12.25.2014
12.21.2014
The Details {Part 2}
A continuation of my wedding planning journey (more details!?)
The Photogs
If you haven't noticed by now, all of the photos from my wedding are beyond gorgeous. This is all thanks to Hannah and Kelty at The Weaverhouse (check out their work here). Connected through mutual friends and coworkers, we first got a taste of how awesome they were for our engagement pictures:
That was all the evidence we needed in order to book them for the big event. I loved the result and I will always treasure the photos. What they captured really matched our style and the product we wanted to receive. They were low key and non-intrusive during the event and delivered as promised! I love that my pictures are all available online for download in the original size.
If you want to spend your money well when budgeting your wedding, invest in a great photographer. The photos will stand the test of time.
The Flowers
I wanted to use flowers that were seasonal and local. Luckily for Oregon in August, this was not hard to do! I ended up using Blum, which I found online and on wedding blogs, and Jordan was great to work with. I gave her this minimal information: My colors were shades of purple and blue. I want local and seasonal. Bridesmaids bouquets of blue hydrangea, groomsmen's boutonnieres using succulents. Lavender tied down the aisle and a arrangement for the gazebo. For the event room I wanted a low-key look with wild flowers. This was the result:
Overall, I was very impressed with Blum. If you as a bride understand the cost of things (by the way lavender is cheap and peonies are expensive) it is easy to stay within budget. I was able to give Jordan a grand total and she fit everything I needed into it without a problem!
The Hair and Makeup
For me, this wasn't really a key element. For one, I never style my hair. Usually I just let it air dry after showering. I also never wear makeup. But for those above mentioned reasons, I knew that on my wedding day I needed help in this arena. I wasn't particular in what I needed, just a natural look with a red lip (I bought a Chanel lipstick to keep). In the end, I think the best advice is to just to go with a stylist that you are comfortable with and that is reliable. Doing a test run with make-up (I did that for my engagement pictures) and hair (usually at the salon) is a good way to feel out who you have chosen.
The Photogs
If you haven't noticed by now, all of the photos from my wedding are beyond gorgeous. This is all thanks to Hannah and Kelty at The Weaverhouse (check out their work here). Connected through mutual friends and coworkers, we first got a taste of how awesome they were for our engagement pictures:
That was all the evidence we needed in order to book them for the big event. I loved the result and I will always treasure the photos. What they captured really matched our style and the product we wanted to receive. They were low key and non-intrusive during the event and delivered as promised! I love that my pictures are all available online for download in the original size.
If you want to spend your money well when budgeting your wedding, invest in a great photographer. The photos will stand the test of time.
The Flowers
I wanted to use flowers that were seasonal and local. Luckily for Oregon in August, this was not hard to do! I ended up using Blum, which I found online and on wedding blogs, and Jordan was great to work with. I gave her this minimal information: My colors were shades of purple and blue. I want local and seasonal. Bridesmaids bouquets of blue hydrangea, groomsmen's boutonnieres using succulents. Lavender tied down the aisle and a arrangement for the gazebo. For the event room I wanted a low-key look with wild flowers. This was the result:
Overall, I was very impressed with Blum. If you as a bride understand the cost of things (by the way lavender is cheap and peonies are expensive) it is easy to stay within budget. I was able to give Jordan a grand total and she fit everything I needed into it without a problem!
The Hair and Makeup
For me, this wasn't really a key element. For one, I never style my hair. Usually I just let it air dry after showering. I also never wear makeup. But for those above mentioned reasons, I knew that on my wedding day I needed help in this arena. I wasn't particular in what I needed, just a natural look with a red lip (I bought a Chanel lipstick to keep). In the end, I think the best advice is to just to go with a stylist that you are comfortable with and that is reliable. Doing a test run with make-up (I did that for my engagement pictures) and hair (usually at the salon) is a good way to feel out who you have chosen.
The Cake
We got a three layer cake from PastryGirl (who unfortunately doesn't have a store front anymore). They had excellent flavors and for $4 a piece, you could choose a separate flavor and filling for each layer AND have it decorated however you want. We had a layer with pink champagne cake with raspberry filling, carrot cake with cream cheese filling, and hazelnut cake with peanut butter and chocolate filling. There were no complaints!
We used Voodoo Donuts for the Grooms Cake and it was probably the best $80 I spent on the entire wedding. They were gone within the hour!
The Little Things
I won't go into to much detail and just let the photos speak for themselves. These items won't make or break a wedding, but they are fun to plan once all the big items are in place. You've got the venue, food, cake, dress, and flowers. Besides the preacher, you are good to go! But these are fun little details that catch your guests eye or give you a keepsake to hold on to.
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| OMG shoes. |
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| Handmade Ceremony Program. Our initials (K&K) were embossed on the back |
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| A vintage trunk to collect cards |
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| I bought a fingerprint guestbook on Etsy, there are a million to choose from |
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| Beer! |
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| Karl had his fathers old wedding band resized and I bought a vintage diamond band from Gilt in Portland. |
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| Vintage keys for escort cards. I will admit I shameless stole this idea from Pinterest. |
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| I found these old wedding photos while searching in antique shops. |
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| Photos of those family members that had past and were not able to celebrate with us |
Let me know in the comments below if you have any questions on my wedding or if you need advice on planning your wedding!
xoxo Kevlyn
12.18.2014
McMenamins Passport - Crystal Ballroom
Karl and I bought the McMenamins Passport on a whim before I got pregnant. If you live in the Portland Area, check in out, it's pretty cool. Basically you pay $25 for a passport booklet and win prizes as you fill it up with stamps from different McMenamins locations around Oregon (and Washington!). Since giving birth to A, the passports have been sitting by the wayside for awhile. But last night we finally had an opportunity to start them!
I got tickets to see Phantogram at the Crystal Ballroom, so on our way we made stops to get our stamps for the Crystal page. The first was the Crystal Hotel. We had to find a picture on the first 3 floors of the hotel that matched the clue given, something about a jester on new years. This is what we found:
And it was correct! So we got our stamp and pressed on to Al's Den and the Ringler's Annex. These were both unique slightly hidden locations, so it was really fun to discover them for the first time. Al's Den is like a secret copper bar, basement, live music venue with awesome mosaics.
Then it was on to the Crystal Ballroom, where we got stamps for going to the concert, Lola's room, and the Ringlers Pub located on the ground floor of the venue.
The concert was awesome! Even though we could barely keep our eyes open... new parent problems. If you haven't heard of Phantogram:
They are fantastic live!
Here is our completed passport page:
And our "Crystal Surprise":
Pint glasses of our favorite ales!
Karl & I had a lot of fun and can't wait to go on future adventures to fill out the rest of the pages.
xoxo
Kevlyn
12.14.2014
The Details {Part 1}
A continuation of my wedding planning journey (...a year later).
The Venue
The first and biggest decision of any wedding is the venue. Hands down, what venue you choose will shape the rest of the event. It will also, most likely, be the costliest. So when choosing and touring venues in your area, make sure to keep this in mind.
For Karl and I, this decision was surprisingly the easiest. We had always told each other that if we were to get married, in the prospective future at that point, that we would want to get married at Edgefield. McMenamins Edgefield is a beautiful property about a half hour outside of Portland in Troutdale, OR, also known as the gateway to the Columbia Gorge. It is a fantastic location and if you'd like to check it out, click here. They had a few different places to hold the ceremony & reception, and we decided to go with Blackberry Hall as it suited our needs the best.
The nice thing about Edgefield is that it was a package deal. Food & drink were all we paid for, the venue cost being included as long as we met the minimum cost of the room. We invited 220 guests, planned for 150, but ended up with around 120 the day of. The grounds are BEAUTIFUL. And guests can stay at the old hotel steps away from your venue. Edgefield was originally an old poor farm and you can literally feel the history and eclectic vibes when you are there. I would urge anyone anyone in the Portland area who has not been to check it out by going to one of the 5(!) restaurants on the grounds or go for a dip in the heated salt water pool.
The Dress
As a bride, this was probably the second most important element for me. It defines so much of your experience, the style of the wedding, not to mention the millions of pictures you are in! I kind of ran into my dress by accident and I don't think I would have had it any other way. Almost a year before the wedding Karl, myself & my in-laws went to Seattle for labor day and stayed at a downtown hotel. By chance, we walked by a gorgeous store that had wedding dresses called Luly Yang so I decided to go in and start the process of seeing what looked good on me (you can check them out here). And let me tell you, I tried EVERYTHING. Silky sheaths, ball gowns, empire waist, tulle, etc. etc. Some looked surprisingly good, but just weren't my style. And some, even though they were beautiful, looked horrible on my body type. But one of them... one of them was magic! AND it was on sale. The last one of its kind. After taking a night to sleep on it (because I never planned on loving a dress that quickly), I returned to buy it the next day!
The final product:
The Wedding Party
What is more important than what the Bride and Groom are wearing? What those jokers who stand up next to you are! I think how a wedding party looks can really have an impact on pictures, not to mention that who you choose can really shape your experience.
I choose my four best friends from high school and my younger sister for my bridesmaids. I couldn't have asked for better people to have in my life. For their dresses, I didn't want them to perfectly match, and I wanted to be sensitive to everyone's budgets and body types so I let them choose their own. It really worked well since everyone lived in different locations, from Portland, to Texas, to Connecticut, to China! The only guideline I gave them was that it needed to be a shade of purple and mid-thigh (at least) length.
This was the result:
The look for Karl's groomsmen was much in the same vein. They just needed to buy a white shirt, a grey shade of suit pants, and their groomsmen gift was a pair of suspenders and a matching tie.
Karl's groomsmen were my brother, his brother, and two close male cousins.
Stay tuned for Part 2!
xoxo Kevlyn
The Venue
The first and biggest decision of any wedding is the venue. Hands down, what venue you choose will shape the rest of the event. It will also, most likely, be the costliest. So when choosing and touring venues in your area, make sure to keep this in mind.
For Karl and I, this decision was surprisingly the easiest. We had always told each other that if we were to get married, in the prospective future at that point, that we would want to get married at Edgefield. McMenamins Edgefield is a beautiful property about a half hour outside of Portland in Troutdale, OR, also known as the gateway to the Columbia Gorge. It is a fantastic location and if you'd like to check it out, click here. They had a few different places to hold the ceremony & reception, and we decided to go with Blackberry Hall as it suited our needs the best.
The nice thing about Edgefield is that it was a package deal. Food & drink were all we paid for, the venue cost being included as long as we met the minimum cost of the room. We invited 220 guests, planned for 150, but ended up with around 120 the day of. The grounds are BEAUTIFUL. And guests can stay at the old hotel steps away from your venue. Edgefield was originally an old poor farm and you can literally feel the history and eclectic vibes when you are there. I would urge anyone anyone in the Portland area who has not been to check it out by going to one of the 5(!) restaurants on the grounds or go for a dip in the heated salt water pool.
The Dress
As a bride, this was probably the second most important element for me. It defines so much of your experience, the style of the wedding, not to mention the millions of pictures you are in! I kind of ran into my dress by accident and I don't think I would have had it any other way. Almost a year before the wedding Karl, myself & my in-laws went to Seattle for labor day and stayed at a downtown hotel. By chance, we walked by a gorgeous store that had wedding dresses called Luly Yang so I decided to go in and start the process of seeing what looked good on me (you can check them out here). And let me tell you, I tried EVERYTHING. Silky sheaths, ball gowns, empire waist, tulle, etc. etc. Some looked surprisingly good, but just weren't my style. And some, even though they were beautiful, looked horrible on my body type. But one of them... one of them was magic! AND it was on sale. The last one of its kind. After taking a night to sleep on it (because I never planned on loving a dress that quickly), I returned to buy it the next day!
The final product:
I loved the vintage feel, the off-white lace, the way it fit my curves, the semi-cathedral train. It felt modest but not stuffy. The only details that were added to finish off my look were the baby blue sash that matched Karl's tie, a vintage greek sapphire necklace that I borrowed from my mother-in-law Gwen, a lace trimmed fingertip veil, and crystal flower gauges. Not used to walking in high heels, I just choose a sensible nude pump that was comfortable enough to dance in.
Here is some more shameless wedding dress porn:
I know the bride is supposed to be the center of attention, but Karl didn't look to shabby himself. He had a light gray tailored suit from Mario's, slim fit, with a light blue tie, brown belt, and brown Italian made shoes. We opted to by all the above mentioned items as opposed to rent so that they could be tailored perfectly and Karl would have a sharp suit for later use!
The Wedding Party
What is more important than what the Bride and Groom are wearing? What those jokers who stand up next to you are! I think how a wedding party looks can really have an impact on pictures, not to mention that who you choose can really shape your experience.
I choose my four best friends from high school and my younger sister for my bridesmaids. I couldn't have asked for better people to have in my life. For their dresses, I didn't want them to perfectly match, and I wanted to be sensitive to everyone's budgets and body types so I let them choose their own. It really worked well since everyone lived in different locations, from Portland, to Texas, to Connecticut, to China! The only guideline I gave them was that it needed to be a shade of purple and mid-thigh (at least) length.
This was the result:
I thought the overall look turned out fantastic. The dresses also brought out each of their personalities and gave a more low-key look to the wedding party. No stress and a dress they could wear later were added bonuses!
The look for Karl's groomsmen was much in the same vein. They just needed to buy a white shirt, a grey shade of suit pants, and their groomsmen gift was a pair of suspenders and a matching tie.
Karl's groomsmen were my brother, his brother, and two close male cousins.
Stay tuned for Part 2!
xoxo Kevlyn
6 months.
time is moving at the speed of light baby girl. thinking of reviving the blog so that i can try to capture these precious moments.
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