Our Jecular Wedding: Because who wouldn't want something pretty to hang on the wall?

Another Jewish wedding tradition is the Ketubah. For those of you who do not know, a Ketubah is the Jewish marriage license signed prior to the ceremony. It is usually gorgeous, a la these fab creations:

source: etsy ketubahkraftsource: Etsy jennifer raichman

To me, a Ketbuah has always been a beautiful reminder of a wedding day- something you can hang on a wall and look at every day. Now, a Ketbuah is extremely religious. Most are in Hebrew and talk of God and faith. I realized that while I loved the idea of a Ketubah, I wanted something similar but sans religion, so I began searching for alternatives and found the Quaker Marriage Certificate, like this one:

source: Etsy Graceful Studio

These provide guests a place to sign their names (not pictured above), as witnesses to our vows and ceremony, which I absolutely love. They are like certificates and guest books all in one! I started searching for Quaker-inspired certificates and found these awesome examples:

via Designs With Chon

Via Merriment Events/ Designed by Orleans paper on Etsy

source: Etsy Ampers and Ink

I absolutely love this idea, and lucky for me my brother is a former graphic designer turned elementary school art teacher, and his girlfriend is super artistic and crafty herself! She sells awesome, unique jewelry at her etsy store florapamo, like this necklace made of tags from the metropolitan museum of art:

via Etsy Florapamo

and these earrings made of shredded magazines:

Via Etsy Florapamo

So I feel pretty lucky that they both agreed to make us our very own Quaker inspired marriage certificate! I think it is a pretty awesome wedding gift, one that will definitely be treasured for a lifetime, and I can't wait to see what they come up with!

Do you have talented family members who offered their talents as a wedding gift?

Un Deux Trois....

Obviously I am counting my table numbers...duh! I've gone through a lot of ideas about what to do to number my tables. My favorite idea has pretty much always been the ever popular frame-with-fabric-and-glued-on-wooded-number dealio.

via Elizabeth Ann Designs/ Photo by Diana Lupu

Unfortunately, I was unable to find beautiful frames that didn't cost an arm and leg, and so I decided to explore other options for table numbers. Then one day, the fabulously famous Hobby Lobby opened near my house, and I decided to explore; and I had a moment of genius!

I could take these fabulously oversized paper mache numbers, decoupage them, and turn them into modern table numbers with a floral twist! So I brought a few home, and started cutting out decorative paper I happened to have. Then I brushed on mod podge (which is like a watered down glue mixture that dries clear) and applied the paper, brushing over the paper as well.


(and yes that is a scientific paper under there that I should have been reading...)
Finally, I let them dry (and it is really important to let them dry before flipping! otherwise the wet glue will stick to whatever you have underneath and ruin the nice finish you otherwise would have had). And here you can see 2 of the numbers I made:
I definitely need to work on my technique to not get the edges to show, but overall I think these are super cute! I really think they will make an awesome addition to our tables. Not everyone is as excited by these as I am, though. Mama Elk seems to think they are overpoweringly large.

Therefore, I leave it up to you!

Awesomely Oversized or Just Plain Overwhelming

Dress Shopping- The Rejects Round 2

Before dress shopping I had never really heard of the brand Marissa because they do not advertise. Many of the salons I visited carried their dresses, and being simple and in my price range I found myself trying on a lot of them

I really wanted to like this dress with bias cut layers, but it didn’t do much for my body. Having a belt with it, though, made it a lot more appealing.

This is the dress that made me realize I wanted to wear something fitted. In the store I didn’t think much of it, but once home and looking at pictures I LOVED how this dress accentuated my waist. I tried this dress on in two other stores but in the end felt it wasn’t quite right.

Loved the shape of this dress (pretty similar to the one above) but didn’t really like the fabric (not that light airy feel I wasn’t going for) and it was a little too plain for me.

My mom and grandma LOVED this dress. They felt it was the perfect combination of light and airiness. They had me convinced for a split second, and I therefore convinced the nice lady at the bridal salon that I MUST have a picture if I were to ever make up my mind even though pictures were strictly forbidden. Once I looked at the pictures at home, I knew it wasn’t for me.

And so, another round of dressing shopping failed to impress me. Oh well, that just means more dress shopping for me and more rejects for you to enjoy!!

How many tries did it take for you to find your dress?

Our Jecular Wedding: because how will they know the ceremony is over?

One of the first things momma Elk requested when we announced we would be having a secular ceremony was that Mr Elk break a glass at the end, and I agreed. If you are not Jewish or have never been to/seen on television a Jewish wedding, the man traditionally breaks a glass (or in the past a light bulb; easier to break apparently) at the conclusion of the ceremony. I have always been taught that this is to symbolize the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem back in the day, but there are a lot of possible meanings. Still don't know what I am talking about? You can refer to the only good scene from SATC2 for a movie version of the tradition


Now, I know what you are thinking! Miss Elk- that is not secular at all! That is actually very religious. But, you have to understand- every wedding I have been to (for the most part) ends with the breaking of a glass. It is the grand finale (well, before the kiss!). It is how my relatives will know to say mozel tov and clap and get ready to party.

How did I convince Mr Elk, though? When I first brought up this topic with Mr Elk, he was surprisingly easy to convince. As a Curb Your Enthusiasm enthusiast, Mr Elk probably knows more about Judaism than I do (well...almost). Moreover, we have attended numerous weddings of my cousins, and he is pretty used to the routine by now, so it isn't all that foreign to him. There was almost a problem when he learned the actual meaning behind the tradition, and he started to get upset that we were breaking the 'no religion' rule. Luckily, quick witted me had a response: "Babes, we will just think of it as the last time you get to put your foot down in this relationship". Mr Elk laughed, told me never to repeat that to anyone, and agreed to partake in the tradition.

Now I just wonder what his Irish Catholic family will think.....

Did you incorporate traditions that your significant other or their family may find strange? How did they seem to take it?

THE Venue!!!

After a few months of intense internet searching, I was pretty sure I had found my wedding venue. I know, though, that internet photos can be pretty deceiving (think apartment/house searching!), so I figured i should probably check the place out in person. Unfortunately, being a medical student in upstate NY, I didn't seem to have any opportunity in the near future to go take a peak. Enter my parents! They so kindly offered take a drive over to the venue and check it out. And they LOVED it! My mom offered to book it right then and there, and I almost agreed! But we cooled our jets and me and Mr Elk made plans to go down to Long Island over the holidays and check it out. And it was PERFECT!!!!!!

So without further ado, our venue, the Old Field Club.

This is what you see when you drive up to the venue, very understated but beautiful.

Old Field Club: via OFC website

This is the ceremony area, with cocktail hour to take place on the adjoining deck and in a screened off porch not visible in this photo. I love the natural beauty and simplicity!

via:disc jockey nyc

via Ruby Star Blog/photo by: ruby star photography

The ballroom, with high wood ceilings, brass chandeliers, a working fireplace, and windows overlooking the yard. Again, I love the simple elegance!

via: disc jockey nyc

via OFC website

AHHH I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!! And did you notice, no carpets and chiavari chairs! And you can't tell this by the photos, but the deck and ceremony location overlook an inlet of the bay! Here you can see the water from the deck:

Personal Photo

Moreover, the Old Field Club is a beach club and therefore has its own private beach across the street with private cabanas of varying fabulous colors available for pictures, like these beauties:

via The Hamptons Weddings/Photo by: Christina Bohn Photography

Unfortunately, the Old Field Club was not immune to the recent hurricane. When Irene hit, the OFC was flooded with over a foot of water, ruining carpeting in the cocktail hour area and bowing some of the wood floors, and the deck was apparently torn apart. I happened upon this photo, and you can see the water all around the main entrance!

photo by: DGH Photo

I have been surprisingly calm about the newly acquired damages, and I can only hope they will restore my beautiful venue to her former glory, without changing what makes it so special.

Was your wedding affected by mother nature? And did you only visit one venue before booking?