Jumping the Broom

Mr.Golden and I have decided to incorporate this African American tradition into our ceremony. Unfortunately while browsing through the internet for brooms, I couldn't really find anything that really stood out to me. The brooms were either decorated too much or too little. I would like the broom to fit in with the decor of the wedding so I have another project added to my list {i'm not complaining though!}. My idea/plan is to place it over our front door inside our home after the wedding {hence, threshold}.

I have some inspirations flowing around in my head, so maybe this summer I'll do a trial run through. In the meantime, these brooms are pretty cute but not exactly what I have in mind.

photo credit: Stuart Creations

Ring Bearer Woes

Oh how delightful would it be to have a ring bearer carry these moss ring holders {my my mouth to God's ears!}.

photo credit: The Ritzy Bee Blog

photo credit: Etsy

The BIG Reveal

I've mentioned before that I'm seeing Mr. Golden before the ceremony. It was a no brainer decision for us because:

1) I know I will probably be a mess. I get so frazzled before huge events in my life. Even when Mr. Golden graduated from the police academy, I was a mess and it wasn't even my day! It's imperative that I see him because I know he will be able to tame my nerves.

2) I want to get all the formal pictures out of the way so that I can focus all my time and attention after the ceremony to just enjoying myself. I don't have a huge gap inbetween things and I've been already stressing over the fact of wanting an extra hour. In my book, there's no time to waste!

Anyway, nestled in the back among the 6 acres of garden at Westbury Manor, is a gazebo. And that is where Mr. Golden and I will have our big reveal. It will just be the two of us {along with the photographer & videographer}. I can't wait!

Check out these two great reveal moments:

Photos Courtesy Of: Rodolfo Arpia

Photo Courtesy Of: Alain Martinez Photography

A Walk Deferred

Take a look at these two weddings and tell me what they have in common:

Wedding #1:

Wedding #2:

Photos Courtesy Of: Rodolfo Arpia

Besides them both being really beautiful weddings, the thing that both brides have in common is that they had one heck of a walk down the aisle! When I look at these weddings I can just imagine how much each bride was able to relish in her big moment while the music played softly in the background.

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Unfortunately for me, my ceremony aisle is all of about 45 ft. long. This is one of the things that slightly irritates me about my wedding venue. Now I know that some people don't enjoy all eyes being on them and they would rather run down the aisle, but not me!

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The song I'm walking down the aisle to is around 2 minutes long and I'm really going to make the most of it. I plan to walk in slow motion down the aisle and I'll tell my father to pull back my veil ever so slowly. I have no intentions of having my song faded out. I want to hear the whole thing because it's very sentimental to Mr. Golden and me. I will stall for time if need be!

Diva Etiquette

Last Friday my mother and I attended the Anita Baker concert. She is one my favorite singers, but I have a bone to pick with Ms. Baker. The concert was supposed to start at 8p.m. She did not come on the stage until 9:02p.m.

Needless to say I was pissed off, and although she gave a GREAT show, I couldn't relax and enjoy it the way I should have because my mind was focused on the time constraint & the arrangements I made in advance for after the concert. As I sat there looking at the drawn down curtain on the stage, I couldn't help but think of how much it related to weddings.

As much as us brides would like to think that the wedding is about us only, the reality is that it isn't. Just as much as we have spent preparing and anticipating our big day, so have our guests. Some people have taken the time to travel from far away, others have left their children at the babysitter, and some people may have even taken a day off of work to share in our joy.

The important lesson I learned is to put away the Diva antics on the day of the wedding, or at least wait until the reception. Most importantly: be on time, it's only fair to us and our guests!

Repeat After Me: "I {insert name}"...

The Stamp Bug

I'll be the first one to admit that I don't walk a straight line when it comes to tradition. My dress won't be white {it'll be ivory!}, I'm seeing Mr. Golden before the ceremony, and I won't be walking in to Cannon in D or "here comes the bride".

But there are some traditions that I am a stickler for. On my wedding day I will be saying traditional wedding vows. I don't know what it is, but something inside of me gets all tingly when I here them and I can't wait to say them to Mr. Golden.

I think writing personal vows is very sentimental and adds character to a ceremony, but I know that I'll be way too choked up to even attempt something like that in front of 150 of our closest friends & family. I would like to tell Mr.Golden how I feel about him and declare my devotion to him in my own words, but I want to do it in a more private way.

Since we are going to see each other before the ceremony, we decided to make the moment special by doing a big "reveal". We've also decided that we will write wedding vows to each other and exchange them during our private reveal. It'll be a great way to make a personal testament to each other before I even walk down the aisle.

I have quite a task ahead of me. I mean really, how do I put the pen to paper and formulate the words in my head to write vows to someone I love so much? Are there even words strong enough to match my emotions? I guess we shall see.

Unity Candle Holder...Check!

When I saw these pillar and taper candle holders, I automatically knew they were leaving the store with me. Here's my unity candle holders!

Excuse the clutter in the back, my desk is a working desk!