Non-Traditional Wedding Plans

Subject:	Fireworks
Posted by:	sns_wedding.
Time:	3:53 pm.
Mood:	wondering.

Went down to the beach to watch the 4th of July fireworks with my parents last night, (I live in Canada, but we can see northern Washington from the beach we live near), and I started wondering about having fireworks at my wedding.

Has anyone else ever done that? Or heard of it being done? What kind of things would I have to worry about? Do I need a permit? Am I crazy for even thinking about it?

(x-posted to

sns_wedding &

wedd_unusual)

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Subject:	Bob & Catherine's WeddingCon 2009!
Posted by:	ansleystudio.
Time:	1:00 am.

You may remember Bob & Catherine from those fantastic Disney World photos! We started out Thursday night at The Celt Pub in downtown Orlando with friends and family. The next day was the wedding extravaganza at The City Arts Factory. Neither of them wanted a traditional white wedding and everything was unique, from the gold cocktail dress to the custom chucks the guys wore. Look out for the Glass Blowing demo with Charlie! And be sure to look at the photos at the end. We played Rock Band. That's right, Rock Band. It's true, you wish you were there right now.

( They're kinda sweet on each other! )

All photography by Ansley Studio, llc - AnsleyStudio.com

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Subject:	An Alt-Wedding Guide
Posted by:	___io___.
Time:	9:20 pm.
Mood:	busy.

Ok guys, this was originally set to run in the issue of Gothic Beauty out now, but instead you can read it for free on the Gothic Beauty Web site! If any of you are looking to plan an alternative wedding in the future, this might help as a guide. :)

Gothic Wedding 101

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Subject:	Name change
Posted by:	spinsterkitten.
Time:	3:02 pm.

For those of you who may have already gone through the wedding process and decided to change your last name, did you find it helpful to use sites like thenamechangekit.com or missnowmrs.com?

The price isn't too steep for them, but I was wondering if they were helpful at all, or if they were prone to error.

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Subject:	neat favor idea + question about dancing
Posted by:	taxishoes.
Time:	12:58 am.

Functional favors

My fiance's mother is brilliant at wedding planning, and I wanted to share the fantastic idea she gave us about wedding favors . . .

We've been planning to have a parade from the ceremony site to the reception area and wanted to provide cheap instruments (like tambourines, maracas, etc.) that people could pick out of boxes to play during the celebratory parade. Fiance's mom knew this. So when he complained that we didn't know what to do for favors, she said, "Why don't you just use those instruments?"

So: we are looking at cheap-o instruments that will also work as favors! Brilliant.

Dancing in the afternoon?

For those of you who have already had a wedding reception (or other event that involved dancing) in the early afternoon: how difficult was it to get folks to dance?

Let's face it: most people are inhibited. It's tough to get people to dance in broad daylight! . . . Is this as difficult as I think it'll be? How can we do this most effectively? It's pretty important to us that people are dancing.

We don't really want to give formal dance lessons because we want to have our dance teacher there as a guest.

There will be booze but not everyone drinks.

Etc.

Any suggestions or words of wisdom on this front?

Thanks, and I apologize that this isn't a super "alternative" question.

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Subject:	ideas of a not-yet-fiance for an earthy autumn wedding
Posted by:	natronheart.
Time:	12:01 pm.
Mood:	nerdy.
Music:	music from Everquest 2.

Hi, I'm Renee, 26, living in NJ. My woobie (no, he doesn't mind me calling him that) and I recently had a LONG conversation about what we think our wedding will be like. We're not engaged yet, but we're almost positive at this point that we'll be spending the majority of the rest of our lives together. We were relieved to find that we both have the same resentment for stuffy traditions and anything white, satiny, and poofy :) So, maybe it's a bit premature, but I've started logging some basic (and not so basic) ideas for how our perfect (within reason) nups would be.

*Just to give some background, I'm Kemetic (Ancient Egyptian) Pagan, with a small, not-very-religious Sicilian Christian/Eastern European Jewish family. He's Agnostic, with a HUGE religious Sicilian/Calabrese Catholic family. Phew! Naturally "non religious" became the most conflict free ceremony choice, hehe.*

Anyway, what do you think? Is this a wedding you think you'd enjoy?

( As You Wish! )

Thanks in advance :)

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Subject:	Vegetarian/Vegan wedding?
Posted by:	imighthaveknown.
Time:	5:07 pm.

Any tips on throwing a vegetarian/vegan reception for a family full of hardcore carnivores? I'm a vegetarian, my fiance isn't officially but he prefers vegan food. We have lots of reasons we don't want meat at the reception, none of which I want to be preachy about. Is there a way to avoid meat without being accused of "pushing my lifestyle" on the family?

I know I'm bound to hear plenty of "where's the beef" comments anyway, but I'd like to keep it as low-stress and conflict-free as possible. Thanks for any tips.

Edited to add: the reception is at about 2pm, if that makes any difference. Very casual, backyard affair.

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Subject:	Oh hey guys
Posted by:	asmallcacophony.
Time:	8:11 pm.

Hi everyone!

I'm Melissa. A 25 year old artist/bookstore clerk living in Toronto, Canada. My partner is Matt, he's a 30 year old musician and installation artist. We're getting married on May 20 of this year!

( photoss- dress, rings, shoes, us etc )

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Subject:	Sharine & Carolyn
Posted by:	luminaireimages.
Time:	4:32 pm.

Same-sex wedding on April 5th, 2009, (click to see 29 more shots)

Location: Tivoli's Hacienda, Santa Ana, CA
Photographers: Molly + Matt of Luminaire Images

x-posted to

reallifewedding,

wed_photography

Comments: Read 4 or Add Your Own.

Subject:	Purple pettiecoat
Posted by:	neztik.
Time:	8:48 am.

Hi all,
I'm getting married toward the end of May. And I'm looking for petticoat with purple tulle.

I don't remember where I say the idea but I really liked it. The idea is that whenever you lift up your wedding dress you flash a bit of color.

I would prefer a long petticoat, but am open to any suggestions.

Thank you

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Subject:	Updates again!
Posted by:	by_lucipher_wed.
Time:	3:58 pm.
Mood:	amused.

Yay! I finally have the pattern for my dress. Its this one http://www.simplicity.com/dv1_v4.cfm?design=3782. ; I'll be going with the dress to the right, but in deep red and gold. I won't be using that upohlstery looking fabric though. The outside will be velvet, and the gold areas will be crushed satin.

I am about to undertake the task of finding someone to make our cake. This is going to prove VERY difficult, and if not difficult...pricey. Since our colors are red and gold, I would like the cake to be modeled after the Sunfury Spire in Silvermoon City. (Its from World of Warcraft http://wow.incgamers.com/gallery/data/513/medium/silvermoon_04.jpg ) I'm hoping since it is a simple tier design, that it won't be hard to find a baker willing to do it. I'm believe I am going to undertake the task of going to local bakeries tomorrow. My main goal tomorrow will be to find a bakery, if any, that will be willing to do my design. Then I'll make individual appointments once the list is narrowed down.

I've recently come up with a hotel list for my area to mail to our out-of-town guests. I'll be sending those and the invitations out next month. Took me ages to find a place with the colors I wanted for my invitations. I actually need to write the invitation, make sure its appropriate and all that. Not sure what style I want to do yet, but I would like it to only be semi-formal, because I don't need to approach people at my wedding and go "WRY SO SERIOUS!" >.>

Anyways, just a brief update for you!

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Posted by:	razorblade_meg.
Time:	12:19 pm.

Hello Everyone. I'm a newb! hehe

We have been "unoficially" engaged" for about 6 months no. We were originally planning to have the wedding on Halloween of 2010. Things have changed and we are now planning it for Halloween of 2009!
No. I'm not pregnant hehe we are just eager beavers and want to get it over with.

So. The plan is to do it in Vegas!
I have so many ideas for a REAL wedding, which I'm hoping to incorporate into the Vegas wedding.

I have a few questions for some of you vegas brides, mostly about the reception.

1 .We are planning to have the reception at Benihana, our reception party will be around 15 - 20 people. Does Benihana Village in Las Vegas have a banquet room? Or a LARGE sized table, so that our party won't be split up.

2. Since it is a wedding reception I do want to make place settings and favor bags for everyone, will Benihana allow me to bring those in and set the tables before the actual party shows up?

3. I am having 3 tiered stand full of 36 - 38 cupcakes as my wedding cake, will benihana let me bring my cake in and set it up as well????

Thank you all for your help, fyi. This has been xposted!

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Subject:	Good checklist
Posted by:	leenercat.
Time:	12:22 am.

I'm looking for a very comprehensive engagement/wedding checklist. Admittedly, I'm only doing it so that I can laugh as I cross things off that I didn't intend to do in the first place. I've scoured some of the more traditional wedding communities, and they all recommend The Knot. I have no reason to get an account there because we're building our own website, and in general, I have no reason to go there. As simple a wedding as I'm planning, I don't want to miss some important detail because I don't read bridal magazines. Any thoughts?

TIA!

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Subject:	Welcome the newbie!
Posted by:	leenercat.
Time:	3:25 pm.

sparklypoof!

My name is Lina and I'm certainly not a traditional bride. Luckily, we are either skipping a lot of the traditional wedding stuff, or doing it our way. To that end, I am in need of some advice on two questions:

1. I live in San Francisco and need to find a non-wedding wedding dress. So far I have combed all the big stores and am moving on to boutiques - any recommendations? Alternatively, a fashion design student or a budget-friendly dressmaker would be nice.

2. Although we are eloping, the family is demanding a reception, which will take place in New England. If any of you are familiar with the area, please advise me on a place that:

- wheelchair accessible!
- is within 1-2 hours drive from Boston, preferably to the South or West (nearby Cape OK)
- accommodates about 100 people in a single dining room with some room for dancing
- allows me to bring my own catering and booze, doesn't require use of their vendors
- has a sound system where I can plug in an iPod and a microphone
- is within 15-20 minutes of some reasonably-priced hotels
- has parking, hopefully
- is surrounded by something picturesque (but hopefully not a garden since I'm allergic to a lot of flowers)

I would prefer not to book a hotel or a restaurant since they tend to have their own catering. I was kind of hoping for something original, like a library, gallery or a museum, but I haven't lived in the area in a while and I don't know what's available.

TIA!

(This is cross-posted)

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Posted by:	vegasgrrl24.
Time:	12:37 pm.

Hi folks. Does anyone have suggestions on where to check out faux cakes, at great prices?

Side note: Also, thinking of doing cocktail dresses for my maid of honor/bridesmaids. Possibly just black or maybe another color, any style. But simple.

I've also decided to have the best man/groomsmen in black dress pants, and some classy type of cubavera(ish) shirt. I want a shirt with no tie, probably a mandarin collar, no cuffs, MAYBE in a linen blend. If such a thing exists. Something that could look like a jacket, but not heavy like a tux jacket. Where can I find this shirt???

Thanks.

xposted

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Subject:	Hair question
Posted by:	imighthaveknown.
Time:	3:13 pm.

Hi, all. For my first post here, I'd like some input, please.

How do you deal with the hair issue if you have an unusual color/cut? My cut is quite normal, just layered curls (my hair's naturally EXTREMELY curly. It lends itself nicely to old-fashioned styles, actually--very useful during my "victorian goth" phase way back when). The problem is the color. It changes. A lot.

So, if you normally dye your hair an unnatural color (pink, blue, etc.), do you dye it "normal" for the wedding? Match it to the wedding colors? Or just do your thing and don't change it just for the wedding? I can't decide what to do with it. I've got 7 months (almost to the day) until the wedding, and currently it's brown with blue streaks.

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Subject:	music
Posted by:	karellieloo.
Time:	4:26 pm.
Mood:	silly.

Anybody doing alternative wedding music or at the reception?

Just something unexpected or not the usual (chicken dance UGH!)

I'm planning on having my trumpet soloist (also a groomsman) play a small section of the Jurassic Park theme song for the bridal walk, and from Zelda for our recessional. Maybe O Fortuna for our entrance to the reception.

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Subject:	How alternative?
Posted by:	eleanor88.
Time:	10:01 am.

I've been lurking here on various accounts for a while.

I just wanted to ask how alternative you get when it comes to your wedding dress. I don't know whether to go super quirky or keep it a bit toned down...

Usually I just do whatever I want, but as my Fiance seems to want quite a big wedding with lots of family present (who barely know who I am -_-) I don't want to seem too off the wall to them.

(I will be making my own gown, since thats what I do for a living-but I'm not going to be using this community for advertising purposes, just advice).

I'm thinking, historic costume style gown, but I want the whole thing to be a dress-up occaision.

So, how alternative are you going to be when it comes to your gown and would you want others embracing the day by being similar in theme etc?

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Subject:	Alternative wedding clothes ideas
Posted by:	harmanhay.
Time:	5:14 pm.

Hi there, I just wanted to share some pictures from my own very unusual wedding. I know I found it hard to come up with good ideas without coming across to my more mainstream guests as weird or wacky, so I hope these help you!

We had a period wedding, although we had a pretty big mix of periods, from pirate-style 17th century up to Victorian bustle (each bridesmaid chose their own colour and style.) For my gown, I went pirate style but also loved coronation gowns - with a white layer on the bottom hidden by a gold overdress and a huge red velvet train with fur (feathers on mine) around the edge. The guys went for velvet frock coats and the bridesmaids went for various styles - all with a gold theme, but in russet, blue, green and red.

I was just scanning in some photos and thought you might like to see them - I'm actually auctioning off the outfits but this isn't a "please go buy my dress", I just thought you might like to enjoy the pics now that I've uploaded them. I'm sure I'll get a million ordinary brides sneering at the auction, so some moral support from you alternative types would be most welcome!

( Click the images below the cut )

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