Bride-to-Be Blogger Danielle: All the Details!

By the time you all read this, I will be a married lady. I kept some details of my wedding close to the vest, lest I not spoil all the surprises. But, now that it’s all said and done, here are some of my favorite little touches that were secrets up until the wedding:

1. The music: Our bridesmaids walked down the aisle to “Something,” by The Beatles. As I walked down the aisl,e our musicians, No Basement at the Alamo, played “Green Eyes,” by Coldplay, a song that reflects the way Tim feels about me, and which is even more appropriate due to my own green eyes. The recessional was “Do You Remember,” by Jack Johnson, a song Tim and I often listen to over breakfast on Sunday mornings. Our first dance was to “Nothing I Can Do,” by Ben Taylor, and I danced with my father to “Daughter” by Loudon Wainwright Jr. This one was fitting due to the line “that’s my daughter in the water,” which was repeated over and over again throughout the song, as I have played water sports my entire life.

2. The favors: I promised beachy, but not cheesy, favors. Thanks to Tim’s best man and his amazing wife, we gave out 4-oz. bottles of sunscreen, imprinted with custom labels from Vistaprint that proclaimed, “Thanks for filling our day with sunshine!” Yes, we bought everything in bulk, filled and labeled the bottles ourselves. If I ever have to fill a bottle again it will be too soon, but it was well worth it!

3. The photo opp: I met Tim’s family on our third date (no pressure!), and that day, he and I had a huge come-from-behind win on the bocce court. For the wedding, we put out a bocce set in the corner of the yard, just outside the tent. I have a feeling it was a fun photo opp, and also a great distraction for those who didn’t want to dance.

4. My gift to Tim: Tim’s favorite color is orange. Strange, I know, but he loves it. On the morning of our wedding, I gave him a stainless steel watch with an orange face that I hunted down on eBay. It’s a little flashy, but I couldn’t resist. I also surprised him with an orange dress at our rehearsal Friday night.

5. The cake cutting: It was important to Tim and me to honor our families. After cutting the cake we said a few words of thanks, then served our grandparents first, followed by our parents. As we merged our two families we wanted to make a point to remember how we got here in the first place.

6. The right-hand ring: Following in the same vein, I wore a ring on my right hand that I had made for the occasion. It held the birthstones of my two grandmothers and my mother. I am lucky enough to have had all three of them at the wedding, and this is something I will wear to honor them for the rest of my life. The ring was made from tiny earrings they gave me as a child, some passed down. I chose a simple setting at Steven Singer Jewelers and they cautiously reset the stones for me. It was my “something old.”

7. The dress: Well, you’re just going to have to wait for pictures!

I’ll be back with another update on my wedding, soon. In the meantime, happy planning to all you brides out there!

Getting married? Start and end your wedding planning journey with Philadelphia Weddings' guide to the best wedding vendors in the city.