So that Steffie, who is helping Sarah and I plan the wedding, can see our progress toward October 15! (I added to this album throughout the summer.)
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- That is David and Christine, not Matt and Sarah. On May 22, 1982. Sarah wants to be married in my wedding dress, and this is one of the few before photos I have of it. And no laughing at my farrah fawcett hair and 80s glasses!
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- Steph is going to update the style. But the dress fit Sarah like it was made for her. Yay! We won’t have to do any altering of the body of the dress!
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- I had forgotten That it had a train until we pulled it out of the box. So the plan is, to take out the sleeves, change the neckline and make the back lower. Take off a lot of the superfluous lace. Since the zipper will be taken out to change the back, the back will lace up like a corset, and there will be a bow at the back waist! Possibly in a contrasting color!
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- A simpler dress, without lace, and with the back bow.
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- Here is a bow with long tails, and a lower back.
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- And here is a back bow in a contrasting color.
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- Sarah’s favorite bow detail. Just kidding! Actually, there might be some of this bow detail around their house a few years from now, you never know …
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- Sarah and I were out shopping for a place to have the ceremony … this is the Loongboat Key Park pavilion. She wants to be married outside.
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- Love the old style Florida architecture!
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- A view of the park beyond …
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- The entrance on the other side.
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- View of the parking area in front of the pavilion.
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- Benches in the corners. Of course, we would have to rent chairs and make rows and a center aisle, if we determined the inside was big enough …
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- Sarah inside the pavilion. This shot is so everyone can see that the pavilion is really pretty big inside … bigger than our house! And a blank canvas!
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- i like that it is covered, but still open to the outside, since Sarah really wants to be married outside.
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- She was talking to Matt while he was on his break. he makes her smile, and laugh, every day … one of the things we love about him!
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- Sarah loves banyan trees. This one is at bayfront park opposite downtown Sarasota. http://www.discovernaturalsarasota.org/listing/bayfront-parkmarina-sarasota/
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- She saw a picture of another wedding in sarasota under this exact banyan tree. http://florist-sarasota.com/2011/03/04/island-park-wedding-with-reception-at-michaels-on-east-ballroom/
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- Sarah under the banyan.
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- Comparing the tree with the one she saw on the Internet.
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- Yes, this is the one.
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- That is Bayfront Park in the background.
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- Discussing how we might decorate the tree …
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- … if we could figure out a way to string white lights in the branches.
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- The view from under the banyan, looking toward the Ringling Causeway bridge.
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- The view from under the banyan, looking out into Sarasota Bay.
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- Looking back toward the mainland.
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- The canopy of this single tree is so large, that all the guest of the wedding will fit under its shade (Sarah loves this location, and if we can get it, the wedding will be here).
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- Onlooker at all our banyan tree doings
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- Stephanie’s bridesmaid’s dress. It is McCall’s pattern M5094, and Stephanie is making it in a beautiful deep plum cotton sateen. She might have a sash and a bow at the back of the waist, just as in Sarah’s dress. Stephanie has her pattern, her fabric, her notions, and is ready to begin sewing! She will bring the finished dress out with her when she comes in September to work on Sarah’s dress, so that we can see it!
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- The fabric swatches arrived from Steph. These are the colors for the wedding. The fabric is 100% cotton sateen, which has a beautiful shimmery satiny finish, but is as breathable, durable, and washable as cotton. Steffie’s bridesmaid dress will be made out of the purple fabric, and Matt’s hatband and pocket square will be made out of the green. We will try to find ties for him and his brother Michael (his best man) that match the green.
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- Matt’s supervisor at work, Denise, who is my age or older, loves Matt like her own son, and Sarah like her own daughter. She did not have children of her own. She is so happy for them both and is going to contribute decorating expertise to the wedding! So she found these beautiful silk roses at Michael’s and has been getting them to contribute to the wedding.
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- Denise started buying the roses at least a week before the fabric swatches arrived. Now is this God or what? Does everyone have any idea how many different shades of purple and green there are in the world? And yet the colors match exactly. God just floors me every day!
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- Beautiful silk rose.
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- The silk rose stem and fabric swatches.
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- Flowers for Sarah’s bouquet: white and pink cherry blossoms, baby’s breath, and whatever those beautiful while dangling flowers are, to go in with the purple roses.
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- The white cherry blossoms have pink centers. The pink cherry blossoms will be used very sparingly.
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- Wedding flowers.
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- Purple roses surrounded by white cherry blossoms — it will be a beautiful bouquet!
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- Can you believe I found the white cherry blossoms for 70% off? I bought every last one they had. Hopefully it is enough!
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- These will trail down the bouquet …
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- I wasn’t able to find many of these, so they will only be in Sarah’s bouquet.
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- White flowers with large green leaves, will bring the green element into the bouquet.
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- I was able to get some of the long stems of pink cherry blossoms also …
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- Central Christian Church in Bradenton. This is Matt’s mom Joann, and her fiance John’s, church.
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- Disciples of Christ is Grandpa Don’s denomination!
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- We were originally looking for a place to have the reception.
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- The cross draped in red reminds us what really matters in life.
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- Lovely old stone building.
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- Stained glass windows …
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- … which are beautiful.
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- John is Matt’s mom Joann’s fiance. John and Joann lead NA (Narcotics Anonymous) ministry at this church every single evening.
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- The fellowship hall is where the reception will be. The attached kitchen is very large and will make serving the wedding feast so much easier!
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- Nine large tables which hold 8 chairs each.
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- We would remove these two central tables to have room for dancing.
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- ANd decorate the tables ourselves …
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- Imagine, if you will, the former room transformed: red chairs replaced with white from a rental company; white tablecloths on the table with floral centerpieces … and that standard church fellowship hall florescent light ceiling softened somehow with white twinkle lights …
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- Cloth drapes for the ceiling, along with twinkle lights … I am really trying to hide that standard florescent light ceiling!
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- The sanctuary: Sarah and Matt have decided to be married inside the church also, and just have their pictures taken outside. Yay!
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- Turquoise chairs, so you don’t forget you are in Florida now!
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- Looking through the sanctuary doors into the fellowship hall across the way.
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- The sanctuary altar.
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- This is the Ringling Museum Rose Garden. Sarah and Matt will have their formal pictures taken outside, since they are getting married inside the church now.
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- The first place in the running for lovely outdoor backdrops are the beautiful grounds at the Ringling Museum.
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- Surrounded by roses: the cost to have a wedding and reception at the Ringling is astronomical …
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- … but to just walk onto the grounds with your own photographer to to take pictures? That cost is zero. Thank You Lord!
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- Roses are Sarah’s favorite flower.
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- Practicing with my macro lens …
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- But today is not about me!
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- Back to scouting picture perfect spots in the rose garden.
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- The rose garden path.
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- A banyan tree forest beyond the garden.
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- 62 acres of meticulously kept landscaping.
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- The wedding invitation is a white cardstock with an embossed rose border. The invitation text itself is printed on a translucent vellum paper.
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- The embossed card and the translucent vellum are attached together with a purple ribbon.
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- A green ribbon sash surrounds the invitation …
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- The purpose of the ribbon sash is to keep all the enclosures, such as the rsvp card and return envelope, together with the invitation. So if you are reading this, you are getting one of these in the mail next week!
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- Sarah’s flowers are purple roses and white cherry blossoms, so the choice of these paper flowers to decorate the ribbon sash (and hide the seam) seemed appropriate … it is amazing what you can find in a scrapbooking store these days.
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- We bought a wedding dress, instead of altering mine. When we started removing the lace from mine, we realized the 30 year old fabric underneath would show too much wear. then we were going to make one from scratch, but we found a wholesale supplier who was selling finished dresses for less than it would cost us to purchase the fabric to make one. Sooo …. here is the dress we ordered …
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- And the back, with a bow with long tails, just as Sarah originally wanted! She is happy!
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- Grace’s flower girl dress, with 4 layers of ivory tulle to make up the skirt! Grace is so excited, she wants to wear it right now! LOL.
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- And back, with a bow and tails to match Sarah’s!
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- Sarah’s bouquet. I got a lot of compliments on this bouquet, but the best by far is that Sarah loved it!
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- Finished Sarah’s bouquet. It doesn’t look like it took a day and a half, but I am not a professional florist! I got it right the fourth time, LOL.
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- Steffie’s bouquet …
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- And top view.
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- The girls’ bouquets, with long ribbon tails.
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- The guys’ boutonnieres.
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- The altar flowers.
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- Closeup.
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- For the buffet tables.
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- Closeup.
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- Centerpieces for the tables.
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- Closeup.
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- And for the guest book table.
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- Sarah’s pendant.
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- Closeup.
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