Bits And Bobs and Beauty

All pics unless otherwise stated are credit: Chris Isham Photography

Friday is the perfect day to share a few of my favorite details. Wedding details for anyone new here. And because it's Friday let's go with a list of five.  

FYI-it may feel like more than five. 

1. The florals. They were, in a word, stunning. Rachel at Bella Blooms did a most spectacular job in making the vision we had for the day a reality. Her bouquets were full and fresh, so lovely and absolutely perfect for what the bride (and her mom too!) wanted in terms of bouquets, table tops, and ceremony and reception decor. 

I know I sound like a broken record, but honestly our wedding planner was instrumental in driving the look of the day and we couldn't have done it without her and her team. 

Well we could have, but it might not have been quite so perfect. 

A good planner knows the venue, and also knows what works best in terms of height, lighting, and texture. She knows the best, most reliable vendors and more importantly, which are less than reliable. She knows how much greenery is going to look like too much and how much will be perfectly understated while still making a statement. 

I enjoy planning and I love all the bells and whistles that make a celebration beautiful and special, but I am still going to say I think a professional wedding planner is worth the expense. At the very least you will want to hire someone for the day of so you're free to enjoy the event without a lot of anxiety about set up, vendor arrival, and all sorts of last minute issues that can and do arise. 

The groom's mom and I opted for small hand held bouquets to carry down the aisle as opposed to a corsage or wristlet. The wristlets sometimes refuse to stay put, and I didn't want to pin something to my dress. What Bella Blooms created was so delicate and lovely and just right. 

2. This seating chart-

There are so many creative ways to let guests know where they will be seated for dinner but I think this is one of the prettiest. Also our wedding planner made it for us, just sayin'.  

It's a piece of glass with gold lettering affixed, and best of all she let me make a million changes up until just a couple of days prior to the wedding. Seating is always tricky, and with Corona ever a factor in current events the numbers, hence the seating, changed almost daily. 

Also, might as well state for the record...I am a fan of having a seat at a reception. I don't mind if you don't assign me a particular seat, but I want to at least be assigned a table so I have a place to set my purse and my wrap without having to juggle a plate, a drink, and all the rest.  

I know it's somewhat trendy to have just a few tables and not necessarily a chair for every guest, and if that's you then you do you, but I like a seat. And I really love a place card at my seat so that's what we had for our event. The bride wasn't hung up on that, but she knows I have a love of all things paper as well as pretty fonts and shimmery ink, so we had place cards. 

3. The tablescapes. Again a team effort with the bride, the mob, the mog, the wedding planners, and the florist all weighing in on how best to capture the mood and look we were hoping for. 

Choosing tablecloths, centerpieces, dishes, soft furnishings, and more can feel a teensy bit overwhelming, and it was wonderful to have our planners steer us in the direction we wanted to go. Hubs mostly scratched his head and asked, "Wait, what? We're renting furniture???" 

The answer is yes and I need you to roll with it. 
And he does. 

The bride and I were over the moon with the end result. Our guests too. Everything was gorgeous right down to these black chargers on green velvet tablecloths-

Statement tablecloths for the cake and entryway-

...and a place to rest your feet after too much dancing-

I wanted to put these green velvet chairs in my car. Swoon!

We had a professional calligrapher address our wedding invitations in the just right shade of emerald green, and she also did the place cards using gold ink on emerald paper. 

Our wedding planner found the shade of ink we were looking for, otherwise I might still be trying to decide which one was THE one out of the 850 shades of green available for purchase. For you local peeps madebymaness did the calligraphy and Jackie was a dream to work with. 

4. Favors. Not essential but definitely a nicety. Some brides skip the favors and opt instead to put more money into extra fancy bags for their hotel guests. We wanted both and had what I thought was the sweetest little takeaway from the event. Daughter2's father-in-law has bees and offered to put some of his wonderful honey into small jars the bride and groom had scouted on Amazon. 

I ordered personalized tags from AListDesignz on Etsy, and found a black tiered tray at HomeGoods for displaying. The honey jars were tied with a narrow black ribbon and these favors were so darling and delicious. I especially love that they were 'home grown'. 

5. Gift bags.When I attend an out of town wedding I love to be handed a bag of somethings upon check in. Putting together the bags requires thought and you have to pay attention to the cost as well, because they can get a little pricey. I think they're worth it though, no matter how simple or how elaborate you choose to make them, and I had a lot of fun with ours. 

The bags included-

personalized water bottles-I bought the water, peeled off the labels (it's a snap), and replaced with personalized labels from LabelsRus (Etsy)

a personalized beverage coozie the bride and groom had chosen

personalized hand sanitizer because it's 2021 and every wedding needs some-I ordered the gel bottles from Amazon and the labels (spread love not germs) from CustomStickerandTag (Etsy)

one savory and one sweet treat-the savory were pimento cheese chips from Lillie's Q, a company out of Chicago, but the founder and owner grew up in wedding town so a local recipe. The sweet treat was a homemade sugar cookie (Mandy's cookies) in the shape of SC with a heart over the wedding city. She iced the cookies in emerald green and made the tiny heart white.

tylenol packs, a couple of chocolates, tic tacs (also personalized with labels from NotedPaperBoutique  (Etsy) and an insert about the weekends events and things to do locally (designed and created by the bride's sister aka the matron of honor)

I also had personalized stickers made for the front of the bag from BugandBearDesign (Etsy). 

Details help make the day feel extra special and personal and we loved every minute of ours. 

Happy weekend everyone! 

The Best Day Ever Eve-Wedding Post 4

Continuing a slow meander through my daughter's wedding weekend.  I'll probably finish sometime.

Not today though.

I haven't even gotten to the actual wedding or reception yet but the thing is, I really want to have photos, and our photographer uses actual film so we wait. Patiently for the most part because he's amazing.

But also not so patiently because we're impatient when it comes to pictures. Let's talk about the rehearsal.

Daughter1 and her brand new husband! were married in a church that sits on the edge of Greenville. Daughter2 is a member of said church, and they were kind and helpful in allowing her sister to marry in their beautiful building. As I mentioned above, we don't have our photos back yet, but I did snap this one back in August. The bride and I met her wedding planner and also the floral designer there to see what we wanted in the way of set up and decor.

The church building itself was pretty on the outside, and beautiful on the inside with it's soaring wood ceiling-

...heavy wooden doors-

...and a great big wooden table in the foyer, just the right spot for propping their wedding verse on a chalkboard made and written on by the bride herself. We love us some chalkboards here, and you should know it wasn't smudgy at the church. I think that happened later, when we loaded it into our car at the end of the night and a soft rain was falling.

The walls and altar area in the sanctuary were essentially a blank canvas, and we were free to rearrange the staging anyway we liked. The woman who showed us around the church happened to mention a wedding that had taken place the week before our visit. She said the bride's father had built a pallet wall that fit across the entire front of the sanctuary, and they'd given it to the church for any future brides to use, so we leapt on that! It was absolutely gorgeous, and made the perfect backdrop for the ceremony.

Plus our floral designer worked her magic and added a vine that looked as if it grew there, along with candles in glass jars. She was amazing, but of course you'll have to wait until I have the pictures to prove it. In the meantime here's an off-centered photo I snapped at the rehearsal, which gives you some idea of what I'm struggling to describe.

Aren't they just the cutest?
You can positively feel the love when you're around them.

Hubs got a little emotional at the rehearsal, but was a star when it came to the actual handing over on the day. It helps tremendously when you already adore, and have absolutely no reservations about, your future son-in-law.

Following the rehearsal we headed back downtown for a really fun dinner.  The groom's family hosted and it was such a great evening. They graciously included our whole-entire-great big family, the very large wedding party (16 plus dates or spouses), plus the officiant, his wife and their three sweet daughters, so not small. They rented the Upcountry History Museum as the venue, and had a real Southern feast catered as the meal. It was delicious, and the first time a few of the guests had tasted shrimp and grits, pretty much hubs favorite meal.

We had the museum to ourselves and could browse as much or as little as we liked. The Upcountry Museum tells the stories and history of the Upcountry (the northwest corner of SC, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains), and you actually eat amongst the museum displays.

It was the perfect space for mingling and introducing friends and family on both sides to one another...everybody loved it. The venue lent itself so well to the talking and moving around you want to do at a rehearsal dinner.

In a restaurant you're typically confined to your table, but this was roomy, relaxed, and a friendly, sociable kind of space. A perfect way to kick off the wedding weekend celebrations.

After dinner the maid of honor, aka Daughter2, made a super sweet, highly emotional speech, chunks of which she forgot to say because she was feeling every bit of sister love her heart could hold, and it might have spilled out in the way of tears.

One of the groomsmen had to follow that, and he managed to make us all laugh.

At the end of the event the bride and groom went up the grand staircase in the foyer and they kissed, and we cheered. It was a happy night, the beginning of a whole weekend of happy.

A whole lifetime of happy.

Not Out of the Box

We were so in the box yesterday...the corporate box that is. My husband's company has a suite at Giants Stadium and we were lucky enough to get to go to a game on Sunday. Of course the Giants were playing in Tampa Bay so we were there to see the Jets in action. You'll want to pay attention here...it was retro day so the Jets were calling themselves the Titans since that was their name for a couple of years back in the sixties. And yesterday the 'NY Titans' were playing the Titans as in Tennessee Titans except the Tennessee Titans were calling themselves the Oilers because they were the Houston Oilers once upon a time. Whew! I think I understand now why the Brits find American football confusing.

It drizzled rain most of the day so I was especially happy to be in the box. I'm an Eagles fan but we rooted for the Jets since they were the home team. And also because we were surrounded by Jets fans and it might have gotten ugly. Here are some of the boys warming up. I'm pretty sure Jillian would be calling them sissies and telling them to work it...

And she'd be giving this one an earful about his bent knees...

Hey I look just like the Titans aka Jets when I do that cross abdominal move in Level 2.

Can someone please explain the hair to me??? I think every team in the NFL now has a player with very long hair hanging out of their helmet. I mean forget grabbing the face mask and risking a penalty...any girl could tell you to go for a handful of the hair if you want to inflict some real pain.

As the Titans ran onto the field there may have been a little booing...hey, it's New York people. Well, actually it's New Jersey but the New York teams play on this side of the bridge. When the Jets ran onto the field there was a whole lot of wild cheering and also some very cool effects involving fire.

It wasn't just the players in retro uniforms yesterday...the refs were wearing the old AFL jerseys too...they are orange and white striped instead of the more modern black and white. Of course back in 1963 not many people had colored tv in their homes so I guess they would have looked black and white. Wow. Remember when we didn't have colored tv? And I might sound like I know what I'm talking about throwing around words like AFL but actually the box was filled with guys who knew a lot of football trivia. I'm just educating the masses here. This ref looks like he's all set to lead the Hokey Pokey.

Another thing I learned at the game yesterday? No daughter of mine will be wearing a Jets cheerleading uniform in my lifetime. That's all I'm saying about that.

Although I do give these girls credit for being plucky...they danced their hearts out with big smiles on their faces for the entire game in the icky drizzling rain all while wearing not alot. And I hugely admired their ability to jump for 20 consecutive minutes...Something tells me these girls wouldn't even break a sweat in the 30 day shred.

What else? Oh I haven't mentioned the food. The food is the best part of the corporate seating if you ask me. They had cheesesteaks y'all. I grew up in the land of the cheesesteak (that's Philadelphia in case you didn't know) and a cheesesteak is not something the Brits do well so its been a long time since I've had a good one. Actually there was a whole wonderful buffet of great things to eat and then at halftime they brought in a big tray of Mrs. Fields cookies. I sent my husband over to knock one or two kids out of the way so we'd be sure to get one before they were all gone. Hey, professional football brings out a little bit of the aggressive in all of us right?

Long story short (sort of)...the Jets won. Or the Titans depending on which era's team names we're talking. It was a good game too and the Jets are now 3-0 which apparently they haven't been in a number of seasons. As we were leaving the stadium we heard one die hard Jets fan proclaim, "Yes!!! We are going to the Superbowl this year for sure!" There is nothing in the world quite like the optimism of American sports fans. Ya gotta love it.

The Cheeky One

I love the word cheeky. You hear that word alot in England and it sometimes has a negative connotation but very often when a child is referred to as a 'cheeky monkey' it means they are naughty but in an endearing sort of way. Hello Daughter 2!

Our daughter2 will celebrate her 19th birthday this week. Away from home. At college. Surrounded by friends because this child is always surrounded by friends. I wrote a post about my hubs on his birthday recently and let me just say the apple didn't fall far from the tree here. This sweet girl has always been so full of life beginning with the moment she entered this world screaming like nobody's business.

She was a beautiful baby. And I know I'm her mother and all mothers say their baby is beautiful but this one y'all...she was truly a beautiful baby. A perfect head, strong and healthy and curious...and the eyes...oh my the eyes. They could get you past any naughty thing she ever did. Big and blue and twinkly. And it was a good thing too because have I mentioned this one was just a little bit cheeky? Let's just say she loved to have the last word from an early age and she spent more than a few minutes of her young life 'sitting on the step'.

As a toddler she made my hair gray. Literally. I honestly wasn't sure I was gonna survive her 'let me leap and then look' approach to life. (Again, see post on husband). This little girl entered this world with more confidence than most people develop in a lifetime. All her life I've been asked about it starting with her very first preschool teacher who informed me that, 'A more confident child I have never known in my 23 years of working with preschoolers.' Now I think we can all agree that confidence is a good thing. Determination, drive, passion, spirit...these are wonderful qualities that most adults wish they possessed. In a toddler though...they can make day to day life a bit challenging. A battle of the wills. When she was a little girl I prayed every day that God would somehow use these qualities in her. And I'm pretty sure by 'use' I meant that He would squash them.

But you know what? Those qualities in a little one that make the day to day parenting never dull but completely exhausting? Those same qualities in a teenager are a beautiful thing. In a young adult living away from home they are essential. This is a child who rises to a challenge. Who is completely focused. Who knows her mind. Who loves God wholeheartedly. Who doesn't do things halfway. Who challenges herself. Who believes she can do anything she puts her mind to.

Just like she did when she was three years old.

We moved to England just before daughter2's 13th birthday. While the rest of us were coming to grips with the fact that we'd just had a major life change and were slowly adjusting to life across the pond, Daughter2 was living and loving it all. Every moment. She didn't want to miss a single minute. She hit the ground running and never looked back. She could have wallowed just a bit and it would have been completely understandable. But this one...she loves life and is willing to go where it takes her and to embrace every new experience.

This past spring she phoned home with 'something to tell us'. If you don't have college kids you maybe can't relate to the bazillion thoughts that pass through your brain when you get a call like that but those thoughts? They are doozies. So we braced ourselves for who knows what and she says, 'I wanted to tell you that I tried out for cheerleading and I made the team.' Huh? What? Cheerleading? Now this doesn't sound like much I know but my daughter2 has never ever in her entire life been involved in cheerleading. And most cheerleaders have been cheerleading and involved in gymnastics for many years before getting to college. Not this sweet thing. My husband and I laugh and say she just woke up one day and said, 'hmm today I think I'll be a cheerleader.' And she would never for a moment doubt that she could do it. And so she does. And this is her approach to life always. And I love that. I love to see how God took her sweet 'cheeky' spirit and has shaped and molded her into a remarkable young adult. And in the process I've been changed as well. This child has been handed some challenges in this life and she has met them head on with courage and determination and humor. This one has taught me a few things y'all.

Oh, and one more thing about miss sweetness...she has always loved her mama fiercely. Some of my happiest memories of living abroad were trips each December when daughter2 and I would travel with a few other moms and daughters to the Christmas markets in Germany. We've shopped and eaten and laughed and talked (especially talked!) our way through Stuttgart and Nuremberg and Dresden. She will hate that I've put this picture on here because we both look so... cold? Is that the word I'm looking for? It was absolutely arctic-cold in Dresden that December! But I like it. I think of happiness and chatter and mother-daughterness.

A daughter's love.

Could there be anything sweeter in the whole wide world?

I think not.

Happy Birthday to my 'cheeky little monkey'....she knows I say it with a smile.

They Say It's Your Birthday

Almost thirty years ago I met and fell in love with my husband. Today he is celebrating a milestone birthday. I use the word celebrate very loosely because he is working and traveling all day and I'm not really sure how much fun you can have in an airport. I will say this though...if there is any fun to be found he will be the one to find it. Because he knows how to enjoy life. To seize a moment. To pull you into a moment right along with him. To laugh. To make me laugh. To embrace opportunity. To love a challenge. To be spontaneous.

He never met a stranger. He is the person you sit next to on a plane and you find yourself telling him your life story. He draws people out. He makes people feel comfortable when they are not. There isn't a microphone on any stage that he wouldn't love to step behind. He believes I can do anything and he encourages me to try. He gets teary eyed when he talks about his daughters. He has passion and drive, integrity and determination and he admires that in others too. He has boundless energy. He is honest. That sounds kind of like a boy scout. Oh wait, he was a boy scout. An eagle scout in fact because he doesn't do anything halfway.

When I imagined the post I'd write in honor of his birthday today I was thinking it would be funny and a little bit lighthearted...like him. Instead I find myself feeling rather sentimental. But this is okay too. Because he feels deeply and loves completely.

A couple of months ago I saw this video on Steph's blog and told her I was totally going to steal it. And I have.

Happy Birthday to my husband... he reaches the half century mark today but inside he's still that boy with the mischievous grin and the twinkle in his eye. He's still the boy I married.

The BBC and our MGB...you know, British stuff

I know you are on pins and needles waiting to hear how the car show went and I promise I will get to that in a minute. And you can rest assured there are trophies involved. Before I get to that bit though I wanted to let you know that back in the autumn of 2008 I was part of a program recorded and broadcast in the UK on BBC Radio4. The women's club I've mentioned here before was featured in a 30 minute BBC Radio programme called Lives in a Landscape. The show highlights all sorts of things going on in the villages around the UK and back in the fall of 2008 our club was the story. I was interviewed as the outgoing club president along with the incoming president who was leading her first general meeting, two ladies newly arrived in England, our hiking activity group leader and a club member who has lived in multiple countries and is something of an ex pat pro. The interviewer also attended that first general club meeting of the year, a newcomers coffee and he even went on a hike with our hiking group.

Anyway, all this to say that the program is going to be rebroadcast on Monday evening, 11:30 PM UK time which is 6:30 PM East Coast time in the US. If you are at all interested in listening in I think this link will allow you to connect (Lives in the Landscape). If not it will most likely be on their website for a few days following the broadcast so click here if you'd like to listen online sometime after Monday.

Now, you may have zero interest in this and if so just skip on down to the next bit of today's post. I do think the program is an interesting little glimpse into what it's like settling into life in another country. And of course I must also add that I am speaking in a couple of places and will be easy to identify because (1) I'm the first segment and I was interviewed while driving. Uh-oh. If you read my blog you already know about my expertise at operating a motor vehicle in the UK and (2) I was interviewed in a later segment while hiking and a hilly part at that so when you hear the person speaking who makes you think, "Why is that woman so out of breath?" you'll know that's me. I'm in a bit at the end as well but I don't think that requires any forewarning. Click here if you'd like to listen online sometime after Monday.

Now for the car show...I have a few thoughts (you're not surprised) starting with this....it was hot. Really really hot. And, because I wanted to be all into the spirit of the event I wore my London Polo shirt which is short sleeved but heavy and did I tell you it was HOT?

And is there such a thing as a car show tan because if there is I'm gonna be sporting one for the next couple of days?

Next thought...convertible hair. Not good. At all. Thankfully I grabbed a hat at the last minute because convertible hair definitely needs a hat and that's all I'm gonna say about that.

The car show was held on the grounds of a local community college and all the proceeds from today's event will be donated to the 9/11 memorial charities. There is a lovely memorial on the college grounds that stands 9 feet 11 inches tall and its centerpiece is a steel beam from one of the towers.

When we arrived at the car show we collected our entry number and our goody bag. Oh, I do love a goody bag and I'm really not too particular about what's in it. This one held mostly 'car stuff' but I did get a little bit excited about the miniature tape dispenser. The couple next to us informed me that Mars Candy sponsors a car show and their goody bags have Mars candy in them. I think I can manage to attend another show if chocolate is involved.

Anyway, besides our goody bag we were given a ballot so we could walk around and vote on cars in the various categories. And get this...you cannot vote for your own car. Huh? What is that all about? We were also given a ticket for a door prize and whoohoo! we won something. In keeping with the car theme it was a little plaque to hang somewhere in the house about God holding the 'key'. And technically it doesn't match my decor so it might need to hang in the garage right beside our trophies. That's right I said trophies. As in two. And it's fun to win stuff y'all. One trophy was for our category (sport something or other) but the second trophy was the fireman's choice. The local fire dept was at the show cooking hotdogs and hamburgers and they also got to award trophies for their favorite cars so we got one of those too. And while I love the actual winning of the trophy I don't get as excited about the displaying of them in the house so I think they will be beautifying the garage...that's good, right?

Today was kind of fun. I think I'd have enjoyed it more if it weren't 175 degrees but all in all it was an experience. We got a kick out of the number of people who looked at our car and didn't register the fact that the steering wheel is on the right hand side. And we did meet some nice people and there were lots of great cars at the show...

And boy do car collectors take the competition bit seriously. I mean they're just cars people.

Oh, and did I tell you we got TWO trophies?

Bella Italia...show us your favorite vacation spot

I am joining in the fun at Kelly's Korner today...any excuse to write about Italy. Kelly is hosting 'Show us your Favorite Vacation Spot' and I guess no one is surprised to see that I'm writing about Italy. I love to travel and there are lots of fabulous places I could write about... and I was torn for maybe a second or two but in the end Italy is my favorite so here we go.

We've been up and down the country and it's all lovely. I know though, that my family will agree with me when I say the week we spent in the tiny town of Stresa in July, 2007 was special. It was the perfect combination of natural beauty, sightseeing, wonderful weather, fantastic food, relaxation and family togetherness.

Stresa is situated on one of Italy's most beautiful lakes-Lago Maggiore. The tip of the lake extends into Switzerland but we didn't venture there this time around. We stayed in a lovely hotel called the Regina Palace and enjoyed breakfast every morning on the patio facing the lake.

Sitting in the midst of Lago Maggiore are some small islands called the Borromean Islands...Isola Bella, Isola Madre and Isola Pescatori. After breakfast each morning we would hop on a boat and head to one of the islands to walk, shop, sightsee, and have some amazing lunches. I'm sure I mention food alot when I'm talking about Italy but honestly how could I talk about this country without mentioning the food a few hundred times? Can you say gelato?

These little islands are filled with magnificent gardens, an old palazzo, lovely peacocks and some that are even all white, fishing boats, quaint streets, tiny shops, and friendly Italians.

After lunch we hopped back on the boat and spent our afternoons generally relaxing and reading beside the pool. Between the four of us we read fourteen books that week. That's my kind of holiday!

One morning we took the cable car to the top of the mountain. Have I mentioned that riding in very high, precariously hung cable cars is not really my thing? Daughter2 isn't a huge fan either but I scoped out the journey from the ground and convinced her that this one just hugged the mountain and there wouldn't be any huge valleys to cross. Oops. Turns out there was a great big valley to cross, you just couldn't see that bit of the 'ride' from the ground. The views were magnificent though so it was totally worth it.

Another highlight of the week was the four hour lunch we had at the teensiest little restaurant up on a hillside overlooking the lake. And yes I did say four hour lunch. Coincidentally the pilot for my husband's company jet just happens to be from the little village beside Stresa and he and his wife just happened to be spending the week at their apartment there. We met them for lunch at a local spot that we would never in a million years have found on our own. On the ride up the mountain our taxi driver kept asking, 'They know you are coming, yes? It is very small.' Yes indeed. I think very small would describe it-there were only about four tables. The owners were so charming and had just been to the market that morning. They prepared course after course of some of the best food I've ever eaten...ravioli, fresh fish, zucchini flowers stuffed with mozzarella cheese...sigh...

Do you see why Italy is my happy place?

I mean really...what's not to love?