Wedding Recap #1

Over Memorial Day Weekend, Drew and I attended our first of three weddings as an engaged couple. This was for one of Drew's friends in Grand Rapids; in July my cousin is getting married, then Drew's best friend since birth in August.

With each wedding we attend leading up to our wedding, I'm going to try to take note of what I liked  and what I learned from the event. So now over a week later I give you my first wedding recap.

The Wedding/Reception
This wedding was a really fun, creative, loving event. As all weddings should be, I think. In my research for inspiration for my own wedding, I've come across many websites full of pictures, ideas, how-tos, etc. Many of these seem to be focused on the indie, handmade, crafty wedding that looks really cool, but I didn't think anyone could actually pull off in real life.

Enter Wedding #1. So many cute crafty, whimsical touches were all over this wedding, and everything came together so well. There was a clear theme to the wedding (beyond, you know, marriage) which I really appreciated because everything flowed together so well and looked amazing. Plus, a real-life indie, handmade wedding! Amazing. Definitely not something I could (or would) do, but it made for a fun and inspiring wedding and truly fit the personality of the couple.

What I Liked
Theme: This wedding was complete with bunting, homemade desserts, mason jars on the reception tables, and a soundtrack (versus live ceremony music).

Color: This wedding didn't have a clearcut color scheme, but everything flowed together really well. The wedding party wore navy and tan, the flowers were predominantly pink, programs were turquoise, and the bunting fabric tied everything together with pink, blue, yellow, and turquoise. Pastel, but not too girly, and nothing too match-y to keep everything casual and calm.

Music: The couple made their own mix for ceremony music including James Taylor, Sufjan Stevens, Norah Jones, and The Beach Boys. Each selection fit perfectly with the atmosphere and emotions of the event.

What I Learned

One of the biggest take-aways from this wedding was the well-planned and well-executed theme and atmosphere. Drew and I have struggled with finding a theme for our wedding to tie everything together without just relying on our colors. Maybe it's the advertising majors in us, but we really want our wedding ceremony and reception to flow and coordinate, rather than being a mishmash of grey and green decorations and accessories. 

The day after the wedding we headed to Michael's to find ideas for our centerpieces, and we definitely made some progress towards finding a unified style for our decor. Thank goodness since this is one of the few chances we have to truly be creative (see also: studying advertising for 4 years and not getting to use any of those planning and coordinating skills in your day job).

Attending a wedding as an engaged couple was an amazing experience. Not only does the ceremony hold a different meaning when you know you'll be saying those same vows in a few months, but seeing another wedding live is inspirational. We have so much left to plan for our wedding; centerpieces and ceremony decor can have a huge impact on how guests enjoy and remember your wedding and make for some pretty stellar pictures. We don't want to miss the opportunity to create a memorable and inspiring event for our friends and family, and for us this includes tying our ideas and style together for a visually pleasing atmosphere as we celebrate our love and commitment.

So thank you to our wonderful hosts last weekend for inspiring us to have fun with our wedding and showing us that the time and effort we put into each detail is completely worth it.