This is bourgeoisbride's Pink Wedding!

Hey Guys! I am now planning my reception party. Marc and I decided to do a weekend long party at one of his father's houses out in the Georgia country side. The house is great, and sits up on a huge hill, overlooking two humongous bass ponds. The 5B/5B house is awesome, and luckily we are outdoorsy and so are our friends, so the idea is many of the resident guest will camp out. There will probably be around 30-40 guests all weekend. We are going to provide catering for the entire weekend and kegs of beers. I need ideas ! The biggest part I'm struggling with is the Saturday, more family is going to stop by that day and I really want to make it like a real wedding reception, so I need some sort of "ceremonial" idea to commemorate why everyone is there. I don't want it to be cheesy though! We were thinking some sort of speech from someone, maybe from us, as well as maybe a blessing of are rings? Or tying them together and passing them around for different people to say different "wishes for us" while holding them? I just don't know! Help! Please! The pic is of me on the porch of the country house shooting targets! It's what I feel like doing to my planing "block".

It's been awhile since I've had time to post on here!

Marc and I "eloped" on February 22nd. We ditched all the big wedding plans, and let me tell you, it was awesome. At first I was really unsure about it. It's hard seeing all your friends having these big awesome weddings, and to know that with everything we had going on, it just wasn't going to happen the way we wanted it to.

Nevertheless! We had a small civil ceremony. Marc and I chose the date 2/22/11, as the date just seemed like a good one..... my birthday is 11/22! We called to schedule the ceremony for that day and they said "oh we are booked for the next month and a half, but we do have 2/22/11 open at 4:30. How clandestine was that?

My parents drove down from cold, snowy Canada with a weeks notice, and the 22nd turned out to be GORGEOUS! It really felt like spring/summer, which was a great change from all the cold of winter. When I got to the courthouse, I realized. I don't even know what is going to happen here, how this is all suppose to work. It felt weird. After all my planning and everything I put into it, walking up those courthouse steps knowing I was going to marry the man I loved, but not knowing anything else.

We were standing outside the courtroom and one of my co-workers husbands walked into the courthouse. I was surprised and I said "Are you here for the wedding?" and he said yes, and that his wife and some of my co-workers would be there shortly. I hadn't invited them, but I wasn't all that concerned. I think he quickly realized this, thinking they had been invited. He got on his cell phone down the hall and came back and said "you didn't see me" and he left. I discovered that my co-workers had only come to blow bubbles for Marc and I when we exited the courthouse. I told them they needed to come in and join us. They were all apologetic and said they didn't mean to wedding crash, and I said it was great! It was nice having them there.

The judge was fantastic. He was young, and handsome, and full of great energy. He reminded my husband of his late uncle, who also had been a judge. It was almost a gift from heaven. He brought us (and all our family, a few friends, and my co-workers)into the courtroom, which was dusty blue colored and florescent lights. He explained to us how the ceremony worked, and read us the vows to make sure they were alright. He then asked us if we would like to perform the ceremony outside. Outside! I was so delighted. You aren't allowed to request an outside ceremony, but on rare occasions, such as the first spring feeling day, they will give the couples the option of haivng the ceremony outside.

We had to quickly decide where we wanted it to be. It was a fast decision, we thought of the local places and decided on city hall. We only had to relocate a few homeless people! In Athens, the local homeless people are well known. We even had a few of our favorites show up. I thought that was pretty funny.

The Judge performed a wonderful ceremony, which in hindsight, really was how I had imagined it. It was romantic, the sun was shining down on us. the vows were perfect, he blessed our rings, our mothers and friends alike cried, I cried. It was beautiful.

Afterward, we went to a local favorite restaurant called the East West Bistro. They have the best food. We ordered wine all around and ate some of the best food I've ever had. Since it was a week day, Marc's family had to leave to get back to Augusta, but our friends stayed and we all went next door to the Blue Sky Bar, which is a roof top terrace in the heart of Athens, across from the University of Georgia's north Campus. It was truly an Athenian wedding! What can I say, even though I was slightly unsure if I would regret not having the big wedding, it was just such a perfect day, and everything, surprises and all were just wondrous!

I need pictures to remember this all by. I think that maybe we will try and do a photo shoot a couple weeks after we do the civil ceremony, and I'm going to wear my full dress. There are some cool textile mills around town that I thought would be a great backdrop. Do you guys think this is weird? I know people do an after wedding- wedding shoot sometimes. I am just unsure!
Also I was thinking on the Saturday of the party, there is this "mini grand canyon" 5 minutes down the road from the party location, and I want to gather all my girls and guys there for a fun photoshoot with props and stuff. Get the girls int heir dresses, wearing whatever shoes they want, boots whatever, and dress the guys up in jeans and white collared shirt with vests and belt buckles... ideas?

Yea crazy right?! After all that! Marc and I were going to have to get legally married before the wedding, since I am a Canadian. So during all the stress and craziness, we realized, why are we spending all this money on this "ceremony" when we will already be married? So we decided we wanted to try and do a weekend-long party instead. We can invite all the same people and family members to the "country house" (if we get permission to use it). We will provide alcohol, and food, and good ole southern entertainment! Since there are only about 30-40 people that will actually come and stay, it will be a lot less expensive! There are 6 bedrooms in the house (two twin beds in each) plus its the country so there is a ton of room for camping. We have many outdoorsy friends so this won't be a problem. While I am fighting the sadness of not having the big ceremony I imagine. I feel like I am okay with this decision. It will be a lot less stressful and I will get to hang out with all the people I love a lot more! I am still going to implement some of my ideas... still make the soaps for gifts. So I will still be posting this is just going to be the most unconventional wedding blog post on here I'm sure! Picture is the view from the patio of the country house! Definitely the hardest decision, but heading all the advice from adults is probably smart. So my question is that I'm going to need all of y'alls help trying to come up with fun things to do that weekend! Let me know what you think, and if any brides need to talk if they are thinking about Eloping I can offer some good advice!

My FH looked at the layout and decided A) he wanted to dance under the stars and not the pavilion. B) if if rains (god forbid) it would be better to have the majority of the tables already set up under the Pavilion, and C) if we have the dance floor closest to the ceremony we can put the speakers behind the guest's chair so that the sound will travel better, then we just need to change their direction for the dancing, and not physically have to move them. Smart guy! This is what I can up with!

After a ton of consideration, (electrical, food preparation, guest numbers)
this was the best I could come up! It fits the most people, and had the best circulation within the space. People will have to walk up the ramp to get their drinks, but I'm hoping that will keep the sobriety level a little more in check! We decided not to have a head table, so it isn't as formal. I am not sure if any of you brides have been bridesmaids up on a stage at a head table, but its hard to converse with one another, and it's a very much "all eyes on you" feeling. I have 186 people on my guest list right now, I am told that I should expect about a 75% attendance rate. And the space is only suppose to hold 120. I think that the seating arrangement at 142 works though. Plus I'm going to set up a "picnic" area that I hope people will use. I know that not having a seating chart is going to mess things up a bit. Especially when you get 7 people at an 8 person table, it splits people up. Luckily there are so many nooks and crannies in this place, that everyone (especially with the whole "Picnic" idea should be able to find a place to sit and eat. Big shout out to my friend Jennifer.G for having the "picnic" idea at her wedding! I know the kids at her wedding LOVED it!

I'm doing things a little unconventionally! My little cousin has always asked me if she could be my flower girl ever since she was a little girl. She isn't so little anymore, but she isn't quite old enough to be a bridesmaid either. She is sweet 16 and I still really wanted to include her in the wedding. Especially since she means so much to me, even though I haven't seen her since she was 7. So I am having her as a junior bride instead! I also really wanted to include my FH's cousin who is the same age as my cousin. I find her a particularly interesting teen who lights up a room when she walks in. I thought it would be nice for them to do it together, since they are about the same age. I finally think I've found the dress I want them to wear. Thought this mimicked my dress nicely with the Ivory organza layer, and the sash is coral, which may be a little off from the "spice" but I think it will work! How sweet is this!? Problem is my little cousin isn't sure she will be able to make it, they live in another country, and she is in her senior year of school and is taking all sciences. She is scared it might affect her grades if she comes. Not sure what to do, I don't want to ask her to get this dress and then have her not come!

Isn't this incredible!? Found it in the Town and Country Weddings magazine this past month. Wish I had a better pic, but I Love love love it!
I am hoping I can get something similar made. Just have to make sure the icing can hold up to the warmth of a Spring day in Georgia!

Hope you all are having a wonderful Friday, and get lots of good wedding projects done over the weekend. I am going to work on my invitations and the soap favors!

I am looking for any suggestions of places I need to see in the United States for a honeymoon! We are seasoned backpackers so were not scared to take a dirt road or path to get to something cool! We always travel out of country and are looking for something amazing in our own backyard! Suggestions anyone!?

My plan (hoping this works out) is to have this old relic set up and working so that people can leave me a continious message typed out as my "guest book" I'd love to frame my favorite pages one day to have hanging in a bathroom or my future "studio". I found this up in the attic at my work when I was looking for some old files one day. I had told all my friends to keep an eye out for one, and I was poking around there it was covered up under a ton of junk and dust. Cleaned it up, needs an oiling and a ribbon. Luckily by the grace of god, I found one that we had on hand that fit it, bad side was it had long since dried out in the unopened package. Amazon to the rescue, I found a new ribbon for $12! My back up plan is to put out my favorite cook book called "Bon Appetite y'all" and have people sign in and around the recipes. I'm from a french-canadian family and he's southern so I thought that was also pretty perfect!