The Bunting Bash: Welcome to Our Wedding
Since I couldn’t invite all of you to the actual wedding, I thought I’d compile some of my favorite detail shots from the park and arrange them so that you might experience the park like our guests would have.
Daddy Bunting hand-painted three directional signs on some old wood from an abandoned shack by their house. One sign was posted on the roadside corner directing our guests to the park, the ceremony sign was posted just at the edge of the parking lot to guide guests down the path leading to the ceremony, and the middle sign was midway along that path to the ceremony.
I gave Daddy Bunting a few reference images of painted signs, but he did an amazing job coming up with the lettering style and arrow hearts all on his own. I am so incredibly thrilled with these signs!
A few vases filled with flowers adorned our cookie table, but aside from the little snippet below you’ll have to wait to see how that turned out.
Blue jars filled with craspedia, a spider mum, baby’s breath, and hypericum berries lined the aisle.
A few of my DIY tissue poms brightened the little path leading up to the ceremony trellis. It was on a tree to the right of this area that the “Our adventure begins here!” sign was posted.
The colorful poms also dotted the ceiling of the trellis, which was already covered in natural vines.
The seats had a scattering of my DIY paddle programs and little flags I had made for guests to wave during the recessional. It’s a good thing I made those paddle fans, because they were a hit in the summer heat!
Back up at the pavilion building, our guests were starting to arrive and mingle.
I had to go into hiding, but Mr. Bunting was able to chat with some of our guests a little before things really got started.
I can only imagine what was being discussed in this groomsmen huddle, but this photo cracks me up.
The groomsmen chilled in the shade for awhile as guests continued to arrive.
This is the view of the pavilion building from down by the ceremony site. The trees take my breath away every time.
And then it was time for Mr. Bunting to escort the mothers to their seats. First, his mother. Isn’t her dress gorgeous? She knew our colors involved aqua, but it was pure coincidence that it ended up being such a perfect shade!
And then Mother Bunting! I absolutely adore her dress, too. Those flower embellishments on the one strap are so fun and fit in perfectly with the feel of our outdoor summer wedding.
And of course I love this photo of my then-soon-to-be husband hugging his soon-to-be mother-in-law.
*All photos, unless stated otherwise, copyright Bryan and Mae Photography.
Follow the adventure:
- We had a fluffing party and rehearsed.
- I woke up and got ready with my girls.
- I step into the prettiest white dress I’ll ever wear.
- Mr. Bunting recounts getting ready at the Man Cave.
- Wishin’ and prayin’ and hopin’ and thinkin’ for perfect weather.
- I received the most important Post-It Note. Ever.
- We race toward one another for our first look.
- Mushy-lovey photos ensued shortly after.
- We strutted our stuff as one big happy Bunting Bunch.
The Bunting Bash: One Happy Bunch
After our first look and formal portraits, we reunited with the rest of the wedding party for some group shots.
I couldn’t be happier with how handsome the men looked with their colorful hand-sewn bowties and suspenders. I was a teensy bit nervous that the look of suspenders and bowties wouldn’t pull together in the end, but it fit our colorful and quirky wedding perfectly.
And my lovely ladies looked lovelier than ever in their custom-made dresses! Whew, those dresses were a nightmare and a half, but they’re still rockin’ them.
Wondering who’s who of the ladies? From left to right we have Bridesmaid T (whom I originally met in high school through our boyfriend’s- she married him, too, aww), MOH Bunting (whom has been my bestie since grade school), myself, Bridesmaid Dr. M (who is now my sister-in-law!), and Bridesmaid L (whom I quickly befriended in freshman year of college and who also married one of our highschool friends).
From left to right, these dapper young men are Groomsmen A (a long-time highschool friend who is now married to Bridesmaid L), Bestman Bunting (Mr. Bunting’s brother), a very handsome Mr. Bunting, Groomsmen N (long-time highschool friend, brother to Groomsmen A, and married to Bridesmaid T), Groomsmen J (twin brother of Groomsmen N and brother of Groomsmen A), and Brother Bunting (my brother and now husband of Bridesmaid Dr. M).
If you couldn’t follow any of that, essentially our entire wedding party is either related or married to one another (but not both at the same time, haha).
We’re just one big happy Bunting Bunch!
At the last minute we decided to swap and get a photo of Mr. Bunting with the bridesmaids and me with the groomsmen. I’m so glad we did, because I love how relaxed everyone looks in these two photos. His friends are my friends and my friends are his friends (three of my ladies are married to three of the groomsmen) so it felt natural to have these.
Once the wedding party photos were done, we headed back to the pavilion building to prepare for the family portraits. Being the ever-perfectionist I am, I had to pause for a moment and adjust Daddy Bunting’s boutonniere.
And then we were off again for more photos!
*All photos, unless stated otherwise, copyright Bryan and Mae Photography.
Follow the adventure:
- We had a fluffing party and rehearsed.
- I woke up and got ready with my girls.
- I step into the prettiest white dress I’ll ever wear.
- Mr. Bunting recounts getting ready at the Man Cave.
- Wishin’ and prayin’ and hopin’ and thinkin’ for perfect weather.
- I received the most important Post-It Note. Ever.
- We race toward one another for our first look.
- Mushy-lovey photos ensued shortly after.
The Bunting Bash: Somewhere Only We Know
Having a first look session meant we could do the rest of the photographs before the ceremony, so after we got through the thrill of seeing each other for the first time, we snuggled in for some intimate formal portraits.
The anxiety and giddiness from the pressure of our first look began to wear off, and it became much easier to relax and further enjoy one another’s company. I had no trouble staring into Mr. Bunting’s eyes or nestling against him.
And he, of course, was so stunning in his attire.
He really liked his wedding gift, too, and couldn’t help taking out the pocket watch from time to time so he could admire it.
We took full advantage of the massive trees and plethora of greenery, and though we were only on the edge of our small park, it looks like we could be miles from anyone else. In our minds, we really were.
The bride and groom portraits were something I had always been looking forward to, and they did not disappoint! What can I say, I enjoy snuggling up to Mr. Bunting and I thoroughly enjoyed sharing the camera spotlight with him. During these moments, it was easy to forget about the stage fright associated with our upcoming ceremony. It was even easier to let go of any planning anxieties or concerns that may have still lingered in my mind. During these moments, it was just the two of us and the start to a perfect day.
It was also during this session that I got to see my bouquet for the first time, and I quickly fell in the love with how it turned out. I was quite happy to show it off to the cameras.
If you look closely at my bouquet, you’ll notice two little bees nestled together. These little bee charms came to me straight from Mrs. Pain au Chocolat’s wedding, and before that these specific charms made an appearance in the weddings of Mrs. Hyena, Mrs. Tartlet, Mrs. Lioness, Mrs. Hippo, and Mrs. Cardigan! I had our florist tie them onto the wrap, where they acted as a representative of the support and love I receive from all of you, Hive. They are, truly, a bee to connect us together.
As our formal bride and groom portraits came to a close, we set out to reunite with our bridesmaids and groomsmen for group wedding party portraits. But not before posing for this last photo. It may not seem like an extraordinary photograph, especially if you’re not a foot person (I’m not), but every time I look at it I am overcome with excitement at the thought of where those two pairs of feet will travel, always side-by-side.
*All photos, unless stated otherwise, copyright Bryan and Mae Photography.
Follow the adventure:
- We had a fluffing party and rehearsed.
- I woke up and got ready with my girls.
- I step into the prettiest white dress I’ll ever wear.
- Mr. Bunting recounts getting ready at the Man Cave.
- Wishin’ and prayin’ and hopin’ and thinkin’ for perfect weather.
- I received the most important Post-It Note. Ever.
- We race toward one another for our first look.
The Bunting Bash: Our First Look
When I first discovered first looks, I was against them. I was all about the tradition of the bride and groom never seeing each other until the bride was walking down the aisle. Not necessarily because I was superstitious, but because I had this charming and idyllic image of a bride floating toward her groom, eyes only for him, while he wondered in awe at this first sight of her. Super cheesy, I know. Feel free to laugh.
But then I started looking at the photographs from first look sessions, and I read about the calming effects seeing one another in privacy had on the nerves. The majority of the couples even found that first look sessions in no way lessened that divine moment when a groom first sees his bride coming toward him down the aisle. That got me reconsidering the concept, and after sharing the benefits I’d read about with Mr. Bunting, we decided we wanted one.
This was easily one of the best decisions we made. Getting to see Mr. Bunting before the ceremony did wonders to ease my nerves since he is naturally the person I go to first for comfort. Deciding on how we went about our first look was an entirely different story. We didn’t really want to have Mr. Bunting just standing there while I crept up behind him since that puts a lot of awkward “La la la, I’m just standing here nonchalantly and am completely unsuspecting of what’s behind me” pressure on Mr. Bunting. So we left it up to our photographers to settle on something that engaged both of us.
One of our photographers, Bryan, hid Mr. Bunting around the edge of the park’s treeline. We soon (separately) learned that I would be directed to walk along the tree’s edge toward him, and then he would meet me halfway. They positioned him to be out-of-sight until he started toward me, and here he waited for his cue.
Before I was briefed, I wasn’t quite sure where we were going to meet them so I had my eyes peeled for any sign of my groom. While I didn’t catch any premature glimpses of him, it was really nice to walk the path leading to the ceremony site. Our guests hadn’t started arriving yet, so we had the fully decorated park to ourselves.
Back at his tree and still waiting, Mr. Bunting practiced reciting his vows.
I was getting really eager to see my groom. I could see Bryan photographing me just up ahead, which meant Mr. Bunting was close at hand.
Sure enough, Mr. Bunting came strolling around the edge of the treeline toward me.
Being able to wrap my arms around him and feel his arms wrapped around me was the most comforting and relaxing thing I could have asked for that day. I was still insanely excited and nervous, but having this moment alone with Mr. Bunting eased all of that into something manageable. I had no idea when, or even if, we would have another quiet moment with just the two of us, so I savored every second.
After several moments, we stepped back to do none other than, what else, check each other out.
I showed off the detail in the skirt of my dress, and Mr. Bunting was properly and genuinely impressed.
He asked me if I was upset or disappointed about the sticky note love letter, and I just laughed and assured him that I absolutely loved it.
I asked if he liked the pocket watch gift I had given him, to which he promptly took it out to show me how excited he was to have it.
I wish I could tell you that we exchanged deep and meaningful words about the steps we were about to take, but the presence of the cameras and the anticipation of the ceremony made us giddy and silly at this point, so we exchanged words about how the set-up went (really well), if the other was excited or nervous (duh), and was this really happening (omg-yes). But we look pretty serious and chill in these last two photos, so…. let’s pretend we recited some romantic Romeo and Juliet exchange.
*All photos, unless stated otherwise, copyright Bryan and Mae Photography.
Follow the adventure:
- We had a fluffing party and rehearsed.
- I woke up and got ready with my girls.
- I step into the prettiest white dress I’ll ever wear.
- Mr. Bunting recounts getting ready at the Man Cave.
- Wishin’ and prayin’ and hopin’ and thinkin’ for perfect weather.
- I received the most important Post-It Note. Ever.
The Bunting Bash: Tokens of Love (and Sticky Notes)
Since I was busy jumping into my dress while Mr. Bunting and his groomsmen were hangin’ at the Man Cave, I wasn’t able to witness Mr. Bunting opening the wedding gift I sent MOH Bunting next door to deliver. This is why we hire photographers… to capture those moments you would otherwise miss. (And to make you feel ridiculously good-looking.)
Presents always make people smile!
(P.S. Some of you hawk-eyed readers will probably notice the bling on his finger… that’s still the engagement ring I made for him. No wedding band for him until it’s official, yo!)
He opened the little box and was immediately greeted by the little folded letter I had written the night before. I knew he would recognize the same school ruled paper and the same blue ink I always used to write him countless love letters with during our high school years.
What is he thinking? Probably that I obviously wrote it the night before in exhaustion because it’s so scatter-brained and this letter is no where near romantic and doesn’t even make sense. And that he loves me regardless. (Or maybe more realistically it was “crap, she’s going to kill me for not writing her a letter back!“)
But what I wonder about more than wanting to know what he’s thinking is… how did that hat get back on his head so fast?
After he finished his letter, he peeled back the tissue paper to see what was hidden beneath…
It’s a pocketwatch! With our wedding date engraved on the back, awww. Mr. Bunting had been wanting a pocketwatch for awhile and had it on his Christmas wishlist, but it went unfulfilled. Remembering this, I searched for the perfect one as a special surprise.
Now here’s where I get tickled to pieces in amusement. MOH Bunting was supposed to return to me with a letter from Mr. Bunting. I suppose I knew before she walked in the door, or even before I woke up that morning, that Mr. Bunting had completely forgotten. It’s really not his fault, I should have reminded him the day before (especially since I had sneaking suspicions it may slip his mind) and then his friends distracted him with beer and video games until he fell asleep. So I really wasn’t all that surprised, and since I didn’t really give him much forewarning (i.e. a year’s notice) of this new little wedding tradition, I couldn’t be upset. I was just so excited to marry him, and I didn’t need a wedding day token or letter to know how much he was equally excited to marry me.
But Mr. Bunting felt absolutely awful and was fearful I’d be disappointed. So when our photographer, Mae, and I arrived at the park to set up the first look portraits, I was surprised to see Mr. Bunting’s brother, the Bestman Bunting, approaching me with a wild grin on his face…. holding something small and distinctly pink.
I was ecstatic to discover I would receive a wedding day letter after all! On a pink sticky note. Seriously, the best wedding sticky-note letter ever. I will cherish it always and it makes me grin every time I read it. A few of our bridal party members were afraid I’d be upset, but honestly, I wouldn’t have had it any other way. It’s the meaning behind the words and the knowledge of their source that really matter, so it wouldn’t have mattered to me if they were written on a napkin or the world’s finest silk paper. Plus, we’re pretty geeky and it makes for a fantastic memory and story.
And, after the honeymoon, a beautiful and special ordered necklace made a late arrival to our door. Mr. Bunting would never leave me empty-handed in any way.
*All photos, unless stated otherwise, copyright Bryan and Mae Photography.
Follow the adventure:
- We had a fluffing party and rehearsed.
- I woke up and got ready with my girls.
- I step into the prettiest white dress I’ll ever wear.
- Mr. Bunting recounts getting ready at the Man Cave.
- Wishin’ and prayin’ and hopin’ and thinkin’ for perfect weather.
The Bunting Bash: Who Will Stop the Rain?
The weather is a fickle creature. It starts with determination, but then will hem and haw about throwing you for a loop for so long that all you can do is throw up your arms and cry, “Make up your mind already!” It is a concern of every bride, and a source of terror and nerve-chilling stress for us brides who decide that we absolutely must get married outside.
In the years and distant months leading up to the day, we confidently tell ourselves and everyone that “Oh, the weather is going to be just perfect!” As time passes and the number of months until the day decreases, our confidence starts to show cracks but we still say, “Today is beautiful. Today is gorgeous. This is what the weather for our day will be like, too” while the other says, “Yes, but today is a touch too hot. It will be just like this, but a few degrees cooler.” We speak with that confidence in our voices, but it gradually becomes more of a plea than a statement.
As the day draws even nearer and the reality of it becomes solid instead of a faint, distant light, we become more desperate. “The weather is going to be perfect. Yes. Right. Right? It’s going to be perfect, right? What if it… no, no, that won’t happen.” The R-word becomes forbidden, as if merely uttering it will summon great rainclouds. During these stressful times, rainclouds work much the same way as Lord Voldemort.. or Those-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named. (Dancing is also forbidden, on the off-chance the interpretative happy dance over finishing the favors turns out to be an unintentional rain dance.)
the average probability of rain for June 18 in Grand Rapids, Michigan / image via WeatherSpark
And then it’s T-Minus 10 days. You know what that means. The forecast now officially includes the Wedding Day in its projection. Dun-dun-dunnnnnn.
I am not the first to talk about this infamous 10-day projected forecast, and I am far from being the last. Mrs. Sloth went so far as to avoid looking altogether. I didn’t even consider that as one of my options. I may have done well with controlling my registry stalking, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to summon an ounce of self-control when it came to the forecast. So I checked the weather. Every day. Numerous times a day. Fully well knowing it was inaccurate that far in advance, but clinging to the information nonetheless. I’m rather fortunate the forecast was stable in those early days, otherwise I’m sure I’d have been foaming at the mouth like a rabid squirrel much sooner. Still, as we counted down the days, we found the chance of precipitation increasing… then stabilizing, then increasing. It went from 20% to 30% to 60-70%. I didn’t like those odds. But this was still Michigan weather we were talking about.
I’m not sure if everyone says this regardless of what state their from, but those who live in Michigan often joke about the sporadic nature of our weather. I have often had the air conditioning and the heat on in the same day. I have seen summer sunshine, hail, torrential downpour, rainbows, clear skies, and snow all within an hour of one another (I thought the world was ending). What says isn’t necessarily what goes. I held this knowledge closely in the forefront of my mind every time I checked for an update, only to read 60% THUNDERstorms. Not drizzle. Not mist. Not showers. But full-on thunder. My confidence was starting to give way to panic. Was I going to end up looking like Goldie Hawn in Private Benjamin on my wedding day?
image via FilmoFilia
No. We had a contingency plan. We had our back-up church reserved, and a basic plan of attack if we had to use it. But when the church coordinator called to hear our decision the evening before, we bravely told them we wouldn’t need the church and we were “going for it.” With that 70% chance. These Buntings have balls.
At rehearsal dinner, we announced this balls-y determination to continue as planned to everyone. Our Pastor told us not to worry, he “put in an order with the Big Guy.” Haha, awesome. We’ll take it.
The morning of, I checked the forecast. Still 60-70% chance. Still thunderstorms. All proposed to start at 4pm, right when our ceremony was to start. Up until 4pm, the forecast was lovely. But at 4pm… when I would be walking down the aisle… Thunderstorms. SCREW IT WE’RE DOING IT ANYWAY.
Mrs. Meerkat knew I was terrified of the thought of torrential downpour and thunder on our day, and being the absolute sweetheart that she is, drove all the way out to the salon where we had our hair done to drop off the cutest pair of rain galoshes and umbrella for me, just in case. Bless that woman. (And in the frenzy we don’t even have photographic evidence of this… I am ashamed.)
I got a few more nervous updates from the weather, but after I had my hair and make-up done, I stopped checking. I stopped asking. I stopped caring. I think I must have known it would turn out alright, because the skies were still clear, the air was wonderfully summery, and it just didn’t feel like it was going to pull a freak-thunderstorm on us. Everything was already going so well that it only felt natural the weather would go well, too. This naivety may have been idiotic in hindsight, but I had complete faith.
All those times we exchanged “the weather is going to be perfect”s with one another leading up to the wedding… we had no way of knowing it but we weren’t lying. The weather really was perfect. All day long… not a single raindrop in sight. Absolutely perfect. Blue skies, sunshine, slight breeze, and birds singing perfect.
Looks like our order was fulfilled, after all.
Follow the adventure:
- We had a fluffing party and rehearsed.
- I woke up and got ready with my girls.
- I step into the prettiest white dress I’ll ever wear.
- Mr. Bunting recounts getting ready at the Man Cave.
The Bunting Bash: Flasks and Chieftains
I felt silly trying to write a post about the guys getting ready when I wasn’t even there. While I do have the pro photos to help fill in the visual story, for all I know the guys could have been discussing battle strategies for League of Legends. They weren’t (I hope.) So instead of trying to narrate the photos myself, I’m handing the reins over to Mr. Bunting so he can do the honor:
So, I hear that you all want to know what went down with the guys prior to the big event of the day. Let me fill you in the best I can. Honestly, between the extreme level of anxiety and a flask being passed, I’m sure I’m forgetting some details.
Anyhow, we were sent to the dog house, backyard, guest cottage. The guest cottage, from here on named the Man Cave, was quite a sight to behold. Earlier in the week, Mrs. Bunting had told me where the boys were getting ready and described the guest cottage as being cute and western-themed. So my preconceived notion was that there might be some animal pelts, maybe a mounted deer head, and some old guns on the wall. My initial image was partly correct… those pieces were there, however, they were only just a minute piece of the décor.
As we walked in, I think each guy had the same reaction: whoa. The place was filled with every and any cowboy- and western-themed flare, trinket, and doo-dad. There were barstools with saddles atop, a bear skin rug, a mechanized cowgirl that sang and danced to some ridiculous country song, old oil and candle lanterns, a bed frame with a headboard made from a wagon wheel, and a life-size Native American mannequin dressed in full garb (that Mrs. Bunting later named Chief TomaHank). To say the least, I don’t think anyone could have picked a better location for a bunch of guys to get ready. I mean, can you think of anything more manly than a little cottage filled with guns, dead animal skins, and a Coors Light neon sign?
There also was a lot of nervousness. Alright, it was probably just me that was nervous, but my guys did an excellent job helping me keep my cool. Of my five guys, three were already married; one was getting married in a couple of months, and my brother, well, eventually I’m sure. So the fact that these guys had survived gave me hope (just kidding, please just ignore that part, Mrs. Bunting). Food and a little encouragement from the flask also helped tremendously.
So, after extensively examining each little piece of western nostalgia, we started to settle in. Soon after, the food and attire were brought over from the girl headquarters and we promptly dove into it. Now I don’t remember all of the food, but I do remember the sandwiches being delightful. After getting our share of sandwiches and other deliciously manly food items alike, we proceeded to get ready for the big event.
Because the guys were dressed so similarly, there were a couple of mix ups on whose pants those were, or where someone’s other black sock went. Something happened to Brother Bunting’s clothing to the point where he was absent for a good amount of time. Despite all of this, we all managed to get properly dressed, though as you can see from the pictures, I did and still do need help with my tie.
Fortunately every other guy (except me) knew how to properly tie a tie. My excuse was that I was too nervous to remember and I stick with that to this day.
And then came the wedding gift debacle. Prior to the big day, Mrs. Bunting had told me that on the day of our wedding, we should write a note to each other like we did in high school. I agreed with this, as I always enjoyed writing notes to her, yet despite my best interest… I forgot. And so, when I saw her maid of honor walking up to the Man Cave, my heart dropped. Immediately, a thousand possible outcomes ran through my mind. I would be laughed out of the wedding because I forgot. She wouldn’t want to get married because I wasn’t responsible enough to write her a simple note on our wedding day. I ran away to hide from the guilt.
All of these scenarios and more unfolded in my mind.
So I grabbed some paper, a pen, and a plan but then had to be marched out to get in position for the first look portraits.
The Bunting Men with a photobombin' Chief TomaHank
We gathered our clothes, grabbed last minute sandwiches and snacks, said good bye to the Man Cave, and were on our way to the park.
*All photos, unless stated otherwise, copyright Bryan and Mae Photography.
Follow the adventure:
1. We had a fluffing party and rehearsed.
2. I woke up and got ready with my girls.
3. I step into the prettiest white dress I’ll ever wear.
The Bunting Bash: Send Me On My Way
Aside from my hair flower and shoes, I’ve kept the details of my bridal attire on the mysterious side. I apologize deeply for that, but perhaps the effect of the full ensemble will make up for the previous lack of white lace!
Okay, we may not be getting into photos of the full ensemble quite yet, but only because I don’t want to gloss over The Dress. Here, let me give you a glimpse of the back-story since I haven’t shared any dress shopping experiences…
I fell in love with my dress as soon as I tried it on off the rack at some little boutique in some little Polish region of the not-so-little city of Chicago. I can’t even tell you who the designer is, not because I’m trying to be secretive again, but because I honestly don’t know. The bridal boutique I bought it from told me it was designed exclusively for their collection but she couldn’t even look up who that happened to be. That always seemed fishy to me (what salon doesn’t keep record of the designer of each dress?) but I could care less because I love it so much. I only regret not being able to share the designer with you because the quality is SUPERB. Seriously, this dress could have been priced much higher than it was because the quality and workmanship of the lace and beading is fabulous. Bravo, mysterious designer and manufacturer, bravo.
The only thing I didn’t like about the dress was the straight neckline. The boutique owner thought I might be able to find someone to alter it back in Michigan since I wasn’t going to be travelling back to Chicago for any other alterations. When I got it home safely (on the train!), I asked around but was told ‘no’ and ‘no’. No one wanted to mess with the intricate lace and beading overlay.
the original straight neckline was too high and a bit unflattering / personal photo
But I knew there had to be someone who was both willing and knowledgeable. I know nothing about sewing and dress altering, but my gut told me that it could be done. Sure enough, we found a freelance seamstress through word of mouth who had years of experience in a professional bridal salon. She told me it would be easy to transform the straight neckline into a sweetheart neckline, and guessed that I had been told otherwise because I hadn’t bought the dress from those particular salons. Hallelujah! After she worked her magic, there was absolutely nothing I didn’t love about my dress.
Because I had bought it off the rack, I had it stowed away safely for months leading up to the big day. I found myself feeling sorry for brides who ordered their dresses, because here I could sneak away and catch a glimpse or even try it on whereas other brides had to wait…. and wait… and wait until their dress came in. It’s not surprising that some women don’t even recognize their dress by that time since they’ve had so long to imagine and re-imagine what it looked like. Memories can become warped over time, but I never once had doubts or built up too-great-of-an-expectation for my dress because all I had to do was take a peek and fall in love all over again.
I’m totally smitten with my wedding dress. Honestly, I want to marry Mr. Bunting again because I want to wear it again. But I digress. Back to the wedding day, shall we?
Pulling that gown on was like magic all over again. Except this time it wasn’t just to gawk and giggle at myself in a mirror while the seamstress measured the hem, or to test out a few necklaces to see which looked best. This time was real. This time, I would be able to show it to everyone and anyone, and this time, I would finally be able to share it with Mr. Bunting. I absolutely could not wait to show Mr. Bunting my wedding dress. I knew he would love it and would agree that it suited my personality perfectly, but I still couldn’t wait to see his reaction.
MOH Bunting helped secure me in. Don’t you just love how the accent walls of the room coordinate with our color scheme? I swear it was pure coincidence.
I’m really excited at this point, but somehow manage to keep myself somewhat contained and still. Inside, though, I am dancing all over the place.
…I step into my lovely, lovely shoes…
…and I am a BRIDE! Mother Bunting looks on in full approval.
We’re just about ready to go meet up with our second photographer, Bryan, and Mr. Bunting for our first look portraits. A quick re-application of lipstick, and this bride is on her way to go meet her groom.
*All photos, unless stated otherwise, copyright Bryan and Mae Photography.
Follow the adventure:
1. We had a fluffing party and rehearsed.
2. I woke up and got ready with my girls.
The Bunting Bash: And so it begins
I didn’t get a whole lot of sleep the night before my wedding. Mr. Bunting had been sent to stay the night with his brother and some friends at their apartment, so MOH Bunting came to stay with me. Despite my best efforts to go to bed in a timely manner, I was up past midnight nervously writing out a letter to the man I would soon marry.
It probably wasn’t a good idea to try and write such a meaningful and thoughtful letter just before trying to go to sleep, but it was the first time where I had a moment to myself to think and reflect. As you can imagine, it was awfully hard to fall asleep after that. My mind was reeling from the day’s events, including the rehearsal and dinner, and it spun even faster when my thoughts floated to the next day. Somehow, though, I finally managed to quiet my thoughts just….. enough…
I woke up before my alarm went off. But then, it wasn’t the first time I’d awaken that night. It was like Christmas Eve as a child all over again, when I would frequently wake and check the clock, wondering if it were time yet. No? Okay… just a few more hours. Back to sleep, back to awake, then back to sleep.
Back awake again. Glance at the clock. Only 30 minutes until my alarm is scheduled to sound. I have this odd resignation about getting out of bed before my set alarm time, so I dozed and waited quietly for that last half-hour. Then it was a quick shower, and MOH Bunting and I were off to meet the girls and Mother Bunting at the salon. It had begun!
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I didn’t have the best experience with my hair trial (it had ended in tears), so I was a little nervous about how it would go now that it mattered most. But I needn’t have worried because our hair appointments went smoothly, especially with the help of the most delicious mimosas I’ve ever had. (Thanks, mom!).
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As soon as all our hair-do’s were finished, we snapped a quick photo before MOH Bunting and I parted ways (temporarily) so we could head to the next stop: make-up. We were en route when I got a call from Mr. Bunting… Was it bad luck to talk to each other before the wedding? I thought about it for a split second, then answered the phone. (We were having a first look anyway, so why start being superstitious now?) Mr. Bunting was all business though. There was some confusion regarding where the tissue poms were supposed to go at the ceremony. Now, some women do not want to be bothered at all about these things on the day-of. I am not one of those women. I was excited to be of help and to even get a sneak peek at the ceremony site. We had incorporated some cushion room in our schedule, so MOH Bunting and I altered our course for the park, which happened to be on the way of our route anyway. The groomsmen and all our wonderful helpers had hidden Mr. Bunting away in the pavilion building, and, assured that he wasn’t peeking out the windows, I quickly remedied the problem poms and we were off again! (P.S. I reeeeally wanted to peek in the windows to spy one Mr. Bunting. I later found out he used this time to take a power nap. Haha, boys will be boys.)
Mother Bunting met us at the mall, where she and I had our make-up applied by a super-cool Sephora technician named Roy. I had done a trial version with him earlier, so we chatted happily until I was, as beauticians say, all-prettified. Alright, they may not say that (do they?), but I felt sufficiently prettified!
We met up with the rest of the Bridesmaid Bunting Bunch at our getting ready location (the parent’s house of Brother Bunting’s fiancée), and….. guess what was awaiting us? Wine mixed with raspberry lemonade and so many delicious munchies! I’m telling you, those midday munchies are a bride’s lifesaver. I was too excited in the morning for a proper breakfast (apparently mimosas don’t count), so the light lunch food was much appreciated by my rumbling stomach. Ya gotta feed the butterflies in there something!
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I also gifted the girls their handmade robes at this time and we promptly made ourselves comfortable. Having that extra buffer time was a blessing because it meant we could lounge and munch on food for awhile.
Meanwhile, our two photographers of Bryan and Mae arrived. Mae joined us while Bryan went next door to where the men were assembled and enjoying their own lunch.
The Bunting Bridesmaid Bunch, Mother Bunting, and I gathered for a group shot showing off our pretty selves. I love, love, love how all the robes turned out.
We had to make a few last-minute dress repairs. And then I began putting on my +50 charisma armor. Er, jewelry.
( earrings bought from Vatne Designs )
These earrings from Vatne Designs are my favorite out of my bridal jewelry. The aqua Mother of Pearl centerstone ties in perfectly with our aqua color palette and adds just the right amount of color “pop”.
( necklace bought from Carolee )
Recalling all the countless wedding photographs I’ve drooled over, I’ve realized that most women typically put on their dress and THEN put on the jewelry. I like to be backwards. Okay, not really. We had all finished our lunch and were just milling about, so I, unable to stand being idle any longer, decided “Hey, let’s put on my jewelry, yay!” And everyone responded with a resounding, “Okay, yay!” And there you have it (yay!).
( bracelet bought from Carolee )
It was also at this time that I realized if I wanted MOH Bunting to deliver Mr. Bunting’s wedding day gift, I had better do it soon. So I gave the girls a sneak peek of the gift that was shortly to be delivered next door.
Don’t worry, you’ll get to see what it is eventually!
Then Daddy Bunting stopped by, where we hugged aaaaaaaand…..
…I promptly started tearing up. I had to send him away because I was starting to get a bit too emotional and I wasn’t ready to worry about ruining my make-up quite yet.
I don’t know why I looked so serious afterward, or even what I was saying. Probably “Who let him in to make me cry?!” But a few moments later and I was all giddy with excitement again.
*All photos, unless stated otherwise, copyright Bryan and Mae Photography.
Follow the adventure:
1. We had a fluffing party and rehearsed.
The Bunting Bash: Fluffing and Stuffing
The week leading up to the wedding was kah-raaaaaaaaazeeee. There were moments of sheer excitement and moments so tense and stressful that I felt physically ill. That, or my body was just in protest from being so hopped up on adrenaline all the time. Seriously, I felt like I belonged in the movie Crank a la wedding style. Luckily for me, my wonderful family, my lovely MOH Bunting, and Mr. Bunting all helped ease the burden of our last minute projects: assembling the paddle programs, preparing the rehearsal dinner food, stuffing the favors, making the cake topper, and sewing and stringing yard after yard after yard of fabric bunting. I have to give a huge shout-out to everyone who helped with that bunting. I’m pretty sure there were moments when Mother Bunting and Grandma Bunting wanted to shove it where the sun don’t shine… I could see it in their eyes. But hey, we couldn’t have a Bunting wedding without bunting! That’s just crazy-talk. (For those of you who want to incorporate handmade bunting… my advice is to not wait to cut and sew the triangles until the week before.)
so many triangles! / personal photo
We also visited the church we had reserved as a contingency plan in case of rainy weather and came up with a basic plan to utilize all our decorations in that space. It was not the outdoor venue I’d been dreaming of, but with some careful calculations I was assured it would still look wonderful with all our colorful poms. We then agreed that we would let the church coordinator know our decision the night before our wedding, though we all promised each other that the big day would have gorgeous weather.
All in all, I managed to stay relatively sane and true to my wedding-planning mantra of enjoying every moment. Okay, I may have slipped a few several many times during the stretch of the last two days, but overall I did well.
The morning of the day before our wedding was filled with cooking food and loading up the van and truck with all our wedding decor. Since we reserved the pavilion building for rehearsal dinner Friday night and had it the following day for the wedding, we were able to store all our ceremony decorations on-site overnight. Aweeeeesome. It was so wonderful to be able to transport our ceremony things, organize them and take inventory on-site, and explain to our Master and Mistress of Ceremonies what to put where all on the day before. It also allowed us to load up the emptied van and truck with our reception decorations that night, saving us the hassle of doing it in the morning. If you can arrange to have any or all of your decorations stored on-site overnight, do it! Not only did it save us time on W-Day, but it drastically decreased the chance of accidentally forgetting something at home in fray.
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By the time evening rolled around, we had finished the last of the DIY projects. Well, except for one final step… pom fluffing.
Once we had all of our ceremony items (and ourselves) safely transported to the park, I gathered the wedding party and gave a demonstration on how to fluff all the tissue poms I worked so hard to fold and trim. I know, I know, who puts their wedding party to work at the rehearsal dinner? It wasn’t my ideal situation, but the tissue poms are so delicate that they become misshapen and flat if stored or transported on their sides. The solution was to “fluff” them on location at the rehearsal and then hang and store them on strings in the pavilion building, ready to be hung the next morning.
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As friends and family started trickling in, I was surprised and completely thrilled by how many wanted to pitch in and help. Soon, the gathering became one giant pom-fluffing party. People who I had originally given instructions to were now demonstrating to the newcomers in earnest. That’s teamwork, baby.
Team Bunting Pom Brigade / personal photo
deck the halls with poms of color / personal photo
Our friends and family are amazing. I was dreading that the fluffing process would take forever, but with their help we had every single pom fluffed and hung in no time. Every. Single. Pom. Even the 10-15 extras I had brought (just in case). I swear to you, I went to that box to triple-check my numbers and when I asked where the extras were, I was told they had all been fluffed. Whew! That’s amaze-balls.
With that last task accomplished, we moved outside to run through the rehearsal.
Despite any photographic evidence of what appears to be me nibbling my newly manicured nails (I swear I wasn’t), the rehearsal itself went smoothly and by the time we finished I felt confident and calm with the proceedings.
See, look how calm and happy I am here. No, not up there. Look at the photo below.
We had just recited our vows, and I was giggly because I felt like even rehearsing them in front of our pastor made us officially married. Apparently that’s not how it works, though.
We were all starving by the time we called it a wrap-up, but thankfully the food was only a staircase and a jump away. Keeping with the park setting, we had BBQ pulled pork sandwiches, cheesy potatoes, chips, and all sorts of delicious sides befitting for a casual picnic-inspired meal. To top it all off, we set up an ice cream bar that was a huge hit. Yum!
Though our rehearsal went great, there is one bit of advice I want to pass on that caused a bit of a bump for us. If you have a lot of gifts to hand out as a thank you to those who helped, start as soon as people are finishing their dinner! We waited and mingled a bit, and by the time we started handing out the gifts some people were starting to leave. It was a domino effect, and soon everyone was leaving at the same time. Our gift-giving turned into a frantic “Wait, before you leave I want to give this to you!” affair. It all worked out in the end and we delivered all the gifts, but it would have been nice to linger a moment and further express our gratitude instead of dashing off to the next person half-way out the door.
Near the end of the evening, we received a call from the church coordinator. She wanted to know our decision regarding using the church as our ceremony venue. Mother Bunting and I exchanged slightly crazed glances and exclaimed, “WE’RE GOING FOR IT.” And by ‘it’, we meant the scenic park we fought to reserve one full year ago. Never mind that the weather forecast was calling for 70%+ chance of thunderstorms for the majority of our wedding day. Rain or shine, it was on.
Follow the adventure:
1. We had a fluffing party and rehearsed.
