Made in the Shade: First Dances

Ball Cap and I had a difficult time deciding on a song for our first dance.  The problem was that we didn't have one song that we considered to be "our" song - we had several!  After some deliberation, we narrowed in down to two - Jack Johnson's Better Together and Coldplay's Sparks. 

Ball Cap is a huge Coldplay fan and we just recently went to their concert in Chicago (amazing by the way!).  Before I met him, I had no clue who Jack Johnson was (I apparently lived in a hole).  Both artists and their songs have built the soundtrack to our relationship.

It felt wrong to choose one song over the other, so why not dance to both?  I e-mailed our DJ and we decided to dance to the first half of Better Together and the second half of Sparks. Our DJ did a great job and the transition was seamless.

Video via YouTube.com

Song transitioned around the 2:15 mark

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Song picked up around the 1:50 mark

Made in the Shade: Grand Entrance & The Cake

We made it to the reception venue just prior to the start of cocktail hour.  We were able to see the space before anyone arrived.  This also allowed us to stand by the entrance in a sort of informal receiving line and greet our guests as they arrived.  I didn't know how much time we'd have later on in the evening to speak with everyone so I was very happy we took the time to do this.

We were serving a fairly large meal after the one hour cocktail hour, so hors d' oeuvres consisted of bruschetta on toasted baguette and spinach and artichoke dip on toasted baguette; both served butler style.  I didn't even try one!  I was on such a high and was so excited to see everyone that food was the last thing on my mind.  I did have someone grab me some water - I was parched from talking so much!

As cocktail hour wound down, the parents, along with us and the bridal party, lined up in the lobby.  The DJ cranked The White Stripes Seven Nation Army and everyone strutted their stuff to a round of applause.

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Made in the Shade: Reception Decor Details



Capturing the reception decor was definitely a priority on the photography list.  After months of hard work and DIY projects, I wanted to be able to look back and remember every, single, detail.

When our guests first entered our venue, they were greeted by a festive table (decorated by my venue coordinator!) that held our thumbprint guestbook.

This photo captures so many amazing things.  My Uncle/Godfather passed away the year before the wedding, so having my Aunt and cousin with us was so important.  My dad's side of the family is notorious for sticking out our tongues when concentrating, and my little cousin is no exception!  Our guests did an amazing job completing our guestbook and we have it proudly hung in our home.

Made in the Shade: Second Location Pictures

We had plenty of time before we needed to be at the reception venue, so we drove around in the party bus and enjoyed the high of newly wedded bliss.  Mr. Ball Cap and I did want to try and capture a few outdoor shots (we were hoping for snow - as you well know by now!), so we scouted a few locations prior to the big day.

We wanted a location that was on the way to the reception venue and that would offer a fun backdrop.  A local restaurant, Teibel's, has huge evergreens surrounding their property and during the holidays, they cover them in lights.  It was perfect!  Well, almost.

By the time we made it there, the temperature had begun to drop and the wind was gusting.  Not exactly ideal conditions for outdoor pics.  Since you only live once, Mr. BC and I went for it.  Our photographer ran out and set up his equipment and got one of the groomsmen to hang on to the light so it wouldn't blow over.  We got the okay and ran out of the bus, clutching my veil to my head. 

Even though we weren't able to have the whole party involved, it was still a fun time that resulted in some memorable shots.