Harp Music for the Wedding

I'm trying to kill the last half hour at work so I found the songs that our harpist is going to be playing so you can hear it...on the harp. Enjoy!


Seating of the Grandmother and Mothers
Wind Beneath My Wings:
http://www.victoriaschultz.com/audio_pages/wind_beneath.htm

Bridal Party Processional
Hymne by Vangelis
http://www.janaldridgeclark.com/wedding.htm

Shannon & Dad
Processional by Linda Wood:
http://www.harpmelodies.com/audio_samples.htm and click track 17

Sand Ceremony
Only Time by Enya:
http://www.alyshowe.com/html/wedding.html

Recessional
Allegro Maestoso from The Water Music Suite by Georg Fredric Handel:
http://www.victoriaschultz.com/audio_pages/water_music_handel.htm

Sand Ceremony

During the ceremony, JM and I are going to use the sand instead of the unity candle. Mainly, because I like the idea of it better. I'm not losing my past, I'm just merging my life with his. (Plus, the colored sands are pretty!) Then, the more I thought about it, I realized that the ceremony is outside. What if there's a breeze or it's windy??? Then the unity candle will blow out and that CANNOT be a good omen for the marriage. I don't usually pay too much attention to signs...but that one would be obvious!

Anyways, I'm trying to decide which 'sand ceremony' kit to get. Here are my options:

On this one, I liked the nesting unity sand vases (because you could use the vases later on), and the 'new oceans away'.
http://www.makingmemoriesandmore.net/sandceremony

This one I don't really like the vases, but they have a wider variety of sand.
http://www.moonglowcandles.net/wedding_sand.htm

This was kind of neat because we could each have our inital on our vase.
http://www.daisy-days.com/decanter-unity-sand-ceremony-set.html

Let me know if you have any grand ideas!

Tuxes, dresses,and cakes, oh my!

Well, we're another step closer to being prepared for the wedding. We emailed all the guys today and let them know the tuxes we picked out. We got them through A Step Above Bridal, which is where my dress is from. The guys will all wear black notch lapel tuxes and french vanilla shirts. The dads will have black ties and vests while JM will have an ivory vest and white and ivory striped tie. The groomsmen will have chocolate brown vests and chocolate brown and black striped ties.

This is the tux and JM's ensemble...Then this is the swatch for the groomsmen's...My dress came in last week so Mom, Lynds and I went over on Saturday morning and I put on the whole she-bang. It's still wonderful! And I still need to name the dress!!! For those of you who don't know, the first one who buys one of Antonio Fermin's designs gets to name it! This is a MUCH harder task then I had imagined. So much stress!!! I would love to name it 'The Shannon', or after seeing myself on Saturday, 'Princess Shannon'. But, my mom used Grandma Haines's inheritance money to pay for it, so I feel I should pay tribute to her somehow. 'Elaine's Love' (Connie's idea) or something of the sort. Anyone have any suggestions?!? Maybe I'll make it a contest...whoever comes up with the name I use wins something. Hmmm...I don't really have any prizes!

We also decided on a cake. Ritz Charles will be bringing the cake as well as the food. They won out pretty much solely on price. I was amazed at how good of a deal they gave us. Anyways, it will be the 'Ritz Buttercream' frosting, yellow cake and chocolate truffle filling. This is what it will look like (minus the flowery thing). The main color will be more of a lime green and then the borders will still be chocolate brown.We still have to decide on a cake topper. No clue what to do about that. We may just go with a big 'L'. How creative!

Our engagement photo session is in a couple of weeks and will be done by our photographer, Erin Hession. We had been planning on having it downtown on the canal (with Kodi, of course), but a friend of mine did hers at the Oliver Winery and the pictures turned out amazing!!! I emailed Erin today to see if that was an option. Also, it's my last name, and we're going to a winery for the honeymoon, so how fitting!

I think I need to hit the hay now. I'm not working tomorrow except for a class at 3, but I'm hoping to check out a couple of places and find out about bridesmaids dresses. Less than 10 weeks now...need to get my butt in gear!

I'll blog later about the honeymoon, rings, and hopefully other things that have been accomplished!

We may have found it!!!

As you know, finding a place and a date for our wedding has been quite the predicament. And by predicament, I mean pain in the @ss. Anyways, JM and I decided for a different approach. Screw having a neat, unique place, and let's spend less and maybe save for...I don't know...a house?

So, JM, Mom and I went to the Monon Center tonight to check it out. We liked it!!! Thing is, we'll be cutting a TON of costs, so in exchange, there's a particular photographer I want who is slightly pricey. The only dates in October that the photographer and the Monon Center have open in common are Oct. 17th and 24th...both Fridays. But, we get a discount on just about everything because it's not a Saturday!

I REALLY want the 24th (day after my 30th birthday...how fitting!), but another bride is going to look at the Monon Center tomorrow morning for a couple of dates, the 24th included. I just left the lady a rather desperate message and said that we discussed it and we definitely want the 24th...we'll come in tomorrow and pay the deposit! I'm hoping she'll at least sway the other bride away! If not....keep your fingers crossed that the photographer is open on the 17th! She was open the other day, I'm just hoping she isn't already booked!