Shower the people you love with love

My friends from “Team Hilton Head” and “Team Massachusetts” threw Luke and I an over-the-top, knock your socks off, best ever couples shower. The hostesses put months of work into it and it showed! There were personalized candle holders, flower arrangements, tapas from WiseGuys, a collage with pictures of Luke and I, homemade favors and lots of fun! How do you thank someone for doing so much for you?

I hand-embroidered them each a handkerchief with their monograms. They came out really cute!

And here are the lovely ladies that made it all happen - thank you!!!

All You Need is Love, Actually

By far one of the best wedding scenes in a movie comes from "Love, Actually" when the musicians surprise the bride and groom with the song "All You Need is Love" by the Beatles. I've watched this over and over and was even inspired to play this song when I walked down the aisle because.... all you need is love.

Watch the YouTube clip Here

Say Yes to the Dress

One of the first decisions I made for the wedding, even before the date was set, was that I wanted to wear my mom’s wedding dress. The dress had been preserved and shrink wrapped in a box for almost 40 years - I had only seen it in pictures. My mom barely even remembered what it looked like except that she ripped one of the sleeves a little on her big day.

Last May, when Luke’s mom Anita and my mom were both in town, we opened the box. It’s a beautiful gown with a delicate lace overlay and long train. The dress fit perfectly but their were a few alterations I wanted to make - turtleneck and long sleeves weren’t going to work for me. Fortunately, my Aunt in Massachusetts owns a tailoring shop and volunteered to help.

I fell in love with the final dress and felt beautiful when I wore it. If I was in a store and saw it, I probably would have purchased the same dress!

Before shot:


After shots:

Me and Mom:

Of course we had to do a re-enactment of my parents wedding photo:

The Groom and his Men

From the very beginning of wedding planning Luke and I both knew that we wanted a small and laid back wedding. Since the ceremony and reception were being held at my parents home (the house I grew up in) we wanted it to feel like a cozy, “home sweet home” event.

All of the Groomsmen were traveling quite far to attend so we didn’t want them to have to lug a rented suit around with them. Luke and I decided to purchase the main parts of the outfit. So we went shopping and came back with a nice button down dress shirt, blue striped tie and grey v-neck sweater. All they had to do was wear their own black pants and black shoes.

I wrapped their outfits up in cute little packages using PSA Essential Stamps:They all looked very handsome on the big day! I must say that Groomsmen are KEY elements to a smooth wedding. I didn’t know this ahead of time but these are the people that can get the “man-work” done during the day-of and help with moving chairs/tables during the event. Luke is a lucky man to have these guys in his life, they are all amazing!

Visit from Mom

In addition to my crafting projects, I've recently been working on some video editing. And when my mom made her bi-annual trip to visit Luke and I on Hilton Head Island last Saturday, I had one project I had to finish up before she got here.

When I was home last June, we were visiting my Grandma King to celebrate her 89th birthday (she also mentioned that she was celebrating her 70th year living in her house - crazy, I know). As we talked about all of her years in the house she mentioned that she had 8mm video's that my Grandpa had taken when the kids were young. I decided to take the film reels home and convert them to video for her. Coincidentally, my boss's father had recently found his 8mm projector and let me borrow it. That, a white sheet, and a Flip Video was all I needed.

Going through the videos was like going back in time. My mom, her brothers, and her sisters were very active kids. There were videos of them skiing, swimming, canoeing, ice skating, hunting, fishing, playing tennis, and golfing! There were lots of holiday gatherings like Thanksgiving 1959, Christmas 1962, and the Girl Scout Round-Up. And the one I enjoyed most, which I have attached here, is of my parents wedding. Even though it's a little shaky and moves fast, I still love watching it!