Wedding Rock!

One of the element's that I dreamed of incorporating in our wedding from the beginning of our planning was "rock". For those unfamiliar with this nostalgic British seaside treat, "rock" is a candy stick with words or pictures down the length of the stick. It comes in many flavors, but peppermint is the most classic. It's sold in beach resorts along the English coast and was the quintessential souvenir from your summer holiday. It was a favorite treat when I visited family in England or brought back by visiting friends. As my family is English, I incorporated English traditions throughout our wedding.

We started with a few companies in England but the cost of shipping was prohibitive. We were excited to find an artisan in Florida practicing the craft of rock making. Raley's Confectionary produced our rock and even sent great photos of the process. As you can see above, the large pieces of sugar in each color are pulled into long rods which are shaped into letters. The letters are then wrapped in more sugars before the log is pulled into long thin sticks. 

We placed the rock into tent cards which served as place cards for each of our guests. Our names throughout the rock were a sweet little surprise for our guests!

The Pros that made a wedding perfect!

Although I knew that I wanted to create many aspects of my wedding and include projects that my family could put their own touch on, I also knew I wanted professionals to make the day picture perfect. We met with vendors at wedding expos, pursued recommendations and interviewed potential partners. The end result was absolutely perfect and we couldn't be happier with the professionals who helped make the day a success!

Photography: Wilton Brothers Photography

 

We are so excited with our photograph from Matthew of Wilton Brothers Photography. I haven't been able to stop looking at them. Matthew was fantastic to work with and made us all so relaxed. His photos capture the small details and the overall spirit of our day. The weather was uncooperative and rainy - but Matthew was not deterred and without the umbrellas you might not even realize the weather was less than perfect.

Florist: Harrington Flowers, Londonderry, NH

 

  

Brad at Harrington Flowers created our bouquets, wreaths for the chapels, arrangement for the podium and centerpieces for the reception tables. The designs and flowers were absolutely beautiful! Brad took our ideas and inspiration, added his expertise and creativity and the results were even more beautiful than I could have imagined!

Cake: Popovers on the Square

Our Wedding Cake was beautiful and absolutely delicious thanks to the creative and talented Pastry Chefs at Popover's on the Square. The simple, elegant buttercream decoration, done by Pastry Chef Katie, were perfectly accented by our wedding color flowers. The tiers were three layers of chocolate, vanilla and marble cake sandwiched with raspberry filling and chocolate hazelnut fudge. So delicious!

DJ: Mr. Jonathan

 

Mr. Jonathan was our DJ and he kept the dance floor hopping the whole night! He played the perfect mix of music that allowed guests to show off their ballroom dancing skills, swing and just get down. Mr. Jonathan was quick to respond to the vibe of the crowd and asked throughout the night if they was anything we needed. He was a real professional and the perfect ingredient to an evening of fun for all.

Dance Lessons: Paper Moon Studio, Merrimack, NH

 

Neither David or I are naturals when it comes to dancing, but we wanted our first dance to be a relaxing and memorable experience. We stated private lessons with Maria at Paper Moon Studio several months before the big day. We learned a routine of the Foxy to the song, You are the best thing. Maria was a great teacher - very patient and motivating! We practiced, fine tuned and practiced until it felt very natural. The final performance was so close to perfect and we were having so much fun we didn't have to worry about remembering to smile!

I'll share more about the venue and hair & make up and fashion in another post.

Let's go for a ride!

We got married and what a grand celebration it was! We enjoyed a fabulous weekend with friends and family. It was the perfect culmination of nine months of planning and preparation and the perfect way to start our life together as husband and wife. I didn't blog with many details while planning to maintain the surprise factor for our guests, but look forward to sharing some of the behind the scenes details and decision making now that the event is complete.

When initially dreaming about our wedding, I knew I wanted it to be a representation of David and I and our love for each other. To me, this meant the wedding should incorporate details that shared the things we both love and be a symbol of the joining of our two families, histories and traditions. One of the most noticeable signs of this goal was the inclusion of bicycles throughout the weekend. My husband loves cycling and has been riding and racing since middle school.

We decided early on we wanted a tandem bicycle for guests to take photos with. We searched for a tandem at antique stores and on Craig's List. We were lucky to find one at a great price and in pretty good shape. We took it apart, sanded and sprayed it yellow. With new decals, polished seats and a shiny new chain it was ready for the big day. My dad built a three pieced background which I painted as a chalkboard with quotes. My mom wove a basket for the front which we will filled with flowers.

It was the perfect addition to our wedding and so much fun to see our guests enjoying posing for photos on the tandem.

I'm looking forward to sharing more details from our wedding in the next few weeks!

36 days and counting ..

We are in the home stretch of planning a wedding and we are so excited! It's been eight month since the engagement and the preparations began. Our to do list is definitely getting shorter. Throughout the planning process, I've been torn between sharing posts of the progress or maintain the surprise and delight for guests at the big event. I've gone with an middle road approach - sharing snippets on instagram, but letting most details be a surprise. I'm looking forward to blogging about some of the highlights of the planning process and sharing behind the scenes details after the celebration.

Check out the sneak peaks on instagram at #carriedavid or http://instagram.com/moggiegreen.  

Hello, my name is ...

I had the pleasure of helping plan a baby shower for a great friend this past weekend. One of my contributions for the event was name tags for the guests. I love cute name tags for parties especially showers where many of the guests will not know each other. Not only do they help break the ice, but also make a great memento of the occasion. I have 6-7 hanging on my Christmas tree and love to remember the special event they were a part of.

Name tags also work great as place cards or escort cards depending on the occasion.

This weekend's shower had an ice cream theme so we had to have mini ice cream cones! Felt, pom poms and puffy paint chocolate sauce topped off with sprinkles and cherries. A simple card stock banner held each person's name.

These name tags are definitely not a boring sticker! These paper and ribbon flowers had leaves with the guest's name and relationship to the guest of honor.

 Name tags with a Mexican theme perfect for a Fiesta themed Bridal Shower.

Felt cows with paper straws were ready to celebrate at a milk and cookies Baby Shower.

Regardless of the theme, a cute name tag is something everyone will want to wear!

 

Love makes the World go round!

We had the pleasure of celebrating the 40th Wedding Anniversary of George and Wendy, my parents, this weekend! The celebration was at a local dance studio and highlighted Wendy and George's love of ballroom dancing. The party decorations focused on travel in honor of their friends and family around the world and the many places their 40 years of marriage have taken then.

 Friends and family who joined us in honoring the happy couple.

The main food table featured savory and sweet treats representing the many places George and Wendy have lived or traveled together. Cheeses for Switzerland, Bakewell Tarts for England, Eclairs for France, Pretzal bites for New York, Waffle Cookies for Missouri (St. Louis is where the waffle cone was invented), Key Lime Pies for Florida and Maple Cookies for New Hampshire. The table was decorated with a vintage suitcase, travel books, globes and a map with pins showcasing their travels. A garland across the front featured vintage postcards and well wishes.

The cake was the centerpiece of the table! A beautiful recreation of Wendy and George's wedding cake. You can see the original in the photo hanging on the map. As is tradition in England, the original was a fruit cake and for their 40th, we enjoyed a traditional American cake with chocolate and vanilla cake and buttercream. Delicious!

On the dance floor, we had a table with messages and photos for guests to enjoy. As many of George and Wendy's family and friends live around the globe, we invited them to participate "virtually" in our celebration. Cards, emails and video messages were shared with the couple and guests.

Invitation to the "virtual" celebration

 Toasting the happy couple!

Hand decorated sugar cookies as souvenirs of the party!

 The guests of honor, George and Wendy, their daughters Katie with boyfriend, Adam and Carrie with fiance, David

Slide show of dancing and guests