Updates, happenings and feelings

Hola, everyone! We've been back from Mexico fora little over a week, just in time for the awesome blizzard we had in Chicago here a few days ago. How fun!

I just wanted to update you all on some thing we've been doing here at The Owl and at SH Weddings. In January, we started a YouTube channel as a more interactive way to reach out to our readers and audience. We've had a BLAST creating these videos for you, and we hope that you find them useful. Rather than inspiration, the channel is more devoted to wedding planning and coordination topics, so we want to hear what you have to say. Do you have anything you want us to talk about? Leave us a comment and let us know! We'll be happy to make a video and address it. Seriously.

Secondly, I'm sure you've noticed we haven't been updating The Owl as regularly as we had planned. And since I was bitten by the feelings bug this morning, I'm going to be honest with you all. It's a LOT more work than I anticipated. I still adore this blog and will keep updating and discovering new photographers to share with you, but I've come to the conclusion that I will probably not be able to add new posts every day. My new goal is three posts per week of real weddings and fashion inspiration. Y'all, it's REALLY tough putting a single blog entry together that's loaded with beautiful photos! It really is quite the process, and I didn't realize that when I started. I'm ashamed to be admitting this, honestly. Please keep in mind that many of the popular wedding blogs out there - namely, Style Me Pretty - is the editor's only job. Because my main priority will always be my clients at SH Weddings, I really need to devote the majority of my time to that.

And as I've recently found, creating YouTube videos is actually a less time-consuming process (I swear!), and I feel it's also something that many other wedding professionals aren't utilizing, so right now, I'm really enjoying that a lot.

In the meantime, over the next year (grand scale, people!), The Elegant Owl might be changing names to correlate more with SH Weddings. I'm not yet sure what that means, but let me explain. When I started this blog, I didn't know if I would be starting a business right away. My main goal was to dabble into wedding blogging first, and take it from there. But shortly after I built this page, SH Weddings was born, and I never really had time to redesign them both to go together, which is what I would ultimately prefer. This blog will always remain edited and run by us, but the name may change in the future. To what extent, we shall see! That's pretty far into the future, though.

So there you have it! This was a bit longer of a ramble than I was anticipating, but I would rather keep you all in the loop than in the dark. I hope you don't hate me and you continue to be inspired by what we post. We do really try to find inspiration that's easily accessible to the average bride, but that is also very, truly unique. We don't aim to ever be a Style Me Pretty - we just aim to stay true to ourselves :)

We love you all, and we are always thanking you for your continued support. We truly are.

Hugs,

Us Little Owls

On Vacation!

Hello, everyone! We'll be taking a vacation from January 22-28. Around this time tomorrow, we'll be in sunny Cozumel, Mexico :) We'll see you when we get back! Gracias!

For Sale: Watters Wedding Gown, Style 7086B

Hello friends. I'm using my blog for personal use today. Back when we got married, I was actually a two-dress bride. I purchased this beautiful gown by Watters & Watters at a wedding gown boutique for pre-owned gowns. It was such a great price and fit me perfectly without alterations, and I just thought it was meant to be, so I bought it. Months later, I completely regretted it. I wanted a short dress. It was just my personality, and I purchased my actual wedding dress few months before our wedding.

Well, folks, I still have this one for sale. I've had so many interested buyers, but unfortunately, the dress was hemmed for a 5'6 tall bride who wore ballet flats on her wedding day, so most brides trying on this dress can't wear heels with it (which I totally understand!).

I figured I'd post some photos to see if anyone out there is interested. I'm selling it for $250, plus shipping costs if you're not local. The dress retails for around $1,400 in Chicago and I purchased it for $900 (including taxes). It's a size 8, and it's in almost perfect condition, with two exceptions:

1. There is a tear on the inside lining, but you can't see it, and it can easily be fixed.
2. Some of the ruching details on the bodice are coming lose, but again, with a few stitches, it's an easy fix.

Otherwise, the dress has been professionally cleaned, and I've been taking really good care of it since :)







E-mail me at theelegantowl@gmail.com if you're interested in hearing more! :)

Thank you for letting me use this post for my own benefit.

Happy Holidays From The Owls!

Hello little owls!

Posting has been slow this month, and that's because I've been really focusing on developing some things at SH Weddings, as well as enjoying the holiday season with Mr. Owl. We LOVE Christmas. Every year, we try to watch all our favorite holiday movies, drink lots of cocoa, bake lots of cookies, send out holiday cards, do lots of DIY decor projects and spend time with friends and family. That takes a lot out of you!

Starting December 16 (this Thursday!) I'll be taking an extended vacation with my mom and sister in New York. I'm so excited! I'll be bringing all my work with me, so you may see a few posts every now and then on my other blog, The Nesting Owl, since most of my time will be dedicated to family, baking, decor, snow activities, etc., and not as much wedding goodness.

Recently, I posted some photos of our Christmas gifts this year to hopefully inspire you to get creative with your wrapping this year (and, well, every year, really). Here's a sneak peek:




We're wishing you all a very happy, healthy holiday season, filled with love, laughter and of course, creativity!

The Owl Celebrate One Year, Again

Back in September, Mr. Owl and I celebrated our one-year anniversary. We loved that day because we did absolutely nothing. Maybe we ordered a pizza.

But, that wasn't the only thing we did.

The following weekend, we took a trip back to the small Upstate New York town where we got married and kinda sorta recreated our wedding weekend. We adore this town, and when we got married, we were too busy with preparations and celebrations to really enjoy it. It went by in the blink of an eye.

Also, I had some wedding day regrets. Gasp!

Part of this post will be to reassure brides that this may happen. Your wedding day will not be perfect. You'll second-guess a decor decision or the wrong song may play during your cake cutting. None of this matters though, on the wedding day because you're blissfully happy.

It may set in after-the-fact, though. And it did with me. Our wedding day was truly amazing. I still get giddy when I think about the feeling I had when I walked down the aisle and saw all our friends and family there to support us. It was something I'll never forget and will always cherish. We danced later that night to all our favorite songs, belted at the top of our lungs and even scurried away for a few minutes to sit back and take in the whole picture. But, there are also some things that have bothered me since.

First, I regret how I felt the morning of our wedding. I was a nervous wreck. It hit me the night before that all eyes would be on me, and because I have somewhat of an anxiety problem, it made me physically ill. I regret not talking to a doctor about it beforehand because during the morning of our wedding while I was getting ready with my most favorite women on this earth, I felt sick. I couldn't eat the room service breakfast Mr. Owl and I ordered to enjoy on our lovely screened-in porch. And once he left, the anxiety got worse. I just felt, well ... on edge and stomach-achy. This is my biggest regret. The feeling, luckily, went away right after we said I Do, and I scarfed down my salmon entree like it was my job.

Secondly, our flowers were so, so very wrong. In the beginning, flowers were not a priority for us. Photography and enjoying our wedding day were our two biggest priorities. Our floral budget was dismal at best. My Aunt DIYed our branch centerpieces, and we ordered bouquets and bouts from a local florist, thankful that they even took on such a small project. However, when the flowers arrived to my room that day, for a second I thought they delivered them to the wrong bride. They looked nothing like what I had requested. I didn't care that day, though. As long as we had something, "whatev!" was my general opinion on the situation.

Until we got the photos. I was really disappointed. I mean, my bouquet was the wrong color. Not that this matters at all in the grand scheme of our marriage, and believe me, I felt silly for feeling this way, but I wanted a do over with my bouquet.

Which, my little ones, brings me to the point of this post. During our wedding weekend/anniversary getaway, we recreated our wedding morning a little bit. I picked up a gorgeous bouquet that I ordered through an amazing floral designer, Heavenscent Floral Art, and Mr. Owl and I got ready together, enjoying every moment of it. I went back to the same salon and got my make-up done in the way that I was too scared to for the wedding (I felt like I couldn't pull off the vintage look), I put my dress back on and we had a photo session with the lovely and amazing Heather of Heather Bohm-Tallman Photography. And we went back to some of our favorite places to take some more photos.

And you know what? We loved it. We were both relaxed, not too overcome with emotion and really just had fun. We got some of the photos we didn't have time for on our wedding day, and were able to go all out with a more styled theme shoot. And later that night, we even reread our vows to each other.

Part of me still feels silly because we had our wedding day. It was done, and really, we can't recreate it because none of our friends and family would be there. But, this was something we did for us. So I must revert back to my "whatevs!" state of mind. Because honestly, I'm really happy we did this. Just call us Heidi and Seal.

And now, some highlights from our session.









Ah! I loved my bouquet so much!











For more photo sneak peeks, go to Heather's blog.

2010 Blissful Wishes Ball in Chicago

Last Monday, I had the privilege of attending the Blissful Wishes Ball here in Chicago, a benefit for Wish Upon A Wedding - a non-profit organization that funds and arranges weddings for couples affected by terminal illness.

I attended with the always fabulous and fun Brittany of Hanle Productions, and it was an absolutely amazing experience. Two couples who were granted weddings from Wish Upon A Wedding were present that night, and it was so incredibly heart-warming to see, in person, their love for each other, which helps them to conquer each and every day. One of the couples was recently featured in Parade Magazine, and I'll give you 10 bucks if you don't shed even a small tear after reading it.

I couldn't have been more impressed with the evening as a whole. Hosted at the Millenium Knickerbocker hotel, the decor was beautiful, the food was uh-mazing and the entertainment was awesome. Produced by Ali Phillips, owner of Engaging Events by Ali, and President of the Chicago chapter of Wish Upon A Wedding, I have to say, the evening went off without a hitch. Everyone was in great spirits and the dance floor was crowded the whole night. I mean, with a bunch of wedding industry professionals, you have to expect it to be great, yeah? I took a few photos, but I'm no professional, so you'll have to bare with me.



As you entered the reception area, you walked along the balcony, and the first thing you saw as you entered was this. Gorgeous!



Waiting for us at our tables were chocolates and a mini bottle of champagne to take home. How sweet!


The rest of the photos are from ShutterBooth, which was an absolute blast.


Brittany and I striking a pose.



Brittany, myself and Stevi, photographer an co-owner (along with her husband) of AveryHouse Creative.



Thank you to the Wish Upon A Wedding foundation for everything you do, and to Brittany for being my date :)

Excuse For Being a Blog Slacker

Last Friday was my last day at my day job. Not many of you know, but yes, I worked the daily grind up until then, while also planning weddings and blogging. So my little Owls, that is my reason for being a blog slacker. With wedding season being far busier than I could have expected (in the very best possible way), and juggling a full-time job, my brain was stretched thin, and time slipped away from my fingers without even realizing it at times.

I feel so invigorated, slightly terrified, relaxed and confident right now. I took a risk and left my job right at the end of wedding season. Why, you ask? Good question. I needed time to collect my thoughts. I take SH Weddings and blogging very seriously (duh!), and for the past year, I’ve put everything I have into my clients and readers, and I’m just so proud of that work. I really am. Toward the beginning of fall, I felt myself on an energy decline, and realized that now was the time. If I wanted to hold such high standards for myself and how I treat my clients, I had to take the leap and allow myself to focus entirely on my clients and my goals:

1. I need to really think of ways to give my customers full confidence in my skills. I strive for five-star reviews not because I like seeing that number on WeddingWire go up, but because it means I know I did my job well, and I took stress away from a bride, groom and their families on a momentous occasion. I want my clients to never feel like a number, but more like a friend. I need to find more ways to show them that I truly care. Because I do. I really, really do.

2. From a business standpoint, I need to focus on my client base, and define an SH Weddings bride. Is she modern? Worldy? Trendy? Traditional? Everything mixed into one really cool person? I think she's the latter, but I’m not sure. I need to figure that out so I can better serve all my couples and give them personalized attention catered to their specific needs.

3. I need to expand my skill set. I wouldn’t be a smart businesswoman if I wasn’t constantly trying to learn new trends and skills. I devour wedding-related literature during my free time, but that’s not enough. I want to participate in conferences with industry leaders and attend more classes in different arts such as floral design and letterpress to branch out beyond where I currently am.

4. I want to learn more about my network of vendors. I work with amazing people, and I want to know how I can further assist them, and also, how they can further assist my clients.

However, I can’t reach any of these goals without being completely, 150 percent dedicated and having the down time to focus. Therefore, I decided to use the winter months, the notorious slow season in the wedding industry, to make myself a better wedding planner.

During the last part of December, I plan to have an extended stay at my mom’s house, where I grew up. I’ve never done this! Time with my family to reconnect is an instant battery recharger. And to get myself mentally prepared for this leap I’m taking, I’ve decided this is the best way to go about it. Since moving to Chicago almost four years ago, I haven’t seen my family for more than three days straight - and not more than twice a year - and that's always left a small void in my heart. For the rest of this month, I will be filling that void, making me feel complete again, and fully invigorated. And what better time do to this than during the holiday season? Mr. Owl will be joining me for most of my stay, but he'll be flying into New York just a few days after me.

In January, Mr. Owl and I have planned our very first tropical vacation. We honeymooned in Vermont after our wedding because we needed a place to take in fresh air and bond with nature, but we've been craving beaches, warm sunlight, piña coladas and sunsets since last winter. We decided to reward ourselves for a year very well done with a trip to Cozumel, Mexico! We’re on pins and needles, ready to go, and this will be the end-all, be-all of battery recharging.

After our Mexican vacation, I will be ready to go. I’ll be ready to expand SH Weddings into the company I know it can, and will, be. I’ll be ready to dazzle my clients even more and I will become a much more well-rounded member of the wedding industry because of it. And I'm just so excited about everything - including getting this blog of mine back up and running.

Thank you all for being patient, understanding and truly amazing.

Happiest One Year

(editor's note: this entry was written yesterday, Sunday, September 26, 2010)

Today Mr. Owl and I have been married for one year. We didn't do much because usually the day after coordinating a wedding, we're pretty tired, and like to take it easy. That will often involve food delivery and TV marathons, and today wasn't much different. We were adventurous enough to make a trip out to the 'burbs for some needed shopping, and then came home, took a nap and had a marathon of "Pushing Daisies" (recommend by the awesome Brittany of Hanle Productions). And to be honest, these days are my absolute favorite*. I like to just be with that husband of mine. The seemingly everyday boring days are the ones that fill my heart with happiness and contentment. This was why I decided to marry Mr. Owl - because I can just be and do nothing with him by my side, and feel completely relaxed, happy and smitten with my life.

Happy first year anniversary, hubs. One year ago today you had a dance-off with my mom, and I belted out to "Sweet Caroline." I love you.


Photo by Catherine Leonard Photography


*That isn't to say we don't have anything special planned. You'll have to stay tuned to find out what.

10 Things I'm Loving This Week

Cake stand from Anthropologie. Do I need a $98 cake stand? No. But that doesn't stop me from swooning all over this one.



First Falling Blouse from Anthropologie. View the close-ups on the website, and you'll see the beautiful autumnal colors in the leaves. Fall is coming! It's my favorite season.



Dynamic Duo Make-Up Bag from Anthropologie. So cute! I love the color and illustration. It's just so different from the typical black or clear bags you see out there.



Bridesmaids dress alert! The Limited's Rosette Hem dress comes in a few different colors, and it's sweet, simple and charming. Great for a garden wedding!



St. Ive's Green Tea Face Washes. These are great for people with oily skin that tends to develop redness in certain areas. The green tea formula soaks up some excess oils, and it also helps with redness! Oh, and it smells amazing. I switched from a pricey Philosophy brand face wash to this one, so you know it's gotta be good.



Physicians Formula Mineral Glow Pearls. This is great for highlighting certain parts of your face like cheek bones or your temples. Love it!



Laughing Cow Light Cheese Spread. This Owl has been on a diet for the past few weeks after finding out her wedding dress no longer fit! I love cheese, though, and these 35-calorie wedges are great to pack for lunches, and paired with just a few crackers, a snack between 90-120 calories that's totally satisfying!*



Skinny Cow Ice Cream Cones. So that diet of mine doesn't allow for ice cream, either. Cousin Owl told me about these a while ago, and I just started to get them. Oh. My. God. They're delicious. Totally satisfying and chocolatey.*



I've always been a cardio girl. But recently, I've started No More Trouble Zones by Jillian Michaels. And I LOVE it. I feel so strong when I'm done. I still do cardio workouts, but with strength training thrown in 1-2 times per week, I feel amazing.


Lastly, there's no photo that illustrates this: September breezes. There's nothing like 'em. It's still warm, but you can smell fall on its way. Sometimes when Mr. Owl and I are walking our dog outside before bed, and I feel a breeze, I close my eyes and take it in. It's one of my favorite things of all time.


*This Owl now fits back into that wedding dress, thanks to Jillian Michaels, Laughing Cow and Skinny Cow. What's with all the cows? No you, Jillian. Obviously.

Update

Hello, everyone!

I feel like I owe an explanation for the lack of posts recently. I'm a bad, bad blogger! I sincerely apologize.

SH Weddings has gotten very busy, being wedding season and all. As most of you know, this is my first year in the business, and it picked up much faster than expected. It's truly amazing news, and I'm so incredibly lucky because I adore what I do. However, I haven't had as much time to update The Owl, and I hope to change that around in the coming months.

Posting moving forward will probably be sporadic until wedding season dies down a bit, but I'm still dedicated to researching amazing photographers for real wedding features, and posting wonderful wedding finds.

Please do keep checking back. I'm so grateful that I have little Owl readers, and I don't want to let you down!

Hugs and kisses!

Mrs. Owl

Out of town

Hello, everyone! Mr. Owl and I are headed out of town for the weekend to Upstate New York. This is an exciting trip because we're going home for a family wedding ... the first since we tied the knot almost a year ago! We'll be taking time to see family, and help the lovely bride and groom, so posting will be very light. However, I'll try to update with photos when possible.

Have fantastical weekends, friends!

Belated Birthday

It was my birthday yesterday!


Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Anne Designs

Birthdays are a big deal in my family. Every year as a kid, my mom would throw huge parties with clowns, magicians and invite all the neighborhood kids I was friends with, and all her own friends, too. I would get to decorate the garage with streamers, balloons and cut-outs and put on my most frilly dress to twirl in all day. My mom always did my hair and feathered my bangs (child of the 80s here!). Like I said, birthdays are a big deal in my family.

In fact, organizing my mom's surprise 50th birthday party four years ago is what made me want to plan weddings and parties for a living. Celebrating someone's life is just a momentous occasion, and I love it more than New Year's.

For my birthday this year, Mr. Owl woke me up for breakfast in bed, and cuddles from the doggie (which is the best thing ever!). I got some beautiful presents and later, I was taken out to Chicago's most romantic restaurant (according to numerous blogs and sites) for fondue! And because no birthday is complete without a Carvel ice cream cake, I got one of those, too.

It was a glorious day. I truly think everyone should take off work, splurge and do lots of self-reflection on your birthday. Celebrating another year of life is nothing to take for granted. Put yourself first, count your blessings and be happy for the support of your loved ones.

Happy birthday to me!

A Trip Down Memory Lane

Literally!

Mr. Owl, myself and the new doggie are taking our yearly July 4 weekend trip to Harbor Country, Michigan. It was two years ago July 3 that Mr. Owl popped the question on this same trip. After one year of city life in Chicago, we both decided we needed a break from the hussle and bustle, and randomly chose Harbor Country after we heard the phrase, "The Hamptons of the mid-West" used on several online message boards. We rented a basic, cheap cabin that was pet-friendly, packed up the car with beach towels, coolers and lawn chairs, and we were off.

I can honestly say that it's one of my favorite places to be. It's not fancy, and I like that. It's rustic, but has a fully-equipped bathroom (phew!). Our cabin overlooks the most charming lily pond with the sound of bullfrogs all day and night. We have our own picnic table and Weber Grill for cookouts. The beach is a quarter mile from our cabin. There's a charming little gourmet food boutique called The Whistle Stop just down the road, a Swedish Bakery a short drive away with giant pastries for almost nothing, and wine country is a 20-minute drive with some amazing views along the way.



Lily pond view from our cabin.


Beautiful beach along Lake Michigan.


View of the harbor from one of our favorite restaurants in the area.


And during our first visit there, in the middle of all that wonderfulness, Mr. Owl asked me to be his wife. It was perfect. And I love going back there every year to make smores, play cards on our screened-in porch, let the doggie run around in the grass and spend lazy days at the beach with a stack of wedding and design magazines.

I'll be off on Monday, but Happy July 4, everyone! I'll be back on Tuesday with the usual wedding amazingness.

Meet Betty the Dog

Yes, I know. Bad blogger once again! But, there is good news. Mr. Owl and I recently adopted a new dog!

As some of you may know, our beloved dog, Lola, passed away unexpectedly in May. We were so devastated that we decided that we weren't going to get another dog for a long time because it just hurt way too much to say goodbye. A few weeks went by, and while it still hurt like a knife to the stomach, it slowly got easier. Although, all places in our apartment that were now empty (like where her crate and bed used to be) were constant reminders, and that, at times, made the healing process worse. We also realized just how much we missed wagging tails and cheek kisses, so we started looking at shelters and rescues, and put our applications in to officially begin the search for our new furry friend.

This week, we found Betty, a Maltese who was a stray on the street, picked up by animal control, and brought to PAWS Chicago* to find her forever home. And I'm so happy to say that we're it. We've only had Betty a few days, and we already have a bond with her that comes with lots of genuine love and affection.





But acclimating a dog with an unknown past (especially a past we know involves isolation and possible abandonment) takes time and effort, so that's where our focus has been this week.

But fear not, I'll be back with a real Chicago wedding late this morning, and you do not want to miss it! I have lots of other goodies stored away for next week, too.

*I can't recommend PAWS Chicago enough to anyone local who's interested in adopting!

Movie Wedding Inspiration

Hello, hello everyone! It rained most of the weekend here in Chicago, so Mr. O and I took a couple of breaks from our usually busy weekend of weddings, website and blog work to have a couple of date nights with movies. On Friday, we finally got around to watching one of our Netflix DVDs that's been sitting on our bookcase for over two months. On Saturday, we went to go see The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, as we've both been reading the books. If you're a fan of the books, you'll love the movie! It's very true to the book with superb acting.

So anyhoo, the consequences of taking a couple of breaks this weekend means I don't have a wedding feature for you. But, instead, I collected photos from my favorite wedding scenes in movies. Enjoy!



The Graduate. This is one of my favorite movies period. Plastics.




The Father of the Bride. Who doesn't laugh hysterically at the hot dog bun meltdown (we've all been there! Well, maybe not jail ...), and cry a tear of happiness when George Banks makes special bridal sneaks for his daughter?




Steel Magnolias. All-around tear-jerker.




Penelope. Am I the only one in the world who's seen this movie? Penelope's wedding gown was simply beautiful and whimsical, as was the entire movie.




. So I Married An Axe MurdererYep, I'm guilty of seeing this movie about 1,000 times. It never gets old.




Sabrina. Audrey Hepburn style doesn't need any explanation.




The Princess Bride. The movie that gave the word "Mowage" no need for an explanation, either.




Sex and the City. If Mr. O and I decided against a semi-largeish wedding, we would have gone garden-style circa Miranda and Steve. "No, I said no white. I have a child. The jig is up."




My Big Fat Greek Wedding. The tulle bridesmaids dresses, the poofy sleeves and Windex makes this one a comedic and touching classic.




Love Actually. My all-time favorite wedding scene, hands down. "All You Need Is Love" was Mr. O's and mine recessional song, too :)




Philadelphia Story. I kind of have a crush of Jimmy Stewart.

Hometown love

Hello, everyone!

I'm Upstate New York-bound this afternoon, so posting will be on a short hiatus until next week. I haven’t been to visit my hometown in a very, very long time, and I’ve been craving a visit with my mom and sister. Here’s a collage of the things I look forward to when I visit, and things that will always remind me of home:



First row: dandelions; creamsicle; tire swing (source unknown). Second row: reading in the grass (source unknown); NY style pizza; swan pond.



This is also the first time I’ll be apart from Mr. Owl in over three years! But flying can get pricey, so it’s a solo trip for me this time around. It’s kind of a weird feeling, but everyone always says absence makes the heart grow fonder, and I’ll also have his hugs to look forward to when I arrive back in Chicago. I suspect he’ll be eating Mexican take-out, playing the Wii and watching "Die Hard" while I’m gone.

Until then, it’s a lovely weekend of summertime hometown love for me. See you all next week.

Sad news

This weekend, we had to say goodbye to our dog Lola, who passed away unexpectedly and suddenly. I'm sure you all can understand that posting will be light this week as we work through this loss together and remember how much joy Lola brought to our family the past three years.

Guest Blogger: Mr. Owl's Perspective on Our Wedding, Part II

And we're back on this lovely Friday with Mr. Owl's guest blog, a dude's perspective on the wedding day: the conclusion. I might have even thrown in some photos this time around. Have lovely weekends, everyone, and enjoy!

The Ceremony
Mrs. Owl and I had discussed early on how we wanted our ceremony to be and we both agreed on one main point: it needed to be relatively short. Once we had agreed that our ceremony should be about 20 minutes, everything else feel into place.

As we lined up to walk down the aisle, I stood there next to my parents and I still wasn't nervous. More excited that this day had finally arrived. Once at the altar, I began to wonder how I would react when I saw Mrs. Owl at the end of the aisle. All I can say is that I was ecstatic. Here was my best friend coming towards me ready to pledge the rest of her life to me, how could I not be thrilled?

Saying our vows, though, was the highlight for me. Both Mrs. Owl and I wrote our own vows and we decided that anything was up for grabs, and that they would be a surprise for each other until the wedding day. As you know, Mrs. Owl truly does love owls, and they were part of my vows to her. Like owls are to my wife, 'You will always be one of the things in this world that will always fill me with happiness and excitement,' I recited. 'You get excited over the littlest things in life, like an 8-inch tall owl, and I will always love you for that because it makes me feel young.' Trying to read my vows without choking up was hard enough as it was, but then Mrs. Owl started crying about 20 seconds in and it was pretty much game over. But, I managed to muster through somehow.

One thing we struggled with while creating our ceremony was that we didn’t have a lot of traditions. We both recited the “in sickness and in health” vows as we exchanged rings, but the sand ceremony and unity candle just weren’t our style. Mrs. Owl has always loved the traditions of Jewish ceremonies, but since neither of us is Jewish, we questioned whether it was appropriate to incorporate any Jewish aspects in our ceremony. During our rehearsal, a day before our wedding day, I casually mentioned to our wedding coordinator that we wished we could break the glass and shout “Mazel Tov!” to which our coordinator responded, “Why don’t you?” Before I knew it, our coordinator was explaining the tradition behind breaking the glass, and how we could adapt it to our non-religious ceremony. I was so nervous that I wouldn’t be able to break the glass and there would be that moment of awkward silence as everyone starred at me. My first stomp was slightly off and the glass didn't break. I think my exact thoughts were, “Oh crap.” I made up for it though with the second stomp and Mrs. Owl and I screamed "Mazel Tov!" We may have been the only ones to say it, though. In hindsight, we probably should have explained to our guests what the heck we were doing. We still loved that moment nonetheless, and kept the broken glass and we’ll eventually get around to displaying in our home.


First kiss as husband and wife. Photo by Catherine Leonard Photography.



The First Dance
The first dance was my idea. Mrs. Owl had no interest, but I thought it was a really important part of the reception. We had eliminated a lot of other wedding-y events like the garter and bouquet toss, but I really wanted the first dance to stay. Mrs. Owl's only condition was that it be less than three minutes because anything longer than that and I think she may have left me on the dance floor (she does not enjoy being the center of attention). After months of deliberation, we settled on “That’s How Strong My Love Is” by Otis Redding and practiced a routine so that we didn't look totally lame during the actually dance. I thought it went off quite well. People were applauding and as much of a dancer I am not (I have severe white boy dance syndrome), I really enjoyed myself. That part I was glad we didn't cut. I’m pretty sure Mrs. Owl could have done without it, though.



The Cigar Bar
This may be the one idea that was completely mine. I never smoke, but there is something about cigars (and a good glass of scotch) that scream special occasion to me. I had seen other weddings where they had done cigar bars and everyone seemed so happy. Cigar bars also make for great photos which they definitely did for our wedding. Seeing as I had never bought a cigarette, let alone a cigar, I employed the help of my uncle-in-law who is quite the cigar aficionado (he has his own humidor and everything). After he pointed me to an online store he used, he basically gave me a few guidelines for what kind to purchase and left it up to me. The cigars were quite nice and by having a set time to smoke them, we established a nice window to break up dancing when everyone could just go out to the patio and have a nice drink, cigar and have some time to chat. I highly recommend a cigar bar, even if you don't smoke because it will provide another wonderful memory of your wedding. Make sure you grab one of the cigars as a souvenir before the wedding. Our cigar bar lasted all of 15 minutes before they all had been poached. Some people will also take the cigars as a memento so make sure anyone who wants one to smoke gets a chance to grab one early on.


The Reception
I thought our reception was well planned out. It was not too long, yet it still had plenty of time for people to mingle, eat, and be happy. We started with a cocktail hour which most every wedding has now. Mrs. Owl and I purposely took the majority of our photos before the ceremony because we knew we wanted to be at our cocktail hour. It was nice to see so many people before dinner and it gave us the opportunity to mingle quite a bit before the reception. Our reception was beautiful. One of the purchases I struggled with that Mrs. Owl insisted we get were special chairs because the ones provided at our venue were, in her words, “barftastic.” The cost to rent about 80 fancy chairs was overwhelming, but I caved because I trust Mrs. Owl’s judgment. When I entered our reception room, the first thing I said to her was, “Oh my God! The chairs totally make the room!” Yes, I admit, I was wrong, she was right.


Our reception tables. Photo by Catherine Leonard Photography.

The food was delicious, although Mrs. Owl did not really eat much of it (she gets nervous/excited tummy syndrome). Since Mrs. Owl and I are quite controlling, we went without a DJ and instead used an iTunes playlist, which our DOC manned the entire night. Great decision on our part in my opinion. We saved about $600 and got to pick all of the music for our reception. It was exactly how we wanted it. We ended up playing our favorite songs twice, and because I missed my favorite song of all time (“Don’t Stop Believin’ ”) while I was out smoking my awesome cigar, Mrs. Owl just went back over to her MacBook when I came back in and played it again, and we danced together to all our favorite songs for the rest of the night.

The night was truly perfect.


Photo by Catherine Leonard Photography.

Happy Easter Monday!

I'm still recovering from a fantastic Easter Sunday, so we'll resume with a fabulous real wedding feature tomorrow. In the meantime, here are a few photos from The Owl's brunch yesterday. I wish our apartment had more natural light in the dining room to make for more high-quality photos, but these should suffice for now.


Arden Candlesticks, Sunshine Pedestal and Bread Basket from Crate and Barrel.





China placesettings are Kate Spade, and us Owl's mixed and matched Cornona grove (pictured above), which is discontinued, June Lane and Pebble Point patterns. Flatware is also Kate Spade's Larabee Dot pattern.



Place cards were bird's nests purchased at Michael's for $1.99 each, and the eggs were Cadbury Mini Eggs. Name cards were made out of a simple card stock. These were inspired by the Martha Stewart Bird's Nest Favors.