatever. I liked it. And if anything, it made my job easier!

#offmysoapboxnow

Enough about the details.. I think it's high time we got to some dancing, don't you?!

Miss a recap? Catch yourself up!

It's Wedding Week! - The week of the wedding started out pretty hectic, but we made it through (relatively) unscathed.

We're Cool People (who had to deal with a slight change of plans) - On Friday, we made our way to the venue, had a relatable moment on the radio, and learned about some last minute changes that we made an effort to take in stride.

Practice Makes Perfect.. And Crabs Don't Hurt, Either - After most everyone was settled in on Friday evening, we had our rehearsal followed by the best dinner ever - a Maryland crab feast!

Rise and Shine! - Wedding morning was soon upon us, and I woke up at the crack of dawn ready to get prettified.

Pretty Women - Over the course of the next several hours, myself and the girls hung out, got our hair and makeup done, had a photo shoot, and drank champagne.

Dressing Up - Soon enough, it was time for me to slip into my dress!

Dapper Dudes - At the same time, Foxy and his guys were ironing and getting into their suites - and Foxy was opening his wedding day gift!

The First of Many Looks - We had our first look, and both felt so much better after being able to see each other for the first time that day.

A School Bus Photoshoot - Our vehicle of choice for the day was a school bus, which we turned into a photo op both inside and out!

Smiles and Sun - The photos continued by the lighthouse and pier.. with sunglasses and a few funny stories along the way.

ALL The Family - We then met up with family at the lock house for even more pictures, and I started getting a bit antsy and having problems with my dress.

And Then There's Us - I kinda-sorta-maybe forgot all about couple and bridal pictures. Thank goodness for our amazing photog reminding us!

Final Touches - Slight chaos then ensued in the minutes before the ceremony started, consisting of me getting sewn into my dress and the boys getting their bouts pinned on at the last minute.

And So It Begins - The guests arrive, the wedding party lines up, and the ceremony space is revealed - complete with programs, white knots, and bubbles!

All I Want Is You, Will You Be My Bride? - The time had finally come - we all made our way down the aisle while my stepdad and stepbro played and sang a beautiful, acoustic version of "All I Want Is You".

Take Me By The Hand and Stand By My Side - In other words.. the ceremony!

Bubbles and Bustles and Beverages, Oh My! - Bubbles are blown, my bustle is tied in, and cocktail hour commences with lots of love, hugs, and drinks.

The Guestbook - The final version & reveal of our fingerprint guestbook - and some tips, should you want them!

I'd Do Anything For You - The reception kicked off with our oh-so-intricate first dance sway to Wake Up by Coheed and Cambria, which our guests joined in on halfway through.

Make 'em Laugh, Make 'em Cry - Which is exactly what we did, thanks to our bestest friends' amazing and beautiful toasts.

Paper Hearts

Early on in my planning, I stumbled across this adorable paper heart garland on Etsy.

via Etsy shop Pickled Parlour

I was immediately smitten, and was itching to include these in our wedding in some fashion. The only problem was, somewhere along the line, I started to get worried that I would just have too much going on.. paper lanterns, puff balls, ribbons, hearts.. something had to go, lest my wedding end up looking like someone threw up every rustic-y type of decoration out there. (I mean, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, but still. Keep it simple, stupid.)

Good news, though.. it was not the hearts that went! (It was the ribbons, per Foxy. Boh.) A few weeks before the wedding, I realized I had no idea what to do for chair decor for the ceremony - I'm too cheap for more flowers, was banned from using ribbons, and was feeling rather uninspired. Then I remembered that I had leftover card stock from my programs and this nifty little tutorial stashed away in my bookmarks toolbar. My solution? Individual paper hearts for the chairs!

Photo by Mrs. Pony

I kind of got carried away when making them, so they also made good decorations for all over the venue (notice how they're hung with ribbons?)!

Clockwise, from left to right:

Photo by Exclamation Imagery | personal photo | Photo by Mrs. Guinea Pig

What I loved most is that some lovely little wedding elves (I'm still not exactly sure who!) moved a lot of the hearts from the ceremony space to the reception space once the ceremony was over. It was like double decorations for the price of one!

Now, in case you love these little hearts as much as I do, here's a basic tutorial!

First, start with whatever kind of card stock you so choose - I used mostly double sided 12"x12" cardstock that I got at Michaels, but also made a few using regular white and ivory cardstock.

Image via Michaels

Next, you cut the paper into 1" thick strips (use a paper cutter!). You'll need to make a few of the strips a bit shorter in order to get the layered effect.

Then, starting from the outsides and working your way in, layer each strip on top of each other so that the shortest strips are on the outside and the longer ones are in the middle. You should also have an extra strip in the middle to serve as the "base" - also the place you'll eventually hang the hearts from.

Once the strips are stacked, make sure you have a good grip on the bottom and start folding the strips outward one at a time, securing each one with your fingers as you go along.

Once all but the middle strip have been folded out,  make sure the bottom edges are relatively aligned and staple together!

Since I didn't want the staple showing, I went one step further and used my favorite stand by, washi tape, to cover the staple and add a nice little finishing touch.

Overall, a relatively easy DIY, and one that definitely added a little something extra to our wedding decor!

Photo by Exclamation Imagery

Did you decide to add something - decorations or otherwise - to your wedding just days or weeks beforehand?

Wedding Explosion

I was on the phone with Foxy Mama the other day, catching her up on all the wedding related things currently happening/being created/that need to paid for soon. I paused, told her I needed to look around the wedding room to think of what else was needing to be done, when she immediately stopped the conversation.

"The WEDDING ROOM?!"

Yes, mom, the wedding room. I guess in everyday life you would call this our office, but it has slowly but surely become the place where all things wedding related are stored/thrown/strewn about. Hence, it is not called the office anymore.

Some sneak peeks in there!

Yes, it's a bit overwhelming, and yes, stuff is just... everywhere. It was actually a compromise between Foxy and I - he's a neat freak and I? Well I guess you can say that I tend to live in "organized chaos". I also tend to spread that chaos throughout the house, which gets bit much for Foxy. So, all the stuff goes in the wedding room, the one room that he doesn't mind being an explosion of glitter and glue and whatnot.

Except lately, on top of our sparkly wedding central, I've.. migrated a bit.

Shoes in a bowl? Why not?

Guess what's in the box, ready to be mailed..!

Ohh bachelorette goodies for brideslady M!

No one wants to see your butt, dog.

Sneak peak at our "guestbook"!

All this stuff will surely find it's way back into the wedding room eventually, making it even more armageddon looking. And I'm sure I'll organize it one day. Just not today. (Or tomorrow.) (Or the next day.)

Do have a designated wedding room? Do you tend to leave things spread all over the house like I do? How does your SO deal with it?

My super easy DIY chalkboards that were not so super easy.

I have this (potentially bad) habit of feeling the need to buy something when I think it's cute, regardless of whether or not I actually have a plan for it or know exactly how I can use it. (I'm also a pro at returning things.) So when I saw these little wooden frames for a buck or two at Michael's a few months back, I bought a whole bunch of them. They had a rustic type vibe and I figured there had to be something I could do with them for the wedding.

On the way home, it came to me: chalkboards!

Image taken from Lover.ly | Photo by Suzanna March Photography

I know everyone and their mother seems to be incorporating chalkboards into their wedding in some form or another these days, and I'm totally another sucker for 'em. I would love to place one at each of our food stations, one at the bar, one for the restrooms, etc and so forth. However, seeing as the frames I bought were just frames - no backing, no stand, just plain unfinished wood - I figured I could get some plywood from Home Depot to use as the backing, get it cut to size, spray with chalkboard paint, and glue it to the frames. Easy peasy, right?

Well obviously not, if you read the title of this post.

The first step was painting the frames - easy enough.

Wine always helps.

Then we had to recruit a friend to help us cut the plywood, since we don't have the appropriate tools. In theory, this was pretty easy, except every time we got together with said friend, we found a million other things to do (like eat.. and drink) instead of cut plywood. So finally, about a month later, we got everything cut down to size.

The boys hard at work!

The backings ended up being a bit larger than the frame openings, mostly so that I had ample room to glue them to the frames. However.. some ended up being a bit too large.

I originally thought I could just sand down the edges until they were the perfect fit. Not so. This plywood is THICK. 10 minutes of vigorous sanding had my hand cramping and made barely a dent on the size.

See how much it sticks out? Not good. The plan is to take them back to our friend and have him shave off some of the side.. I'm just nervous because it has to be pretty exact (and our schedules don't exactly mesh). I didn't really think about how small of a margin we have between too big and too small, and still being able to glue the backing to the frame.

The other issue is figuring out how to get them to stand. If you've noticed, none of the frames are flat on the bottom. They all have little filigree type designs sticking out, thus making my life increasingly difficult. I haven't even begun to think about this yet. One thing at a time.

I mean.. they'll (hopefully) look good when they are all finished.

But I honestly thought this project would take a few days, maybe a week. Not three months (and then some, since they still aren't finished). Miss Dalmatian, I am not.

Have you ever misjudged the work that needed to go into a project? Or.. maybe I'm just a DIY failure. Most likely that.