Color, Color! Everywhere

For all the people who know me, I can't get enough of colors, especially bright ones, and especially coral. I still haven't lived down the horrific orange I once tried to paint our half bath, now repainted a stoic Swiss coffee.

I can't tell you how difficult it was to blend all the colors I wanted so I could create centerpieces and find beautiful shoes! Oh, and thank goodness I had Becky at Bouquets of Austin. I had a budget and an idea (truly my maid of honors idea) and until I spoke with Becky, I didn't know I had any other opinions. Needless to say, she asked the right questions and guided me. She was able to glean perfection from my babbled confusion, magazine clippings, and checkbook. This is why I went to Bouquets of Austin and Becky. Hands down, the most referred floral company in Austin, for a reason.

Take a look at the photos, because she nailed every placement, every color, and design. Becky made me want to become a florist the second I saw my centerpieces. My mother was so excited about the shepherd hooks lining the aisle. (Mancino Iron Works)I also loved the flowers that were there for my hair. I had forgotten I had asked for them and I was so excited when I saw them! Plus, somehow she had flowers the exact same color of my shoes!

Note: I also added the Purple napkins from Premier Party Central! They made the whole room POP! and it was an inexpensive way to bring in more and stick with my budget! I could have spent so much money in their showroom! If you have the budget, I encourage everyone to rent ottomans, decorations for the trees, and pretty, pretty, soft light layered linens.

http://bouquetsofaustin.com/
http://premierepartycentral.com/

P.S. If Bouquets of Austin is booked, I also highly recommend Visual Lyric.

The Best Wedding Music Ever

Statistically, most brides spend 500 hours planning the wedding of their dreams. However, my hours of labor were spent on music. I chose at least one song for every person/couple that were going to be in attendance at our wedding. And, I did not want one song that would remind me of being a wedding DJ. Below is what I gave Jordann, our DJ, to get her ready to spin!


Prelude:

La Vie En Rose – Edith Piaf
Dancing with Myself – Nouvelle Vague
Amazing Life – Jem
Falling Slowly – Glen Hansard
Rivers of Babylon – Melodians
Green is the Color of Love – Pink Floyd
Sweet Jane – Velvet Underground
Wave of Mutilation (UK surf) – The Pixies
Lebanese Blonde – Theivery Corporation
Mil Besos – Patty Griffin
That's Just How that Bird Sings – The Twilight Singers
Besame Mucho – Cesario Evora
Beautiful Maria of My Soul: Mambo Kings
Feeling Good – Nina Simone
Brand New Colony - Postal Service
Es Por Ti – Juanes
Butterflies – David Garza
Mirror – Velvet Underground
Hallelujiah – Leonard Cohen
Wild Horses – The Sundays



Ceremony

1. Processional for Aunts: What is the Light? - Flaming Lip
2. Groom's Processional: Sabracadabra : Black Sabbath
3. Bridesmaids Processional: Bittersweet Symphony – The Verve
4. Bride's Processional: Here comes the Sun – Beatles
5. Unity Candle: In the Aeroplane Over the Sea Part 1, - Neutral Milk Hotel sung by...
6. Recessional: It's the End of the World as we Know it – REM


Cocktail Music

Stickshifts Safety Belts – Cake
Beast of Burden – Rolling Stones
Make a Little Birdhouse in Your Soul - They Might be Giants
Where's My Mind At – Pixies
Jane Says – Jane's Addiction
Wonderwall – Oasis
Wild World – Cat Stevens
John Prine and Iris Dement – In Spite of Ourselves
I walk the Line -Johnny Cash
Whiskey Bar – Doors
Hot Child in the City – Nick Glider
Free falling – Tom Petty
Dinosaur Junior – Feel the Pain
We Belong – Pat Benatar
Like a friend – Pulp
Engineer Bill – Eliza Gilkyson
May the Wind Take Your Troubles Away – Sun Volt
cara luna --bacilos
Pictures of Lily – The Who
Under the Milky Way – The Church


Dinner Music


Bambaleo: Gypsy Kings
Vacancy - White Stripes
Summer Girl – Beck
The More you Ignore Me, The Closer I get – Morrissey
Holland 1945 – Neutral Milk Hotel
Carry The Zero – Built to Spill
Stoned – Old 97's
Tell me something Good – Chaka Khan
Sweet Caroline – Neil Diamond
Romeo and Juliet – Indigo Girls
Miss Celie's Blues
I wanna be your lover -Prince
Urban Dance Squad – Deeper shade of soul
Lips Like Sugar – Echo and the Bunnymen
I want You – Cee Lo Green
I Wanna Make it Wit Chu – Queens of the Stone Age
Level – Racontaurs
Crazy – Gnarls Barkley
Under Pressure – Queen
Here Comes My Girl – Tom Petty
Harvest Moon – Neil Young
Luckenbach Texas – Willie and Waylon
Build Me Up Buttercup – Foundations
My favorite Memory – Merle Haggard


Break between toasts and moving to Cake: Special Dance CD in order
1. Waka Waka (Esto Es Africa) – Shakira
2. Here Comes Your Man – Pixies
3. Everyone's Free – Aquagen featuring Rozalla

Cake:
4. Shoes: Kristi McCall
5. Islands – Shakira

6. First Dance: Old 97's - Question
7. Family Dance: Landslide: Dixie Chicks
8. Hora

Dance:

2.Don't Stop til you get enough – Michael Jackson Must
3. Mana – Eres Mi Religion
4.Moonriver – Henry Mancini (Slow) Must
5.Juanes – La Camisa Negra (Both Brandt and I love)
6.Daddy Yankee – Lo Que Paso Paso
7.Lady Gaga – Pokerface - Must
8.Suavamente – Elvis Crespo - Must
9. La Vida Es Un Carnaval – Celia Cruz
10.I don't feel like dancing – Scissor Sisters
11.Loca – Shakira
12.Last dance: Circle Salute first Don't Stop Believing – Journey – Must

A couple old Country like George Strait if requested
Brandt likes Al Green/ Marvin Gaye Think Let's Get it On
Bob Marley : Is this love?
ABC – Jackson Five – Must
We are Family - Must
Did I mention I love PRINCE? Shakira?
70's and 80's Disco, New Wave Old Hip Hop


Icebreakers:
YMCA: If someone requests, but please use hats. If someone requests others, fine, but only if needed and try to stay away from macarena, limbo, and hokey pokey.

For the Happy Couples Dance a slow Elvis will do for Mother In Law. Important - Must




Do Not Play List

Backstreet Boys
Celine Dion (Not even if someone tries to slip you a $20)
Current rap or harder hip hop
Anything on the Slow CDS in your CD book
New Kids on the Block
New Country
Anything cheesy, however ice breakers are fine
Brittany Spears unless someone requests a popular one that you think people will dance to like they would at Rain e.g. Toxic
Bryan Adams, Bette Midler, Whitney Houston, any 80's diva
Michael Bolton, Hanson, Billy Ray Cyrus, butterfly kisses
No Missy Elliott no matter how much I love her, No Eminem Either
Kelly clarkson and any other IDOL
Cheesy slow 80's
Leave A&M and UT at the door. Some people will think this is funny, but I don't. College was a long time ago.

Whew...The Wedding is Over and the Day was Amazing!

And I am not talking about the royal wedding, but my own. Everything was perfect and went superbly well. The honeymoon period is over and all my thank you notes have been mailed...I hope. However, the wonder of having almost all my favorite people under one roof makes me reminisce every moment of the wedding each day. I only wish I could have added another five hours to the reception so I could have talked to everyone more and danced a little longer.

I was so nervous about insuring the hospitality for all of our friends and family and they were thrilled, thanks to all my vendors, I was relieved. The true test of any wedding is what the guests will say and here are some of their comments about the wedding, Vintage Villas, cake, and all of the other vendors.

1. The best food anybody had ever tasted at any wedding they had attended. (Vegetarians and meat eaters alike) They also loved the breakfast the next morning. In fact, during photos, my aunt was asking me if I could get their recipe for Chicken Satay!
2. The view was so fantastic and they were happy to see a part of Austin they rarely get to see when they travel.
3. The hotel was gorgeous, comfortable, and the entire staff was friendly and kind.
4. AHEM...The BEST MUSIC anyone had ever heard at any wedding. Thank you, that was me.
5. The cakes were delicious and moist. Friends are still trying to raid my freezer for the remainder.

6. Ooh, the Ice Sculpture. One guest spent quite a long time trying to figure out how Doug (Amazing Ice Designs) created that piece of art.
7. The flowers were gorgeous! The centerpieces and bouquets were phenomenal!
8. The chuppah was extraordinary.
9. The ceremony was unique and the reception was fun. Yes, Yes, they were!
10. The welcome bags were welcomed!