A Reflection On Our Wedding

The search engine terms for this post are going to suck, but I don't care. I've got to get my thoughts about the wedding down and I also wanted to share all of the paper goods that Rachel Harding designed for us for the wedding. This is the combo post that I like to call: Reflections on the wedding/All of our Paper Goods Awesomeness since the wedding is over now and you can't crash it.

After the wedding we did this thing with everyone asking what their top three moments from the day were... this list will combine their answers as well as LB and I's own reflections. There aren't going to be topic sentences or transitions that make sense with the pictures. They are just going to be moments in sentence or list form because that is how they live in my brain right now.

Before I started getting my makeup and hair done, Jess and Sophie and I prayed and cried together. "Oh.... the tears are happening." Having LB's sister's blessing was awesome. Slamming a sandwich that either Katie or E made for me while getting my hair done. Having Preston show up to start taking pictures in our room. Hugging Anna and Cozette and Aurora. Putting my dress on and having my sister zip it up while I exhaled. Looking in the mirror and saying out loud, "I look like a bride. I look more beautiful that I ever have." AND REALLY meaning it. Loading into the car with Karen to head up to the wedding and getting stuck behind DJ Perry Washington.

Trying to sneak a few pictures in on the porch of the cabin but running back inside because LB and the guys got there WAY too fast. The picture of Henry and I before the ceremony. Spotting my handsome husband out the window in his suit. Peeing (that's all I'll say). The moment praying with E and the girls before walking down the aisle and my solo moment with E when I heard "Not With Haste" start to play and I got so excited that it was all finally happening. LB turning, gasping and crying when he saw me start to walk down the aisle towards him. OUR VOWS. LB being silent because he was too choked up to even say all of his vows. The entire ceremony and the thunder that clapped and threatened but never rained on us. Chris' british accent while doing our ceremony and his story of chasing a drunk driver. I have never seen so many people crying at a wedding and it was SO touching to be so loved.

LB and I back up in the cabin together where LB just broke down crying, sat down and said, "I just feel like I need to cry for about 30 minutes." (That Preston stayed outside of the cabin and shot us hugging and talking from out there is so impressive to me). ALL OF THE TIME THAT WE WERE HIKING UP THE MOUNTAINS IN MY BLUE SHOES WITH PRESTON. Preston saying, "I am nailing this you guys." All of the photography and videography people losing their minds over the scenery and the light. Ben, the videographer saying, "Every time I was about to get something awesome I was either laughing or crying." Preston saying, "You guys almost got me crying a few times."

LB and I's first dance with the kids who joined us. The cake cutting where we were so gentle with each other. LB holding the box of Voodoo donuts for everyone to have some. Esther and Andy's speeches and the tears that came from them. Don't even get me started on me trying to thank Katie and crying and saying "Shit." to a room full of kids. :) Speaking of Katie, I must say without pause that one of my top three was when Katie pulled just LB and I aside and told us through tears how much she has learned from us about relationships. I won't share more here because it was such a holy moment for the three of us that I am tearing up right now just writing that.

All of the dancing with all of the people and all of the dancing with my girls. Ashley stealing wine from other tables #checkthechiffon. Idiot Boyfriend. Sam and Alan being able to rock out with us. The "Bridesmaids" picture. Andy telling me I have great dance moves. Me FINALLY seeing Andy's rhythm that LB has been talking about for years. THE KIDS DANCING NONSTOP. Coming down from the mountain and seeing everyone at all of the different stations we designed for the wedding: cornhole, slides, swings, getting drinks, making s'mores, chatting in the tent, photobooth, lounging, dancing. LB finally coming and dancing with me and the girls. Esther and Karen organizing our sparkler exit. Going down the mountain and finding it so hard to say goodbye to Preston. Walking into our honeymoon suite to find LB's dad standing there in his underwear. (<--- that happened)

Is a Wedding Graphic Designer Worth it?

One of these days I am going to learn Photoshop. Like, for real. It just needs to happen. But learning Photoshop while studying for the bar and planning a wedding was not in the cards. Thus, I hired Rachel Harding to do all of the design for our wedding and it was the best decision I have ever made. I've learned a lot about working with a wedding graphic designer over these last 6 months and we've really gotten this designing stuff together thing down to a science. I knew that working with a graphic designer would possibly take up more time, but paper stuff for the wedding was always important to me. Having everything "paper related" just so was one of my "I am not compromising" spots of the wedding. How do Rachel and I work to create adorable things? First, I send her an email like this about the menus:

Here are the styles I like (obviously let’s keep it as close to the invite look/vibe as possible.. possibly even chalkboard). Would like to include our married names and the date at the top or bottom… like a cute: “Eat Up- Lawren and Treana Bennett.”

I like this but with mountains in bottom right? http://www.pinterest.com/pin/315955730079401173/

Long & Skinny: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/269512358922419433/ (I like the MENU across the top)

This is a fun modern twist: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/526921225123205499/

Remember it has to be kind of long and skinny to fit into the napkin folds

She then does her magic and comes back with a few different variations for me to look at: a more modern one, the chalkboard with that spoon I am in love with, and one that very closely matches our invites.

As a reminder, our invites look like this:

But our rehearsal dinner invites are chalkboard effect and use that spoon and fork. They are just cute as can be. Since the vintage napkins we are tucking these into have a lot of color going on...

I opted for simple: the one that looked like our invite was out.

I talked it over with LB and Katie and came up with the following edits:

Ok here’s what I am thinking—the chalkboard one but with everything from the white menu one with a couple tweaks. So from the top it would be:

-Chalkboard

-Menu in that exact font that you have on the menu one right now ( LOVE that menu font!)

-The fork and spoons rotated 90 degrees underneath it – fork one way, spoon the other?

-The font for the food: from the “menu” one

-And then a Mr. + Mrs. Bennett on the bottom (possibly in the menu font?)

Let’s see what that looks like.

And this is what Rachel sent over:

My only response was: "Holy Crap. Yes! Done and done."

And that my friends is why and how you should work with a wedding graphic designer.