~Four Weddings and a Blogiversary~

Thursday March 6, will mark my one year anniversary, here at the Back Porch. To celebrate the occasion I'm giving a copy of Nell Hill's Stylish Weddings, by Mary Carol Garrity. On the left, the collage shows some of the photos from the book. There are many ideas in the book that can be used for events other than weddings. The pages are filled with beautiful images, as all Nell Hill books are. Some of the images from Stylish Weddings include photos from Mary Carol's daughter's wedding.

To be eligible for the drawing, just leave a comment on this post, between now and Wednesday March 5th. I'll choose a winner by random number the evening of the 5th.
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The wedding photos, in this post, are of J's family from the late 19 teens to the 1940's.

The bride and groom, in this photo, are J's mother and father. To J's mother's right is her sister. To the left of J's dad is another of his mother's sisters. The first bridesmaid on the left is a sister of J's dad. The men in the photo are the husband of one of the sisters, at the left and on the far right a cousin of J's dad.

This couple is J's maternal grandparents.

We believe the gentleman in this photo is J's maternal grandfather's brother.

This groom was a cousin of J's father.

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Today, J had an appointment with a medical specialist. We were both a bit worried, but all seems to be well. While driving home, we decided this would be a good time to take off for the lake. We'll leave early tomorrow, Thursday and return Monday or Tuesday. The weather is supposed to be pretty good with 50'sF, on Sunday. We're looking forward to this little getaway.

I'll check back here Monday evening or Tuesday. Have a wonderful weekend!

~Goin' to the Chapel~

The big day will soon be here!

Friday will begin very early, for us. We have appointments in the morning. Afterward, we will pick up The Dress and Drew's tux then travel south. We plan to stay "in town" the next two days. Tomorrow evening is the rehearsal and dinner. There are a couple of little surprises for the groom, at dinner, I know he will enjoy!

The wedding is fairly small. Family and long time friends are invited to share in the joy of this extra special day.

Yesterday, J tried on his tux. The Groom was there, too. No pictures of the Groom will be published until next week. I'm sure I'll have a couple of photos of the happy couple.

I thought you might like to see photos of the Bride's "other dad" J, photographed at the tux test. He's not bad lookin' for an old country boy!

When you click on the photos, they should enlarge. The first photo is a focal black and white. You will be able to see the vest color. The vests and ties will look amazing with the eggplant attendant dresses. Drew's tux is black, too. His vest is the same as PopPop's and his G'pa Bump's and the other guys. He will be wearing a bow tie. The big guys are wearing neckties. I can hardly wait to see him all decked out. And those little flower girls are going to be so cute, in their white dresses with eggplant sashes. Bridesmaid Xanti will be beautiful, too. Of course, it goes without saying, the Bride will be gorgeous!

Have a wonderful weekend!

~Wedding Card Receiver~

~Card Gazebo~

When I found the Mikasa figurine, last winter, I had no idea how it would be used for the wedding. I gave some thought to placing it under a cloche, for the guest registry table.

While we were tossing around ideas for a card receiver, I remembered I had this gazebo tucked away in the basement storage area. It was a creamy white and the metal leaves were green and rust. The decision was made to paint the gazebo and stand white. The more I thought about it, the more I could see the Mikasa couple "dancing" in the gazebo. I finished the project, this morning, by adding tulle and preserved leaves. The figurine is secured with florist putty. Cards will be slipped between the columns.

~A Walk Around the Lake~

We had a wonderful time at the lake, over the weekend. The weather was perfect.

Evergreen Mfg., one of my favorite places at the lake, was having a Holiday Open House. I visited Sunday morning.

After the open house, we went to Ha Ha Tonka State Park, where we walked the grounds of the castle ruins. I took several photos. The first photo, was taken at Ha Ha Tonka. Molly enjoyed the walk, also. There were lots of folks walking their dogs.

This is the road leading to our condo.

This split rail fence is near a shelter house, inside Lake of the Ozarks State Park. A few of these fences are being refurbished using trees felled by the ice storms, last winter.

This is an area near the marina, inside Lake of the Ozarks State Park.

Another view, inside Lake of the Ozarks State Park.

Bluffs across from the marina. This is on the Grand Glaize Arm of Lake of the Ozarks.

An autumn view of Ha Ha Tonka Castle.

Looking over the bluff toward the spring, Ha Ha Tonka.

Oak leaves, near the marina.

We're making table numbers for the wedding reception, using a few of these photos and others, taken over the weekend. We ordered 4x6 prints, to be attached to 5x7 card stock. The Bride asked for bright fall leaves. I edited a few of the photos and used the saturation tool, to bring up the color.

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We have a few errands tomorrow, so we've decided to turn the day into a mini day trip. I'll have my camera, of course.

Thanks to everyone for your wonderful well wishes for J's retirement!

~Bridal Brunch & Plate Painting~

The Bridal Brunch, hosted by the Bridesmaid (Xanti) and her mother, was wonderful. The Bride and guests enjoyed a lovely morning, last Saturday. Favors are shown in the photo. The larger square is a tea bag envelope. At the upper right, a votive candle favor wrapped in tulle and tied with raffia, can be seen. The Wedding Bingo card, is also shown. I love the fall leaf confetti, used for covering "numbers". The Bride received many wonderful gifts.

During Saturday afternoon, the Bride and I were at The Wedding Shoppe for a final fitting and bustle lesson. The package is one of my brunch gifts. Mikasa 12 Days of Christmas, ornaments.

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Sunday afternoon, we met at The Painted Zebra ceramic shop. The Maid of Honor hosted a plate painting party. The Bride chose the colors and plates.

Being an avid Seattle Seahawks fan, the Bride selected the team's colors. We chose the design we wished to use and painted the plate in the Seattle colors. I traced a fleur de lis stencil. Which, as far as I know, has nothing to do with the Seahawks, but is a symbol of St Louis.

Gabi painted an "abstract" pattern. Xanti chose swirls and dots for her design. I can hardly wait to see how all the plates look, after firing.

We enjoyed a fun afternoon, at this out of the ordinary Bridal Shower.

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At the moment, we're working on a plan for table numbers. When it's finalized, I'll write about it here.

~Post #100 at the Back Porch~

I'm celebrating my 100th post, here at the back porch, with a drawing for the items shown in this photo, a fall leaf kitchen towel, note cards, a sachet with the delicious aroma of fresh pumpkin and a decorative rooster plate.
If you visit frequently or now and then or you are a first time visitor, whether you leave comments or just enjoy reading, please enter. I appreciate all visitors, at the back porch. Leave a comment on this post, between now and midnight (CDT), Friday October 26, 2007 and you will be eligible for the drawing, which will take place, Saturday October 27th.
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The first post, March 6, 2007, was a welcome to my journal. I thought it would be at least a year, before I reached my 100th entry!

The photo, at right, was the first of many photos, here at the back porch





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~Friday With the Bride and Bridesmaid~

The Bride having her hair tryout, last Friday. Her hair is very thick and curly. She made the decision to have her hair done in a style, with some hair up and some down. It's going to be beautiful!

When we were finished at the salon, we drove to Old House in Hog Hollow. Old House is a delightful shop on Olive Street Road, Chesterfield Missouri.

I purchased the note cards and sachet, for this giveaway, at Old House in Hog Hollow.

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Lunch at Cheesecake Factory, Chesterfield. After lunch we enjoyed shopping at the mall.

Don't forget to leave a comment on this post, between now and Friday (26th) midnight (CDT).

~The Venue & Wedding Work~

Hark! The merry chimes are pealing,
Soft and glad the music swells,
Gaily in the night wind stealing,
Sweetly sound the wedding bells.
~Eliza Cook~

The wedding is now less than a month away. Last minute wedding work, is occupying my time, these days.

We are renting the arch, pictured at left. We will remove the ivy and white floral arrangement and replace them with fall leaf garlands. Yesterday, I completed the top piece, pictured above. We plan to decorate the arch, the Wednesday before the wedding, at my daughter's home.

Pedestals, holding live green plants, will be placed on either side of the arch.

I'm making many new lists, in hopes I don't forget a single detail!

I photographed the venue, in late November 2006. I can hardly believe how fast this year has gone by!

The park, where the venue is located, was once a farm. The owners bequeathed the property, to the county, to be used as a park. As you can see, it's a lovely place.

This interior photo of the lodge, is from the county parks and recreation website.

The late Autumn view in this shot is the view we'll have, the day of the wedding. It looks down toward the gazebo, shown in the photo collage above, and a lake.

The groom has a plan to attach clear lights along the rails, which extend across the front of the building.

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Tomorrow, I'm accompanying the Bride and Bridesmaid, when they have wedding day make up and hairsyle "rehearsal". Of course, I'll have a camera.

Soon, I'll tell you about the Officiant and the Musician and other happy plans, for this special day!

Have a wonderful weekend!

~The Bride's Jewelry~

We're considering possibilities for the Bride's jewelry. One possibility is the jewelry in this photo. When J and I were married in November, 1983, I wore the pearls. Who in the world is the dark haired couple in that photo?!

I wondered how the color of the pearls would look with my daughter's white wedding dress. I took this photo, this morning, using white tulle, as a backdrop. It seems the pearls look beautiful, with white.

I gave the Bride my white gold engagement and wedding rings, from 1961, when her dad and I were married. She is having the florist incorporate those rings into her bouquet.

The invitations were mailed, around two weeks ago. The RSVP's have begun to arrive. October will be busy with all the last minute details of the wedding. I'm sure there will be Bridal Showers and other events, we'll enjoy this month.

The preserved fall leaves (pictured) will be used on tables at the reception. I'm working on a little project for cards. I should get busy with that and the remainder of the chair bows.
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~WEDDING UPDATE~

In answer to the request of several of my readers, this post concerns the Mother of the Bride attire.
The jewelry, pictured above, was purchased at Home Traditions, a boutique in Lebanon Missouri.

The dress is from Chico's. It's length is mid calf. I've owned this dress about two years. It's served me well. I purchased the jacket from the same Chico's collection a few months ago. This photo shows the true color of the floral motif.

I found the shoes at Dillards, online. It was a happy accident, when I discovered the floral detail was similar to that of my dress.

I will carry a small black clutch bag, not yet purchased.

Stay tuned, later this week, for the rehearsal dinner attire and jewelry. The jewelry, for that dress, was custom designed and made by Anneliese, an artist in New Mexico.

~Weekend Wedding Work~

The photo was taken in my studio, here at home. I spent most of the weekend, at the lake, working on chair bows. These are for my daughter's wedding in November. I will be making eight of these bows for the head table chairs. The chairs will be standard reception hall variety.
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The attendants' dress color is eggplant. The bouquets are a combination of Fall colors with a bit of eggplant and just a touch of lime. Calla Lilies, Roses and Fall berries will be some of the components of the attendant bouquets. The Maid of Honor is a college friend of my daughter. The Bridesmaid is my oldest Granddaughter.

The Flower Girls will carry floral balls made of tiny Yoko Ono (green) mums. Their dresses are white with eggplant sashes. The Ring Bearer's pillow will be made of the same mum. He will be wearing a black tux, with a tiny Calla Lily boutonniere. This part of the ceremony will bring smiles, indeed! I love it when children participate in weddings! The tiniest attendants will be my two younger Grandchildren and the Groom's Goddaughter

The Bride's bouquet will be made of the above mentioned flowers, plus a beautiful green Hydrangea bloom, in memory of her Paternal Grandmother. All the bouquets and other flowers will be fresh, except for the chair bows and the arch. These will be made of silk flowers and vines. I'll be making the arrangement for the apex of the arch, as well as the chair bows.

A simple tulle bow will be tied around a chair. The silk bouquet will be attached to the tulle bow, using a pin attached to the back.

My daughter has engaged a "day of wedding" coordinator. She and her partner will attach the bows to the chairs and take care of other last minute decorating and wedding details.

The wedding ceremony and reception are at the same venue, a rustic lodge with a beautiful view through windows across the back of the building.

The ceremony music will be provided by an acoustic guitarist.