the beach wedding ceremony decoration inspirations

when i told the hubby i want a beach wedding for the civil wedding he didn't have to think twice, he said yes right away....he thought that would be cool and it would be an excuse to have our friends and family come down to the shore and relax...

that wasn't the first thing that came to my mind though.... i was already thinking of how i would decorate the aisle, lol....

i googled for some ideas and this image struck me:

i was so tempted to do that but have to let it go because most of our guests are older people and i don't think they would appreciate sitting that low on the ground....so i decided to just stick with the kind of chairs that wedding by the sea will provide.....then i was deciding whether to use pomanders or paper lanterns but i figured since i'm using parasols for my bridesmaids, paper lanterns would be more appropriate.... but then i have to decide what color to use.... is it going to be tiffany blue (my original motif) or just white but i saw a picture of a white paper lantern and i thought it looks so clean and romantic so i stuck with white....

.... i regretted that decision though....i should have used my motif color (turquoise, tiffany blue so hard to find!) because the paper lanterns sort of disappear in the picture because of the sand and chairs and sky.... or maybe because i should have bought a bigger size...oh well....

the four feather banners and the arbor from wedding by the sea

then, i wanted a second arbor.....wedding by the sea will provide the first arbor ($100 rent), the four white feather banners ($50 each), the sand ceremony table ($25), the chairs ($4/each, we have 40 pcs).... but i want a second arbor to work as an entrance door.....

the arbor and the table for the sand ceremony from wedding by the sea

so i bought one from michaels, they were on sale that time and the hubby and i were decorating it with my ikea mosquito netting curtain and some plastic garland until we're satisfied at how it looks.... below is the final design for the second arbor.... nothing fancy, we just want to make sure the arbor doesn't look "naked"....it was supposed to be just draping at the side (see the right side) but the left side started flying.....it was very windy that day.....but i didn't mind....it kinda add character to the arbor.....although the second arbor started going sideways because of the wind and the plastic garlands started peeling off, lol

the second arbor we brought and had friends help us assemble and disassemble it

for the rose petals i was actually planning to buy the freeze petals, but my friend jefferly suggested i just buy the fresh flowers from the produce junction so it would be cheaper and that's what i did.....i bought 5 dozen of roses at the junction shop for ($7/dozen) 2 days before the wedding (cause that was when we drove down to cape may) and asked my bridesmaids to bring a dozen of red roses each.... and then i asked the help of alve, tonette and chay to help me un-petal the roses and to put the petals in a bin.... so glad they were able to help me out because that day i was too stressed out already.....

i asked my MOH to take the ceremony decoration containers with her because my truck are just too full already!

the paper lanterns were easy to find..... i just went to lunabazaar.com to order the 8" cheap paper lanterns.... the tulle are easy too...i just went to michaels and a.c. moore to get them...it was finding the shepherds hooks that's hard....michaels don't have them, same with a.c. moore, home depot has them but they're too high and had to return them as soon as i picked them up (i ordered them online)... i saw a wreath stand at a.c. moore and bought 8 of them right away....they were on sale for $2 each and its just the right height but it has a round base so i wasn't sure how that would make out on the sand and if it would withstand the windy shore but i didn't care that time..... i just want hooks for my paper lanterns....then one day, i went to joann's fabric store to buy some shells and sand when i saw dozens and dozens of shepherd's hook by the entrance door! i was so ecstatic i immediately grabbed 10 without even checking the price! lol.... it was the right height and thickness.... i returned the wreaths hooks at a.c. moore..... it was priced $4 each.....

our shoes optional sign...

then i wanted to have the "shoes optional" concept.... where guests can just leave their shoes in the "shoe parking bins" during the ceremony, lol..... i bought the bins from ross... i was able to find just one blue bin and the rest were bronze bins.... i went ross hopping hoping i could find another blue bin but i didn't get lucky......so i just bought a couple of blue scarves at a.c. moore and just wrapped it around the bins to kinda match them with the blue bin.... i made sand brushes to go with my "shoes optional" concept too and ordered the shoes optional wood sign from an etsy seller (signsbydiane)....

our DIY sandbrushes

i guess that's it!

i want to share the reception stuff that too... like our mesage-in-a-bottle guestbook.... our starfish/sanddollars escort cards, etc.....  but that deserves it's own kwento din, lol....

the story behind the wedding gown

i previously blogged about my gown shopping for the civil beach wedding .... this is the sequel for that blog, lol...... just a story of how i decided that it's my "this is it" gown.....

at coronet bridal store

it's my friends who thought that gown really looks good on me.... didn't particularly liked it the first time because it's not as flowy as my other candidates and it just looks too simple for my taste...i want it simple, but with some wow factor...

trying it on for the last time

then i went home and watched all the videos we took that night at the bridal shop to see how all my finalist gowns look on me and that's how i saw what my friends saw.... the gown does looks stunning.... it hugs my body on all the right places and my waist looks smaller! and  i looked good on it on all angles unlike my other finalists that i have to be careful which side i need to aim for the camera so i won't look like a sack of potato or worst, pregnant.....







after that i made an appointment to the bridal store and went back by myself and bought it....

cheap find

at coronet with the lady waiting on me

the other nice thing about that dress is because it's a phased out maggie sottero (it's called SSM5161 and its actually from another branch named midgely sottero) the price already dropped plus the store is on sale that time so that's another price slash.... got my gown for $500+ which for me is a steal considering my finalists are priced from $1,100 to $1,300....and i want it cheap because i want to have a separate gown for the church wedding in the philippines so i can't splurge on the civil beach wedding's gown...








here's what the actual dress looks like, once upon a time when it's still posted on maggie sotterro website..... its now being copied and posted to several sites who does imitation gowns....

i just had the store remove the heavy train because its not appropriate for a beach wedding but i kept the outer chiffon layer so i'll still have a train.......then i added a one-shoulder strap because i really want a one shoulder style and then just bought a brooch to go with it.......i got the idea of the one-shoulder and brooch from an allure gown..... i was planning to make it look like the allure gown but the off-shoulder just looked better......

the allure gown with one-shoulder

i also added a sort of a cape-like thingie as additional accent..... i got that idea from one of pronovias bridesmaid gowns....... i thought that would look cool flying with the wind, which didnt really happen because it got all twisted out and didn't "fly",  but anyway, i just had to remove those additionals during reception so it would just be the original gown design....just a strapless sweetheart neckline chiffon dress....

pronovias gown (lerma) with a cape accent

below are pictures of the final design of the gown..... i decided to do an off-shoulder one-shoulder, if that makes sense, lol......

the heavy train removed and just the chiffon train left	the brooch i bought from amazon, the additional one shoulder and cape i asked the bridal store to add

extra post:

the bridesmaids dresses are from bill levkoff.... originally i was just planning to make all the bridesmaids to buy whatever chiffon-like cheap long black dress they could find but my MOH suggested it would look
better in the picture if bridesmaids gown all look the same so i gave in and this is the gown....

bridesmaids:
i want it black because (1) i want them to still be able use them after the wedding, (2) because black is slimming and (3) because i want to just give them a blue sash and parasol...... below is how my bridesmaids looked like....i get compliments on how nice the black and blue went well together....
 







groomsmen:
i really wanted the groomsmen to wear a black shirt so that the only color you'll see is black and blue but hubby said we shouldn't bother them with that, because atleast we're sure all of them have a white shirt and we dont want them buying a black shirt..... after the wedding i reminded him about my black shirt suggestion and he was apologetic for saying no to my suggestion when he saw how nicely the girls look and how the blue sash just pops with their all black dress..... but the groomsmen still looks good anyway, so i'm good.....and yeah, that's the boutonniere i made that they're wearing...

all those who broke my heart were like northern stars

i was standing at the end of the white-washed walkway, away from the guests' line of sight and just taking it all in.... i was just looking at my pretty bridesmaids holding their blue parasols and barefooted wearing the barefoot sandals i made them, my handsome groomsmen on their suit and black flipflops, my cute ring bearer and flower girl, the nice clear sky.... i can't help but think that 17 months after the wedding proposal the day is finally here! i am getting married!




as soon as my wedding party started walking on that white-washed walkway, pair by pair towards the ceremony i heard the violinist and guitarist started playing Canon in D... i love Canon in D and at that moment  i can feel i am about to cry..... but i had to contain myself because i know if i didn't it would be like opening the flood gates..... so i inhaled and exhaled instead.... when my maid of honor started walking i know it would be my turn soon and i started feeling nervous....i may have said that a lot of times to my friend sheryl who was the only person left at the end of the walk way aside from me....

and then i started walking.... i can still see my maid of honor's back and i just tried to concentrate on looking at her back so i won't feel nervous and then she's out of my sight and the music changed.... i got a little bit disoriented after i hear the first few notes of the song.... the night before, the violinist emailed me and told me they can't play my song,"you" by carpenters (i love carpenters!) for my bridal march and they gave me a list of other carpenters song that they can play instead.... i was a little disappointed because i have told them that way way in advance, but i don't like to stress about it specially the day before my wedding so i emailed back and told her "we've only just began" is fine.... but on my wedding day, while i was walking barefooted on that white-washed walkway, i was hearing a different song.... i was trying to concentrate on not tripping myself, of keeping my bangs in place (the wind was attacking me!) and now i'm trying to figure out what the heck i am listening to.....and then suddenly i realized what it is....






"you are the one who makes me happy...when everything else turns to gray"

all nervous but happy!

they're playing my song!  at that very moment i almost lost it,  i can feel my tears are starting to swell up in my eyes, but i kept whispering to myself  "don't cry, don't cry, damn it, don't cry!"..... and tried to focus my attention to other things like the petals on the sand, the "shoes optional" sign, the white tulle curtain from the second arbor flying with the wind..... then i saw people looking at me! now, that's some distraction.... i went from very emotional to nervous again...... then i saw my bob... standing in front, all handsome and smiling at me and all my nervousness disappeared..... it was just the two of us at that moment.... i can't hear the musicians anymore.... i'm not seeing the guests staring at me anymore.... i'm just seeing him....

then the ceremony started.... i tried not to be emotional when the officiant started making bob to repeat the words of love after him while bob is putting the ring on my finger.... when it was my turn i made some boo-boos and was putting the ring on the wrong hand and started laughing...... that was another tension breaker, another good distraction.... then its time for the custom vows.... i asked bob that he go first...

"There was a time when I wasn't sure I would ever be happy again.

But then I met you and from our first date, you completely captivated me with your charm and humor.

I thank God for you and your poor eyesight.

I promise to cherish the time we have together,

to love you and all your shoes,

split the difference on the thermostat,

and laugh together all the way to eternity."

it was short and sweet and both the guests and i laughed at the mention of "poor eyesight" and the "all your shoes"...

then it's my turn...i thought i won't cry anymore because i've practiced reading my vows by myself a lot of times already but when i started reading the second paragraph i can feel my face turn red and i can feel my tears starting to swell up again! so i had to pause for a bit and inhale-exhale.... then had to pause again for the third paragraph.....and then some more.....

i just can't allow myself to cry specially when i'm talking or else all people can hear me say would just be gurgling sounds, lol...... and i want them to hear my vows....

I'm always amazed at how our paths crossed.
I've never been so thankful for all those broken promises and lonely nights
because every road that I've been down in my life lead me to you
and all those who broke my heart were like northern stars
who pointed my way into your loving arms...

Today I am marrying the friend of my life.
Bob, With you I laugh, I smile, I dream.
with you I'm whole, I'm full and I'm alive.

Thank you for being the perfect partner.
For trusting me with your heart
and for believing in our future.
Thank you for finding me.

In return, I promise to cherish you, encourage you, to laugh with you
I promise that I'll always have your back like you have mine.
I promise to yell at you only once a day when you're being a pain in the butt
I promise to comfort you when the Phillies loses and drink beer with you when they win.

I promise to stand beside you, in times of prospers and decline,
in sickness or health, in peace and in havoc, as long as we both shall live.
I will always love you.


yes, we tried to write our custom vows with a tiny dash of humor....
oh, there's one line in my vows that i got from a song, can you guess what song and which line?

anyway, so after that was sand ceremony..... we did that in place of candles.... and then just like that it's over and we found ourselves kissing in front of our guests and hearing the musicians play the "wedding march"...

our sand ceremony

then some formal portraits....then my MOH had to sneak me back in to Peter Shields' second floor so i could retouch my make-up and she can bustle my train.... bob and i practiced for a bit our wedding dance (we practiced only for 2 nights at 15 minutes each, lol)... then i heard our Love Story interview video being played (thanks again to my friends Ryan and Jefferly of RyanJeffProductions for our video) and heard a few "awww"s and some laughters while they watch it and then it's time to introduce us....


i was trying not to fall on the stairs because my gown is still kinda long but i survived.... the first dance immediately followed.... i requested for the musicians to learn "can't take my eyes off you" which they gladly did and i was so very very happy how it turned out... imagine a violin and guitar playing that song live? it's just divine....

cake cutting, we love our cake! both how it looks like and how it tastes like

then it's cake cutting...

because of the weird room set up we need to finish all the usual stuff before the guests starts eating so they don't need to stand up again until after the reception.....when they finally opened the reception area and people got seated the best man gave his toast and so does the maid of honor.... i love it that our bestman mentioned about the "sandwich surgeon"....... that's bob, he is a sandwich surgeon and meat surgeon and veggies surgeon, lol...... then it's eating time! Bridget of Peter Shields was so nice to give us a plate of the antipasto to make sure we'll be able to taste everything that we paid for....i wasn't able to eat that much though, i finished the cake though, lol....

then it's dessert's time.... our guests love our cake...its vanilla on the first layer with two fillings (lemon filling and berries something).... the second layer is chocolate... it also has two layers of filings, ganache and choco mousse..... Bridget of Peter Shields was so kind to save the top of our cake and she froze it and gave it to us after the wedding.... she said we need to eat it on our first anniversary.... but knowing me, and the fact that Michel Gras's cake is so heavenly delicious, i don't think i can hold off not eating the cake and wait for a year, so good luck to me, lol....

we ended the wedding reception with an SDE (same-day-edit) showing the highlights of the wedding on a 3-minute video..... then i took 30 (out of 40)  of our guests on a free Victorian Moonlight Trolley tour.... we rented the whole trolley for that and my guests thought that tour was like the icing on a cake and enjoyed the tour of the victorian houses in cape may and listening to the tour guide tell us about victorian courtship immensely!

we were in cape may since thursday night (May 10) and was planning to leave on May 13, sunday, just like everyone else but we decided to stay for another night....

overall, it's indeed a day to remember for me and maybe for some of our guests too because most of them have never been to Cape May an have never attended a beach wedding and ours is their first.... its also nice to hear them compliment us about the food, reception venue, the beach set up and our musicians....

my DIY brooch bouquet and custom-painted bridal shoes by figgieshoes.com

i'm really thankful to all my SFC (Singles for Christ) friends for helping us and we're also thankful to our wedding party members and a lot of other friends who were there to help us..... thank you, thank you so much! you know who you are.... we won't be able to pull it off without all of you guys! ofcourse, we thank our guests for driving all the way down for 3 and even 6-7 hours because one of our wedding party drove all the way from boston! thank you, thank you so much!


for reviews about our suppliers  i kinda started some but still need to proof read it but it's already at: http://www.mywedding.com/bobmarlin/custom.html

next would be the church wedding in the philippines! but had to rest first and recuperate from all the civil wedding preps....






p.s.
the yellow tent and ampersand photo are teaser photos from our photographer....the group walking and the gown photo is a screen capture from our SDE...the others are from my friends karen and ryan...

and here's a video of the ceremony and reception venue: so you could visualize my story better, lol