Heritage Photos to Heritage Wall

Our collection of heritage photos meant the world to me at our wedding. While I had physical copies of all the photos, I made sure that I scanned them and eventually ordered prints for myself.  I had a vision for how to display them, so I began collecting frames as I saw them on sale at Michael's, Home Goods, and Target.

I love how each picture dates the couple and expressions.  Let's meet the family:

Mr. Palindrome's Parents

Mr. Palindrome's Paternal Grandparents

Mr. Palindrome's Maternal Grandparents

Mr. Palindrome's Maternal Great Grandparents

Mr. Palindrome's Maternal Great Grandparents

Palindrome Bride's Parents

Palindrome Bride's Maternal Grandparents

Palindrome Bride's Paternal Grandparents

Palindrome Bride's Paternal Great Grandparents

After framing each photograph, I laid them out on the floor and arranged them loosely based on family ties.

Some experts lay a piece of butcher block under the frames and then tape the paper onto the wall.  Then they nail hangers right over the paper, thus ensuring exact placement.

I am a "this looks close enough" kind of gal.  So I just used my hand to approximate distances and it worked out pretty well.

I love how the mixed patinas of the frames make them look original.  I also like the asymmetry of the collection as a whole, yet it still feels balanced.

Did you collect photographs for your wedding?  Are you planning on incorporating them into your home decor after the wedding?

Review: Shutterfly Album

This is the story of how we ended up with 3 wedding albums.  It all started by wanting to save money. 

While many albums are absolutely gorgeous (and drool worthy, believe me, I've drooled), we weren't sold on the idea of spending $1000+ for our wedding album.  I searched a lot of sites, I looked at Adorama based on recommendations, and I just wasn't feeling anything.  I didn't want to start from scratch and design pages in InDesign.  I didn't care about the book laying flat.  Long story short, I just about gave up on getting an album.

Motherdrome wouldn't hear of it though.  She wanted an album and she wanted it yesterday.  So she suggested Shutterfly.   I had made a little album of our engagement pictures for free thanks to a coupon.  My mom had really liked that one and requested another of our wedding with a leather cover.  So I started to experiment.  Turns out that I really liked the storyboard method of choosing photographs.  I really liked the limited layout choices (too many choices makes me freeze).  I liked it so much, that I made one for my parents, Mr. Palindrome's parents, all of our grandparents and one for ourselves. 

(I love Mr. Palindrome in the background - this is our new life, me blogging and taking pictures around him doing homework!) 

 When our album arrived, I was really excited.  We sat on the couch, tearing off the orange cardboard box.  We ooohed.  We awwed.  We reminisced.  Then we saw that one page printed twice (their bad) and that I had cropped one photo too close so it was blurry (my bad). 

After updating the page where I made a mistake, I called customer service.  They were great and said they'd reprint it right away!  Yay!

After opening the second album, I immediately saw a problem.  The binding was loose.  Also, they reprinted from the previous file, so my mistake was still there.

I called customer service.  Again, they were great and said that they would a credit in my account so that I could change my mistake and have it reprinted at my convenience.

About a month later, I got everything together and was ready to hit order.  There was no voucher in my account.  It had expired.  Sigh.  Another call to customer service cleared it up, they put the credit back into my account and I ordered the third album.  Thankfully the third album was just dandy. 

I'm very pleased with the print quality and the colors.  I love the full page pictures.

I'm just a little bummed about having to reprint so many times, but customer service was helpful each time.

And my experience didn't stop me from ordering a small album for our honeymoon as well!

Was an album important to you?  Would you consider a DIY album?

Mine at Last: In the Afternoon

I prayed the entire elevator ride down 17 stories that I wouldn't pee my dress with excitement.  God is good and answered my prayer.

I turned the corner and saw my groom.  No butterflies.  No nerves.  No gasp.  Just a sigh of relief and a warm calm.

What do you say when you see your groom for the first time?  I said, "Hi."

He replied, "Hi."

Then he asked, "What's all this?" as if he'd never before seen a veil.  Performing a modified Jewish tradition, he lifted the my veil and was quite relieved when he learned he wouldn't have to get lost in the layer of tulle again at the ceremony.

He was being the exact person I knew him to be - nervous from being kept waiting to see me, clueless to bride's accessories, and a curmudgeon about having to make a fool of himself figuring out the veil.

I think I said, "Hi" again.

I honestly have no idea what we said the rest of the time that we were together.  In this photograph, I look like I'm chiding which would be characteristic of me.  Or maybe I was eying up his earlobes.  I'm obsessed with his soft earlobes, kissing them and just holding them between my my thumb and forefinger. 

In the absence of words, we held each other. 

And I gave him Eskimo kisses.

And I relished the thought of being his wife.

Then Sam spoke.  Oh yeah, there were people other than ourselves in the room.  He had gotten word that the limo was waiting for us.  It was go time.  I was ready to do this thing.

 Down the elevator, through the lobby

and around the revolving door, I was a giant smile dragging a white dress behind me.

Similar to the parlor trick of wearing a bee beard, I was told that I was the queen bee and that the wedding party would follow me where I went.  I decided to lead everyone to the limo.  I popped through the revolving door and didn't see anyone by the limo driver.

I peered into the limo: "Hello? Anyone in here?"

Turns out that between the lobby and the front door, a side door exists . . . leading to the hotel bar. 

In the only few seconds of aggravation that day (my Palindromaids can attest to this fact), I lost my cool.  I love that this photograph captured the moment.  I'm telling the limo driver how we managed to lose the male half of the wedding party within 25 feet of the front door.  A Palindromaid searches the vehicle again for the missing groom.  Another Palindromaid balances pomanders and a box of emergency extras while looking worried that she sees smoke from my ears.  Yet another Palindromaid carries my reception head piece.  All the while I shivered as another Palindromaid searched for my coat.

An instant later, the guys joined us in jovial oblivion that I was less than pleased with their disappearing act, we all piled into the warm limo, and I was in my red coat getting a back rub from my maid of honor.  Everything was right with the world again.  In a little over an hour, I was going to be married.

*All photographs by Sam Hughes.

Mine at Last: Photo Booth

One of my favorite things at our wedding was our makeshift photo booth (aka fauxto booth, smile booth, etc.).  I see a lot of people asking on the boards if these are overdone or tacky.  Besides my former roommate, who was planning a wedding at the same time as me, we're the only two weddings that I've seen a photo booth at (she rented a real one that spit out the classic four picture black and white strips - very cool!).  If you love it, I say, "Do it!"

  

During the cocktail hour, my event designer worked with our photographer, Sam Hughes, to create a small studio space.  They tied a ribbon sign between two chairs, hoisted a few yards of fabric onto the backdrop stand that Sam brought, and then let the good times roll.  Our second shooter manned the booth and we've posted all of the pics on a Shutterfly website so guests can easily download or print them.  At first, friends and family gathered for nice shots.

A friend from high school and her fiance

My Aunt, Grandpa, and Uncle

Friends from the Navy who were recently married

Mr. Palindrome's Aunt, Uncle, and Cousins (who served as Ushers)

Friends from my consulting firm

Friends from the Navy

Friends from my hometown

Then the more adventurous guests started poking about our prop pile!

Friend from Bucknell (and also one of our readers) and her husband

Friend from Bucknell and her boyfriend (flying all the way from San Fran!)

Friends from Bucknell (two on the left also sang at our wedding and the two on the right are getting married in June!)

Palindromaid S and her husband

Motherdrome and friends

Fatherdrome and friends

Friends from church

Bison ladies representing

Denise and Palindromaid S

The groomsmen

Not to be out done, the Palindromaids strike a pose

I get in on the action

SIL J and I reenact our first dance dip

 SIL J and and I hear a fun song and then run for the dance floor

I've been mocking up photo books as gifts for family and I really love ending the books with spreads of these pictures.  It reminds me of everyone who came and shared our day with us and I think provided some fun for them as well!

Have you been to a wedding with a photo booth? Did you partake in the photo fun?