A Very Patriotic Wedding

wedding cupcakes

Over Presidents’ Day Weekend our good friends Kathryn and Eric tied the knot.  This wedding made my heart swell with happiness, watching two people I care about very much exchange vows and become officially “one.”  Plus it was local, so not traveling and getting to sleep in my own bed (bonus) made it that much more amazing.

Wedding at Cathedral of St. Matthew the ApostleKathryn_Eric_Wedding_St_Matthew

That gorgeous wedding ceremony didn’t even feel like an hour plus Catholic all-out mass.  And by the way, can we all agree that the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle complete with a beautiful, full wedding gown totally takes your breath away?  Thought so.

Things really picked up later that evening at the National Museum of Women in the Arts.  Mike and I held that venue as a top-tier front-runner for our reception, so we were thrilled with Kat & Eric picked it for their celebration.   From their mac n’ cheese bar to the grilled cheese  bites with tomato soup shooters to the dessert table complete with cake balls, their foot hot the spot!  And when the groom sang and played Bruno Mars’ Marry You?  Everyone melted.

You know how the newly married couple are like celebrities and everyone wants their picture?  Yeah we were those people.

Kathryn_Eric_wedding_crowndvic

They really put a lot of work into the details of their party, and it showed.  I loved their “pin the dot on DC” spin with how long you knew the couple.

wedding_interactive_map_details

And the Patriotic photo-booth and props. Love!

Patriotic Photobooth CrowndVic Instagram

The Presidents even made it out on the dance floor for a little fun later in the evening.

Presidents_Cardboard_Cutouts

It was a great celebration overall, not just a great party!

A huge congrats to Kat & Eric.  May you always be as happy as you were on  your wedding day!

10 or 11 things

Vicki bride Crowndvic

There are 2 memes going around in which you share 10 or 11 things about yourself, answer some questions, and tag people.  And Joey tagged me.   Here goes!

yes, I intend to use wedding pictures for awhile

Here’s my random mess that I call my life!

 

10 or 11 Random Things About Vicki:

1)  I was born & raised in Florida but dislike citrus fruits.

2) I danced ballet for 12 years and even though we live 1/2 block from a ballet studio, do not dance today.  This should change.  soon.  bug me about this, please.

3)  Since I started driving there has always been a Weezer sticker on my car.  Presently, one still sticks!

4) Food allergies include ALL shellfish but without EPIpen prescription.  Food Intolerance include: cauliflower, lima beans, all squash including pumpkin and a gluten sensitivity

5) I cannot donate blood, since my family & I lived in Wales in the midst of the Mad Cow Crisis (I am Mad Cow Disease Free!).

6) My favorite fruit is a tie between the black currant and elderberry.  SO GOOD.

7) I LOVE St. Germain liquor (elberberry)

8 ) Before declaring an elementary education major, I was a communications major with an focus on writing.

9) Talking on the phone drives me crazy, but I do it. (please for the love of G-d text  or email me)

10) Back in the day I won a trip to Space Camp where I met my first “boyfriend” and then returned (with payment) to Space Academy the next year.  We broke up (shocking, I know) but then years later a girl I went to middle school with ended up dating the same guy at the Naval Academy!

11)  I used to bite my nails. I quit. I sometimes relapse. But I love having painted nails!

 

Joey ‘s Q’s for me:

Is it soda or Pop? & What is your favorite?

It’s soda. duh.  and I LOVE seltzer water, but on an off day I crave Coke Zero.

 

What is your “go-to” outfit when you need one?

Easy.  That’s my black leggings, grey sweater dress, and grey boots.

 

Tell me what you’re reading, and why?

I finished the Hunger Games and so am reading the Hunger Games Companion Novel. I’m supposed to be reading The Night Circus for Book Club…

 

Name a Reality TV show you’d like to go on, and why?

-Toddlers and Tiaras, to smack the shit outta those parents

 

Tell me the best blog you think I should start reading.

I’m too inconsistent with my blog reading to answer that one!

 

If you had to move out of your current state, where would you go?

Chicago, Illinois.  Or if I had to leave DC, I’d simple go across the bridge to Virginia ;) But DC is not a state so does this question even count?!

 

What is the one thing you cannot live without (cannot be a person)?

I cannot live without water. I drink 3 liters a day!

 

What would your final meal consist of?

Forget the freakin’ food, I want to be surrounded by family, loved ones, and fur-babies!!!

 

If you had to pick a song to be the “soundtrack of your life” – what would it be?

I sat on the draft of this post for a WHOLE week, not knowing how to answer this one question!

So instead of one song, here’s the complete-work-in-progress soundtrack to my life:

Candle on the Water, by Helen Reddy, from Pete’s Dragon

Why Should I Worry? by Billy Joey, from Oliver and Company

Children of Jack,  Guy Forsyth

Center of Attention, by Guster

Walk on the Ocean, Toad the Wet Sprocket

Meet Virgina, by Train

My Stupid Mouth, by John Mayer

Weezer, Undone (The Sweater Song)

Paper Bag, by Fiona Apple

Penny Lane, by The Beatles

Shake it Out, Florence & the Machine

Something in the Water, by Brooke Fraser

I Will, The Beatles

 

 

Ok, I tag (with no obligation):

Ali at Luckiest Girl Ever

Kassi  & Kaylie at Truly Lovely

Chelsea at Chelsea’s Psycho Babble

Krysten at Why Girls are Weird

and anyone else who wants to do it!

Answer the same Qs I did :)

New Year, New _____

Nora_walk3

I’ve never been big on New Year’s Resolutions.  I find them short-lived, probably because March comes around and I find myself letting go of whatever I resolved to change. So that’s probably all me.

But this year? This year will be different! In fact, everything has the potential to be different.

There’s much potential for change on our horizon, so much so I can’t even blog about it!  And no I’m not pregnant.  You see, Mike graduates with his Master’s degree in May, and with that will hopefully come a job, and perhaps a change of many things…who knows!

I’m dying to tell you about the bargaining of scenarios, I made with Mike.  If _____ , I think ______ should happen.  And if this other scenario ends up happening, can we make it so I can do _________? And overall let’s ______, _________, and _________.  Imagine, we might even ________!

It’s all very exciting when you fill in the blanks.  I promise.

When things seem more solid, then I’ll spill the beans.

 

But for now?  I resolve to eat healthier.

Some weird phenomenon happened after our wedding.  A phenomenon I like to call “not caring as much about fitting into a wedding dress and looking good in pictures.”  It also goes by the name of “chili cheese fries,” “beer me,” and “more cookies & chocolate.”   Unfortunately it looks like bigger pants size and dislike of my body image.

I need to be more body/food/health conscious.  Because where 2012 takes us? There’s no telling.

So, in order to __________ I should at least treat my body better.

Wishing you and yours a happy & healthy(er) 2012 and all the ____________ it might bring!

 

(Wedding Recap) Details, Details

There are a couple things I need to point out, to validate my/our hard work and document the end results.

For the ceremony, my mom purchased a kit from Michael’s craft stores and then made the layout with her fine Microsoft Office skills.  My dad then helped her print, arrange, and tie the bows. (Thanks Mom & Dad!)  We placed them on chairs for guests, prior to the ceremony.

I found some reserved seating cards on TheKnot.com. (Which reminds me, I need to sell them… anyone want them?)  These were perfect for the ceremony!

The kepot were passed out at the door, thanks to our dear friend, Eric.  We decided to go with a contrasting color to the bridesmaids dresses to change things up a bit.

Post ceremony, the guests were lead to the Board Room where one bar was located, or to the Portico, outside, where there were cabaret (high-top) tables and another bar.  And I have no picture of this. But it existed.

Before entering the cocktail hour area you came across a table with escort cards, decorated with floating candles, similar to some of the table arrangements.  I stupidly printed out all the cards myself, a few days before the wedding (with the help from amazing Lara!).  Turns out, when you do this task after midnight and when your husband is already away on his bachelor party, you will make mistakes… like forgetting a whole table.  whoops!

I found this gift box at Target, days prior to the wedding. I used the same ribbon as I did for my niece’s flower girl basket and the escort card (to differentiate entree choices), for flair.

Each escort card led guests to their assigned table, named after a different zoo animals (a nod to Mike’s proposal!)

At each seat lay menu cards and benchers (Jewish prayer books – which we forgot to use!) flanked each table. Sidenote: I also printed these menu cards out in the wee-hours of the morning.  Not advised.

As mentioned before, I made the cake topper (with that same ribbon).

The bridesmaid’s flowers surrounded the cake table. 

And my bouquet graced our sweetheart table, along with my special clutch from Etsy!

These little elements all came together so nicely!

{all photos by the awesome Studio Juno}

(Wedding Recap) Exchanging Gifts

After the bridal party shots, we headed back to The Carnegie Institution to cool down, take some family portraits, exchange gifts and sign the ketubah (Jewish marriage contract).

 
 Oh, and kick our heels up, apprently.
The first thing I gave Mike were his cufflinks & personalized handkerchief. In the hotel room where he got ready, I left these gifts on display for him to find.  
The handkerchief reads, “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine” in Hebrew.
The cufflinks have our wedding date on the back-side.

 A year before our wedding date, I framed the article about our engagement at the zoo.  I then stored the finished product in my trunk for a long while, then wised up and hid it at a fellow-teacher’s house.  I was beyond excited to give him this gift after having it so long!
I think he liked it (and I do too!!).
(We still need to hang it in our house…)
Mike added on to my Pandora bracelet with a wedding cake charm! It’s so sweet and cute and makes me smile every time I look at it. One of those “aww” moments.
I love it!
But then Mike shared something with me he worked on for over a year.  When he first launched into the explanation, my excitement and shock looked like this:
Then this:

and this too:

because he turned my blog into a book!
But because he wanted to get every last post included, right up to the wedding, he told me we would actually create it together.  And we did. It came in the mail recently and I LOVE it.
Best. gift. ever.
Oh, and this is my favorite wedding picture. ever.
so romantic.
so fabulous.
{all fab photos by Studio Juno}