OhmygodI'msorryforthelackofposting!

Got overwhelmed by other things and neglected our poor wedding blog!
I am thinking that I will likely stop blogging here, and just relegate anything that I WOULD post here onto my other blog, which honestly sees a little more action.

You can go there by clicking here

But I was going through the gallery from our photographer and just loving every single shot so I thought I might try to get them up here for you to peruse too.

And no. I can't.

Okay so I am thinking then that I will need the disc we got of the images...

Will have to work on that!

But until then, please pop over to MaevEden to see the post SHE did for us and the beautful slideshow she put together for us.

I get all sappy every time I watch it!

Halibut a la Jamie Oliver

So last night for the first time in my life (that I can remember, apparently when I was a small child I enjoyed fish sticks. ugh!) I ate and enjoyed a fish meal.

That's right, I said it.

I ate fish. And liked it.

It was sort of like this recipe from Jamie at Home (which is AMAZING by the way, go out and get it right now)

This cook book is so awesome. EVERYTHING that we have tried from it has been delicious.
Seriously delicious.

And last night's meal also allowed me to use the heart shaped Le Crueset roaster we got for the wedding.
This guy.


Anyway, it was basically White Fish roasted with bacon (god yes!) leeks and asparagus.
Delish!

And. This. Is. The. Thing.

I will eat it again.

I am reformed.

random randomness (Who called the Hot Cops?)

It doesn't help that we get mustaches involved.
(and pirates?)




Sunny days+these girls= Jump Competition.




Sandra won the first day with "The Flying Star"

(Kathryn stole the title after the wedding with "The Raging Lion"!)

Looking back on the day, it feels like a complete blur. It was so amazing, and so perfect for us, that it's been kind of hard to capture in pictures.
I will try. Really.

And it happened so fast! The day after, we were both up super early (like before 7am) and everything was cleared from the yard by noon. Like it had never happened.

So that now when I look at my hand (and more so when I look at Geoff's) and see the ring I am still sometimes surprised. Like, did that really happen?

We went for plain and simple with our wedding bands.
I had made another band for myself that was really beautiful, but it just wasn't right.
So in the end (two weeks before the wedding) I decided to make another one. The same as Geoff's. Which I am very happy with.

MeavEden Photography

Zoe Olson is an amazing photographer. I met her through FGI and immediately fell in love with her images and emailed her to see if she was available to shoot the wedding.
We weren't even going to have a photographer.

She is so worth it.






Please go to her blog to see more of her work (including more pics from our wedding) and a slide show that makes me tear up every time I watch it.

Thank you Zoe!

Just some pics

My brain is not capable of putting together a coherent sentence today, so I am just going to post some pictures and then go back to thinking about what I am going to eat for dinner and sorting through the GIANT pile of laundry that is heckling me from the other room.

That pile of laundry is an a-hole.

teaser

I feel like I should document the weeks leading up to the wedding in chronological order.

But I am not going to.
Sorry.

You are just going to have to try to follow along!

My gorgeous and amazing friends Sandra and Laura flew in for the week before the wedding to help and generally make my life hilarious for a little while before hand.
And it was the perfect thing.
You will all be seeing pictures of them in various stages of undress (we spent a lot of time on the dock and in the water. It was HOT) and costumes.
We are all photobooth enthusiasts and we can't seem to be in front of a camera together without making a ridiculous face and we took pictures ALL WEEK.
I don't think that I have laughed this hard since NSCAD.

When we were in photobooths instead of working on whatever assignment we should have been.

Anyway, I digress.
Today I am going to talk about setting up.
We rented tables and chairs from a local catering company and set up and decorated ourselves, which again was really great.


I honestly didn't mean to set off the domino chairs, but I totally did.
Twice.


And at the end of the day Sandra and Lauras had tied big white bows to alternating chairs down the aisle too which was so cute.
(I am not seeing pictures with the bows at the moment, but I will keep looking)

You may have noticed that this EXACT SAME POST is on Janamade This.
Well, deal with it. (is that rude?)
I am enticing non family members to check out how amazing the wedding was.
I really loved seeing what other people did for their weddings while I was planning ours and I just thought that it is nice to share.
I am going to try to keep all of the wedding related stuff here!

xox
Mrs. Stevenson (!)

2 weeks later

We are married, and it was perfect.
I am just going to post a tiny note here because I still haven't sorted through all the pictures yet and honestly I have been too happy to just hang out with my husband (!!) that the idea of hours of computer time hasn't been high on my list of priorities.

But soon, I promise!

xox
Mrs. Stevenson (HA!!)

The Grey Suit

Is so amazing.

Lose the tie and add a beard.
I know that Geoff would look incredible in something like this, but I also think that he would never wear something like this.
Boo I say.

The Countdown begins...

DUN DUN!!!!

2 weeks today people.
We're not doing too bad with the planning and arranging.
I delegated Tables and Chairs to my Mom and she actually had it all arranged 10 minutes later.

I am not even kidding.

Which makes me wonder why I didn't just delegate EVERYTHING to her right from the get go and all I would have had to do is show up.

But alas, my type A tendencies got the better of me and I felt that I had to DO everything myself. Which is hilarious when I remember that I am a HUGE procrastinator and have literally left most of it to the last month.

Yes it's true.

sigh.

But it's fine, because now that the tables and chairs are sorted out (THANK YOU MOM!) and our wedding bands are finished (as of today), I've picked up tablecloths and most of the pitchers for the tables, and the dessert is confirmed, and the wine is in the garage, and tents are sorted, that all we really need to do now is one (maybe 2) shops for the extra details and we're ready.

So SUCK IT procrastination.

So romantic

I just stumbled across these photos of this wedding on SugarLove and I am swooning.
The bride looks so amazing in that dress and I love that they both just look happy and relaxed.

That's what it should be right?

Brollies!

I am loving this so much right now and it has totally reminded me that I need to get paper umbrellas for the wedding!
(found via The Sartorialist)

Tables and Chairs

Do you have some that we could borrow for our Big Day?
We went over the guest list last night and there are more of you coming than I thought!

So we need more tables and chairs.

Let me know if you do, because that would be amazing.

Thanks!
xox

Haute Cuisine

So I did go down and register at Haute Cuisine, and it was a much more enjoyable experience than registering at The Bay was.

And the really nice thing about Haute Cuisine is that everything on our list is under $40.
And it's all stuff that I would really love.

So if you do want to get us a gift, and we are leaving this ENTIRELY up to you, that would be a good place to pop into.

But for the record we are not expecting or asking for gifts.
Several people asked us to register, so we did. But it's more for you than for us!

xox

Haute Quisine

I walked in here this morning on my way to work, and popped in to just take a peek.
They have a Registry program.

I am going to pop back in tomorrow and register for a couple little things.

Just so you know. If you are interested in that information for any reason.

I have hired a photographer

And I am so excited I needed to yell about it for a bit this morning.

I met with the lovely Zoe Olsen of MaevEden Photography this morning and she is lovely and charming and had some excellent ideas that I never would have thought about on my own.

She took some photos for us at Floating Gold Iceberg a couple of weeks ago and they were SO BEAUTIFUL that I immediately emailed her to see if she was available in July.

And she is.

So excited!

We've started the process now folks

Geoff and I went to The Bay on Thursday and we put a couple things on the registry.
Not a lot of things, we only scanned items in for about 15 minutes (the dog was in the car) and we weren't particularly impressed with the selection to tell you the truth.
I remember The Bay having a sporting/sports equipment section. Apparently the downtown store no longer has this. Which is a bit of a bummer since that's what I was counting on to register for some stuff just for Geoff.
Because I am going to go out on a limb here and say that I don't think he cares too much about new towels or decorative kitchenware.

(I can't say I am too jazzed about that either!)
I mean, don't get me wrong, new towels or say, placemats would be nice, but there wasn't anything at The Bay that was particularly Wowing me.
You know?

We've got a pretty specific style sorted out. And I am not sure if a big retail chain is going to cater to our laid back, hand made(me likey) aesthetic.

And this is pretty interesting because before this experience, I don't know if I could have said that we HAD a style at all. We've been pretty lucky with hand me down furniture and a good solid trip to Ikea when we first moved to Vancouver that we don't really NEED anything.

So what's on our list is upgrades.
Which is cool.

I registered for a bamboo cutting board for example, and a new juicer (we ran the last one into the ground. We love us some fresh juice!) and one of those KitchenAid stand mixers (in white) that are all the rage. We looked at ice cream scoops and vacuums, but didn't end up scanning in either, because a.) we don't really eat a lot of ice cream, and b.) have been bitten in the ass by our current vacuum that we feel we need to do some research.

We'll go back early this coming week and do a better run through when we don't have to worry about the dog waiting for us or getting to an appointment later in the day!
And maybe check out a different location and see if they've got some different things.

I'll keep you posted.

now that it's out there

I am just going to go hog wild and post some pictures of stuff that I've been coveting.
Since it's apparently the THING to do when you get married.

I really love this counter top compost pail from Lee Valley.
So clean and shiny.

Me loves me some shiny.

And I KNOW this is a bit out there, but I wants it SO BAD.

The 13" aluminum MacBook. Oh god it's so lovely!
I have decided that I am going to need to get my own laptop. I am trying to be as productive at work (both at FGI and for Janamade) and I am already noticing that since we've moved and consequently I haven't set up the old G4 yet (due to having to plug shit in and find cables and generally have this huge box of a thing in my wee studio) that I am not working on the computer as much as I used to or as much as I'd like to.
I don't want to use Geoff's work computer (oh wait, I'm on that right NOW!! HA!) because I always forget to remove my images from the desktop! And I also don't have access to any of my lovely creative programs. yes I am still learning photoshop, but it's enough for what I need right now.

It's not a priority for our finances right now, I get that.
I just covet the vision of being able to work on the bus, or not have to sneak on when I want to blog. (Geoff is sleeping right now!)

Oh my god how I covet!

Ahem, where was I?
Oh yes, wedding things...

Organic bed linens. This is something that I would really love.
I have no idea where to find this in the city, I haven't really had time to search it out, but it would be nice. We're in need of new linens soon anyway.
(Maybe The Bay will have some?)

Who knows.

Bamboo kitchen things would be nice. Cutting boards, spoons and things.

I can't think of anything else right now. It's really hard to just throw out Stuff I Want in a capacity that might actually materialize into said things being in my house.

I might have to look at this in a whole new way.

Tomorrow.
Right now I am going to make some dinner and get my stuff together for work tomorrow.
xox

Registering.

So, after posting my last here, about feeling like I am under pressure and not really enjoying the process anymore.
You know, that one.

I now feel a bit better about things. And I had some really nice chats/emails/messages from people who had read it and support my "I'm doing my own thing" mini fit.

Which is awesome.

And since having the Weird Weekend, in which I felt like I was accosted on all sides about Registering (I wasn't ACTUALLY accosted. It just felt like a synchronized "oh my god you haven't registered yet, are you trying to make this hard on everyone, what are you DOING" brigade) Really it was just a handful of people giving me shocked face and me over reacting. As I do sometimes.

Ahem, anyway.

So I have just now set us up online with a registry service through The Bay (and apparently just the one downtown. I thought it would work at all of The Bays, but no. That is not the case. Sorry our of towners)

There is nothing IN the registery as of yet, Geoff and I still need to actually go down there and look at stuff.

But it's a STEP.

So now if you want to get us something (and we're not asking by the way, we are more than happy to just hang out with everyone sans drama (this is a big one for me. I want NO DRAMA all day. I have heard some scary stories about the drama at weddings and I want NONE OF IT. So if you feel inclined to bring us some drama as a gift? Take it back and replace it with NO DRAMA.
I might actually be hiring someone to send people home if I feel like it's turning into an episode of 90210.)
No joke.
But if you really want to get us something, we will try to get some items on the registery this weekend.

Phew!

Under Pressure

So this past week I was hit with an interesting realization.
(that I can't say that I love, but I get it)

This wedding is turning into something unexpected.
It's kind of starting to feel like it is turning into something that is not really about us any more.

I appreciate where everyone is coming from, there have been some amazingly incredible offers of support from unexpected places, and some equally amazing support from places that I did expect it from.

So thank you for being awesome.

I am not really complaining. In fact I don't think that I am complaining at all.

I think what it is, is that I had this picture in my head of what I expected this day to be like, and I am realizing that it may in fact not be that way.
Which is fine, we can't always get what we want right?
What hit me the hardest was that I was no longer excited about it. I was anxious about making sure we got it right.

Which, frankly, is ridiculous. It's OUR bloody wedding.

So that realization leads me to this statement.

We're doing this our way people. I am happy to accomodate people that I love as much as I can, but I am not going to sweat it if things are not going the way that someone else thinks it should. Unless that person is Geoff.

And already, after deciding that this was what I was going to do, I feel better.

So there.

Sincerely,
The Bride.

hair pieces

I have been checking out the Ban.do website this morning and there are some really cute pieces in there.
Like these guys...



I am still not quite sure what I want to be doing with my head for the Big Day, but I am right now leaning towards something like the first one.
Hair up? Hair down?
Who knows at this point.

It's fun to just think about it right now!
I've got a couple more weeks before I really need to stress out about it!

Accomodations nearby

I went through our local yellow pages and found some B&B's on the lake and in the nearby area.

Please give them a call if you plan to stay over night and don't want to camp out on the back lawn in what we are affectionately referring to what will be Tent City.


1. Shawnigan Shores Bed & Breakfast 2374 Renfrew Rd 250-733-2233
www.lakebb.com

2. Whistle Stop LakeSide Bed & Breakfast 1838 Baden Powell Rd. 250-743-4896

3. Marifield Manor Bed & Breakfast (in Cobble Hill) 2036 SunnyBrook Lane 250-743-9766

4. Prancing Horse Retreat (Cobble Hill) 573 Ebadora Lane 250-743-9378

5. Deer Lodge Motel (Mill Bay) 2529 Partridge Rd 250-743-2423


We are expecting to be having a silly good time into the night (we'll give the neighbors a heads up!) and you are all of course welcome to stay here (in Tent City, the cabins are both already spoken for) or nearby.
We will be preparing a breakfast for the troopers the following morning. Probably hot muffins and coffee.
And lots of water.

Got to rehydrate you know.

Where have we been??

I am a lax blogger lately. The computer that I work from is STILL in various pieces from the move and even though I am on a computer right now, it is not the one that I use.

Hence the random, month long lag.

Sorry folks!

But since the wedding is now 2 months away (excuse me while I barf) I really need to get back to some sort of routine and get this thing PLANNED ALREADY!

Ahem.

I am completely in love

This photograph is everything I want right now.
The dress, the light, the water.

SO amazing.

(found it via Design is Mine)

oh yeeeah.

There it is people.

The ENGAGEMENT RING.


I have worn it for a couple of weeks now and I am still drawn to stare at it.
Sitting in traffic.
Walking (and consequently stumbling into something. Naturally)
Typing on the computer.

RIGHT NOW!


sigh.

I am starting to notice a theme

Polka dot details.

Intriguing yes??


(the answer is yes)

bands

As in wedding bands, for your finger.

I thought I had it all sorted out in my head. and then I saw THESE...

Ack! They are SO CUTE!! I would of course only need one. But I am now wondering where I can find 14k scalloped wire so I can make something like it. (If you are not a goldsmith and want to buy one, please check out Becky Kelso's amazing jewellery)
I was planning to make my wedding band a similar style, made from bead wire that I can order from the US. But I checked their site and I didn't see this flat scalloped style.
And I would just flip through the catologue if I hadn't already packed up that part of the studio.
(We're moving in 2 weeks in case you were wondering why I would pack up my supplier catologues. I am not crazy. There is method to this madness. Really)

But it would be very similar to this wee little beaded band...

Or this one...


So cute. I am practically fainting from the cuteness.

(I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to all the Dudes that may be reading this blog, perhaps looking for the potluck list, or accidentally stumbling upon it. It is UNABASHEDLY girly. I am cool with it. So you are just going to have to deal with it. I may post about something that isn't unreasonably feminine in time. There might even be something posted here that ISN'T SO CUTE.
But I don't know what that will happen.)

dresses (again I know!)

I saw this dress online today and I absolutely LOVE the detail at the neckline.
So gorgeous and simple! Imagine it in a vanilla organic cotton or silk dupioni!!
swoon!
I saw it on Olivet this morning and she found it here.
Olivet by the way is probably one of my favorite new blogs. I cruised through MONTHS of posts just this morning.
Love her style.

photography

Geoff and I have decided that we are not going to hire a photographer for our wedding.
That may seem like a crazy idea for some people, but we are lucky to have some amazingly creative and artistic friends and I have read in several places that the photos that were taken by friends were often better than the photos taken by expensive professionals.

With this in mind, I have been thinking about the best solution for this.
Should we get disposable cameras for the tables? (but what if we don't do a traditional table set up? I've got some ideas up my sleeve for this already!)
Or should we set up a photo account somewhere and give guests the password info so they can upload their pictures to that same group account and have it all in one place?
Or maybe something like this?

Maybe all of them?

Things to think about. I found some GREAT ideas here.

Plus, don't forget that I am making a photobooth too.
MWA HA HA HA HAAA!!!!

lights

I have been thinking about lighting for this shindig and I've come up with a couple of ideas so far.

I love twinkly lights.

So there will have to be some of THEM there. Probably around the cabin and maybe in the tent.

My lovely friend Julie, who got married last summer (it was beautiful) has offered us the paper shades and lights that they used for their tent.
Which is amazing and we'll be taking her up on that FOR SURE.

And I have seen pictures of outdoor weddings where they have made lanterns to hang from tress out of mason jars, wire and tealights.
This is likely something that we will do as well.
Because it's beautiful and I am already planning to use mason jars for drinks and table decorations anyway.

And I would also like to pick up some solar patio lanterns that we can run up the side of the driveway so people can see where the road is.
(this is something that would be nice to have up there anyways so I am going to budget for this for sure)

Oh, and sparklers.

This Polka Dot cake is making me flip out right now!

I don't think that we'll do a single cake, we're leaning towards cupcakes and the MOST AMAZING BROWNIES YOU'VE EVER HAD.
But this is pretty damn cute.

I can't remember where I found this picture. Sorry.