WEDDINGS AND NEW SHOES...

I have always loved weddings and even thought I might like to be a wedding planner, but never acted on it. So every time I get to go to an event I always take note of the trends and stash it away in the back of my mind for SOMEDAY...for my kids. At this rate, my lovely daughter will probably be married on a remote mountaintop somewhere, in Northface gear! But to each his own. And that's what I think is the neatest trend of the last few years. I've noticed that weddings reflect the bride and groom's personalities. When I got married, there was a standard format that weddings followed, and all you had to do was choose your color and maybe songs. There was a "wedding sermon" with no hint of anything personal about the bride and groom. Today, I love hearing how the bride and groom met and how their relationship matured. Slideshows are also a neat way of reminiscing, especially for the family. Another observation is that the ceremony is diminishing and the reception is really taking over financially. I'm not seeing a lot of flowers or pretty things in the ceremony, but beautiful centerpieces, bands, food, photo booths, and candy buffets at receptions. Not sure how I feel about that, but it does make it more fun. If you are truly good friends with one or both parties, I think you should go to show your support, not to get a free meal or be entertained. I do like a good piece of wedding cake, though! My husband and I keep saying all we are going to do at our kids' wedding reception is have really DELICIOUS cake! Anyway, I took these pics from 2 weddings we attended this weekend, since they are friends of my daughter and she couldn't attend:
This is Rose Briar Chapel, it reminds me of an old castle in Europe! There was a string quartet that played beautifully during the ceremony. I also loved it that both grandfathers said a prayer.
I LOVED the bride's wedding gown. It had little bits of tulle on the skirt, giving the illusion of feathers.
The second wedding: not the greatest pic, but I was wanting to get the back of the bride's dress. It had layers of tulle down it. This wedding featured both fathers in the ceremony and had a piano player and live singer. The reception had a full buffet dinner at Oak Tree Country Club.
Gorgeous cake! The pink you see was the light reflecting off the fireplace.
And these are the shoes I bought 30 minutes before the ceremony! I put on my dress and realized I had no summer heels to go with it. So I begged my husband to take me by the store on the way, and I found these. (Can't believe I did that! I haven't been that unprepared in years!) I think I did okay, nearly every other woman had this color of shoes on, I noticed!