The Theme's the thing

I have been amazed at the wedding themes that have actually been used...in real life!  From bizarre to boring, cartoon to crazy, daring to disturbing.

On the website GadgetHer there is an article justifiably titled "18 Craziest and Most Bizarre Wedding Themes."  And there are some doozies!  When Princess and I discuss themes, this is all  that sticks in my mind. LOL Favorite things from your childhood might be nice to include in a wedding, but Hello Kitty in the wedding party?  Not unless Mom and Dad own the company and are giving you away at a million dollar event. And what if you don't want to use pink in your color scheme?  And, if you loved clowns as a child, that is sweet, but if you have guests who have seen Stephen King's It, or Clown House (or there are children in the wedding party) you might want to rethink dressing as clowns at your own wedding.  Just a thought.

And of course, there are always the favorite cartoons and comic book heroes.  I think, no matter how much I love the Shrek series, I would not want my groom and myself to be portrayed as ogres on our wedding day. Even if it is a particularly loving ogre. Sorry.  And as much as I love some people, if they dress up as super heroes and want me to do so as well, I might have to come down with a serious illness requiring complete bedrest the day of the wedding.  If Prince Charming doesn't like to wear a coat and tie, I cannot imagine getting him into tights!  Actually, that is something I really, really don't want to imagine. Of course, the wedding party would be interesting.  Bridesmaids could all be the fairy princesses and groomsmen could  be donkeys and cats?  Now, one cartoon that might work...Scooby Doo, as long as the bride and groom aren't dressed as Scooby and Shaggy! 

Literature and movies might work.  In some cases. Just because it is a good book or good film, doesn't mean it makes a good wedding theme!  Romeo and Juliet--understandable.  Lord of the Rings (I have neither read the book nor seen the movies) might be OK, from what I have seen. Maybe. But, Peter Pan is pushing it, I think.  It is a little disturbing to think of a man-boy marrying a fairy.  And who would your attendants be?  The Lost Boys?  That leads into another whole genre!  LOL  Perhaps if it were Peter Pan and Wendy it might not be quite as disturbing.  But, I would be thinking "poor Wendy, she will be the dorm mother living in a frat house."  Star Wars and Star Trek, umm, no. Why not Robin Hood and Maid Marian? I could go for that!

Another theme that is quite popular is the "this is what we love to do together" or the  "this is how we met" theme.  That can be very sweet...you met at a Botanical Garden or you both enjoy gardening--you have your ceremony in a garden or decorate with lots of flowers.  But, just because you enjoy skydiving, scuba diving, or mountain climbing, does not mean your guests (or your wedding party) will as well. My goodness, if you met at a boxing match, what would that mean? Or a funeral?  Let's just make up this rule: if your wedding invitations mention updating life insurance or your reception favors include first aid kits, it might be time to rethink those plans! By the way....save your stamp if you plan to invite me to a wedding that involves oxygen or water.  

          

Okay, so I will just warn you.  Royal couple have a theme...actually several!  LOL.  To some, the theme may be as bizarre as Hello Kitty.  (I promise it's not California Raisins, Smurfs, nor Rainbow Brite)  The theme for this wedding involves the season and some things that brought them together,which thankfully do NOT include dangerous feats.  So, with October 29 being the date, bet you can guess what one of the themes involves.  Halloween, sort of.  And M&M's: Movies and Music.  Pop culture.  Tell you all about it....

Lights, Camera, Action!

The ring is on the finger.  Gown is hanging in the closet. Date, place and time have been set. Engagement portraits have been taken.  The fun has begun! Finally!  All the little details are beginning to pop up and need thoughts and decisions.  My goodness, there are so many choices out there for every aspect of a wedding. Like anything else, the internet can help or hinder by offering so many choices.  We make the mistake of going online to get ideas for something and find something, click on it, that leads to something else and that to something else and that to something else.  It reminds me of looking at a picture of a doorway taken in a mirror.  It goes on and on and on and on....  LOL  You don't make a decision because you are afraid to, you might miss something!

Like the internet, TV offers waaaaaaaaaaay too many wedding ideas as well.  One afternoon a week you can sit and watch wedding shows on one channel for hours.  Two evenings there are wedding shows on for four to six hours.  That doesn't include the wedding cake shows!  And if you watch David Tutera's My Fair Wedding, you know theme weddings are the thing! I would never have dreamed we would have a theme wedding.  Well....

Remember that first post? I think I may have mentioned the Princess' dream was for an outdoor country wedding in the mountains?  We had to drop the mountains.  We had to drop the outdoor.  Now, the country has been dropped.  LOL  See what I mean?  Too many choices. 

The final decision for the theme was totally different because of the change in venues.  Now that the wedding will be a true production, in Bainbridge Little Theatre, guess what the theme will be?  Come on, guess.  MOVIES!  Betcha didn't see that coming.  LOL  The Royal Couple are media nuts.  Walking Wikipedia on movies, music, and books.  The Princess can just about quote the scripts of most 80's movies.  Oh, to have her memory.  [side note you probably are not interested in at all, but I am having a nostalgia moment here so bear with me:  when she was 18 to 24 months old, we read books to her every day, several times a day.  She memorized them.  She would sit and look at the pages and recite what was on each page.  People thought she was reading the pages.  I remember the looks she would get in the doctor's office--astonishment. So funny.]



Hmm.  What time does Love Boat come on?
(age 18 mos)





Get me a pen & paper.  I feel a letter to
the editor coming on! (age 2)



Back to the themed wedding.  First order of business was Save the Date cards.  Because of my sister and a home-based business she has, our Save the Date Cards were pretty inexpensive and so easy!  Send Out Cards allows you to design your card, import your address list, check the ones you want to send, and hit "send".  The cards are printed, addressed, and mailed for you!  You can go back and check to see where the card is: in printing, at post office, delivered, returned.  Much cheaper than having Save the Date cards printed, then having to address them and stamp them.  Saved HOURS and DOLLARS!!  By the way, you don't have to just send Save the Date cards, you can send birthday, anniversary, get well, congrats, anything.  My sister sends out family reunion reminders each year.  And boy was that good...because she already had all those addresses saved in the Send Out Cards site!  You know how painstaking it is to gather addresses?  If you are planning anything....go to her website and check it out.  Or if you want to set up  birthday cards to be sent out for the year, you can personalize a ready made card, or design your own and set it up to be sent out on the date you want it to be mailed.  How much easier can it get!!!!!!

 There is a template for a postcard or greeting card on the Send Out Card site; you just choose the template you want to use and you can download photos for your creation.  Really easy. I used some of the shots that my niece, Mallory Creel, took in Havana for the engagement portraits.  She did a wonderful job.  Check out some of her work at Live*Love*Photography. Cost is about $.90 per card (including postage!) and there is no addressing or stamping!  How easy can that be?  (The first batch I sent out, I used my sister's page and I forgot to change the return address!  LOL)

Now, that we have Save the Date cards, we can concentrate on flowers and tablecloths, and all those fun details.  Can't wait to tell you about the rehearsal dinner!  What fun it will be!

Memories from Bainbridge Little Theatre:



first Childrens Summer Workshop,
June 1990 (love those pigtails!)




Four children from Bainbridge were invited by Jim Lillethun to participate in
South Georgia Opera's performance of Hansel & Gretel. John Dubay, Clyde Washington, and Lil Princess were among those 4.  They performed in Tallahassee (Princess w/strep throat), Thomasville, and Bainbridge. 
December 1990 (black shoes & socks on front row)




2nd year of Childrens Summer Workshop. 
Princess in red shirt and costume on front row.
June 1991




That #25 a charmer even at age 2. 



Enraptured

"I used to think a wedding was a simple affair. Boy and girl meet, they fall in love, he buys a ring, she buys a dress, they say I do. I was wrong. That's getting married. A wedding is an entirely different proposition. I know. I've just been through one. Not my own, my daughter's. Annie Banks Mackenzie. That's her married name: Mackenzie. You fathers will understand. You have a little girl. An adorable little girl who looks up to you and adores you in a way you could never have imagined. I remember how her little hand used to fit inside mine. Then comes the day when she wants to get her ears pierced, and wants you to drop her off a block before the movie theater. From that moment on you're in a constant panic. You worry about her meeting the wrong kind of guy, the kind of guy who only wants one thing, and you know exactly what that one thing is, because it's the same thing you wanted when you were their age. Then, you stop worrying about her meeting the wrong guy, and you worry about her meeting the right guy. That's the greatest fear of all, because, then you lose her. It was just six months ago that that happened here. Just six months ago, that the storm broke." (George Banks, Father of the Bride, 1991)

In anticipation of this weekend's End Of The World, I spent several days lost in boxes of photos, reminiscing about special moments and people in my life. My body and my computer have been overtaken by viruses the last few days, and that trip down Memory Lane was a perfect opportunity for me to begin gathering photographs for a slide show for the rehearsal dinner.



Thank you for my party, Mama

As I get overwhelmed with To Do Lists and thinking of the questions to ask, the decisions to make and such, panic sets in for a few moments. But, God mercifully sends a song over the radio, puts something on TV, or brings to mind something that sends memories of the Princess flooding through my brain like the Mississippi River. The panic is quickly replaced with a smile or chuckle.



No visions of sugar plums dancing in her head...
Candy Canes in her mouth and hand!




When contemplating the time to have a wedding, you have to consider several things: How will the hour affect lighting and decorations and photography; will the time of day interfere with mealtime for the wedding party and guests; will the time affect how far the newlyweds will be able to travel after the celebration; how long will the day be for the wedding party, especially if there are children in the party (or parents in the wedding party). Thinking about this reminded me of a Christmas when the Princess had a full day of opening gifts, eating lots of good food, playing with cousins, being spoiled by all the grandparents and aunts and uncles, and just being adorable. I am not sure which part of the day drained her the most, certainly not the being adorable part, but she fell asleep in my lap, with part of a candy cane in her mouth and part of it in her sticky little fist. It was a long day for her. I can still taste the peppermint on her mouth when I kissed her goodnight.

 



I feel just like Snow White!
Thank you, Mama!



On those days when I am frustrated because I can't get all the blocks checked off on my To Do List for the day, I will receive a text or email or phone call thanking me for things that I have done. Those messages send my racing mind back to all the outfits and costumes made and the birthday parties planned and all the hugs I received with a "thank you, Mama" or "I love you, Mama." Oh, to have those days back! 



first vacation--Tenn and Smokey Mtns



As we discuss details, or she calls to tell me about something she has done or one of the To Do's she has taken care of, I think about all the things we have done together. I remember all the "firsts" and all the times she has done something and anxiously awaited our reaction, hoping for our approval. For most of her childhood, Dad worked rotating shifts, which meant he was on a night shift 2/3 of the month, therefore, Princess and I were on our own a lot. We had our own little PJ parties...just the 2 of us. We did so many fun things together and shared so much. Prince Charming is very lucky. She will be sharing things with him and having special times with him (and all the little dukes and duchesses to come) and those times will not include us. But that is as it should be. I have my memories and my photos. One day, she may be writing a blog as she helps her little princess plan a wedding, then she will know what it's like! LOL



Trust between Mama and child



The day Mama thought she misplaced her!



I am glad we are all still here and no one was left behind.  Preparing for The Rapture only has one item on it's To Do List, and there is only One consultant to help you prepare for it. I am prepared and can only pray that the couple are too. But I can imagine George Banks anticipating it as he goes reeling toward his daughter's wedding day. He would want it to happen either before all the plans are made and money spent, or way after the wedding. I laugh, because in my mind I can see him standing there, pleading "stop, wait....we have to have this wedding first!" LOL

Back to blogging in the coming week, I will share a really cool (and oh-so-easy, inexpensive, time-saving) option for creating your Save the Date cards (and Rehearsal Dinner invitations) and catch you up on all the plans we have made since finding our definite venues. There are only 160 days left!



Funniest picture ever! 
"Dad, what are you waiting for?  Inauguration? Us girls are burning up here!" 
Not sure which was scarier...my glasses or her hair!







O Where O Where is the wedding to be? Parts 2 and 3

Part 2---------

We have a dress, a place, attendants...time to move on to other things. I made a couple of visits to Tall Timbers to get an idea of what things we would need to rent. Each time, I could envision my Princess stepping off that porch, meeting her Prince Charming against a backdrop of sunset on Lake Iamonia over the tree tops. Such a lovely thought. Fairy tale in real life.
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But, as we began to make our decorating plans we realized we had to rent a lot of chairs and some tables. The barn would be used for the reception, but it would not be large enough to hold ceremony and reception if the weather was not cooperative. Also, there were some policies which were going to make it difficult to follow. Another problem was lighting. Outdoor illumination is not one of the strong points of the venue and having to be cleaned up and vacated by 10pm, were going to be a problem. Some of the additional policies were making us have second thoughts as well. After several weeks of thinking we had a venue behind us, we discussed the possibility of making a change. So, back to square one.
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Feeling a bit of disappointment, a new search began. Once again we tried to find something closer to home. The Christmas Tree Farm decided to have a haunted corn maze and a pumpkin patch this year, and that would be their biggest weekend, so unless we wanted to share the venue with Halloween revelers, that venue was out.
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After a week of no luck, Lil Bro had a great idea. The Royal Couple love historic buildings, so why not have the wedding at the Firehouse Gallery and the reception at The Old Library? Paydirt! The Royal Couple came home for the weekend to take a look at both buildings and fell in love with them. (Those are my 2 favorite buildings....I would love to own the library.) The 2 venues together were very reasonable and we would not have to plan 2 weddings: one for outdoors and one for rain. Booked and happy. NOW we can move on to something else. But my heart hurt for my Princess who wasn't going to get her outdoor wedding, after all. First the mountains were leveled, now the outdoors was confined. Strike two for the bride.
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However, the more Princess thought about the two historic buildings, the more excited she became. I was a little uneasy, though, because as much as I love The Old Library, I was afraid it would not accommodate our guests, and it does not have a kitchen. But, we would make it work because I had too many other things to do. Venue search was over! So, I could begin working on Save the Date cards! Six month stretch was quickly approaching!
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Part 3------------

After taking a couple of weeks rest (well, actually, my mother in law had a heart attack and that put everything on hold for a while), I began to get to work on the Save The Date Cards. My sister represents an on-line card company, Send Out Cards. You go online and design your cards and they print, address, and mail them. Oh, so simple!!!! So, after the grueling task of gathering addresses and trying to be sure no one is left out, the Save the Date cards were close to being ready.
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The night before I was ready to hit "submit", Mother's instinct kicked in. "Check on the venues and be sure they are going to work" played in my mind all night. Oh, that feeling was overwhelming. The next morning my first task was to call and set up appointments to re-visit the venues. Firehouse Gallery was fine. Phew! Next, I called to get the key to take a look at the Old Library. The hesitation in the voice on the phone made my heart stop. After several years on the market, the owners of The Old Library have a buyer. Oh no!!! This cannot be. I fretted all day. I tried to think of all the options that might be available. I could not bear to tell Princess. Fear of elopement was lurking in the back of my mind. And truth be told...perhaps a little hope of elopement! LOL Needless to say, I did not sleep at all that night.
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Next morning, I had an epiphany. These two love birds are movie nuts! They watch every film that comes out. My daughter could wipe out the competition in a movie trivia game...especially classic movies. So, what about a theatre? I quickly sought out someone in authority with the Bainbridge Little Theatre and after many emails and phone calls, my friends were able to get approval for us to use the theatre. When I called Princess, she was disappointed about the library, but was very excited about the theatre. It is now a done deal and we have moved on to the Save the Date cards. Really.
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So, my Diva Princess will appropriately be exchanging vows with her Prince Charming onstage: lights, camera, action! This production will premiere at Bainbridge Little Theatre and the wrap-party will be at the Firehouse Gallery. Two historic buildings, two unique characters, a love story leading to a happily-ever-after ending.
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Will there be a white runner or a red carpet? Join us and find out!
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Now, I can hit "submit" on those Save the Date Cards ( 168 days to go).

The Densmore Farm - between Gainesville and Cleveland
Neverland Farms - between Dahlonega and Blairsville

O Where O Where will that wedding be?

This diary venture has been much like our search for the perfect venue for this wedding. Not nearly as simple as it should have been! Setting up the blog was not easy...my computer seems to have a mind of its own; or maybe my mind just isn't up to it. After my second post, some slimy worm crawled into this techno journal of mine and turned out to be a demon to be exorcised with great caution. Hopefully, he has moved on. There are other demons to face!

~~~~So, back to The Wedding: After finding The Dress, we began the search for a venue. Well, actually, that search began a few short weeks after The Engagement. Living in North Georgia now and spending most of the family vacations during her childhood there, her heart was set on an October wedding, outdoors in the North Georgia mountains. Easier said than done. And when I think back on what all we faced, it isn't even easily said!

~~~~When you have been fortunate to raise a child who was not only your child, but your friend and who grew up to be your best friend, you want her dreams to come true. All of them. You know you can't give her everything she wants but you hope that you can come close to seeing those dreams come true, without too much stress along the way. Not stress for yourself, but the take-the-fun-out-of-it kind of stress. You know, when someone gives you a nice gift and they go on and on about how hard it was to find and all the trouble they went to to get it for you? You wish they just hadn't! That is not what I wanted to happen with this wedding. Well, as the Glimmer Twins sang, "you can't always get what you want!"

~~~~As we started the search for the perfect setting, we spent hours on the internet weeding through rules, regulations, and costs. The two favorites were Neverland Farms and The Densmore Farm. Neverland was truly Neverland! Secluded, absolutely gorgeous and all inclusive. Had all the needs and wants. And you pay a pretty price for it. In addition to price, the secluded area was so because guests travel down a very long, rough, dirt road. Would be inconvenient and uncomfortable for older guests. The Densmore Farm was very inexpensive and just a lovely place to have an outdoor wedding. The owners are very accommodating and very willing to do most anything to make it work for you. However, with that low price, comes having to rent a lot of things to use at the site. Eventually, it is as expensive as Neverland and almost as out of the way.

~~~~The cons of having the wedding in the mountains far outweighed the pros. Bad time of year for guests who would have to pay double for accommodations as well as book a year in advance. Due to cost, we would have to limit the guest list. Really hard to do. Working with vendors we didn't know would be much more expensive than those we have used before for other things and see everyday, and having it at home we would be able to enlist friends and family to help with a lot of things. So, with a little disappointment, she agreed to have an outdoor wedding at home. Strike one for the bride. Well, she did get the dress she wanted!

~~~~Because the bride and groom are in North Georgia and unable to come home very often, Mom and little brother spent many hours trekking through North Florida and South Georgia checking out places spotted on the internet. Our mission: to mark off the ones that had too many cons and check the ones with more pros. Then the happy couple could come home and check out their options.

~~~~Brentwood Plantation. Nope. No more weddings during bird season. Aragon Plantation. Nope. No one returns phone calls. Climax Gun Club. Nope. Too small. Shiloh Farms. Nope. Too cutesy, folksy for the bride (but Mom and lil Bro LOVED IT!). Willow Pond. Nope. Not very nice people to talk to and have not very good comments from other brides on local wedding blogs. Bradleys Pond. Nope. Taken. Dorothy B. Oven. Nope. Don't want strangers walking through. The list goes on and on. We did however talk them into looking at The Beadel Plantation at Tall Timbers and Springhill Christmas Tree Farm.

~~~~After a Saturday afternoon of looking at prospects, Tall Timbers (between Tallahassee and Coonbottom) won. Springhill Tree Farm had a neighbor with a kennel full of howling hound dogs that day and it was decided we didn't want to take a chance of the howl-a-luia chorus breaking out during the vows. Tall Timbers is a beautiful place. Especially in the fall. If you have never been, take a drive out sometime. They don't mind. The view of Lake Iamonia is beautiful. That autumn day was perfect. Lil Bro and Mom had even stayed at Tall Timbers on our scouting expedition to check and see where the sun would be at the time of the wedding. Are we good, or what?

~~~~That fall day was so exciting. My baby was ecstatic! We have a date, a dress and a place! Let's move on to something else! Stationary, caterers, music, bridesmaids dresses, flowers? Bring it on!

~~~~Well....check back tomorrow to find out WHY the wedding will be indoors in Bainbridge!