This is the wedding I affectionally call, The Last Wedding. Sean and Sarahbeth were the last, wonderful couple I got to work with before retiring. 

They called me back in December for their event: my first and only weekday wedding. I was so excited to work with them because they thought outside the card box when it came to certain details. But you’ll see that in upcoming posts – I’ve invited newlywed, Sarahbeth, to blog and share her wedding experience. I can’t wait for the first post!

Without giving too much away, I’ll simply say that they exchanged vows in beautiful Hovander Park in Ferndale, Washington, with their young son. The weather was perfect and the giving of a certain blue feather was touching. I loved how we were able to welcome a new season and a new family all in the same day.

We were also able to transform a functional, lovely space to a wedding space – someplace for their 50 or so family and friends to enjoy. I personally had a great time decorating the pavillion. Here are a few pictures I snapped that day. Professional photos to come!

Vendors Used: Photography: Jen Martin Studios | Venue: Hovander Park | Officiant: Heidi Fish | Caterer: Moveable Feast | Cake: Mount Bakery

The Plunge

There are many daily deal sites out there, but my current favorite is Groupon. Go to the website, choose your closest Groupon neighborhood (Seattle and Tacoma are currently Washington’s two), and check out the deal. You can also sign up for the daily email. They have discounts on restaurants and entertainment like you wouldn’t believe. It has so many wonderful possibilities for the bride and groom too. For instance, today’s deal is from Cupcake Royale. 

53% off Cupcake Royale :: $16 for $34 work of cupcakes

And the side deal is a sprinkle party for six – can we say bridal shower, will-you-be-my-bridesmaid luncheon, bonding time with the new family, step-children/adopted children, an awesome way to welcome out-of-town family – the party possibilities are endless!

Other great recent deals included massage, go-karts, pole dancing classes (I kid you not), teeth whitening, rock climbing and a ton of great food. I tried the Julia’s restaurant coupon and it was the best Tiramisu I’ve had.

Get your Groupon on!

Groom Power is one of those websites.

If you check out my links page, you’ll see a list of sites just for the guys, and I’ve just added this one. Benjamin Roe, the creator, is a thirty-something Londoner who got married last year and had this to say about the experience that drove him to create Groom Power:

“My wife had plenty of places to turn to for wedding advice – I am sure there are as many wedding magazines in the US as there are over here, lots of books, lots of really helpful websites, lots of online wedding forums with brides generously offering tips and advice.  Of course this helped both of us, but I couldn’t find anything much that was specifically for grooms.  So after my wedding I wrote down everything I had learnt and put it on the web!  I also spoke to lots of male friends who have got married in the last few years and got their tips too.  Hopefully grooms-to-be will find it helpful.  There’s advice on the site that you wouldn’t find in your average bride-orientated forum (choosing your best man, surviving the stag night, etc), and we generally try to come at things from a male perspective.  For example, when choosing a wedding ring I am sure most women aren’t too concerned about where gold and platinum rank on the Vickers hardness scale, but guys love that kind of stuff, so it’s on the site.”

Icing on the Cake is a Bellingham based company run by Liz Kovaks. You can read my full review of the last time we met. I keep bugging her for a website, which I understand is in the works, but until then you’ll have to take my word for how scrumdiddlyumptious these babies are. They come in two sizes and an assortment of flavors that will have you talking with your mouth full in no time.

She’s gained a following with her cupcake campaign, and she’s fast becoming a fixture at the market. Here’s another local review.

So besides the obvious wedding cake substitute, these would also make great pick me ups for the wedding party when they need a hit of sugar after long hours getting ready (and the mini size would allow for no smearing), cute edible favors, will you be my bridesmaids bribe, sugary hors d’oeurves, kiddie treats, end of the night and out the door gifts…really the possibilities are endless.

So far clothes, cupcakes…next up in the Farmers Market series…jewelry!

The Bellingham Farmers Market is my absolute favorite market to visit, and it’s open for eight months out of the year. So, for those four months it’s closed, I get to wait patiently anxiously. My Saturdays are pretty full these days, so it wasn’t until last weekend that we were able to go. And when we got there, it was everything I remembered it to be: great food, fun vendors, and fabulous produce. I also happen to think farmers markets are a great wedding resource.

So here’s the plan. I’m going to write posts on a few of the vendors I met and enjoy and how they relate to weddings. Stay tuned for the first installment on Texture Clothing.

The Weddingbe Local Boards

And you better believe Seattle is on there. (Although that does make me wonder why Seattle is the only city to get recognition anywhere. I’m sure there are some Eastern Washington brides or even Olympia/Lacey brides.)

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve enjoyed the Knot boards, and they’re still the reigning champ, but the ads and the load time tend to bog it down. And it’s a website with content coming out of the ears, so finding the exact thing you’re looking for in a short amount of time can be tough. You’ll find me on both for now, but I’m curious to see how well Weddingbee does.

Then Etsy rocked even further by adding a Handmade Wedding series. Not only is it a great place for handmade inspiration and great wedding stories, but I got to contribute! I had a small article, and it was published yesterday morning. Yay!

Story by 80Lady | Published on March 25, 2008 in Spotlight | Photo by ElCatrin

Angel Brave aka 80Lady is a wedding and event coordinator (read more here). We initially found her popping up on the WeddingBee, adding useful suggestions and sharing her great ideas for Etsy items. We invited her to show us some of her favorite finds for men’s accessories on Etsy, some of which could be for the big day and some for groomsman gifts or registry ideas.

If you’re looking for true urban legends, head on over to the Embarrassments page. The rest are good for a few raised eye-brows and a “thank goodness that’s not true”.

And what’s one of the biggest wedding urban legend still circulating…rice and birds. Read here to find out what exactly is it about throwing rice at weddings.

For those who are new to it, a wiki (originally wikiwiki, but you know…we like to save time) is….in a nutshell…a free, online encyclopedia that readers can edit. Some are broad encompassing all topics and some are specific. Since it’s debut on March 3, 2008 there are already more than two hundred articles all about weddings. This means you can look at all the topics on one page and learn something you might not have even known existed. Weddingbee already shows couples all the cool wedding ideas the bloggers bring to the table, but now instead of search the archives for a specific topic, you can check out the wiki.

Ever wonder what boudoir pictures were or what a Thai water ceremony was? The wiki will answer that. And the best part is, the wiki is as cool as you make it. It’s constantly growing and changing with ever bit of knowledge readers pass on. It’s easy to edit and addicting. So what are you waiting for?