A Disney Princess Wedding: Ariel

So, the other day, I had just so much fun putting together an inspiration board of what a classy Beauty and the Beast wedding might look like, that I decided to make another post about a Disney Princess wedding right away.  Here is my Ariel-inspired wedding.

Ariel is another much-loved Disney princess.  The rebel of the lot, in many ways, she is not afraid to take charge of her own life and do something drastic, especially to have a chance at true love.  While she is admittedly a bit irresponsible and immature, her curiosity is wonderful and her thirst for knowledge, remarkable.  Ariel is the epitome of youth and her demeanor is as fresh and is imbued with as much texture and flavour as the ocean itself: she is altogether independent, a bit unruly, enthusiastic, and full of brilliant vigor.

More Disney Princess inspired weddings to come shortly! :)

A Disney Princess Wedding: Belle

I have decided to start writing a new series of blog posts, based off of Disney princesses.  The first up?  Well, as you can tell from the title, it's Belle from Beauty and the Beast.  Below is a collage of different pieces of inspiration I have put together, for a Beauty and the Beast themed wedding (click to enlarge)...

Belle is probably one of the most loved Disney princesses.  And for good reason!  She's smart, independent, loves her father, and is able to see past the Beast's exterior... and even his interior, to help him become a better person.  Her ability to inspire love is beautiful and her way of (gracefully) speaking exactly what's on her mind is admirable.  Never does Belle shrink away with fear, but she often shows bravery and demonstrates a willingness to be selfless when faced with tough situations.  And I have always loved the fact that she reads so much!  A heroine with a brain is the best kind, don't you agree?

Stay tuned for more Disney Princess inspired wedding ideas! :)

Note: the blog post was inspired by this one: http://burnettsboards.com/disney-princess-you/ -- SO amazing!  Seriously.  Check it out.

Lights&Lanterns.

I was just looking through my "Wedding" folder on my computer and found these photos.  (Yes, I have a wedding folder.  ...How could I not?)  These are just some pictures I found online of beautiful sparkling lights at weddings... I'd love something like these at my own wedding, in the future!

        

There is just something I love about floating lanterns.  I think they remind me of Disney's animated movie, Tangled - one of my favourites.  I don't know.  They're so... romantic, in a way?  Imagine the amazing wedding photos you could get!  (However, my practical side says: I'd love to do a lantern-release at my wedding, though I'm not sure how that would work...  Like, do you have to get a permit to do so? Is it really safe to send up paper bags with fire into the air?  Even if you don't use a lit flame, and it's really a battery-operated light or something - would that work? - are you allowed to just send them into the air?  Do they make a lot of waste when they fall?  Umm... Hmm...  In any case...)  Aren't they beautiful?

Book Worm

So, as physical proof that I am a weddingaholic, I bought four wedding books yesterday (for about $15 all together!), adding to the one wedding book I bought a few weeks back. I also bought two baby name books, because I am also a name-aholic. Isn't it fantastic? I've been leafing through some of them already, and they are great books. Yay for weddings and names! :)

And They Lived Happily Ever After.

This picture has been circulating on my Facebook news feed for a bit, and I thought it was really cute! (I also saw an editted version, where all the colours matched up perfectly. But I like the original version best.)

William & Kate

As everyone in the world (unless you really were living under a rock) knows, a few days ago, April 29th, was the "Wedding of the Century," that of Prince William and Kate Middleton. I stayed up, despite my better judgment, to watch most of the ceremony, and later watched the rest on PVR. Wow! Was Kate gorgeous that day or what? I mean, I knew her dress would probably be pretty fabulous because she does have a very good sense of style, but wow. It was just stunning, I thought. A co-worker of mine didn't think it was grand enough, but I thought it was perfect. Tricia was expecting an over-the-top Diana kind of gown, but I think Kate picked the absolute perfect dress for her. (One thing I did agree on with my co-worker was that the bouquet could have been a bit bigger. But it was gorgeous nonetheless.) We'll see now if lace sleeves become all the rage in wedding dress fashion, huh?

The dress is being compared to that of Grace Kelly. And it's true! They are very similar. Though, I liked Kate's more haha. Of course, Kate had to have some sort of sleeves to be modest for the church service. She did have a second dress for the reception, as well. (I have to find a picture, though.)

Look at that train! Not gaudily long, but just stunning!

And of course her maid of honour, Pippa. She looked beautiful in this long, white dress. And aren't the little flower girls (actually, in England, I think they call them the bridesmaids) adorable? Super cute.

I hope they live happily ever after! :)

Way too Tired to Think of a Clever Title.

I should really go to sleep, as I'm working early in the morning. But I also felt like blogging a bit, since it's been a few days... (er, a week? Wow. Time flies.)

Ha! It's funny, I just checked my "stats" for this blog, and found out that my post about the Princess of Sweden's wedding got the most hits. I bet this is because of Prince William's wedding that's coming up shortly. I have to admit that I'm pretty excited to see what Kate Middleton's dress will look like, though I haven't been following the pre-event stuff religiously at all. (Strange, isn't it? For a wedding-aholic like me?) But I will definitely check out what the wedding looks like the day of. I think I would actually really hate to be Kate Middleton at the moment, in fact, though. So much pressure, so many eyes on her... It must be overwhelming at times. I don't think I could ever do what she's doing, stepping so voluntarily into the limelight. I bet she never imagined that one day, her name would be among the royal names of England, like Queen Victoria and King Henry VIII. But I'm happy for her, at the same time. Her wedding will really be a Princess wedding, like so many girls dream of. I wish her and her Prince all the best. :)

But yes, in other wedding news... I talked to Rosamund the other day (on Good Friday, actually. Which reminds me, HAPPY EASTER!) and saw her temporary ring - it's really pretty! But she's still waiting for her real ring. And I heard how Caleb proposed: it was at her home with her whole family around. She thought that he was just going to make an announcement that they had gotten her parents' permission to marry, but then he got down on one knee and asked her. I also talked to her a bit about her colours. At first, she said she was thinking pink and light grey, but is now also thinking of adding her favourite colour, green, into it, because she saw some invites or something with that colour scheme (they had oriental flowers on them, she said). I'm excited to hear all about the wedding details as they unfold. She and Caleb are actually going to get married right around the same time that Rosie and Adam are getting married as well. Rosamund and Caleb are going to tie the knot at our church, and then they're going to turn the place over to become the reception venue, as well. She asked if I (and some other of the pre-teen youth group leaders) could help her with that, when the time comes. So I said, yes of course! Can't wait for that.

On the topic of Rosie's wedding, I don't have too much to add. There has been some, um, discussion about the bridesmaid dresses over Facebook. They are going to be ankle-length, red, 'handkerchief' dresses. With a possible flower belt and embroidery on it. We're also going to be wearing black flats. We'll see how it goes....

But yeah. I should probably get to bed! More later! XOX.

A Lovely Literary Wedding.

Just thought these pictures were lovely. :)

Le Blah Blah.

Hello, Reader!
It's been exactly 10 days since I last posted anything. I've been busy, as always. I registered for my courses for this upcoming semester, and was looking at courses at a local university for the following semester. Oh my goodness. University websites are so confusing. You need to click a link, to get to another link, to click another link, to get to a page with another link, that takes you to another link, that will then take you to a page withOUT the information you're looking for. AGH! It makes me frustrated. I need to go talk to an academic advisor, and I'm hoping they can help. At least I'm feeling like my schooling is starting to get me somewhere, and I'm getting closer to my dream of finally being a teacher. But anyhoopla.
Weddings. Let's talk about weddings. After all, that's what this blog is all about! :)
Well, not much news on the wedding front, besides there being a bajillion weddings on the horizon. Or maybe, I should say, in the foreground. Since they're all happening quite soon. But yeah. I really do love planning weddings, though I feel a little "green," so to speak, since this is my first time actually planning one. But at least I've been to a wedding recently and can kind of take some hints from the October Wedding... Oh! Do you know what site I really love now? Etsy.com. I might have talked a bit about it before (or maybe not), but it's super cool. They have all these handmade masterpieces on there, anything from jewelry to accessories to wedding favours to other little decorations. It's very neat! I'd heard other bloggers rant and rave about the amazing-ness of Etsy, but you need to check it out for yourself! Some things can be expensive, because it's all private vendors, but some things are incredibly cheap. It's just up to you to find it!
Anyways, I'd blog some more, but my laptop is about to die, and the charger is in my parents' room (and they're sleeping right now). So I'll say adieu for now!
Adieu!
xoxo,
Marian

A Royal Wedding

I was reading one of those kind of trashy, gossip-y magazines, and it talked about Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden's marriage to Daniel Westling, her personal trainer (you can tell that match was for love!). I just had to blog about it, though I couldn't find very many pictures online. In the magazine, it showed what the flowergirls and page boys were wearing etc. etc. But I finally found these pictures off of the magazine's website, hellomagazine.com. It gives you an idea of the wedding at least!

Isn't this such a sweet photo? I think it really sums up the love they must have for each other. Just look at that look Princess Victoria has in her eyes! Aww...! :P Haha.

The wedding fashion for the guests in Sweden is different than that of other countries, such as England. In Sweden, the women wear long, beautiful dresses (I saw some pictures in the magazine - they were all absolutely STUNNING) and the royals all wear their crowns (which I think is neat. I mean, it sounds kind of backwards, but you don't normally see a royal in a crown, that often!). Totally different than the tradition in England, where the ladies wear a skirt/suit combo and...

...crazy hats.

This is Princess Beatrice at Peter Phillips' wedding to Autumn Kelly. Below her is Kate Middleton, Prince William's girlfriend, at the wedding of Nicholas van Cutsem, wearing a more 'conventional' hat. But I think it's still a bit of a silly custom, and I much prefer Sweden's custom of long dresses and crowns! Hehe. ;)

But anyways, back to the Crown Princess of Sweden's wedding. Isn't this a beautiful shot?

They DEFINITELY married for love. He is so geeky-looking. Haha. But I think it's really cute, and she looks beautiful.

Anyways. That's a royal wedding for you! :)

All the latest news...

Wow, that sounds like one of those celebrity talk shows, where they have all the latest gossip on people we don't really want to hear about....
But, what I mean is: here's the latest on other weddings in the near future for me... :) (Not my own, thiough sadly. Sigh. One day, one day!)
My cousin Juliet (sister to Eli, whose wedding I went to in October) is engaged! I don't know how exactly he popped the question, since Juliet's across the country, but it's so exciting! She's marrying an American... let's call him John. I haven't met him ever, but I can't believe she's getting married! :D Although we live on opposite sides of the country, I've always had a good relationship with Juliet, writing letters back and forth to each other since we were little. She's only 2 years older than me, and so whenever we go to visit, we got along really well. I remember writing in diaries together, and asking her how to spell "Jumanji" - a movie we had seen recently. And I remember playing Polly Pockets with her and wearing matching clothes. I remember playing board games in our aunt's basement and watching "Raise Your Voice" in her basement. Lots of good memories! And I can't believe she's getting married! Both she and John are in this program in Florida right now. I'm just so happy for her!
Also, some not-so-wedding news. Rosie and Jake broke up, for intensely personal reasons. But it really is for the better, and I'm really proud of Rosie for making the decision, as hard as it's been. She deserves the best. But also sad news, Rosie's moving in with her sister, her brother-in-law and her niece (for a completely different reason)... So she'll be a couple hours away. :( Extra sadface. Life's path really is unexpected.
And hmm... Let's see, I think that's all the wedding-related updates I have... I feel like there's something else, but I can't think right now... It's too late (err... early...) to remember.

Anyways, more later!
<3 M.M.

Some Cute Ideas

Just some creative ideas I found on "The Knot" ...

"Rustic signage helped guests navigate the different areas around the reception site."

"The place cards were a creative DIY project. Lia’s mom cut the circular place cards from fallen pine branches found in the bride’s grandparents’ yard in Camino, CA and printed the guests’ names on the front. The couple then stamped the back of each card with brands in the shape of mountain animals and a bull rider."

"In an intimate gesture, the couple’s friends framed pictures taken of Becca and Issac during their engagement photo sessions and hung them on this three-fold, wrought iron room divider."

"For the reception, Kristen’s mom made personalized napkin holders for each guest. The florist then tucked a sprig of rosemary in each napkin to enhance the natural feel of the wedding."

"A heart with an arrow filled with purple petals decorated a tree on the property and sent guests to the reception."

A Brown and Blue Wedding

Just some inspiration photos! :)

A Fairytale Wedding

Just some pictures for a fairtale wedding, which I think would be a cute idea to have... Imagine all the possibilities! And your invitations could say something along the lines of "You are cordially invited to a Happily Ever After." :) And the dresses, oh, the dresses! I just think it could be a beautiful, romantic idea for a wedding.

Below picture from wedthemes.com . What a cute idea! Picture below from perfect weddingzone.com .

invitationconsultants.com -- $99 for 100

$97 for 100


fabgifts4u.co.uk

The October Wedding

Alright, so enough time has passed. I really need to blog about the October Wedding. So, here you go!
Well, let's just say: my, oh, my. It was a beautiful wedding. Eli and Leah got married in a church and they had it decorated beautifully. The theme was a fall wedding, and there were pumpkins everywhere, yellow, red, and orange flowers, and tulle with leaves and butterflies in them. Here, you can see the front of the church, how they had draped tulle above the cross.


The ceremony included Leah's father singing a song to the newlyweds, and the couple combining black and white sand together into a heart-shaped jar. It was also so sweet because as the bride came down the aisle, she was crying; and then I looked back at the groom, and he was crying, too! Such tears of happiness. It was so sweet to see. And the ceremony itself was so beautiful. The pastor really talked about how a marriage should be based on God, and there was a real emphasis on putting your trust and faith in Him to guide you. It was awesome to hear.

At 5ish, we went to the reception. Our table was decorated like this:

It was a lovely reception, too. The speeches were hilarious and heart-warming, the food good, and the location beautiful.

Here is the cake that they had:

Look carefully to see what the bride is doing!!! (Too funny!)

Then, it was time for the First Dance of the couple. It was great! it wasn't exactly conventional, but it wasn't weird, at all. Just a great first dance. Eli sported a fedora all throughout it. Here he is, with his new wife Leah being dipped and kissed!

All in all, it was a LOVELY wedding. I'd write more, but the battery on my laptop is about to die and the charge cord isn't working for some reason... (Don't ask me why! But I hope it gets fixed!)

Anyways, that's all for now!

Love,

Maid Marian

PS. Did I mention my shoes??

I'm home!

Well, I have returned from across the country. The October Wedding was FABULOUS. I'm so glad I had the chance to go. I'll upload some pictures of it later, once I have a chance to upload them to my computer first.
But let me just say it was a gorgeous wedding. The groom (let's call him Eli) just looked so happy to be marrying his bride (let's call her Leah). They were both crying as Leah walked down the aisle; it was so sweet! I had a chance to meet the bride beforehand, while my cousin Juliet and I helped with some decorations for the reception. Leah was just so nice - one of those people who is always smiling, always considerate, always friendly. And I met some of her bridemaids - and they were so nice, too! Especially one bridesmaid, Jenah. It was so funny, because during the rehearsal dinner, we were talking, and the subject of relationships came up, and she just straight-out asked me, "So, are you seeing anyone?" It was just so funny because she just asked straight upfront, and I just laughed and told her, regretfully, no. But I have to admit being single DOES have its advantages sometimes. (Like scoping out the guys at the wedding haha.)
But anyways. I'm supposed be describing Eli and Leah's wedding. It was simply beautiful. The theme they played around with was the fall, and on their favours, they had a little sticker that said "Fall in Love, Leah and Eli October 2009" - too cute!
Oh, and her dress! Gorgeous! It had beading on it, and while it wasn't a big princess dress, it did have some body to the skirt. It was simple, classic, and elegant. She wore no veil and carried a bouquet of orange, yellow and red flowers. (PS. Right now, I am loving the white hydrangea for bouquets! But I'll talk about that another time...)
One interesting thing at the wedding was that the bridesmaids all wore different style dresses made up of the same material. I like that concept in theory, and while each bridesmaid looked beautiful, it was... interesting because all the bridesmaids - Allie, Jenah, Catherine and the other one I never really met - all had different lengths of dresses. They had red dresses which were all beautiful, but it was interesting that the lengths were all different.... I don't know.
But anyhoo. I will continue this later. Right now I'm super tired and I have a midterm to write tomorrow, and so I should finally head to bed. But I thought I'd quickly update my devoted fanbase of millions to the wonderful story of Eli and Leah's wedding.
But for now, adieu.
<3 Maid Marian

I Still Exist!

It's been officially a month since I last posted. And a lot has happened since then. Sorry to my millions of readers (ha!) for taking so long...
But anywho. Yes. Where to start? Well, camp was good. Tiring and challenging but good. (And I finally got over the guy I liked, which is good, too.) And since then, I've started school again, which has actually been awesome this semester. Good instructors and some interesting material.
AND GUESS WHAT (wow, totally ADD)! I'm going to a wedding in a couple of weeks! Across the country! I'm so excited. I just found out yesterday that I'm going. I mean, my family and I knew about the wedding, but weren't sure if we'd be able to go, what with work and school. But my dad and I are going to go together and I could not be more excited. I mean, I LOVE weddings (who'da thunk?) and to see my family again will be so nice (even though we're only there for about three and a half-ish days when you take into consideration the time it will take to travel there). But I cannot wait. :) Eeeee! (<- a kind of excited, big smile and exclamation. Haha.)
But anyways. I have some photos to blog about. So I will be right back and blog about them...
Maid Marian

Venues

I've been thinking about where, should I be getting married, I would have my wedding and reception. Would I like to be married in a church? I actually don't think I'd like to be married in my church. I don't know. I love my church. But I don't think I'd like to get married in it. It's just... I don't know. I can't describe why I wouldn't want to. (Weird, huh?) I think if I got married in a church, I'd like to get married in a little chapel, with stained-glass windows and a cute little garden in the front (maybe I'm just a hopeless romantic). My cousin got married in a little chapel like that in Europe, but unfortunately in North America, those kind of chapels are hard to come by... But it would be so sweet! (And unfortunately, I won't be able to do a destination wedding.)
Another option is getting married on the beach. I'd love it. The only problem is that what if the weather doesn't co-operate? The fact is, where I live, the weather never co-operates. It's hot when you don't want it to be, and it rains when you don't want it to. But it would be nice to get married on a beach! Though, how does that work? Do you rent part of the beach for the day? Or do you just let passerbyers just walk in on your wedding?
Another option is having a garden wedding. The only thing is, again, with the weather. How reliable is the weather in my area? Not at all. Though, you COULD rent out those big tents you sometimes see. That might be nice. But what if it was actually POURING on the day of your wedding? Would the tents be sufficient?
One other option, sort of like the garden wedding, is having it on a place like a golf course. There's this luxurious golf club in my town, and I've perused its website, and they do weddings and the location is GORGEOUS. AND they have an indoor option if the weather decides it doesn't like you that day. The only thing is, it's expensive.
So yeah. Options. Lots of options. With pros and cons, each of them. Hmmm.... Well, the good news is I have a long time to decide!! Haha.