How I Tied the Knot: Napkin Folding 101

Previously in the post Tying the Knot: Reception Details, you saw our lovely centerpieces and details infused into our beautiful reception. However, there was one little detail regarding our reception that I wasn't yet ready to share...our dinner napkins. Hear me out on this one.

I'll be the first to admit it. I was one of those brides that obsessed over how the napkins would be folded at our wedding reception. I asked our venue coordinator if they could do a tuxedo fold so that we could stick our dinner menus inside the napkins {as posted about here}. When it came down to it, I couldn't justify spending $50+ on 150 dinner menus and I scratched the idea. I touched base again with our venue coordinator and told her that I just wanted a fun folded napkin on each of the guests plates. This is what I saw when we got a sneak peek into our reception just minutes before guests were seated:

You guessed it, I went into shock. These napkins were far from being folded and laying on the plates of our guests!!! I suppose the overall effect wasn't horrible {below}, but it wasn't what I had envisioned. It was literally minutes before the doors to the ballroom would open to guests and I just knew that there wasn't enough time for the pointy cloth towers to be struck down and refolded into something else. It was one of those details that I just had to let go. After all, as Chris reminded me, "They are just napkins."

But they don't have to be "just napkins" to you on your special day. I came across this lovely little illustration/how-to on adorable and unique napkin folds. Pick one out and send it over to your venue/reception coordinator today!

illustration found at: keg design on this post.

Lesson learned #32: Don't drop the ball with your reception coordinator, even on the smallest of details, if you have a vision you are attempting to achieve. Pointy towers of cloth napkins aren't for everyone and could have been avoided with sending the coordinator a picture of an ideal napkin fold. Avoid the shock and heartbreak I endured by letting your DOC/friend in on how you want the reception area to look. She can do the damage control when she sees something isn't how you wanted it.

previously in the series, "how i tied the knot": getting ready, our first look, bouquets and boutonnieres, socks and shoes, bubbles and getting away, the cake, thank you cards, blurb guest book, outside the mansion, the dress, the invitations, cocktail napkins, the centerpiece vases, the programs, sexy little bride

all professional pictures by: nicole green. please link back to tying the knot when posting any of these pictures.

How I Tied the Knot: The Ceremony

Previously in the post, Tying the Knot: The Ceremony I shared some of my favorite pictures and moments from our wedding ceremony. Now, it's time to let you all in on the details behind our ceremony and the lessons that I learned from that aspect of our wedding day. And, of course, some pretty pictures to display along the way!

Our Flower Girls and Ushers: Chris has three nieces and three nephews, all under the age of 10. We knew from the beginning that we wanted to include them, but we had no idea how, since there were so many of them! We had each of the three girls be our flower girls. They each carried a pomander ball, that I made myself. Each of the girls were escorted down the aisle by one of the boys, acting as an usher. It couldn't have worked out more perfectly. They were more than precious. And they loooooved being in the wedding. The flower girl dresses were from here and the boys tuxes were from ebay. Yes, ebay. See Lesson learned #25.

{please excuse the blurring of the little one's faces for privacy purposes}

Readings: As some of you might know , the Catholic church is quite strict about the readings/scripture that can be read during a wedding ceremony. At our initial meeting with our priest, we were given a book of appropriate scripture readings to choose from. Although this strict rule didn't really allow us to "customize" our ceremony by interjecting more meaningful passages and readings it did take some of the stress off from having to come up with the most perfect and personalized ceremony. Here are the readings we chose: Genesis 2: 18-24, Psalm 103:1-2, 8, 17-18a, 1 Corinthians 12:31-13:8a, John 15: 9-12
We had Chris' two brothers and one sister read our three Bible verses and the Gospel was read by the priest. My Aunt read the Prayer of the Faithful {and my Uncle walked me down the aisle}. Having our closest family members {next to our parents} have a special part in our ceremony meant a lot to both of us.

Ceremony Music: We both wanted the day to be a celebration, so when we sat down with the church organist we chose joyful melodies. Seating of the Mothers: "Jesu: Joy of Man's Desire" by Bach. Processional: "Cannon in D" by Pachelbel. Entrance of the Bride: "Trumpet Voluntary" by Purcell. Lighting of the Unity Candle: "How Beautiful" by T. Paris. Recessional: "Praise Processional" by M. Dickerson & "Hornpipe" by Handel

Vows: Deep down inside, I had always wanted to write and recite our own vows. But, I knew that I would have never made it through them. I would have teared up from the moment I started. So, we recited the same vows that our parents and our grandparents recited. The traditional vows. And they were just as special. And we made it thorough them.

Remembrance Candle: After my Daddy passed away three months before our wedding, I struggled with the proper way to honor him and remember him on our wedding day. I knew that he would "be" there, but I wanted him to be visibly present as well. So the idea of a remembrance candle was formed.

I went to Wal-Mart and bought a large candle that had three wicks. One wick was lit in memory of my Father, one for my two sets of grandparents, and one wick for Chris' set of grandparents. I wrapped the candle with raspberry ribbon and put it in a hurricane glass from Target. The program read:
In Memory
To those who could not be present today,
but are certainly looking down on us.
Mr. Gary _____
Mr. & Mrs. Gustave ___ and Mr. & Mrs. Robert ____
Mr. and Mrs. David ___ and Mr. & Mrs. Fred ____
Their presence is felt in our hearts and is represented by the
three flames in the remembrance candle placed near the altar.
The remembrance candle couldn't have been more perfect.
We also mentioned those that couldn't be with us in the Prayer of the Faithful.

Unity Candle: We decided to incorporate a Unity Candle into our ceremony because we appreciated what it symbolized.

Our ceremony was arguably the day. A beautiful church {on a beautiful day} filled with people we loved who were there to witness us take our vows. I hope that your ceremony is/was just as beautiful.

Lesson Learned # 25: We were outraged when we heard that the tux store wanted to charge us the SAME amount for the ushers/kids tuxes as they were charging each of the Groomsmen. Chris' sister and sisters-in-law found the boys tuxes on ebay {just search for "brand new boys tux} for only $24.99 each plus shipping.

Lesson Learned # 26: I made the flower girls pomanders myself about a month before the wedding. I went to Michael's {local craft store} and bought a the smallest Styrofoam ball they had {2 inch?}. Then I purchased silk flowers when they were on sale for 1/2 off. I plucked off the head of each bud, leaving about 1/2 inch of stem attached. Using a pen, I poked a small hole in the Styrofoam ball and filled it with hot glue before I stuck the short piece of stem in. Hold for at least 30 seconds. Don't be afraid to use a lot of glue. Repeat til your ball is covered. Making them myself saved me about $15 per pomander.

Lesson Learned #27: You will love this, friends. The Unity candle cost us all of about $8. The middle candle was $3 from Wal-Mart and the two tapered candles were $.97 each at Wal-Mart. My Mom had a clear crystal holder that was perfect for the large candle. We bought two holders for the tapered candles from Wal-Mart, on clearance, for $1 each that actually matched my Mom's larger holder. I wrapped the unity candle with raspberry ribbon to give it a little flare. Who said that a Unity candle set had to cost $40+?.

previously in the series, "how i tied the knot": getting ready, our first look, bouquets and boutonnieres, socks and shoes, bubbles and getting away, the cake, thank you cards, blurb guest book, outside the mansion, the dress, the invitations
all pictures by: nicole green. please link back to tying the knot when posting any of these pictures.

How I Tied the Knot: Our Invitations

Previously in these posts, I shared a little bit about our invitations. Now, it's time to let you all in the details behind our invitation suite and the lessons that I learned along the way as they were crafted. And, of course, some pretty pictures to display along the way!

After scouring blogs and websites for invitation inspiration, I kept feeling that I was coming up empty-handed. After dozens of invitation drafts, I still didn't have an invitation that was juuuust right. However, once Erin from lucky designs sent over our monogram , I finally had a vision for our invitations {and the rest of our wedding, for that matter}.

Our invitations were wrapped in 1.5 inch raspberry {wine} satin ribbon affixed with our monogram square.

The ribbon slid off easily, revealing our lovely invitation:

The invitation itself was affixed to a plum pocket, which held our four insert cards.

Our four insert cards included an RSVP card, a Reception card, an Accommodations card and a card stating directions to venues on one side and a map of the city on the other.

Our invitations could not have turned out as beautiful without the help of April from April Foster Events. She took our rough drafts and worked with our vision and inspiration and {after a couple of tweaks} produced our lovely invitations. I hope that you all love them as much as we {and our guests} did. If you decided to save any of the above pictures for your personal use, or publish them on your blog, please remember to credit tying the knot and April Foster Events.

Lessons Learned #20: I bought the ribbon at save-on-crafts. 50 yards of 1.5 inch thick ribbon was only $6.99+ shipping. Go here to see their selection of ribbon to see if your colors are available!

Lessons Learned #21: April from April Foster Events is a registered vendor of various paper companies. I was able to purchase the plum pockets thru her for an incredibly affordable price. The pockets are one-sided so I was able to affix the invitation to the flat side of the pocket {with double sided tape} and store our insert cards in the pocket.

Lessons Learned #22: About a foot of ribbon was needed to make the ribbon band that fit around our {5x7} invitation/pocket. I overlapped the ribbon slightly and used double sided tape to adhere the ribbon to itself. Then I attached our monogram 2x2 inch square to the ribbon with double sided tape where the ribbon overlapped, in order to hide the overlap. I then slid on the ribbon over the pocket/invitation so that the monogram square was over the center of the invitation.

Lessons Learned #23: The map was created by taking a screen shot of the map of Indianapolis from mapquest.com. Then, using powerpoint we opened up the map screen shot and traced the map using the powerpoint drawing tools. The mapquest map was then deleted, leaving only our tracings. We used text boxes to add in the text and Chris {somehow} created little interstate signs. I found tutorials on weddingbee extremely helpful. You can find them here and here and here.

Lessons Learned #24: I could not have successfully designed our invitations without the help of April from April Foster Events. I literally would have torn my hair out. April was a dream to work with and I would recommend her to anyone. You can reach her at hello@aprilfosterevents.com and if you choose to work with her, please let her know that I recommended her!

previously in the series, "how i tied the knot": getting ready, our first look, bouquets and boutonnieres, socks and shoes, bubbles and getting away, the cake, thank you cards, blurb guest book, outside the mansion, the dress
all pictures by: tying the knot. please link back to tying the knot when posting any of these pictures.

How I Tied the Knot: Outside the Mansion

Previously, in this post and this post, I blogged about how I wanted to take pictures outside of a mansion/historic home on our wedding day. Our family friends obliged and after the ceremony we hopped in the car for a little jaunt over to their house on Meridian Street in Indianapolis.
Here are just a few of the pictures that we took in our 10 minute visit.

I had saved the picture below in my inspiration files at some point before our wedding. Imagine my delight in going through our photos when I that two of our photos in front of the mansion were similar to the striking picture captured by rebekah westover!

We also took our thank you card pictures outside of this house. You can see them here. Chris and I would like to thank Jim & Peggy for inviting us over to their house. We're so glad we captured these pictures!

previously in the series, "how i tied the knot": getting ready, our first look, bouquets and boutonnieres, socks and shoes, bubbles and getting away, the cake, thank you cards, blurb guest book
all pictures by: nicole green. please link back to tying the knot when posting any of these pictures.

How I Tied the Knot: Blurb Guest Book

Previously in the post, tying the knot: reception details, I shared some of my favorite pictures of details from reception. Now, it's time to let you all in on the details behind one of our favorite details, the blurb book and lessons that I learned from that aspect of our wedding day. And, of course, some pretty pictures to display along the way!

I knew early in the planning process that I wanted to have a blurb book serve as our guest book. I incorporated our engagement photos into the layout along with pages left blank for our guests to sign and I couldn't have been happier with how the book turned out. Our guests loved seeing our engagement pictures and the book is now displayed on one of our end tables. So here's how I made ours:

I went with the standard landscape 20 page hard copy book with the dust jacket cover. We chose an image for the dust jacket cover and then customized the cover with our new "married couple" name and the date of our wedding. The spine reflected our new "married couple" name and "The Guestbook."
There were a number of photo layouts to choose from, but I stuck with just three photo layouts, which were displayed on every left-hand page of the book. The four picture layout was the layout that I used the most.

But the full page spreads were my favorite.

I incorporated this three picture layout from time to time.

In every layout with multiple pictures, I attempted to keep the pictures to either all color pictures or all black and white pictures...I just felt like it looked better.

Every right hand side of the blurb layout was blank, except for a light border. With 150 guests at our wedding, I assumed that 1 person per couple would sign our guest book and write a short little note to us. Therefore, I needed room for about 75 couples. Spacing it out I figured out that there was room on each page for about 8 people (couples) to sign/ write notes. Thus, I needed about 9 blank pages. So we went with a 20 page book (1 title page, 9 left pages with pictures, 9 blank right pages for writing/signing, and one final closing page). It worked out perfectly.

Here's a picture from our wedding day of the blurb guest book in action.

Lesson Learned #14: If you opt for a traditional plain guest book filled with lined pages, your guests will have as much fun signing it as they would signing their mortgage check. Take the time to create a personalized guest book. Make a blurb book, use the wish tree concept or have your guests sign a signature mat. Whatever you do, just give your guests something to do or something special to look at while they sign their names in your guest book. Bring a smile to their faces and their words will bring a smile to yours when you read their words in the years to come.

previously in the series, "how i tied the knot": getting ready, our first look, bouquets and boutonnieres, socks and shoes, bubbles and getting away, the cake

all pictures by: nicole green. please link back to tying the knot when posting any of these pictures.

How I Tied the Knot: Thank You Cards

Previously in this post, I was contemplating what we could and would do for our thank you cards. Now, it's time to reveal our thank you cards to all of you and share the lessons that I learned from creating and making them. And, of course, I'll have some pretty pictures to display along the way!

A month before the wedding, I was already thinking about a concept for our thank you cards. I wanted the recipients to feel our appreciation ooze out of the cards as they remarked how darling they were. So, Chris got to work crafting the perfect "thank" and "you" signs for our thank you card picture. The signs were flawless and beautiful, if I do say so myself.

By this time, Chris had seen enough of our monogram, but I begged for it to be incorporated. You can't blame a girl for her love of a monogram and a cohesive theme.
The front of our card was a collage of some of our favorite wedding pictures.

Thanks to April from Blu Sky Designs for helping us tweak the front of our design.

Half of the back of our card displayed the "thank you" picture we took on our wedding day. The other half of the card was blank, which is where I wrote our thank you note.

We ordered our cards from Vista Print. 100 post cards (5x7. 1 side color. 1 side black and white) for $17.47 + $6.71 shipping = $24.18. I purchased 100 white linen envelopes from a scrap booking store for $14. Total cost of our thank you cards (without postage) = $38.18.

Hint #1: Google Vista Print coupons. You should be able to get the product you want for at least 50% off.

Hint #2: Purchase the standard shipping. You will be quoted 21 days shipping, but it will come within 5-7 days.

Lesson learned #15: Your thank you notes don't have to be boring or expensive. Get creative and give something for your guests to smile about. And if you use Vista Print, you'll save yourself a good chunk of cash and get a great product. That's something to smile about.

previously in the series, "how i tied the knot": getting ready, our first look, bouquets and boutonnieres, socks and shoes, bubbles and getting away, the cake, blurb guest book
all pictures by: nicole green. please link back to tying the knot when posting any of these pictures.

How I Tied the Knot: The Cake

Previously in the post, tying the knot: the cake, I shared some of my favorite pictures of our cake and how Chris managed to smash a nice piece of it in my face. Now, it's time to let you all in the details behind our cake and the lessons that I learned from that aspect of our wedding day. And, of course, some pretty pictures to display along the way!

I was a bride that did my research. I went to the bridal shows around town, I read all the wedding related blogs that I could find and I compiled spreadsheet after spreadsheet to ensure that I was getting the most bang for our buck.

I started obtaining quotes from the cake bakers around town (for a cake to feed 150 people). They were coming in at $800 and I couldn't get my jaw off the floor. The accountant in me did the math, with assistance of a calculator and was even more outraged to learn that one of those cakes would cost me $5.33 a person! No way. Not on my watch.

One day, our reception coordinator casually mentioned that she knew of a reasonable baker that has been making cakes out of her home for years. I called her as I was walking out of that meeting. I went over to her house, tasted some samples, looked at pictures of her past work, attempted to explain my vision or our cake, received a quote and signed on the dotted line. $350. The bottom two layers (one vanilla and one chocolate with butter cream frosting) fed 150 people, allowing us to take home the top layer. Her attention to detail was impeccable. She pretty much took this picture of a cake that I had in my mind and recreated it perfectly. We were quite pleased. To top it all off, it tasted just as good as it looked!

Lessons learned #13: You don't have to buy an expensive cake from a ritzy baker just because it's what you think is the best of what's around. Roll up your sleeves and start reaching out to your reception vendors, coordinator(s), etc. to see if they have worked with a reputable baker that won't send you a bill rivaling that of a weekend shopping spree at Anthropologie.

Indianapolis brides: please e-mail me if you would like the name and contact information of our wonderful cake baker.

previously in the series, "how i tied the knot": getting ready, our first look, bouquets and boutonnieres, socks and shoes, bubbles and getting away
all pictures by: nicole green. please link back to tying the knot when posting any of these pictures.

How I Tied the Knot: Bubbles and Getting Away

Previously in the post, tying the knot: the bubbles and the get away, I shared some of my favorite pictures of our exit from the church. Now, it's time to let you all in on the details behind our exit and the lessons that I learned from that aspect of our wedding day. And, of course, some pretty pictures to display along the way!

Originally, I wanted to do something different for our exit from the church. I thought that ribbon wavers were the answer. I could make them myself, use ribbon in our wedding colors and end up with some fabulous pictures from the exit.

But then I priced it out. By the time it was all said and done, each ribbon waver would cost me about $.60. Seeing as how I wanted to make 100 of them, I had to consider if the ribbon wands were worth $60 (plus time and labor) in my eyes. By the time I got around to actually making this decision (2 weeks before our wedding), I was worried that guests wouldn't want to shake the wavers, never wanted to see another DIY project, and didn't think that our exit picture was worth the $60 in supplies that it would cost to make the wavers.
So I went to Walmart and found a box of 100 little bubble vials in the bridal/craft section for $14.99. And that, my friends, was how easy my mind was made up. Bubbles it was.

Thus, Lesson learned # 11. Price out your exit strategy. In the end, just go with the bubbles. Kids and adults love blowing bubbles and the pictures always turn out wonderfully.

Speaking of pricing it out, before you get your heart set on a limo or party bus...start calling around. These pretty rides cost more than you think, and most come with a minimum time requirement. Since we couldn't rent the limo/bus for just an hour to take us from the church to the reception, we were going to get it for 4 hours to take us to the from the hotel to the church and back. The quotes for a limo started trickling in at $150+ an hour. Plus 20% gratuity. Bare minimum we would be paying $750 for the limo (buses were even more expensive) and attempting to squeeze our 16 member bridal party (plus a cooler...haha) inside one.

When we started looking at the logistics of our day, a limo/bus just didn't make sense. We had Chris and the GM take their photos first. Then the BM's and I joined for our group shots. After that, the GM left the photo site and returned to the hotel to get their dates/significant others and headed to the church so that they could be there in time to hand out programs/usher guests to their seats as they arrived. The BM's and I took our pictures together once the GM's left and then headed back to the hotel together. The BM's took their dates/significant others to the church and Chris and I rode together, in his car to the church. It worked out perfectly. My uncle had his convertible waiting for us as we exited the church and it made for a couple cute photos and didn't cost a dime.

Lessons learned #12: Unless your ceremony venue and your reception venue are eons apart or you are going to take pictures in between the ceremony and the reception, you don't have to rent a limo/bus for your wedding day. Although they do make for some cute photos, they also can take a huge chunk out of your budget. No BM likes to be squished into a limo next to the GM that she is paired up with anyway. Most of the time, it's just not worth it. Instead, ask family and friends if they know of a "cool" car that the two of you can borrow for the day. You'll get some extra (and well deserved) time alone and the pictures will be just as adorable, see below.

previously in the series, "how i tied the knot": getting ready, our first look, bouquets and boutonnieres, socks and shoes

all pictures by: nicole green. please link back to tying the knot when posting any of these pictures.

How I Tied the Knot: The Socks and Shoes

Previously in the post, tying the knot: the shoes and tying the knot: the sock shot I shared some of my favorite pictures of my shoes and the socks the guys wore. Now, it's time to let you all in on the details behind our footwear and the lessons that I learned from that aspect of our wedding day. And, of course, some pretty pictures to display along the way!

Not sure if I ever gave you a peek at the bridesmaids shoes. Aren't they beautiful!?

The shoes were black satin with a gathered detail along the top that matched the top of the bridesmaids dresses. They were perfect in every way. What's even better?! They were buy one get one half off at Charlotte Rouse. Each shoe factored out to be about $17 each. I gave them to my bridesmaids as gifts.

Lesson learned #8: Check every store for potential bridesmaids shoes. Don't just limit your bridesmaids to dyables they will never wear again! Everyday mall stores have cute (and colorful) shoes that can be turned into bridesmaids shoes in a heartbeat. You just have to search for them.

I know I already shared shots of my plum shoes with you here, but here's another. And the best part?! $39.99.


Lesson learned #9: I found my shoes at Bakers. Don't settle for white bridal shoes that you don't even really like. It's not a rule anymore that brides have to wear white shoes. See lesson learned #8 and look at your favorite stores (and on-line) for shoes that will make you happy and give you that bridal glow.

The socks were a gift to the groomsmen that we purchased at banana republic. The deal: buy three at $6.50 each. So the 7 socks for the GM plus a pair for Chris cost us a little over $50.



Lesson learned #10: Look at stores like j. crew and gap along with banana republic for argyle socks throughout the year. They make for great GM's gifts and great sock shots!

previously in the series, "how i tied the knot": getting ready, our first look, bouquets and boutonnieres
all pictures by: nicole green. please link back to tying the knot when posting any of these pictures.

How I Tied the Knot: Bouquets and Boutonnieres

Previously in the post, tying the knot: bouquets and boutonnieres, I shared some of my favorite pictures of our flowers from our big day. Now, it's time to let you all in on how I developed my vision for the flowers, dealt with the florist, and the lessons that I learned from that aspect of our wedding day. And, of course, some pretty pictures to display along the way!

This was my inspiration behind my bridesmaids bouquets. I told my florist to take out the peach and marigold (leaving just the plum and raspberry) but that I wanted the same flowers with the same fullness. I went in to see a trial version of the bridesmaids bouquets. And I cried. In front of the florist. Perhaps only one or two tears rolled down my cheek, but I cried all the same. It was horrid. The peach/marigold was quite present and apparently my raspberry translated into her hot pink. Thus,

Lesson learned #1. No matter how much it costs, ask to see a mock-up of your/your bridesmaids bouquets. I would have been sobbing the majority of the morning of our wedding day had I not seen that sample and had the time to sit with the florist and get it straight. I gave her a ribbon of what "raspberry" meant to me, so that she could order the dahlias in the correct color. So if you are picky, like me, about what colors you want your flowers to be, give your florist a sample of ribbon or cloth to work with.

At the end of the day, the bridesmaids bouquets turned out lovely.

After seeing the disastrous first mock-up of my bridesmaids bouquet, I was scared to think what my bouquet was going to end up looking like. So I scrapped any notion of a bouquet that would pop with color. I went with an all white fluffy bouquet. And the result (of spider mums, button mums, and asters) was beautiful. But what made my bouquet perfect was the finishing touches that I put on it. I attached my sorority pin and a locket. The locket was a gift to me, from my bridesmaids. They gave it to me on the day of my Daddy's memorial service. The silver locket held a picture of my Daddy and I and had engraved "Always with you, Daddy". It was just what my bouquet needed.

Here's the kicker, friends. Total price for the 8 bouquets (bride & 7 BM's) and 10 boutonnieres (groom, 7 GM's, my uncle and Chris' Dad) was $500. Thus,

Lesson learned #2: You do not have to use the florist that every other bride in town uses. If I would have gone with the first florist that I talked to (the most popular one in town), the cost of our flowers would have been tripled. Look and ask around, get quotes, and check for florists with smaller shops or that operate out of their home. You can save yourself a couple hundred dollars, get more personalized service, and your flowers will still be just as beautiful.

previously in the series, "how i tied the knot": getting ready, our first look
all pictures by: nicole green. please link back to tying the knot when posting any of these pictures.

How I Tied the Knot: Our First Look

Previously in the post, tying the knot: our first look, I shared some of my favorite pictures of the first look we had of each other on our wedding day. I'd just like to chat with you all a little bit about our first look and first looks in general.

The decision to see each other before the doors opened at the church was made early in the planning process. I knew I would be a bundle of nerves on our wedding day if I didn't see Chris before my walk down the aisle. Seeing him before hand just made sense, after all, we wanted to spend as much time together on our wedding day as possible! And I was able to smile all the way down the aisle! Not to mention that it allowed us to get pictures (together and with the bridal party) before the ceremony at a relaxed pace. It was perfect.

That being said, the decision to see each other before the ceremony should be yours and yours alone. Not your photographers or your event managers. Not your wedding coordinators or your Mom's. If it's important to you to have that moment when you are walking down the aisle to be your first look, then let that moment be your first glimpse of each other. You won't regret it. But, I have to say, when the doors opened at the church, the moment was just as special as the moment that I saw him earlier in the day. Whatever decision you make, you'll be happy.

And now, for the pretty picture. I already shared all the pictures from our first look, so here's a picture from after our ceremony that you haven't seen yet.

previously in the series, "how i tied the knot": getting ready. next in the series, "how i tied the knot": the bouquets and boutonnieres.

all pictures by: nicole green. please link back to tying the knot when posting any of these pictures.

How I Tied the Knot: Getting Ready

Previously in the post, tying the knot: getting ready, I shared some of my favorite pictures of when I was getting ready for our big day. Now, it's time to let you all in on how I did it and the lessons that I learned from that aspect of our wedding day. And, of course, some pretty pictures to display along the way!

Lessons learned #1. The hotel gave us the VP Suite for free for our wedding night. We booked it for the night before as well so that we would have it at 7am for the BM's and I to get ready in. Since we had 30 rooms booked at the hotel for the night of our wedding, we had the hotel bump us up to the Presidential Suite (with a living room, dining room, master suite, and full kitchen) for both nights, for free. It rocked.

Lessons learned #2. Do not, in the midst of all of the craziness of your wedding planning, forget to figure out what you are going to wear on the morning of your wedding! The night before the wedding I mentioned to my MOH that I had nothing "cute" that I could wear while I was getting my hair and make-up done. She rushed out to VS and bought me this cute little Sexy Little Bride tank top that went perfectly with my favorite pink sweatpants.

Lessons learned #3. Our schedule that morning didn't really allow for all the guys to get ready together. Chris actually ended up getting ready pretty much by himself and then going to hang out with some of his groomsmen. I regret not sending Nicole's assistant, Dan, over to snap a couple keepsake photos of Chris "getting ready" and putting on his cuff links or tying his tie. Don't forget to have your photographer grab some photos of your husband-to-be while he is getting ready.

Lessons learned #4. Your BM's are perfectly capable of doing their own hair. Don't force them all to pay $$$$ to get their hair done if there is no need for it. Candice and AJ (pictured below) along with Jenn and Kristen all did their own hair....and the results were gorgeous.I paid a little extra to have my hair stylist come to my bridal suite to do my hair (and my Mom's and 2 of the BM's), so all of my bridesmaids were able to get ready with me in the suite. I had the hair and make-up ladies come at 7:45. I was done with both by 10, got into my dress, and saw Chris at 10:45, right on schedule.

Lessons learned #5. Know where the top loop (that the clasp goes into) on your dress is. Not kidding. My alterations lady never mentioned to us that the top loop was made of STRING. We spent 5 minutes attempting to find the loop and ended up using a safety pin to hold it in place until after the first look when Candice came in and saved the day by finding the loop of string.

Lessons learned #6. Mimosa's are god's gift to brides. Indulge.

Lessons learned #7. My trial run and up-do on the day of cost me a total of $100. Make-up was something like $40. Don't let make-up and hair vendors charge you an arm and a leg just because you are "the bride". When it comes down to it, an up-do is an up-do. Search around town a little bit and you'll find vendors at a reasonable price that will make you as happy with your hair and make-up on your wedding day as I was:

Next in this series, "How I Tied the Knot: Our First Look"

all pictures by: nicole green. please link back to tying the knot when posting any of these pictures.