If I wasn’t a graphic designer, I think I’d be an event planner. I love throwing parties!

So last fall, when it came time to prepare for my wedding…it was only obvious who would be behind the scenes, dreaming up the decor and designing the invites.  Of course, I needed help. And that’s where my Mom comes in. We’re like two peas in a pod, my Mom and I, we could talk for hours about everything from color combos and refreshments, to the smallest details like what napkins to use. And we love it!

As we were planning away and dreaming up ideas, I began a series of posts on my blog to share these ideas with my readers. I kept up with these posts pretty well. But as you can imagine, things got busy. And busier. And, well…busier…now, oh seven months later…I was inspired to finish up my series of DIY Wedding Adventure posts with the Finishing Touches. So here’s how it all came together…

First off, I must thank my sister, Michelle, for the amazing photography you’ll see in this post. She did a beautiful job photographing my wedding, and I can’t thank her enough! Love you Michelle!

[ The Entrance ]

A beautifully lit garland hung over the entryway to the hall, as small decorative trees lit with white lights welcomed our guests in. On a small table, was my Dad’s gift to us…a tradition among the Tracy gang…a pencil portrait of Steve and I together. It was a lovely welcoming touch for our guests!

[ Setting the Scene ]

The focal point, a large 9 foot Christmas tree, decorated with gold ribbon and dotted with beautiful red ornaments. Underneath the tree is where the gifts were arranged throughout the evening. We also had decorative gold-wrapped packages with beautiful large gold bows under other accent trees behind the receiving line.

[ The Guest Tables ]

What says Christmas more than a gorgeous red poinsettia flower…well, how about fifteen! The guest tables were decorated with these beautiful red plants which sat on top of sheer ribbon, surrounded by snapshots of Steve and I through the years. We finished things off with white faux candles and a sprinkling of crystal glitter to add a nice sparkling glow.

[ The Wedding Cake ]

After shopping around, seeing all of the different styles that were available, I had narrowed my choices down to a couple different styles. Each were deliciously beautiful, but I just couldn’t make a definite decision. I wasn’t feeling like either of them were it. The it factor was so important to me, above all other pieces and parts to my reception, the cake had to have the it factor. Then, one afternoon, as Mom and I were shopping at our local Costco, I saw it. Now you’re probably wondering, huh…Costco? But I’m being serious here. We turned the corner to the bakery…and there sat what would become my wedding cake. The All-American chocolate cake…a chocolate cake covered in chocolaty goodness and smothered in chocolate shavings. That was it! I would have three of these cakes sitting side-by-side on beautiful glass pedestals with the addition of an elegant arrangement of flowers for the top of each one…and there it is…my wedding cake…it was perfect! …and delicious too!

To wash it all down, how about some Mango punch flowing from an elegant silver fountain…

Because it’s Steve’s favorite wintery drink, we also made wassail and served it in a beautiful white crock-pot to keep it warm.

[ The Dessert Buffett ]

For the dessert buffet, we decided on traditional Christmas candies, cookies, and nuts. The reason being, I love sugary sweetness and well, what’s a Christmas wedding without the traditional treats!

For the table decoration, we interlaced red and silver sheer ribbon with a string of white lights to add an elegant glow. We arranged on glass dishes: Kirkland Signature European Cookies with Belgian Chocolate, Almond Roca, Lindt Lindor Truffles, Ghirardelli Squares, candy canes, peanuts, almonds, smoked almonds, and cashews. It was a spread to die for!

For our guests, we gave bright red delicious apples as favors.

[ Go Broncos! ]

It’s tradition for the bride to have a special cake for the groom at the reception. It was a no-brainer what the groom’s cake was going to look like…Steve loves football…what’s more is, he’s a die-hard Bronco fan. Need I say more… 

[ The Entertainment ]

As Steve and I exchanged rings in front of our friends and family that evening, my nieces (the two cutest little girls on the planet, in my opinion), dropped red rose petals at our feet. Afterwards, accompanied by his Dad and brothers, Steve sang me Our Song…1, 2, 3, 4 by the Plain White T’s. It was a beautiful evening, I’ll never forget!

…And that is how Steve and I started our lives together as Mr. and Mrs. Thanks for coming along this DIY Wedding Adventure of mine with me!

…and I must say, it’s been a pretty dog-gone good one!! I knew Steve was the one I wanted to marry long before we took the plunge, but as we’ve spent the last month together I’ve realized just how perfect we are for each other. I love it! I’m still finding little things out about Steve that make me love him even more. I’d say we’re off to a great start!

A HUGE thanks to my sister, Michelle, for doing the photography for us. She did an absolutely fantastic job. Here are a few of the highlights from our special day…

The sea of Poinsettia plants we used for centerpieces. Love this color!

Here I am getting ready…trying not to poke my eye out with the mascara brush!

My mom had set out breakfast for all of us to eat before we left for the day…we didn’t have time to eat, but doesn’t it look delicious!

My beautiful wedding shoes. The red ones I wore with my wedding dress, and the black ones I wore with my black dress to the Groom’s Luncheon.

Here we are, in the last moments of singlehood…I gotta say, I’m not going to miss being single!

Just Married…

Here we are as the Bride and Groom…and one month later, we’re even happier!

DIY Wedding Adventure Post #10

What better way to bring out the feeling of the 1940′s than through music, right? That’s what I thought! My favorite musicians of the era is defintely the Glenn Miller Orchestra. While they never had the chance to compile a Christmas album while Glenn Miller himself was alive, they recorded a Christmas album in his honor several years later. I love the sound of the big band, it’s so fun and upbeat…kinda makes me want to get up and dance! (Anyone who knows me is probably busting up laughing right now because the image of Seinfeld’s Elain Benice just flashed through their head!) But seriously, the sound is one of a kind and I know it will set the perfect mood for my reception…which is less than two weeks away now! Wow, time is flying so fast!

If you want to hear one of my favorite Glenn Miller Orchestra Christmas songs, just click here and enjoy!

DIY Wedding Adventure Post #9

I’m absolutely in love with the decision Steve and I made to be married the week before Christmas…because that means I get to do fun things like this…

My mother and sister, Michelle, hosted the coolest Christmasy-themed kitchen bridal shower for me this weekend. I had so much fun visiting with everyone who came. Michelle made the yummiest cheese fondue, complete with dipping breads and pretzels. She always has the most delicious fondue recipes, mmmmm! My mom made her traditional Christmas cheese-ball served with gourmet crackers. I LOVE her cheese-ball, it reminds me of our family Christmas Eve parties we have every year. After visiting with each other and sampling the yummy food, we played a fun game guessing the names of different spices. I’ve got to admit, it was tough…there were several seasoned cooks in the bunch…Steve’s mom, LaRee, was the winner with 9 out of 10 right. Wow, it’s no wonder her food always tastes soooo good!

Mom and Michelle hung cute little Christmas cookie cutters on a small tree, which doubled as decorations and party favors for each guest to take home with them. How fun! And instead of wearing the traditional “Bride-to-Be” crown throughout my shower, mom gave me this cute little Santa hat to wear! How fun is that!

I want to send a HUGE thank you to Mom and Michelle for all the work they put into planning my bridal shower. I know I had an absolute blast, and I think it turned out to be a huge success…I don’t think we’ve ever had that many people in our living room at one time, ever! And thank you to everyone who came and shared in the excitement with us. I have the best friends, family, and family-to-be ever! I feel so lucky to have such awesome people in my life, thank you!

Here are a few photos Michelle snapped of the decorations and the festivities…

DIY Wedding Adventure Post #8

Where to display them all?…that’s the question!

I love the idea of displaying photographs of Steve and I when we were younger at our reception but I wanted to find a unique way of displaying them. So I set out on a mission…I searched high and low, on the internet and through magazines, getting all the creative inspiration I could find. I stumbled across some really fun ideas, some of which I posted below. 

With all these ideas now floating around in my head, it was time to make a decision. I could go the traditional route and use frames on tables or I could go a little non-traditional and hang the photos on a Christmas tree or rope strung on the wall. I love the idea of using a Christmas tree for the pictures but with the low lighting it might make it difficult to see them. So I came up with a combination of these ideas…using old-fashioned photo corners, I’ll mount 4×6″ photos onto pieces of black cardstock and scatter them around the centerpieces on the tables. This way, the guests can pick up the photos and pass them around in better lighting conditions. It will have just the perfect amount of retro flair but still be modern enough to be unique. I love it!

Photos from 100 Layer Cake, Green Wedding Shoes and Jasmine Star blogs.

DIY Wedding Adventure Post #7

I was ecstatic when the florist suggested a lily as the main flower in my bouquet! I’m in love with anything tropical…anyone who’s seen my living room can tell you. I call it my “Island Oasis.” Anyway, back to the flowers…My main flower will be a raspberry red lily. I’ll have mango colored roses and smaller purple accent flowers along with a few small white lilies to lighten everything up. They’re also mixing in some seasonal greenery to bring it all together with the holiday season!

I can’t wait to see what the florist puts together for me. He created my sister’s wedding bouquet seven years ago and it was absolutely stunning. So I know I’m in good hands.

DIY Wedding Adventure Post #6

My wedding colors were super easy for me to choose. I didn’t want anything that screamed “Merry Christmas!!” Not that I have anything against Christmas, I love the holiday, but bright Red & Green aren’t my idea of elegant wedding colors. So I went with the three colors I’m always drawn to…Raspberry Red, Mango, and Midnight Plum. It made sense to make these my wedding colors. I could still go with a seasonal theme, without the Santa Suits and Snowmen!

The problem was, getting the warm, beautiful colors I saw in my mind out on paper. My solution: Take a trip to a home improvement store and visit their paint department! I looked through every single red, orangey-yellow, and purple paint chip they had until I found the perfect colors. I grabbed a few of each of the samples so I could take them with me when choosing flowers, linens, and other decorations for the reception.

DIY Wedding Adventure Post #5

I can finally breathe a sigh of relief…the Invitations are finished and at the printers as we speak. They turned out fabulous, just the way I wanted them to. I’m totally on Cloud 9 right now…I can’t wait to see the printed product in the next week or so!

Meanwhile, back here on planet earth, I have a mountain of envelopes that need addressing. I opted to write everything out by hand, it makes the whole package that much more personal. It’s a lot of work, I know, but I’ve scheduled the next couple of weeks for this purpose and nothing else…OK, wishful thinking, I know. There’s always something else that will come up. But I’m determined not to use labels!

Call me crazy, but I’m actually enjoying this whole process…even the tediousness of addressing envelope, after envelope, after envelope…it’s not every day a girl gets to write out her own wedding invitations. This is the most exciting time in my life, why not enjoy every minute of it! Even if that means risking carpal-tunnel to get things done!

DIY Wedding Adventure Post #4

When I think of Christmas treats, I immediately think…Chocolates! So why not have them at my wedding, right? I debated back and forth whether to go with savory or, my first impulse, sugary sweet refreshments. Needless to say, I went with my impulse. These little chocolatey delicacies will have a front & center place on the food tables among other very tasty delights! (I found these packages of my favorite chocolates at Costco, a great place for buying in bulk.)

Sure, I’ll throw in some mixed nuts here & there and some fruit to balance things out, but our guests will definitely be treated to some Sweets! What Christmas would be complete without the sweets! Oh, and I’ll have those yummy after-dinner-mints too. A total classic, they take me back to my early teenage years when I would go to family friends’ weddings with my mom…here’s a little secret no one really knows…I just went for the mints!

DIY Wedding Adventure Post #3

The thing I love the most about a Wedding Registry is, depending on which stores you choose, they’ll give you a discount on everything left on your list, even up to a year after your wedding date. It’s like I get to create my own Sale…can I just say, I’m in Heaven! I love shopping, and anyone who knows me, knows that I love a good sale!

After deciding which stores we wanted to register with, Steve and I began choosing items for our new home…mostly the kitchen. I can’t wait to set up shop and start baking. Give me a sugary-sweet recipe and watch out…I’m all over that (Yes, I have a bit of a sweet tooth)! We also chose some fun things for the rest of the house. We’re going for a tropical look with splashes of red (my favorite color) for the living area and relaxing blues and browns for our bedroom. Steve’s so sweet, he’s letting me have free reign over the look of the house. Which I’m loving! I’m pretty sure it would be a different story though, if my favorite color was pink.