A Foxy Fête: Let Them Eat Cake!

Somewhere in the middle of all the dancing, cake happened. Nom.

All photos by Exclamation Imagery unless otherwise noted.

Before we go forward, several things about said cake:

1. Since we opted for buttercream icing, I was told that if it happened to be exceptionally hot the day of our wedding, the cake tiers would need to be separated and on three different cake stands. Long story short, I hated all the ones the cake place had, I attempted to find my own, then attempted to make my own, then gave up. Then we lucked out with the weather and they didn't need to be separated after all. Huzzah!

2. I totally used fake flower petals that I got at Michael's to decorate the table. I never thought I would have done that in a million years. I know tons of people love 'em and use 'em, but they just aren't my thing. Then I saw them in colors that matched the petal colors I requested on the cake, and it was game over, man. And I loved it.

3. Our photog totally asked if I wanted a close up/detail shot of "the cute little squirrels" on top of the cake. Except they were foxes.

Ehh, squirrels, foxes, they're both adorable.

And the masses seemed to agree - there was lots of love over our cake table! Whoever arranged everything (Officiant Em? Jaime? Bueller?) did a fabulous job with everything.

This is from when we were actually cutting the cake.. my dad (guy with the camera) just cracks me up!

So anyway, as I started to say.. somewhere in the middle our dancefest, the cake table was rolled to the center of the dance floor as Speak Slow by Tegan and Sara started playing. We took our places and got ready to slice that baby.. when Foxy decided he should go all ninja with a samurai sword and tried to take over. Again.

Photo by Mrs. Guinea Pig

I probably made that face for about half a second, which Mrs. Guinea Pig somehow managed to catch. Total awesomesauce.

Scary moment over, we proceeded to cut the cake the right way. You know, with the bride taking control.

At this point, I think all breaths were held. Anyone who knows Foxy would expect a piece of cake being smashed all over my face.

Anyone who knows me would know that I would not let that happen. Then again, anyone who knows the both of us would still expect some cake smashing.

Alas, I think I threatened talked to Foxy enough to ensure a nice, proper bite of cake. I mean.. I would have been so sad if it got smushed on my face. That cake was freaking tasty. A bite on my face was a bite not in my mouth.

I'm actually quite impressed that Foxy even ate his piece - the man hates cake. And the only flavor he really tolerates is red velvet.. which was in the top tier. You know, the one we weren't going to cut into. Oh well.

At least I know he enjoyed our proceeding toast, done with the gorgeous flutes my lady love HK made for us!

Then it was time for everyone else to dig in, and for the crêpe station to turn from savory to sweet.

(Sorry, I had to post this picture again.. it was too delicious not to!)

At this point, I was starting to get a little sad. Cutting the cake meant that we were nearing the end of the reception sooner rather than later. Even though I knew the night would still continue for a handful of us, I didn't want what was happening right then, in that moment and with so many of my loved ones, to stop. One of my few regrets is that we weren't able to have a longer reception (due to time limits and local noise ordinances) - so I knew I had to enjoy the rest of the celebration to its fullest. Back to dancing it was!!

I even got my token dip!

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.

Food & Details - All the details about our cocktail-style reception and rustic decor.

Good Times, Bad Touch - Our guests got down with their bad selves on the dance floor with a lot of finger pointing, interpretive dance, and.. our very own rendition of Bad Touch. 

Faux-to Booth Fun! - We said no to veggies and yes to a sorta last-minute DIY photo booth!

Tatted Up - One of the most fun and unexpected features at the reception was our temporary tattoos that many guests ended up sporting proudly all night!

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.

A Foxy Fête: Bubbles and Bustles and Beverages, Oh My!

I wish I could tell you that we walked down the aisle as husband and wife amid a sea of bubbles, and then show you lots of pictures that you could go pin on Pinterest as "superawesomeOMG bubble recessional at wedding!!".

However, this is all I've got for you:

All photos by Exclamation Imagery unless otherwise noted.

 Me, looking like a giddy donkey with five bubbles off to the right of Foxy, and a few lovely guests blowing them nowhere near us. Oh well. At least I tried (and know that they worked)! So my only  takeaway for you is this: if you're in need of a quick, easy answer for bubble solution, hit up Michael's. Can't beat $1 bottles of solution!

Anyway, back to the good stuff: our remarkably bubble-free walk down the aisle was quickly followed by the rest of the wedding party, and then finally, our parents.

Word on the street is that there was lots of intermingling, hugging, congratulating, and just plain happiness post-ceremony (as there should be, right?!).

Foxy and I happened to miss most of this, though, seeing as we were pretty swiftly hustled back into the house immediately after our walk down the aisle. We had previously decided to not do a receiving line, and did not want to linger around and unintentionally create one. Hence, I went to the bridal suite, and Foxy went to the bar.



(Side note: Since I missed seeing all this in person, you can only imagine my delight when I finally saw some of these happy, smiling pictures.. tears in my eyes? I totes had 'em.)

Back in the bridal suite, my ladies were busy doing their thang and bustling my dress (and drinking champagne, obvi). I have to give them credit - MOH's Blondie and Copper got that baby tied up in less than five minutes! I honestly didn't believe them when they told me it was done, which I blame on the half-hour plus, super intricate bustle that Brideslady M had on her wedding dress a few weeks before.. that thing was a freaking puzzle! (Mine was also completely different and was just a simple five point French bustle, but that's neither here nor there.)

At this point, we were all getting rather antsy in our desire to get out to cocktail hour to drink mingle.. that was the whole point of pre-ceremony pictures, after all! So with the bustle done, we had a quick toast..

..I briefly reconvened with Foxy Mama..

..and we all made our way out to cocktail hour! You better believe I was all over the food as soon as I stepped out there.

As was my dad, apparently!

There were pecan-encrusted cheese balls (I think). There were mini crab cakes (I think). There were little chicken taco things (I think). I mean.. it was all freaking delicious, and that's all I really cared about!

(Well, that and our amazeballs playlist, that I have saved on my iPhone and still listen to. Details soon, should you want them {or not}.)

Cocktail hour itself took place both inside the main Vandiver house, as well as on the front porch. Outside, you had the bar area - another thing I never saw (at least not in its full glory) until pictures from our photog and guests started pouring in. (One perk of being the bride: people get drinks for you.. no waiting in line!) I'm kind of sad I missed seeing it in person, though, because I'm completely obsessed with how everything looked.. especially with our cute little signature cocktails and handmade chalkboard signs (that I finally figured out)!

Photo by Mrs. Guinea Pig

Photo by Mrs. Pony

left: photo by Exclamation Imagery | right: photo by Mrs. Pony

Something I was able to see were the decorations spread throughout the inside of the Vandiver - though I do have to admit, most of them were really just things I grabbed from our house at the last minute, thinking "oh hey, this can go somewhere, right?!".

Eh, it worked. We also lucked out because the inside of the house is pretty swanky on its own - not much decoration was really needed! I'll take it.

While we didn't plan it this way, the cocktail hour actually ended up being our "social hour" - I was able to see and talk to almost everyone who came to our wedding, which worked out incredibly well given the lack of receiving line post-ceremony and casualness of the upcoming reception. Talking, walking, drinking, and mingling was abound!

Posing with Officiant Em before she changed into her party outfit!

Hugs for the stepbro and his to-die-for singing voice.

Hugs for ALL the boys.

Groomsman Brother & his oh-so-sweet girlfriend!

Crab cakes!! And the crew from work.

Funny story: NOT his kids. (They are hers though!)

Truth: they ARE his kids (and wife)!

Brideslady Bunny Love and posse (also the crew we went to Mexico with!).

Telling everyone my earrings are made of rock candy.. and having half of them believe it.

My dancer loves!

Chatting with Foxy's family.

Two of the most amazing people ever - Breezy B (hair guru) and E!

Loves for my hometown friends & family.

I found some very special guests!!

All too soon, Foxy and I were being whisked away from the action yet again, this time to see the reception set up before everyone else filtered in (and to hide ourselves before being reintroduced as Mr & Mrs).

Hive, I can't even tell you how freaking thrilled I was by how everything came together! While I was around to help decorate and direct the night before and earlier that day, most of the "magic" happened during pictures and the ceremony - this was the first time I was able to see everything all together, and oh my gosh, it was probably the 39084932nd time that day that I had tears in my eyes! I promise to share more details soon, but just believe me that pretty much everything I had been picturing in my mind for the past 26 months was suddenly right there.. and it didn't look like someone just threw up lace and lanterns and mason jars everywhere (cause I seriously thought it would.. I had nightmares). Success!!

Has anyone else had fears about all your ideas and details not coming together in the end??

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!