Wednesday, November 4, 2009

One Year Ago Today... (the argument for a destination wedding!)

St. Thomas Beach Resort

Mr. Southern and I were getting read to head to St. Thomas for our Destination Wedding! I cannot believe a year has passed and am still giddy with excitement when I think of marrying Mr. S. (and, admittedly, when I think of our wedding).

I know from a wedding guest perspective, a lot of folks are very anti-Destination Weddings. "How selfish of them!" I've heard. I have a different perspective... a Destination Wedding allows just those folks very close to the bride and groom to participate in a very meaningful time of their lives.
HavanaBlueBar.jpg Havana Blue bar area picture by Emmie20088
I think the primary focus of a wedding should be about these two people committing to each other- for good times and in bad- for the rest of their lives. While a great party is a nice "byproduct," I firmly believe the focus should be on the love of the couple and among their family and friends. I am so thankful that we were able to spend quality time with our friends and family- before, during, and after the actual wedding. But before you write me off as totally selfish... :-)

I also think the bride and groom have the responsibility to be great hosts the whole weekend. Your guests are not your servants. They are there to support you because they love you. Please make sure you show them how much you love them!


A few of our wedding planning details....

Mood boards- our colors were aqua and orange, with accents of fuchsia and sapphire blue.


DIY'd (Gocco'd) wedding invitations...


We mailed out a DIY brochure with ideas for activities as well as a St. Thomas Guidebook...

Created a fun timeline for the gift bags...

timeline.jpg Wedding Day Timeline picture by Emmie20088

and (of course) incorporated the dogs...

VistaPrint001.jpg Photo Request picture by Emmie20088



VistaPrint004.jpg Samantha favor picture by Emmie20088

VistaPrint002.jpg Madison favor picture by Emmie20088

VistaPrint003.jpg Tilghman favor picture by Emmie20088

Thank you for indulging me in a trip down memory lane! I'd love to share some photos of the day this weekend.

Have a great rest of the week!!

Emmie

13 comments:

  1. It is all about the couple, and I commend you for doing exactly what you both wanted to do! We eloped for this very same reason - ha!

    I'm a bit choked up over the SPCA donations versus party favors...you are an incredible lady!

    Yes, yes, yes! Please share photos!

    Enjoy this blissful journey together....

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  2. Your special day sounds like it was incredible. More photos pretty please!

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  3. Looked fabulous!! Please, more pics!!! I'm in the process of planning my own wedding, and it's just so much fun! Can't wait to get the process of the dress started though. Not much point in doing that until the baby's here!

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  4. Ditto again!!! We had a destination wedding {within driving distance for most, but still quite out-of-town} and couln't agree more with your reasoning. We wanted those closest to us there. Your mood boards are fab! A combo of the first and second is about what we ended up with...slightly less bright, but still beachy. Amazed at all the other goodies you created for the guests and simply love how you included your furry family! AND...SO super glad you're following me! That made my day!!

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  5. I'm due on November 21st! I'm slightly impatient, and my tummy is huge! It's looking totally strange, almost like it's defying gravity or something... Lol... Will definitely post a tummy pic soon!

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  6. I love this post. I also love being married and will be celebrating my 2 year anniversary in March (the 15th.) I had a blast planning our destination wedding. We were married in Carillon Beach, FL. I cant wait to put my pics on the blog when the anniversary gets here!

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  7. How absolutely lovely! I agree with your sentiments about weddings. While it's nice to invite everyone you know, what makes it so precious is having those nearest and dearest to your heart sharing that day with you. It looks like yours was truly amazing!

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  8. I just added a bunch of orange in our guest room (post to come!)

    I did a brief post for our 5 year anniversary in September...
    http://the-bright-life.blogspot.com/2009/09/five.html

    Of course, if I was doing it now (5 years later) I'd tweak the details just slightly, but overall it was a perfect weekend!

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  9. What an incredible wedding event. I don't think you were selfish in the least. You covered all bases. I suspect your guests felt like a million bucks. I too am impressed that you made SPCA donations in lieu of favors. That speaks volumes about the kind of couple you two are.

    What a fun post today & we'd love for you to share more. xx

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  10. I just stumbled across you blog and love it. I too am a southern houswife who also loves to design! My husband and I just purchased a 1949 fixer upper just over the Alabama line, about an hour south of the ATL airport. It needs a lot of work, but I see it as a blank slate to make it our own!

    www.thekeltonscozycottage.blogspot.com

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  11. sounds like it was lovely! I'm actually posting next week about my dream destination wedding...it's in Colorado. Check it out!

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  12. I just discovered your blog through a comment you left on Averill's. Looks like you had a smashing good time at your wedding - I'm impressed you scheduled a run the morning of! Go you! And you were a gorgeous bride - as was your entire party. We had a destination wedding too, 5.5 years ago, in South Wales (where my husband is from!) - in a castle, no less. It was wonderful, and we were so blessed that 28 of our closest friends and family members were able to join us!

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