A Foxy Fête: It Ends with a Piñata

Thanks to our hoppin' after party, waking up the next day was a bit difficult for a few of us. I think the only motivation people had was the fact that we had to be up and out by 11am, as well as the fact that a nice hot breakfast was out and ready, and only being served until 10am. Just the cure for a full night day of drinking and wedding shenanigans!

This was about the point where everything just sort of hit me. We were officially married. It was so weird to be able to say that. And this wedding.. the one I spent over two years of my life planning.. was over. All the flowers were sitting on a lonely table in the empty dining room. The mason jars were collected, cleaned, and boxed. My chalkboard signs, cake topper, and toasting flutes were jumbled together inside another box.

It might be deemed weird by a few, but I totally teared up a bit. But I already wrote a whole post about that.

And then I remembered that I just married my other half. He's my husband. What an awesome word! That, and the fact that we were leaving for Mexico in the next 36 hours. Frown = upside down!

So once everything was all packed up and most of our friends and family had left, Foxy and I said one last goodbye to the Vandiver, and to one of the greatest weekends we've had on record.

All photos personal.

Bonus: my hair and makeup were still pretty intact! (And that is why you should do airbrush!)

We ended up leaving our lanterns up in the pavilion for the next wedding (per their request), and I gave the photo booth backdrop and frame to our coordinator, Jamie, who wanted to use it for an upcoming family wedding. Hey, if things could be repurposed, I was all for it! I even managed to convince some guests to take boxes of mason jars and vases of baby's breath home with them.  To say we had extras is an understatement.

Once we got home, the plan for the evening was to order in, then go to bed. However, we couldn't help but want to open a few gifts and the like once we got settled in.. namely, the giant parrot piñata that HK and her hubs decided to surprise us with and leave in our room at the Vandiver.

So naturally, we mocked the cats with it..

..and then we hacked that baby open!

It really wasn't as dramatic as I'm making it look. But there a was a plethora of goodies in there (including a gift card to Target!) that we made sure to itemize out on their thank you card. Hey, you give us a piñata, we give you an obnoxious thank you! Plus, we were super grateful for the 2 maracas, 1 seafood necklace, 8 packs of fruit snacks, 1 snake, 1 spider, 1 frog, 1 dog/fox, 1 stegasaurus, 1 butterfly, 1 daschund, 1 rubber ducky, 74 hershey kisses, 26 dove chocolates, 19 red flower petals, 18 yellow flower petals, 19 blue flower petals, 19 blue and white flower petals, 18 purple and white flower petals, and 18 pink and white flower petals.

And thus, our wedding weekend ended with a piñata.

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!

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!

Let Them Eat Cake! - Foxy tried to commandeer the cutting, but we got things under control with a delicious, non-smashing cake exchange and some champagne.

Say That You'll Stay - Before I knew it or was really even ready for it, the last song of the night came on. Foxy and I danced it up and relished the moment, but were eagerly anticipating the next part of the night.. the after party!

It's Party Time! (Again) - Only the most awesome after party. Ever.

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!

A Foxy Fête: And Then There's Us

I had a really bad habit of forgetting about us in regards to this whole wedding thang.

All photos by Exclamation Imagery unless otherwise noted.

Example: I don't think I remembered to add our own names to final guest list until three months beforehand, and I definitely had to reorganize room assignments for the weekend when I realized that we actually neglected to give ourselves a room to stay in. Super.

So, it really should be no surprise that I also found myself overlooking couple portraits on our wedding day. I was so focused on all the other pictures - getting ready, wedding party, family - that our photog Laura had to remind me several times that we might want to have a few of just the two of us together. Oh gee, what a concept!

So after the wedding party pictures were done at the pier, we had a mini lovebirds-photoshoot on a nearby bench.

Now of course I loved that we were getting some quality, cutesy pictures taken, but I also loved that we had some quality time together, as well. There was even a point where Laura pretty much "dismissed" everyone else around - basically the bridal party and my dad and stepmom - so that it was just us (well, and the photogs). And you know what? It was nice. It was really, really nice to just be on our own for a  hot minute, no matter how brief.

Laura also worked her magic after we moved locations and were done with family pictures by the lock house. I think she could tell that I was getting a bit antsy towards the end of it all, and as everyone was heading back to their cars or the school bus to go back to the venue, she quietly pulled Foxy and I aside for a few more photos. 

Again - and I don't think I can stress this enough - it was so lovely to just have a few quiet moments together and on our own. At this point in the day, I desperately needed it - something both Laura and Foxy seemed to sense. Just standing there, holding Foxy's hand, somehow made my earlier stress simply fade away and made everything just seem right with the world.

At this point, Laura (who I should really just start calling my photographer-fairy-godmother) realized that we were still missing another few key pictures. Those would be the bridal portraits. Geez I'm bad at remembering things!

Fortunately, the lock house proved to be an excellent background to get a few of these squeezed in, as well!

I both love and hate this picture - the crazy person in me just sees the disheveled bangs!

And then, as quiet, calm, and much appreciated as those last few moments were, it was all of a sudden time to hustle and get a move on. We were getting married in less than an hour, after all!

Did you ever find yourself forgetting about you in regards to the whole planning process, or on the actual wedding day?

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.