The Game

So I've been focusing on music for the last few updates, and while dancing is the main entertainment at most weddings, that won't really cut it for ours.   Most of our wedding guests are family, and a lot of our family members don't dance, either for religious reasons or simply because they don't enjoy it.  Though I could dance the night away, and have a great time doing it, the last thing I want is for all of my guests to be bored.  Instead, they get board games!

For my family, playing board games has long been our way of having fun as a family.  I'm hoping that even my older brother, who has Asperger's and difficulty in social settings, will be able to loosen up and have fun if I let him bring a deck of Magic the Gathering cards and play with Joshua, his groomsmen, and my other brother for awhile.  And for our other family members who aren't as familiar with that game, we can have fun, easy to play games.

Reception Music

What better way to follow up the ceremony than with a reception?  I can't say I've narrowed down all of my music choices yet, but I have a few ideas for songs that I'd like played during the reception.  We're going with the cheap and easy 'iPod' DJ, where we create some mp3 playlists and just mash go for instant entertainment!  Playing off the abundance of video game music during the ceremony, I'm going to use a game song for our first dance, too.



However, Joshua and I are actually disagreeing on which song we should use for our first dance.  While I'm a huge fan of "Eyes On Me" (as seen in the above video), Joshua really wants to do a more classical dance, like a waltz.  Or the 'Waltz For The Moon'.  While this would be crazy impressive, I'm not sure if either of us has the patience to learn that whole dance without bickering at each other.  I think this'll just become a 'we'll see' thing and we'll be flexible either way.

Nowhere To Go But Up

Ahh, the decor.  You have your tables, centerpieces, floral arrangements, and all sorts of things to think about.  One thing that is always important to consider, and often forgotten, is the ceiling.  At least that's what they taught me in design school.  And when you're starting with either a tent or a picnic shelter as your reception venue, you have a lot of decorating up to do.  Thankfully, there are a lot of great ideas for weddings out there.

I love the look of paper lanterns, and there are several websites where you can purchase them for a little over a dollar apiece.  If I look around, I might even be able to find other brides who are selling theirs after their own weddings, and save even more.  These can make a very big impact, and with some LED lights and batteries, can even light up the reception as it begins to get dark.  And after the wedding, I might be able to sell mine back to yet another bride, saving her a lot of money.  All in all, it's a lot of look for not a lot of money.

Visiting Venues

Though I know it's usually traditional to hold the wedding ceremony and reception at different locations, I never quite understood that.  Since I wanted the same sort of location for both (a nice, outdoor area), I'm planning on just using the same location for both.  And at first, I had a really great plan.  The college I attended, O'More College of Design, used to let students use the campus for events for free.  A historic mansion as a backdrop, a recently renovated landscape, lots of pretty details.  I was in love.

Front Lawn

New Landscaping

Sadly, when I finally went and contacted them about it, this policy had changed, and it was no longer free.  It's still incredibly affordable for any bride on any sort of average budget.  And even with my piddly budget, I'm considering it.  But it's probably dropped down on my list.  I still suggest it to other brides, though, looking for that perfect outdoor venue.  It's really lovely.  

Suddenly, Cranes! Thousands of them!

1000 paper cranes.  Based on an ancient Japanese legend, any person who can fold 1000 of them will be granted a wish by a crane.  There's also a more contemporary story of Sadako Sasaki, a young girl who tried to fold 1000 cranes to fight her leukemia as a result of the bombing of Hiroshima.  Whether she was actually able to finish is up to speculation, but either way, her efforts are remembered by many.

I don't know if I really believe that I'll have a wish granted if I fold 1000 of them.  But I do believe that the level of dedication, perseverance, and joyful effort required in folding them all will be helpful to a marriage, as well.  On top of that, the strings of cranes are beautiful, and a single folded crane looks an awful lot like a flower.