My work in a styled wedding photoshoot

Today I am happy to share the results of a collaboration that ensued after participating in the Engaged wedding event last October.

At the fair, I met Jo-Anne from Wedspiration and Stijlvolle trouwkaarten. After taking a look at my hand-painted cakes she asked me if I would like to make something special for a styled photoshoot that was going to take place shortly after. Of course I said yes!
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A few emails back and forth and we had decided on cream and dark-green macarons painted with fern motives, as well as some homemade looking cookies.

I love the results, so if you are looking for a bit of tropical wedding inspiration (there was a parrot!) in emerald and copper tones, have a look. 

The photoshoot also appeared in the Wedspiration magazine, that you can see in full here.

I was thrilled to participate in such a fun team effort. And with this I wish you all happy pre-holiday days, oh the excitement.

Credits:
Photography by FOTOZEE
Flowers / Plants and styling DonFlorito
Wedding dress: Speksnijder Bruidsmode
Makeup and hairstyiling: The Beautiful Bride Company
Printed material: Stijlvolle Trouwkaarten
Hand-painted macarons and cookies: Tartas y Pinceles
Cutlery and interior decoration articles: H&M Home;  IKEA
Animals: Luxury by Nature
Organization: Wedspiration
Models: Jedidja Trooster-de Jong en Mark Trooster
Location: Landgoed Waterland 

4 years

4 years ago today, on a sunny September Saturday morning I started getting ready for a very special day.

It has been 4 years of adventures, of annoying each other, of taking walks, of travelling together, of choosing each other every morning, of being there, of pushing each other to be the best selves we can be, of holding each other accountable, of hoping and praying and wishing... and having our prayers answered. Of being so absolutely happy even-though there have been hard moments and there are times when all we want to do is sigh loudly and scream at other in the face because I left cabinet doors open again or there are socks laying everywhere or I got lost because I got the wrong advice.

This morning I was surprised with breakfast at the door, M had to act like he didn't know anything while I was busy preparing the kid's steamed pear and cereal and our usual chamomile tea and toast with butter and jam (which reminds me of a silly saying we used to say in high-school: "we love our bread, we love our butter, but most of all we love each other").

A week ago we finally got to a notary and signed a will. I don't think I ever felt so grown-up in my life, a small signature implying so much. We really are doing this together, and we have to think of all kinds of morbid scenarios and take care of each other, of the wee one.

Marriage is beautiful, and marriage can be hard, but it is so worth it. And I feel so lucky, blessed and beyond grateful that I get to share and live life with Mark, that we get to do this huge thing together.

Three

Today, we have been married 3 years. And this year there's (finally) 3 of us. I can only hope for more years together, taking walks, bickering over small stuff, hugging, playing, discovering the world together, going on adventures, trying all the yummy stuff. One day I hope we're like this couple (have you seen New York I love you?):

Speaking of New York, I want to say thanks to Tania, who sent an envelope full of goodness (dulce-de-leche hard caramels, guayaba jelly and a couple of lip tints) that arrived just in time for this. If you want to make the boy happy...get him some candy. And we are both crazy about guayaba! Thanks so so much.

The magic of weddings

As you know, this year, we have been hoping to enlarge our family. This might not yet have happened in the way that we are the most expecting, but the other day I was thinking about it and I realized that I have been blessed with a new brother and a new sister. Yes, because between my little sis' wedding this February, and my brother's wedding more recently our family has indeed grown. I love both of our "new" additions, more that I can express in words. It is funny, growing up... how everyone is more settled, more their own person. But I digress. Being present at these two weddings made me realize what makes it all so special: it is the joy, the excitement, the pouring of love, the  intense family togetherness that is only possible every once in a long while, and all the fun involved when everyone is in such a hopeful mood. So many people wishing well to the new couple embarking in a lifetime together is uplifting. I did not cry during our ceremony (I remember feeling very calm), but I teared up at more than one moment during my brother's wedding. It is like renewing our vows every time we hear them, while also loving very hard those who are starting this road. And on top of it all, an epic dance party.

An easy 'Alice in Wonderland' guest book

We were lucky enough to assist my brother's wedding this weekend (more on that coming later). As per usual, the last days before the big day were full of hectic activities and last minute errands and so, as soon as we landed (well, after sleeping a few hours) we were on full helpers mode, running around, bringing stuff to the venue, making signs and being as available as we could. A day before the wedding my dear sister in law called me to assign me a task: she had printed cards for the guests to leave them a message, but she did not really think of where and how to do it. We knew there was going to be a candy table and that there was a bit of an Alice in Wonderland theme, so all the time lost to wedding porn was not in fact lost. I quickly searched the house for what could be useful for this mni project and found everything we needed: a portrait, my beloved porcelain Alice, my sister's wooden coffer and a hand painted cat we got for my mom in Istanbul. With a little help from the internet and the boy's skills we were ready in less than 2 hours. For the sign we used the images from the original book. We found them ready to download in high resolution at Lenny's Alice in Wonderland site. The rest was just a piece of cake, as all we the boy had to do was open the file in word, insert a text box and write short instructions. My original Lewis Carrol book came in handy as we were able to find a font very similar to the one in the first version. If you would like, here is the file as we printed it, feel free to modify it or customize it to your needs.  We also used an empty blown glass tequila bottle that allowed people to leave a donation for the groom and bride, which was a surprise for them. All in all I am quite happy of how it looked, but most of all I was happy to be able to help.

2 years.

<<The young couple first married on August 5, 1744, when Joseph was eight and Sarah six, and first ended their marriage six days later when Joseph refused to believe, to Sarah's frustration, that the stars were silver nails in the sky, pinning up the black nightscape. They remarried four days later, when Joseph left a note under the door of Sarah's parents' house: I have considered everything you told me, and I do believe that the stars are silver nails.

They ended their marriage again a year later, when Joseph was nine and Sarah seven, over a quarrel about the nature of the bottom of the river bed. A week later, they were remarried, including this time in their vows that they should love each other until death, regardless of the existence of the riverbed, the temperature of the river bed's bottom (should it exist), and the possible existence of starfish on the possibly existing riverbed.

They ended their marriage one hundred and twenty times throughout their lives and each time remarried with a longer list of vows. They were sixty and fifty-eight at their last marriage, only three weeks before Sarah died of heart failure and Joseph drowned himself in the bath. Their marriage contract still hangs over the door of the house they on-and-off shared-nailed to the top post and brushing against the welcome mat:

"It is with everlasting devotion that we, Joseph and Sarah L, reunite in the indestructible union of matrimony, promising love until death, with the understanding that the stars are silver nails in the sky, regardless of the existence of the bottom of the river, the temperature of this bottom (should it exist) and the possible existence of starfish on the possibly existing riverbed, overlooking what may or may not have been accidental grape juice spills, agreeing to forget that Joseph played sticks and balls with his friends when he promised he would help Sarah thread the needle for the quilt she was sewing, and that Sarah was supposed to give the quilt to Joseph, not his buddy, ignoring the simple fact that Joseph snores like a pig, and that Sarah is no great treat to sleep with either, letting slide certain tendencies of both parties to look too long at members of the opposite sex, not making a fuss over why Joseph is such a slob, leaving his clothes wherever he feels like taking them off, expecting Sarah to pick them up, clean them, and put them in their proper place as he should have, or why Sarah has to be such a pain about the smallest things, such as which way the toilet paper unrolls, or when dinner is five minutes later than she was planning, because, let's face it, it's Joseph who's putting that paper on the roll and dinner on the table, disregarding whether the beet is a better vegetable than the cabbage, putting aside the problems of being fat-headed and chronically unreasonable, trying to erase the memory of a long since expired rose bush that a certain someone was supposed to remember to water when his wife was visiting family, accepting the compromise of the way we have been, the way we are, and the way we will likely be. May we live together in unwavering love and good health. Amen.">>

-text from Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran 
-Foto by Fotoflex

Time is flying

Today, it has been 2 years since our civil wedding. Or our non-elopement. The original idea was to take our witnesses and go to city hall on a normal monday morning, in our everyday clothes. But when we told our families' about our plan, they were like no-oh and ended up coming. All in all we were 16 people. After the short ceremony we went for breakfast at one of our favorite cafés, Dudok. Their cake is famous. The boy says he feels grown up now. It has been the best two years. Fun, and adventures, and calm evenings on our couch.

So... lil' sister's wedding.

 It came and went. It was amazing to see so many friends and family members together at the same time, some of whom I hadn't seen together in a long, long time. It was a hectic day, setting up the dessert table and photobooth, then heading to the hairdresser, getting ready and dressing up my sister, and then rushing to the church to organize the flower girls and boys, make sure everybody knew what they had to do in the ceremony (though it was in fact chaotic) and then letting it all go and enjoying the reception.  So much fun. Here are a few pics, I will show you moreas soon as I can, so stay posted :)

Little sister's wedding: of cartoons and colors.

The excitement is growing... we are all packed, all the boxes in my to-do list of last minute errands have been ticked, and now is when I get to tell you how all the inspiration went from Mexican-outdoor-party to Lilac and Turquoise. It turns out that my sister and her fiancé (well mostly my sister) are big fans of Disney movies. Early in their relationship, she started calling him Sully (from Monsters Inc).

So it was only natural for them to use the colors of the film for their decorations and cake toppers.  (I will show you those when the time comes, but it was an adventure to find them. We went to all kinds of toy stores and Disney shops but in the end the rainforest saved the day).

But if Sully was supposed to represent the groom it was a bit weird to use little Boo as the cake topper so we had to find a princess, or some other character to pair it with. We wanted someone wild and fun loving, not your regular syrupy girl. First we thought of Kevin, the crazy bird from Up, but it was impossible to find a little figurine. And then, we thought... well Rapunzel ! She is adventurous a rebel, and up for anything, and her dress happens to be lilac, so it was perfect. Also, she has a camaleon !

Anyway, I already showed you the dress I will be wearing. Well, my sister in law will be wearing a similar one in the same fabric. Have you read this article on how to coordinate mismatched bridesmaids? Since everyone is far away we decided to let everyone do their thing, sticking to a general palette.

 As for the accesories, I will be wearing lilac shoes, that I already had, and the boys will use these turquoise ties.  I am so happy. I literally can't hardly wait. And yes, I know details are not important and clothes and fashion and earrings and necklaces are irrelevant, but it is fun right ? And we have to wear something!

First images, in order, from here, here and here.

So, wedding planning...

 It can get so crazy. We are almost there, with my sister's wedding, less than 1 month left actually. And I think we are currently in Stage 5 (see Shiny Pretty bits for the full process, via Pieces of Anna)

"5. Rebellion – “EFF it”
Faced with the need to simplify and regain a sense of control, the individual may find themselves ruthlessly slashing things from the wedding. Marked by feelings of apathy and exhaustion. Persons may find themselves telling over zealous friends and family where to stick their “helpful suggestions”. Rebellion can give the individual a false sense of Zen, resulting in a regression to stage 4. It is not uncommon to mock The Knot during this phase."

If you take a look at the pinterest board I made for lil´sis at the beginning of it all you will realize how many things have changed. Once upon a time, it was supposed to be a day-mexican-kermesse-like party, in an outdoor location, with lots of typical things.

Then, because of logistical reasons, it turned to the classic dinner and dancing affair, and the mexican decorations we originally had imagined did not really stick. So now that will be more of a lilac and turquoise effortless chic affair.

 We still kind of want lots of glass jars, but I do not know how that fits in an indoor location at night.
At this moment, not all people have RSVP-ed and even I, the sister, have to harass some of them. The deadline was the 10th of January, and we still haven´t heard about some 40 people. I think I´ll turn to Alyssa and her advice... 

  You know when it all started I had so many projects in mind. I am still going to organize and set a dessert table, and there is a surprise coming too (that I will tell you about later) but one of the main things I wanted to organize was a flashmob, and now I have no idea how you coordinate 150 people to all dance at the same time. Sure I found some videos and we have candidate songs that I could send to them (or should I say to some of them, because I do not even have everyone´s email, and I do not want to ask my sister or her fiancé, because it is supposed to be a secret thing), but other than that I am stuck in the mental process. Oh oh oh... any ideas ?

Images via here, here, here, here and here.

Cheerleading on each other

I already told you about Meg before. About how she has built a community of intelligent, funny women supporting each other, yes, through the (sane) wedding planning process but also through much much more. The girl pushes you to be who you want to be, to do what you have to do,  to dream without limits. But then she stalks you to not leave it at dreams. She makes you get a notepad, write the steps-to-the-dream and put yourself to work. Like her classmate said:

"Meg is amazing because she wants you to be your best self and is super forceful about making you work hard for it (...). It makes you feel like you're capable of amazing things."

And not unlike that quote from T.S. Eliot: "Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go."  Her (and the valuable community she has grown, little by little, like a plant) helped make this happen without any major drama involved:

but by the time we were married, I realized I was just going to keep on reading her. Every day. Because the wedding talk is just camouflage. It's about life, it's about feminism, it's about happiness and navigating through hard-stuff. It's about knowing that even in dark periods you -we- are not alone, and that everything is possible, like she said (about finally being able to write her book):

I’d forgotten what it was like to knock on door after door after door and get told no, over and over again. I’d forgotten how depressing it was. I’d forgotten how determined it can make you. I’d forgotten that confusing, partially excited, mostly terrified feeling that you get in the pit of your stomach when someone finally says yes. I’d almost forgotten that art is my hustle.

But over these last few weeks, I’ve remembered. I’ve felt the instantaneous swoop of despair you feel at "no." I’d felt the confusing terror of "yes."

And today is the day when the book goes out. It is our (at least my) chance to pay it forward, to make it a bestseller for a day. So, if you know anyone who is getting married. Will someday get married. If you are married and like weddings, or if you just want a funny, feminist book, you are able to help this girl go big, because she has given us (me) so much. The great APW Book Buy starts today at 3:00 a.m. PST (Pacific Standard Time), that is 12:00 European time. So yes, I'm telling you it will be worth reading. And I want to help this girl's big dream come true.

Oh happy day.

 This is going to be an ode to Skype. The little program has changed my life. If it was not because of it the boy and me would not have been able to talk for hours, for free, during the period of time that we were long distance when I was still in Spain. I can not imagine how we would have survived this period without being able to talk to each other on a daily basis. Or maybe we would just be a lot poorer by now, after all we had telephones since Alexander Graham Bell. My point here is, last Saturday was my little sister's civil wedding, and we were able to be present through the whole ceremony through a Skype videocall. I don't think I have enough words to thank Skype for that . We got a fancy cake made of vanilla crème-anglaise, ananas and raspberries, and we gathered behind the computer to take part of the ceremony.

We were also able to send her a nice bouquet of flowers through the internet, oh magic days of technology that we live in. She did not expect it at all and was incredibly happy.

Thank you

 Thanks to all of you who put up with were here reading this wedding series every day. When I started writing recaps, I thought I would be done within a week or a week and a half max. As it turned out,  it ended up taking me 3 weeks. If by any chance a bride-to-be stumbles upon this posts, I hope they can be of help or inspiration. In the same line, I would like to thank those sources I found here and there that helped and inspired us during our wedding planning, and who knows, maybe they can also help another couple somewhere.
- There is of course A practical wedding. All those smart discussions are not to be missed. I can assure you,  you will keep going back. Don't be misguided by the title, it is not only about weddings, though mostly, yes. It is a community, it is support,  it is breaking the mould and finding your way. Go check, you'll see what I mean.
-You can read all of Meg's wedding planning here. I originally found her blog in a rather superficial way by googling something like "wedding dress not poofy, not strapless, not sparkly". Then I was hooked.
-For pretty inspiration I loved Green Wedding Shoes.
-If you can read french, Mademoiselle Dentelle is full of original ideas and sane advice as well (Now she also writes at  Madame Dentelle with recipes, home improvement and all kinds of tips) .
-For a different perspective you can go to Jolis mariages and Tren di Nozze, french and italian wedding and party inspiration blogs.
-When you want a break of it all, I recommend East Side Bride with her no-nonsense fashion and sometimes general life advice. She is hilarious. The  Broke ass Bride is also very funny and full of practical ideas.
-You should also absolutely read "Comment être une vraie princesse mais en moins coincée"  by Iris se Marie, where she describes what we can learn from the royals, or how to look like a princess without looking like a 5 year old. No really. Read it. It is one of the funniest things I found, I want to print it or something. (And sorry, there is no direct link to the post itself but it is the 2nd post from the top on the first link)
-Then there is Robin at Hitchdied, who keeps starting smart conversations and rebels against all the cultural b******t that society dictates on women, in the context of her own wedding planning. But in a very funny way.
-Sharon, who writes at Bride Sans Tulle, is wise, thoughtful, sweet and sassy. You can read about her wedding day and planning on her blog. Her wedding grad at A Practical Wedding is one of my all time favorites.
-Lauren's prewedding adventures are also worth a read. Post edit: Here is her wedding graduate post and you can read more about her fabulous wedding here and here.
-Ines just started a series about her lovely lovely wedding. She wore salmon shiny shoes and made her dress and all kinds of cool games for her guests. I can't wait to read what she has to say.
-And Peonies and the Boy's wedding is also one of the most beautiful I ever saw. These days she writes about her life in the UK, she seems so wise and kind. Oh and her pictures. Make me dream.
I hope to see you back here  on Monday... on our regular random subjects :) Thanks again !

It's hard to model.

 Oh yes. I wonder if it is also hard for other people. For those with the coolest pictures ever. And yeah, I am talking about the wedding pictures. I am very happy with the end result, but boy, was it awkward. I guess that is the advantage of the so-called engagement sessions. You get to "practice", to be more comfortable with the camera and with your photographer. I remember being there and feeling stupid the whole time (boy had the same). Should we laugh? Should we look serious? Yes, yes it is all about being "ourselves" and forgetting that the camera is there but when the photographer is looking for a certain shot, well he tells you where to stand and what to do and that just kind of kills the moment. We did manage to get some of those trendy shots. We love graffittis and we are always taking pictures in front of them, whenever we have a chance.

 So when we discovered an abandoned graffitied school we wanted to take some pics there. We actually wanted to have the reception there, but we asked the city and it was not allowed because of fire regulations.

We also had some of those "classic" shots taken, just in case.

But in the end, my favorite pictures are the ones that were taken "spontaneously" when we weren't even trying. When we really did manage to forget this was a photoshoot.

This one for instance is the one we chose to frame and put over our bed, it looks very romantic and all, but acually I was looking at the dogs. I was like: "oh Terranovas. Ar those Newfoundandlers ? Ohhh are they gonna jump in the lake now?"

* All photos, except the first one, by Fotoflex