Anniversaries, Weddings and Birthdays...Oh my!

The weekend we get married, we will be celebrating Jacob's parents' wedding anniversary (September 17), our wedding day (September 18) and Jacob's brother Seth's Birthday (September 19). Not to mention we are marrying on his aunt and uncle's wedding anniversary. September is apparently a huge month in the Kelly family.

As such, I have been thinking of ways we can commemorate these events within our weekend wedding extravaganza...

First off, I definitely think that a toast(s) (from Jacob and I) during our Rehearsal Dinner would be a nice touch. And in such an intimate setting, this could be really great!

Second, I have been doing a lot of thinking about placing old family wedding photos in pretty frames at the reception site...I have seen a few images from weddings that had a similar set up and it looks like a really nice idea. And a really great conversation starter! Consider this photo of my grandparents (Mom's parents) at their 1955 wedding (left), and my great grandparents (Mom's grandparents), at their wedding sometime in the early 20th century (right). Priceless!

I think the tricky thing will be to find a classy way to display these... I am leaning toward an entryway table, where we can also set the guest book and some pretty flowers. Maybe something like the below. Thoughts?


Speaking of photos...I thought about possibly having a display of photos of Jacob and I at Keene Run. Not sure if this is something we really need or not (we plan to have a pre-wedding trivia show for guests to play in the church before the ceremony starts AND Jacob's mom is working on a slideshow for the rehearsal dinner that we may also be able to play at the reception as well). But, these are cute ways to display photos if we do decide to go that route:

And, finally, I plan to have the DJ play first dance songs from family members' weddings. This is a simple (and fun) way to tie family weddings to ours. I can hardly wait to hear what these songs were for family members...especially after Mom told me she and my Dad had some totally 80's number. For the life of me I cannot remember what it was, but I laughed and I laughed when I heard what it was. Ha!

But when it comes to Seth's Birthday, I don't know how to best incorporate it into our wedding...ideas?

Cutting the non-necessities...

There are several wedding-related expenses I would happily cut to help the bottom line...things like transportation and save the dates. For me, these two items, among many other details, are really not that important in the grand scheme of things.

A) our ceremony and reception sites are literally right down the road from each other. Anna and I timed it...Southland is exactly .08 miles down Harrodsburg Road from Keene Run Golf Club. Why hire a limo or bus or other mode of transportation for .08 miles? Not only that, but have you been in a wedding party that has transportation? After the reception, you are scrambling to hitch a ride with someone back to the ceremony site to pick up your car. I think with our situation, opting against group transportation is the best bet. And it will save money.

What will we do for transportation? Well...maybe we will ask friends or relatives with a nice ride to let us borrow it for the wedding day...Not sure. These details remain to be discussed in depth. But the bottom line: no need to spend hundreds of dollars on a ride to take us less than a mile down the road.

And two, save the dates, in my opinion, are an unnecessary expense if you are not getting married on a busy holiday weekend or if you have a long engagement. (We are in both camps.) I can certainly see the need for a save the date if your wedding is over Labor Day weekend or Thanksgiving or any other holiday weekend (or any other especially busy time in the year), but September 18? And we have a 17 month engagement? No need for that. Sure, they can be cute and there are MANY ways to make these creative and really set the tone for your wedding, but are they really worth the extra expense?

I would rather put a little more into post-wedding thank yous. I have a great idea for these shaping up... Or another thought: what about getting postcards from the city/area your wedding is taking place and writing notes on them for those guests coming from out of town? It would be especially touching to have these postcards at the front desk of the hotel they are staying in for them to receive upon check-in.

What do you think? Are these non-necessities for you?

Looking beyond "Happily Ever After"

After weeks of nagging by family and friends, Jacob and I are finally going to give in and begin our wedding registries. Yes, we are joining the bandwagon and registering at multiple stores: Macy's; Bed, Bath and Beyond; and even a Home Depot (I think they are the home improvement store with a registry...if not, we will figure a replacement out later). And I must admit, I am rather distraught that Pier One no longer offers a wedding registry, I heart that store!

Why a Home Depot, you ask? Why what kind of homeowners would we be without a proper lawn mower, yard work tools, patio furniture, etc?

Still a solid six months out, we are not going to have these complete, by any means, in the near future. But we will at least begin getting the key items on our list.

People who know me realize how much of an organized freak I am...that said, you can rest assured knowing that a detailed list has been created and added to over the last 11 months (we have been engaged 11 months today!) outlining those items we plan to add to our registry. Some of the most interesting items on our wish list include:

• Towel warmer for the master bathroom - Jacob greatly opposes this idea...does not want to get used to having a warm towel every time he gets out of the shower...if you ask me that is crazy talk. A master bath would not be complete without one of these!


• Soup crocks - A random, but very useful, dish. You can make soup and not burn your hand while holding the bowl. And they are super cute!
  
• Water purifier for kitchen sink - I am very weird about tap water. Very weird. If the pipes are more than ten years old, I am very skeptical about the quality of the water. I am a freak, I know. As Jacob's (soon to be OUR) house is over 60 years old, we are in dire need of a Brita purifier that hooks directly to the faucet.
  
• Breadbox - I realize this is not 1955, but I love the idea of a breadbox. A super cute way to store perishable bakery/bread items in the kitchen.


• Herb keepers - This Spring, Jacob and I are planting our very first garden, including an herb garden on the patio for fresh mint, basil, rosemary, etc. What better way to keep these herbs fresh than a handy herb keeper for your fridge?

Sorry for the boring update today...but there is not much going on with wedding planning front as of late. Instead, we have been basking in the joy that is being engaged. :)