* Erin, Accountant-Turned-Wedding-Darling-Wannabe & Rob, Auto Mechanic * Photographers: hotmetalstudio * Soundtrack for Reading: “Heavenly Day ” by Patty Griffin *
One sentence sum up of the wedding vibe: A weekend-long community event full of laughter and tears, with a touch of ALPACA.Other cool stuff we should know about: We worked really hard to find the perfect balance between being emotionally open with our guests, while including elements of silliness to be true to ourselves. We were greatly rewarded by seeing everyone have a super-fun time, while telling us how touched they were by our vows. In planning, we thought that the ceremony was for our guests and the party was for us, but it ended up being (perfectly) exactly the opposite.
Know this: don’t worry about keeping your friends and family entertained! We spent time on setting up an I Spy game for guests, and had a beanbag toss (cornhole) that never made it to the reception. We didn’t need either of them, as everyone was so busy wandering the grounds, catching up with one another, and dancing! What was worth it: including song requests on the RSVPs—our friends are not a dancing crowd, but everyone hit the floor when their selections came on! We chose to use an iPod instead of a DJ, and the requests helped make sure that each person heard a song they loved. We got married on Father’s Day, so we knew we had to make it children-friendly. The venue was a perfect place for kids to run around freely, while gifts bags of activities, toys, and costumes kept them occupied and entertaining!
The hanging flowers for the backdrop and reception decoration were a true community event. Erin’s mom and sister, Rob’s parents, their cousin, and Erin and Rob’s friends participated in making and stringing the flowers. After the wedding, some of the flowers ended up on a beautiful commemorative quilt made by the cousin for us.
Favorite thing about the wedding: Hearing each other’s self-created vows for the first time in front of everyone!
