The Happy Bride.




photo by Anna Marie Pictorials

 Bride. A title in which I thought I would never carry again. But, there I was on a lovely day in August, wearing white, happier than a bird with a french fry, marrying the best guy in the world (for me) and I was surrounded by people that love us! It was truly a great day!

When I started planning the wedding I tried to involve the MR. as much as possible. But, he really didn't have a lot of serious input. Sure, he wanted red velvet cake, a midget Elvis to perform the ceremony and a honeymoon in a camper but, he didn't care if we had someone playing violin or fancy napkins with our names. He just wanted to marry me and that was good enough for me!

I wanted a little something more than a courthouse wedding. I did that the first time. I'm not saying it was a cursed wedding I'm just saying that I wanted to have the white dress, the flowers, the cake, the ceremony. But more importantly I wanted to be the BRIDE! I wanted to feel pretty! I spend most of my time in jeans and a T shirt with my hair in a pony tail! I throw on eye make up if I have time. I'm a Mom! I don't always show my curves. I'm not sure my personality shows all of the time. So, I wanted to show the other side of me  and be Fun!

I decided against the traditional wedding attire. I wore white when it's not traditional to do so on a 2nd marriage. I wore pink converse for pete sake! I wanted to be girly! A few days before the big day I took a major leap and had my hair maven, Emily put pink in my hair! PINK! And I loved it! It was ME!

My girls were beautiful in  Pool Blue dresses and flip flops. The guys wore Black or charcoal grey with jeans! Handsome and casual! We married in a park....indoors because there was a bit of rain on and off all morning. Better safe than sorry! But the clouds eventually parted letting the sun shine on! Over all,  It was a perfect day!

But I will tell you this. Becoming a Bride was not an easy task for me. Dress shopping was a nightmare at first only because I was not in love with my figure and wanted to cry. Then I came to terms with the fact that I am not a size 8, never will be and I don't need to be to look good in my dress! Sure I would've liked to have less cushion on my arms but it's something I can work on. Ladies! Rock that Dress! Be the Bride you want to be! Don't let anyone tell you "This is what you need to do!" or "This is what you need to wear". It's your wedding! When you shop for dresses don't stress! The dress will not make or break your day! Don't shoot me for saying it! Because it's your happiness that makes the day! It's the bond you have with your significant other. Make this day about you and your partner if that's what you want! There isn't a rule book when you're planning your off beat, non traditional wedding.

I made a scene!

My Mom lives 12 hours away from us! She doesn't get to see the kids as much as I would like. So I try to take pictures as often as I can of the kids so she at least knows what they look like day to day. My efforts are lost on the teenagers. You would think the camera was a tazer gun the way they dive behind couches and hide behind random strangers! I will tell them in advance that I expect them to be showered, groomed and picture ready days in advance and they still manage to weasel their way out of a photo shoot! I've lost all hope where they're concerned. But, the toddler is still at the age where I can bribe her!! And luckily, all it takes is a few Ritz crackers and cheese!

Today, the weather was BEAUTIFUL! So, I made a scene! I don't mean I threw a tantrum or yelled at the cashier in Walmart for throwing my eggs in the bag again! I mean I took a few items I had laying around the house and made a cute little scene where I could take the toddlers pictures. I even got her to help me set it all up!

I started with an old chair that I salvaged from my uncles garage a while back. Then I added a few hydrangeas that were at the end of their life cycle to my favorite flower container from my Granny's collection of Ball Jars.

The toddler is in love with the chalkboard signs I made for my wedding. So we threw those in the mix along with some bunting that was left over too. I placed this all in my flower bed next to my driveway where a zucchini plant had taken over. I liked the way it looked! She had fun.....win....win!

This is one of the pictures  I came up with! Enjoy!