Quick links: Promises, Party, Pre-Wedding Festivities, Vendors

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Please feel free to e-mail me at rachel@craftyrachel.com.

Professional Photos Copyright Jason Angelini Photography

Preparations

It was 85 degrees on December 29th. The fans saved the day!

I created all of my paper items using Adobe Illustrator, Microsoft clip art, and a font called tagettes.

All of our bouquets, boutonnières, and centerpieces were DIY with flowers from Flower Farms To Go.

I made boutonnières while getting my hair done.

Make your own, too!
Download my DIY Bouquets page
Download my DIY Boutonnieres page

My favorite preparations photo

My Joy Cherry dress, enjoying some air.
That hanger makes me laugh: it kept the dress in perfect form, but doesn't look too glamourous!

Shoes: Caparros Style "Gala" The 3-inch heel turned into 3 inches of muddy mess by the end of the day.
But look at the symbolism: two interlocking rings!

Seth is wearing the Ted Baker cufflinks I got him as an engagement present. Aw, he remembered!

I wore the family wedding necklace, just as my mom and my sister Monica had done.
My granny passed away just one month before our wedding. I wore her diamond earrings as a symbol of her presence.

Lynn Lugo dresses are just so cheerful.

My "little" sister, Monica, and me.

The Family

Seth and the guys went shopping for their ties about an hour before this photo was taken.
I'm gald I didn't know they were so last-minute: this is why brides do not interfere with the groom's attire. Too much stress!

I am so proud of Seth's boutonnière I made.

My ring: an antique European-cut diamond from the 1920s.
Seth's ring: simple band with "Where you go I will go" inscribed inside.

Centerpieces: 18" tall square glass vases with pink and red ginger flowers.
Every other centerpiece had an additional white orchid stem.
I had planned on having cut oranges in the vases, but simply ran out of time.

We named the tables after cities we have visited:
Fez (Morocco), Irkutsk (Russia), Montréal (Canada), Ulan Baatar (Mongolia), Beijing (China)
Cabo San Lucas (Mexico), Hong Kong (China), Paris (France), Dominical (Costa Rica), New York (U.S.A)

Our favor boxs had ribbon of the same color as the ink on our invitations.
Total coincidence, I swear!

Inside: Marble Magnets with magnified little bits of vintage maps on them.
The chocolate is called a papillote and is a traditional French holiday chocolate.

Promises

Our ceremony included Jewish and Protestant traditions, so in the program we had a short explanation of what was going on.
We didn't want to have everything explained out loud...It's a wedding, not a religion course!

My brother-in-law played the seating music, processional, and recessional songs.

Processional: The groomsmen with the chuppah first, then the best man, then Seth with his parents.
Knottie Jessiturs made the gorgeous orchid strings and the fabric is actually an antique tablecloth, a family heirloom of ours.

Renee, Seth's sister, then Theresa, my cousin

Laura and Monica, my younger sisters

Grace, my best friend for over half my life

Anna, Kristen, and Michelle, my cousins. Kristen has the rings tied in her basket.
It was darling how Michelle threw huge clumps of flower petals on the ground.
They looked like flower footprints!

My bridesmaids would kill me if they knew I was showing this view to the world.
I just really like seeing all the colors and sashes!

Walking down the aisle with Mom and Dad.
We were trying not to cry, so I jsut kept saying: "Alice Cooper; we don't want to look like Alice Cooper"

My sisters and best friend sang the song"Painting by Chagall" with my dad on guitar.

We were so nervous about reading the wedding contract that we forgot to focus on what to say during the ring exchange.
Seth put the ring on my finger and just said "I do," which made me laugh and forget what to say.

Wine ceremony: Seth and I poured wine from our respective states and then drank from it.

Mazel Tov!

Our awesome, amazing officiant, Corry.

Party

Our hors d'oeuvre options were international:
latkes, sushi, duck wontons, tomato bruschetta, fish cakes

In a departure from tradition, we had all of our guests sign the ketubah.

Speech!
My favorite part was when Jared ad-libbed: "Hold on, I have to switch hands because this one is shaking....
oh wait, this other one is shaking too."

We snuck out during the salad course to catch some alone shots in time for the sunset...

My (college professor) dad gave a 38-minute thank-you speech, which began with the story of my birth.
He managed to thank everyone in the room as well as tease Seth and the groomsmen (all from USC - my parents went to UCLA)...
We laughed, we cried.

My beautiful grandmother sang "Little Curly Hair in a Highchair", an olds Fats Waller song from the 1930s.

My dad built the cupcake stand, since we didn't find a decent-looking one to purchase.
He cut three rounds of thin wood and used dowels inbetween the tiers.
My mom covered it in white cotton fabric and ribbon.

This cake topper was perfect for a travelling couple like ourselves.
I picked it up in Paris and it fit nicely on the delicious carrot cupcakes my mom made.

This was Seth's parents' cake cutter, which has now been passed on to us.

The croquembouche was one of the biggest hits of the night.
This European wedding cake is made of cream-stuffed pastries piled high.
Harry's Kitchens sent us home with all the leftovers!

This brooch belonged to Seth's grandmother and his parents gave it to me as a gift.
The lace was made by a wonderful French woman in her 80s who lives in a little village called Saint Martin La Sauveté.

Jason Angelini is a crowd pleaser!

My hilarious sisters started dancing together and it got everyone onto the dance floor.

I hope Michelle was ordering a Shirley Temple.

Dancing with Dad.

Laura's talented boyfriend, Kyle, took this photo of us dancing.
For more of his photographic genius, visit The Cold Snap

Other Crosley Weddings:

Jessica & Shaun
Rachel & Cooper
Botumkesar & Benjamin
Katie & Dirk
Julie & Alex
Carley & Lee
Crosley Photo Tour

Pre-wedding festivities

I made a travel guide with maps and directions and all the wedding week events.
I thought the area map looked like it fit in better in black and white,
so I printed these in greyscale on one piece of ivory cardstock, then folded in thirds.

Rehearsal Dinner

I highly recommend having a professional photographer at the rehearsal dinner.
Because we did so, we now have beautiful, candid shots of ourselves, friends, and family, and not just in wedding clothes.
We had the rehearsal dinner at our family vacation house, so it could be a casual & fun being on the water and having a little strip of beach.
My sisters made the groomscake : triple-layered chocolate cake with mint-chocolate filling, Seth's favorite.

Kristen is wearing the silk lace shawl I knit for the wedding.
She is drawing Seth and me, from a giant picture we had on display at the house.

Welcome Bags

Contents:
home-made chocolate chip cookies
Florida wordsearch and Travel-themed Crossword puzzle (see below)
mini plastic citrus juicers ($.59 each at the new Orange Blossom citrus place, on hwy 19 I think?)
Florida oranges and grapefruits
Hershey's dark chocolates, trail mix, & peppermints
We bought these in bulk at Costco and then redistributed them into candy bags from Michael's. We sealed them with "R S" embossed stickers.
coconut-chocolate cookies
map of local attractions, trolley schedule, and our own DIY "travel guide" including the wedding week events
The welcome stand at John's Pass in Madeira Beach is a great place to pick up maps and brochures in bulk.
and most importantly, a hand-written "we're glad you're here!" note

I used Crossword Forge to create the wordsearch and crossword.

Ladies' Champagne Cruise

My sisters, bridesmaids, friends, and I had a perfect, sunny day.
We enjoyed tea sandwiches and other treats aboard the boat and used my Granny's wedding silver.

Uncle Chuck has a charter cruise business in Los Angeles, but rented a boat in Sarasota
so that he could take us out on various cruises all week.
We also organized a sunset cruise for our guests.

Guys' Fishing Voyage

Seth and his groomsmen, my brothers-in-law, and cousins went on a fishing trip the day of the rehearsal dinner.
Apparently, they were having too much fun and got back at sunset, 1.5 hours late for the rehearsal!

Vendors
_

Invitations

Wildflower Letterpress - Chicago, Illionois. I still have not personally met Sam and Vicky from Wildflower, but I can only say wonderful things about them and their work. I am in love with the old-world feel of letterpress, but didn’t want to spend thousands on something many guests would simply throw away. With Wildflower, I was able to design my own invitations and response cards and send them via e-amil as pdf files to letterpress print. Of course, Wildflower also mainly does custom work and offers very creative designs. Excellent e-mail contact and very fast printing time (only a couple of weeks). Very easy to work with from a distance and they sent the sweetest note with the shipment of invitations. Wildflower Letterpress

Paper Source - I used Paper Source for various note cards and also for our response card envelopes, once we found out we were moving to Paris and had to have our response cards sent elsewhere. They really have the best prices I've found, and my maid of honor said she used them for the bridal shower invitations, which were darling. *The* site for the DIY crew. Paper Source

Ceremony and Reception

Crosley Muesum - Sarasota, Florida. The perfect venue for a historical and old Spanish colonial ambiance. It was the mix of antique and tropical that we were dreaming of. I literally got choked up when I first saw it - I couldn’t speak! We didn’t need many decorations at all to have a beautiful backdrop for our perfect day. The architectural details are seemingly endless and one of the best things about the Crosley is that the whole place was “ours” for the day. Not a random swimmer or wandering tourist in sight. The bar prices are reasonable (*especially* compared to New York, which is what we were used to) and the drinks were delicious (my new husband immediately got me a delicious sea breeze - chivalry is not dead!) I can’t even complain about the house wine (I only tried the white), which was great with our seafood meal. The only con is the size: luckily we only had 82 guests, so we all fit in the great room, but any more than about 90 and you have to spill over into other rooms. Powel Crosley Museum

Harry’s Kitchens - Longboat Key, Florida. Is it normal to have mouth-watering *wedding* food? I must admit, we only ever sampled Harry’s menu, but we were instantly sold on them. The coconut-crusted grouper was to die for. They were also incredibly accomodating in terms of menu modifications (we didn't want to serve shellfish, but love crab cakes, so they made fish cakes!) We also got countless compliments on the hors d’oeuvres, which ranged from sushi to latkes to duck wontons, and the desserts - my oh my - the desserts! The croquembouche was fun, memorable, and delicous. Everyone was wondering what it was all about, then they grabbed a piece... excellent. We also had mini key lime pies and a coffee service with clear coffee mugs, which really added a special touch of European elegance to the whole dessert room. Harry’s gave us all the left over desserts and those cream puffs from the croquembouche were the first to go! Harry’s is a bit pricier than the average caterer, but worth every penny. They organized all the rentals and were so accomodating to our idea of serving my mom’s famous carrot cake cupcakes (another hit!). The waitstaff was friendly and attentive. We always had at *least* one server tending to us, to make sure we had everything we needed - and that we didn’t miss the delicious food during picture taking! I couldn’t have asked for more. Harry's Continental Kitchens

Jason Angelini Photography - Observant and discreet, yet assertive when necessary, Jason Angelini has an artistic eye for capturing moments of a significance you may not even realize at the time. He got along so well with our guests, they really opened up to him and some even thought he was a friend of ours that happened to have some fancy equipment! We did some traditional shots, and some that were, well, “edgy” to say the least, and the whole time we felt comfortable and were having fun. Knottie confession: some of our very favorite moments of our wedding day were acutally those we spent shooting pictures! (Seth usually cringes when a family member announces it’s picture time...) Jason Angelini Photography

Flower Farms To Go - For those of you who have decided to do your own flowers like I did (though not recommended for the novice!), consider ordering them at least a week in advance! They can still be delivered the day before the event. I waited to place my order until just a couple days before (don’t ask why - I somehow thought I needed to do that for a more fresh delivery or something), and especially during the holidays, that was not smart. Thank goodness for Flower Farms to Go! I ordered everything online and the coordinator actually called me from Columbia to confirm everything and help me find replacements for flowers that were not in season (oops - didn’t check that). The flowers arrived via FedEx overnight delivery - along with plant food for each flower - and wow, they were stunning. The ginger flowers and orchids didn’t require any arranging. Just snip and put them in a glass vase of water. I got the tall, tropical feel for the receoption tables that I was going for. In fact, the staff of Harry’s catering was excited to get them all at the end of the night - they said they’d use them for an event the following day. The roses were more work, of course, because you have to take off their leaves and thorns. I had done the bouquets for a friend’s wedding a couple years ago and so this whole task didn’t overwhelm me too much, but it really helped to have a team of cousins and friends that were willing to help cut stems and prepare the flowers. The day of the wedding, we made our own bouquets using flower tape from Michael’s. I made all the boutonnières, which were a cinch. My bouquet was the most complicated, because I just had to have a stem of giant orchids in there. Filling in the gaps with roses and hypericum was fine, but if you’re into symmetry, it’s not the arrangement for you.

For 10 reception tables, 8 bouquets of various sizes, and 8 boutonnières, we ordered the following (and there were *dozens* of flowers to spare):

1 box of pink flower petals (1 box was something like 6 individual bags - more than enough for the flower girl and scattering all over the place)
2 dozen bi-color yellow and red roses (they look orange - so cool)
2 dozen pink roses
1 box of red roses (1 box is something like 6 dozen - we had red roses galore)
1 box solid red hypericum (those little berry-looking things I love, if you noted that in my planning pictures- the most cool-looking filler plant!)
1 box each of red and pink ginger flowers (there must have been something like 4 dozen of each - there were plenty!)
1 box giant white orchids (1 box = 6 stems) - we used this for my bouquet and Seth's boutonnière. They were also placed at every other reception table.

The total was a little under $700. Even after one week the roses were still holding up well, and even some of the orchids I saved looked fresh. FlowerFarmsToGo

Tom Kersey, cellist and composer - Tampa, Florida. We are a musical family that likes to support the local musicians, and especially original talent. We really enjoyed Tom Kersey’s group, Kelp, and their blend of jazz, ska, and classical. It was really awesome having a live cellist - how many reception bands include one of those?!! Many of our guests enjoyed it too, but some of the older generation couldn’t relate to the change in tempo and the band’s neglect of playing covers (our request of course). Tom Kersey can arrange a variety of groups and will gladly play jazz standards if you give him some notice, we just decided to go with 100% originals. In retrospect, I should have gotten my act together and requested some standards, and also would have had some other music to play during the band's breaks (another DIY project I didn't get to). Tom Kersey, Cellist and Composer

MP Artworks - Sarasota, Florida. This is where we ordered our ketubah (wedding contract). We thought it would take weeks, but our custom wedding contract, with the text written in both Hebrew and English, was shipped in just about a week. If your’e in the WCF area, you can just give them a call and pick it up. We were able to make ours custom with 100 signiature lines so that all of our guests could sign the contract as witnesses. It was the perfect artwork for our taste in art, colors, venue, and our own style as a couple. MP Artwork

Pixie et Compagnie - Paris, France. Home of the most adorable cake topper. It is surprisingly small, however, so check dimentions! Coincidentally, it is perfect for a cupcake. Pixie et Compagnie

Attire & Jewelry

Premiere Couture - Madison, Wisconsin. Coordinating bridesmaids scattered from Los Angeles to Cleveland is no small feat, but the wonderful women at Premiere Couture made it work. I was set on Lynn Lugo Bridesmaids Dresses (priced from $245) and Premiere Couture was the only centralized place that carried them. They even offered to send entire dresses to my maids so that they could find the fit, style, and color they wanted. It wasn't necessary to do that in the end, but it just shows you the dedication to customer service. Our dresses arrived in a little over a month. Such a fabulous experience. Premiere Couture Bridal Shop

Filene’s Basement’s Running of the Brides - Union Square, New York City. A friend of mine in New York told me about the Running of the Brides the night before the big event and we planned to go for the sole purpose of observing (OK, maybe also mocking) the whole spectacle. People get so crazy about sample sales! We thought we would take the high road and quietly critique our consumer society and the lengths some bridezillas will go to get a designer gown. Well, after jokingly trying on a half-dozen Cinderella poofs bedazzled with fake jewels and way too much lace appliqué, my friend pulled off the rack an antique-looking ivory gown and told me to try it on over the spandex work-out outfit I had worn for the occasion (no chance of getting a changing room at these events, ladies, you have to dress for public changing). There were no elevated cylinders to stand on or three-way princess mirrors, but the glimpse I caught of myself in the security mirror, surrounded by journalists, security guards, and hysterical brides and their friends in powder pink matching " [heart] [ heart] Team Chrystie [heart]" shirts...well, it was magic, and so $450 later, the $3000 Joy Cherry gown was mine, all mine!

Bloomingdales - Lexington Avenue, New York City. I bought my shoes at Bloomingdales, although the Caparros brand is available in other major department stores. I thought the selection at Bloomingdales was the best, however! I went during the work week and received excellent service.

White House | Black Market - St. Petersburg, Florida. I am in love with the getaway dress I got here. Just a few days before the wedding I saw it in the display window of their St. Petersburg store, located in Baywalk. I grabbed it and another dress (the black and white one below - I wore it strapless) for the post-wedding luncheon. The fit is great and the material feels really airy and light. It was a little hint of "bridal" but also very contemporary. The saleswoman was nice and got me a pair or heels to try on with the dress. I received many compliments on the dress and can't wait to wear it again.

Banana Republic - Seth organized the groomsmen's attire by grabbing up or having others snatch the linen and cotton blend suits that went on sale this past summer. They looked great and everyone seems happy with them - they are definitely pieces that can be worn again. I think they were marked down to about $100 for pants and $200 for the blazer. More than a tux rental, but exactly the look Seth was going for! Here again, this was an easy option because Banana Republic is a national chain and the groomsmen live in LA, New Jersey, North Carolina, Cleveland, and London (ok, we picked up the one for the Londoner). They all went out the *day of* the wedding (gasp) and got ties to match the bridesmaids' dresses, fabric swatches in hand. It apparently took them 15 minutes at the outlet mall on the way to Sarasota. Wow, they looked great.

JewelBasket.com - I ordered Seth's ring online and am quite pleased with it. He loves the contemporary style and I was able to have it engraved. The price was the best I could find from a trust-worthy site. We would have prefered doing this in person, but it was too difficult from Paris, and the prices there are really high at the moment because of the strong euro. The 6mm ring I ordered is a *tad* thick, so it's taking Seth a while to get used to , but he claims it is perfect, which is why I think *he* is perfect. JewelBasket.com

Favors & Bridal Party Gifts

Cosmetics Bags from Beaucoup - Gorgeous personalized silk cosmetics bags! They are made of silk dupioni, just like the Lynn Lugo bridesmaids dresses my bridesmaids wore. They were adorable and quite a hit for wedding-day preparations. Beau-coup

Earrings from Nordstrom - Thanks, RedPoppies, for the idea of ordering drop pearl earrings from Nordstrom! Unfortunately they were out of the pink ones (that information wasn't available online on their site- boo), but the white ones were elegant and versatile. I had originally ordered 3 of each color, but found out via e-mail that the pink was unavailable. A quick (and rather pleasant) phone call later straightened it all out and I received both shipments of 3 pairs on the same day, only two days later. Nordstrom Pearl Earrings

Spa Slippers from Sweet Memory Baskets - Since our whole wedding party was staying at a luxurous B&B, I decided to have sort of a pampering theme for their gifts. I ordered spa slippers each with a coordinating monogram. I chose white slippers with tan thread for the monograms, which I though looked more elegant than the pink ones on their website. If you look hard, you can see the bridesmaids wearing them in the pic below. Sweet Memory Basket Spa Slippers

B&B

Mansion House Bed & Breakfast - St. Petersburg, Florida. The innkeepers Kathy and Peter are the most welcoming and thoughtful hosts. I love this place and want to return again and again. In March we had reserved the entire B&B (12 rooms in what is actually 2 houses with a pool and jacuzzi in the courtyard inbetween) and were so excited to finally be able to stay there. We checked in the night before the wedding and they had wine and homemade cookies waiting for us. Seth and I had the Pembrooke room, which is actually like a seperate cottage and there was a wedding-cake soap waiting for us in the bathroom (fabulous attention to detail). The breakfasts are delicious home-made original recipies and each of the rooms is a magical hideaway decorated in a different way. Four poster beds, a million threadcount sheets, and a calm feel throughout. The hot-tub was a hit and my only regret is not taking advantage of our own personal jacuzzi. Kathy and Peter handled with class and ease our somewhat crazy crowd of 20- and 30-somethings, and never complained about our late-night habits (although they may have in private - I probably would have!). FYI, this is the perfect location for a smaller wedding of about 20-24 people, especially since Peter is a notary. They've hosted weddings before, one of them coming all the way from Scotland. We hope to return again sometime for an anniversary. Highly recommended! Mansion House Bed & Breakfast