Hello Junebug readers, I’ve missed you! I’m back from my big trip to Africa and so incredibly excited to be with you all again. The trip was everything rolled into one- beautiful, awe inspiring, inspirational, exhausting, shocking, perspective changing and of course, lots and lots of fun. What a combination! I will soon have photos to share with you, but for now let’s get back to what this blog is all about, weddings!
While I was away I received an e-mail introducing the autumn 08 jewelry collection from Winifred Grace, and I just couldn’t wait to spread the word. Chicago area designer Winifred Grace Gundeck uses oxidized sterling silver chains, rhinestones, and 18k Indian gold to create vintage inspired jewelry pieces that are feminine and dramatic, and could add the perfect amount of “edge” to any wedding day look. I’m personally stuck trying to decide which piece I like the best. One of these will definitely be the newest addition to my fall and winter wardrobe. Check out her website to order directly, or find a boutique carrying it in your area so you can lust over it in person.
Travel Update- Friday, October 3rd- home, jetlagged, and absolutely ecstatic from the trip! I’ll be back in action on Monday with stories to tell and wedding ideas to share.
Until then, please enjoy today’s guest blog post from one of my all time favorite bloggers, Matt Armendariz of MattBites.com. Matt and his partner Adam were recently married, and when I read about it on his blog I was moved to tears, laughter and more tears, and I couldn’t resist asking him to tell his wedding story again, here, for all of you. Thanks so much for sharing Matt, and congratulations on your newlywed status!
Greetings! I’m super thrilled to be guest blogging here at Junebug Weddings. It’s an honor and a treat to be a part of this great site and it’s such an amazing resource for all things wedding. As a recently hitched kinda guy I feel as if my path to marriage wasn’t the most traditional one, but it was no less thrilling, exciting and momentous than the commitment dozens of brides and grooms make to each other every single day. How many people do you know that get married twice – to the same person? And Christy of Junebug Weddings thought it’d be nice to share my story. How could I ever say no?
I met my partner Adam through friends back in 2004. Sure, there were fireworks and giddy butterflies the first time we met, but what also became apparent to me was that this was the man I was going to marry. I just knew it, plain and simple. It was meant to be. We planned a celebration in Austin, Texas (where I’m from) and if it weren’t for photos from that day I can honestly tell you I might not have remembered it. I was a blubbering pile of tears, Adam was emotional, heck, the whole day was one big giant Kleenex! We left Austin and returned home to Los Angeles knowing we had professed our love for each other and stood before our families. It was real, it was significant, and though purely ceremonial, it was everything I needed. Yippee! Married! Sorta.
Fast forward a few years later. Word began to trickle in that the California Supreme Court would be debating a law on same-sex marriage. For the record let me state that I’m not overly political and never want to impose my views on anyone and because of this I kept my thoughts to myself. But what if — WHAT IF? — I could actually marry the man of my dreams and have it on equal standing like so many of my legally-married friends? I didn’t want to get my hopes up but then, all of a sudden, it was announced that we could legally get married in California and that’s when whirlwind round 2 began. We decided to be one of the first same-sex couples in the State of California to become legally married, so on June 17, 2008 we headed down to the registrar’s office in the city of Norwalk, California. What happened that morning must be seen to be believed!
We arrived at the Registrar’s office at 6:30am and joined a handful of other couples doing the exact same thing. There was a sense of disbelief and amazement from everyone there. Was this really happening? There were cameras and reporters there from just about everywhere; The Los Angeles Times, NPR, KTLA 4, NBC, ABC, FOX LA and a few regional papers. To my amazement the local Registar’s offices all over Los Angeles erected tents and special areas in anticipation. It seemed as if they were as excited as we were! The reporters and camera crews and anchors were working hard to remain professional and objective, but it was quite obvious how they felt as they offered enthusiastic well wishes to everyone all morning long. And check out that female reporter’s outfit at 7am! Lord I don’t know how she does it.
After waiting outside we were ushered into the building, camera crews following. We filled out our paperwork at a teller window while crews and newlyweds looked on. This is an everyday occurance for the Registrar’s office but today it was just a little bit different. People were sharing their stories and honeymoon plans with complete strangers, and taking pictures of each other. It felt like one big party.
A reporter from the LA Times as well as an NBC cameraman asked if they could cover our ceremony. I told them only if they let me take their pictures. They were both so completely sweet, and how many couples can say their wedding witnesses were TV crews and newspaper reporters?
Look how happy we are! I think this picture sums up the day pretty well. (You wouldn’t know that I just completely had a full-on crying fit 30 seconds before.) People have asked me what it was like, this entire surreal day and there really are no words to describe the happiness you have when you get married. It’s like you are going to burst! When asked if the day was everything we expected we both answered that it was so much more than we could have imagined. It was. It was surreal and amazing and fun.
As one of the first couples done with the whole process we made our way to the photo gazebo area. With a sunny day full of happiness and love all around, my HUSBAND (yes I said HUSBAND!!!!) and I stopped for a few quick photos. At that moment I realized that I was the luckiest man alive. I also realized to take a booster chair or step ladder any time I decide to have my picture taken next to my partner.
It’s been a few months now since that big day, and the following days were just as surreal as strangers stopped us in public to wish us happiness. Friends forwarded us newspaper clippings with my big fat head in the foreground, and one day when getting home from work a neighbor honked and yelled “CONGRATULATIONS” from down the street! It was those moments that made me realize that love is love, pure and simple, and there’s nothing more amazing than two people committing their lives to each other. We’re married now, and it just can’t get any better than that. I’m a million miles in the sky. But you better believe next time we do something ceremonial or historical I’m going to dress up. You never know when a camera crew might just arrive.
Travel Update- Wednesday, October 1st- I’m heading home today my friends! I’m sure I’ll be excited to get back to tell you, and anyone who will listen, all about Africa, but also sad to say goodbye. Hopefully the long, long flights will go smoothly; full of movies, cocktails, reading, long naps, and reliving every minute of our great big adventure. See you soon!
Today’s guest blog post comes to us from a bride at the tail end of her wedding planning process. The unbelievably lovely Justine has met Kurt, her Mr. Right, and has planned a wedding that perfectly represents the things she loves. Grab a drink (preferably a glass of pink champagne) or a sweet treat (preferably a little French pastry) and read all about her stunning vintage French themed wedding plans.
I am so excited to share my wedding plans with you! As I write, my wedding is less than two weeks away! Its hard to believe that its finally here. I was one of those girls who started reading wedding magazines and pulling pictures at age 12. My mom started collecting Martha Stewart Weddings as soon as the first copy hit the newsstand. While in my 20s, my mom and I pretended I was engaged so we could try on wedding dresses (more than once, I am ashamed to admit!). This inadvertently led to a job in the bridal industry, and at the age of 27 I moved to New York to work as a bridal consultant at the Vera Wang salon on Madison Avenue. I worked there for 4 years, and, yes, I have stories! Did you ever read about the girl who stepped on a pin and sued for $2 million? That was my customer.
I moved back home to Seattle 2 years ago, met my wonderful Kurt, and got engaged last Christmas, which was the happiest day of my life so far. And then I realized I had to actually plan a wedding! The first thing you need to know is that my mom had stopped collecting Martha Stewart Weddings, because the poor woman had given up hope. Fortunately, I had access to plenty from my years in bridal, so I made a color copy of every page I liked from every issue I had. Tear them out, you say? Don’t you know it’s a sacrilege to tear pages out of Martha? I made a binder and realized that I had so many ideas I loved, I didnt even know where to begin! (Vera Wang dress via Brides.com)
The first thing I did was choose my dress. I will admit that I had my dress picked out way before he asked, and by that I mean, before I even met him! It is a gorgeous ivory Vera Wang chantilly lace sheath, with a low, ruffled neckline that skims the shoulders, sprinkled with clover-shaped sequins, and finished with a belt of ivory velvet covered in handmade champagne silk chiffon roses. My mom and I were thrilled to discover that it matched my grandmothers veil from her 1939 wedding perfectly!
With a vintage vibe going, I set out to find a wedding venue. Kurt and I both loved the idea of being married in a church, and when we saw St. Pauls Church in Port Gamble, we looked no further. It was built in 1867 along the designs of a church found in Maine, and has the most beautiful blue walls inside. I cant wait to walk down the aisle with my dad, then hear the church bells ring as I step outside with my new husband! (Images of St. Paul’s Church via MyWedding.com and PortGambleWeddings.com)
Like all brides, I really wanted my wedding to be unique and reflect my personal style. I love everything vintage; beautiful fabrics, ruffles, ribbons, feathers, and flowers, and my favorite color is pink. My challenge was, how to do pink without having it look like Trista and Ryans wedding?
To set the tone, I sent out beautiful invitations from the Folios of M. Thomas, chosen with the assistance of Ann Stuhlberg of Stuhlbergs on Queen Anne. The invitations have an understated but very romantic watercolor ribbon theme, with lovely calligraphy. Everyone who received them commented on how pretty they were!
I chose Aria Style to decorate the church and adjoining tent. Lars, John, and Susan have been so wonderful to work with! I am thrilled that they will be with me on the day of the wedding. Together we took my love of Paris, Marie Antoinette, and all things feminine, and created a very romantic look for the day.
We are using gold chiavari chairs, soft peach taffeta linens with ribbon rosette embroidery, and pale pink draping to give the tent a gorgeous glow. Slightly undone arrangements of pink roses, ranunculus, and dahlias set in silver champagne coolers will sit on the tables, surrounded by mercury glass votives. The centerpiece of the tent will be the cake table, piled Marie Antoinette style with jewel-toned tartlets and a pink cake adorned with madeleines from Bakery Nouveau! The crowning jewel will be, well, a vintage-looking crown!
Pink champagne served in coupes (which, legend has it, were made in the shape of Marie Antoinettes breasts) will hopefully get everyone in the mood to pose in our photo booth! It will feature a wonderfully whimsical Parisian backdrop painted by our dear friend and artist, Judy Wise, of Canby, Oregon. Props for guests to play with include a Marie Antoinette wig, berets, feather boas and fans, and if I can find my French maid outfit..
To further set the mood, Steve Rice, a wonderful accordionist, and his band will play French café music during dinner, then segue into New York piano bar standards for dancing.
I am so excited to have Kim and Adam Bamberg of La Vie Photography there to document the day. After photographing my sister Liesls wedding 6 weeks ago, they feel like family! I feel so fortunate that every vendor Ive chosen for my wedding is also someone I would love to have as a wedding guest and a friend.
Most of all, I hope that it will be a day for family and friends to enjoy. I think it is so easy to get wrapped up in the wedding and all the details, and forget that everyone is coming together to witness the beginning of a new chapter in your life. I just started working on my wedding vows yesterday, and thought to myself, Why am I doing this last? I am so happy to have finally met the right man. The rest is just the (pink) frosting on the cake.
Thanks Justine! We can’t wait to see your photos and hear about how it all went! Readers, stay tuned for her upcoming Real Wedding! Want a sneak peek at how it all turned out? Go to http://lifeofkimandadam.blogspot.com/.
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