Wedding Rehearsal!

I really could go on and on about how much I loved everything about how Mark and my wedding turned out. Really, I am having a hard time shutting up about it. The feminist in me will not allow me to say this was the most magical-wonderful-perfect moment in my entire life and everything else in my life was just leading me to that moment. Plus, that just isn't true. Yes, my wedding day was wonderful and perfect and I loved every moment of it; but it was not and never will be the highlight of my life or the purpose of my existence. I have so many more wonderful and important moments and memories to look forward to! However, I digress.

I do not have many pictures of the wedding yet (as I for once left the photography mainly to our professional photographer: McShane Photography) and like none of the rehearsal. But, let me tell you, everything was great!

We stayed at the Radisson in Toledo, OH. It was so lovely!

Inside and out!

Even nicer than the decor and comfort level of the hotel, were the staff. Julie and every staff member we interacted with were supremely helpful and sweet. I couldn't rave enough about the wonderful experience we had here.

We had the rehearsal on what felt like the hottest-muggiest day of the year. Everyone was sweating profusely within minutes of arriving. We very quickly ran through the ceremony and left as quickly as we could. This wasn't the best idea, as no one had any idea what their cues were to start or stop walking or any idea what pace they should be walking at. This didn't seem like an issue (and really didn't end up being to big of a deal) at the time, as the heat was oppressive and everyone wanted out as soon as possible.

We made it back to the hotel, right before a huge thunderstorm rolled in. Mark and I opted to have the rehearsal dinner at the hotel's 31Hundred restaurant and were so glad we made that choice! The food and drinks were exceptional!

Even with all of the heat and lack of rehearsal, everyone seemed to have a good time (once we started eating!)

My biggest recommendation is to make sure you are able to place the music that will be used during your wedding and give people clear cues as to when they should walk and at what pace. Otherwise, you end up with some gaps in the procession and recession. Which, in the end, is not a huge deal; but, kinda negates the reason for a rehearsal if you aren't doing those things.

Comments

Wedding Felt Animal Masks

Sarah redesigned the animal masks for me and I could not be more pleased with the results (we are referring to them as the chibi versions)! They are much more appropriately proportioned for smaller faces and printing ease. She even remade all of the patterns for me! Head over here to see how I made my very first felt animal mask. This is going to be a long post, as I am going to share all of them here. However, I am not going to go into the details. This is really more of a way for me to show off Sarah's amazing designs and my hard work! Bat: Bear: Fox: Giraffe: Golden Retriever: Hippo: Liger: Owl: Panther: Red Panda: Sloth: Snake: Tiger: Wolf: If you're interested in buying these masks or the digital templates (with instructions) to create your own, check out my Esty shop: MarstenCo !

New House Colors

Our new home is not open concept. It has many distinct rooms, which I'm currently loving and enjoying picking out paint colors for. I love a house with character and color, but I don't think it should overwhelm. When deciding my colors, I chose some basic neutral grays, bieges, whites, and blacks that could be used as connecting colors throughout the house. I also made sure any connecting rooms had colors that complemented each other. Next, I determined a focal design element (painting, furniture, flooring, etc.) that helped defined the room's aesthetic and took into consideration the era the house was built in. Lastly, I used Sherwin Williams to make personalized color schemes for each room to keep me inspired and focused. Below are the colors I've chosen for each room - don't judge until you see how phenomenally each room turned out (click the links to see)! Living Room : Dining Room : Kitchen: Library: Master Bedroom : Nursery : Guest Room: Upstairs Bathroom:

How to Make Awesome Felt Masks

I forgot to post anything about this. Way back in September, I created some felt masks for Mark and me to wear at the Big Zoo Party. I am very interested in making animal masks for all of the people in our bridal party as well. I think that would make some fun zoo photos. I started by deciding what animal masks I wanted to create and then looked up pictures and masks of said animals. This time I went with Red Fox and Red Panda. The next step was figuring out what supplies I needed. For these masks, I found a very nice mask form and used glue to layer the felt over it. I decided on the design I wanted to reproduce and printed it up to be the size I needed for our masks. Then I cut out the felt to match the shapes I needed. It was pretty simple. I then placed the design on the mask and moved felt pieces around until it looked the way I wanted it to. The hardest part was gluing it all onto the mask without making a huge mess or ruining the felt. I added some finishing touc

Happenstance

Search This Blog