Trashing the Dress

About a week after our wedding, I met up with some of the bees in New Orleans for fun-filled weekend complete with sight seeing, devouring delicious seafood, and drinking our way through Bourbon Street. I was also fortunate enough to do a Trash the Dress shoot with the lovely Ms. Fondue, who just so happens to be a kick ass photographer!

As you know, I sold my dress, so obviously I didn't trash my actual wedding dress. Instead, I pulled a Mrs. Cola and found one online for really cheap!

Ms. Fondue and I had a ball, and I was thrilled with the final results. Take a look!

{all photos by Jessica Winn}

Ms. Fondue and I really wanted to find a fountain for me to jump in, but believe it or not, we couldn't find a single one! Maybe that's a good thing - that New Orleans doesn't have any fountains on Bourbon Street...

Are you planning on doing or did you do a TTD session?

Goofy Pictures & Silly Names

Bear with me, Hive...this is gonna be a long and photo-heavy post!  I recently sat down to make our table numbers.  And I'm using the term "numbers" loosely.  You see, our tables aren't really numbered at all!  We picked out one picture for each table.  Some were representative of some of our favorite things.  Some were representative of some of our favorite inside jokes.  Then, we came up with silly names to correspond with each photo, most of which involved using the word "table" as some kind of pun.  Best of all, I found these ornament-shaped cards at Paper Source!

But Miss Lioness!  What in the world would you need ornament-shaped cards for?  Your wedding isn't anywhere near Christmas!  Well, turn it upside down...

Booyah!  Hot air balloon.

I printed out the table names in green ink, using the font Monterey BT and some leftover label paper from our wraparound labels.  Then, I sliced them up with a paper cutter.

Next, I stuck each label onto a "balloon."

Then, I trimmed the excess label paper so that it fit neatly on the balloon.

Then, I did the same thing with photos.

Then, I repeated these steps for each of the 17 cards.

{the front}

{the back}

What's that?  You want to see each individual picture?  I mean they're mostly just embarrassing nerdy things or memories from random Disney vacat--OKAY!  (Lioness wedding guests, leave now if you wanna be surprised!)

There's Gold at That There Table

Disney World, 2006

There used to be a little McDonald's french fry cart in Frontierland and for some reason, this sign became one of my family's favorite inside jokes.

It's On Like Table

Disney World, 2009

Clearly, a Donkey Kong reference.

The Table Who Says Ni

Savannah, 2009

A Monty Python reference.

The Bunny Butt Table

Our first apartment, 2009

Corgis' rear ends look like they belong on some kind of rabbit.  Lion Corgi is no different, and this is our favorite family photo.

Please Stand Clear of the Table

Disney World, 2007

The Disney monorail says "please stand clear of the doors; por favor mantengase alejado de las puertas."  We were actually waiting for the tram when this picture was taken, but we figured it was close enough.

The Tarzan Table

Costa Rica, 2010

Ziplining is awesome.  I highly recommend it.

Knights of the Round Table

UCF E-Pics Session, 2010

UCF's mascot is the Knight.  I think the rest of that name is self-explanatory.  Photo by Evan Hampton.

Where the Girls Are the Fairest, The Table Is the Squarest

UF E-Pics Session, 2010

A line from "We Are the Boys," an old UF song.  Photo by Evan Hampton.

Eat More Table

Chick-Fil-A, 2010

Mr. Lion and I have dressed up for Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-Fil-A four years in a row now.  What?  They give you free food!

That's What Table Said

New Orleans, 2010

We saw this sign in NOLA and immediately decided that we don't deserve it, because we constantly use the "that's what she said" joke.

Would You Sit at This Table for a Scooby Snack?

Gainesville, 2005

Our very first date.  He wore a blond wig and an ascot for me.  Those other kids in that picture somehow made it into our bridal party...

Beer Pong Table

Gainesville, 2005

Mr. Lion and I first met while playing beer pong.  It may sound strange, but that silly game is still very near to our hearts.

The Table

Atlanta, 2009

Our friend threw a watching-party for the season finale of "Lost" one year, and we decided to dress up as characters from the show.  Mr. Lion and Lion Gman Ryan both decided to dress up as Charlie, and accidentally wore the same outfit...complete with Guitar Hero guitar.  This card doesn't actually say "The Table."  It's just the Dharma Initiative logo with a table on it, instead of a swan or something.

{by Sister Lioness, of course}

Aren't You a Little Short to Be a Table?

Disney World, 2006

Mr. Lion was pretty psyched to meet a Storm Trooper.  The name is a line from Star Wars.  Don't judge me.

I Love Table

South Shore of Massachusetts, 2009

This is the town my family grew up in, where we have summered for four generations.  It was a really big deal when I took Mr. Lion there, knowing that we would someday bring a fifth generation there.  The lighthouse in the distance flashes once, then four times, then three times, thus the nickname of the "I Love You" lighthouse.  So we decided to call this picture "I Love Table."  It also doubles as an "Anchorman" reference.

The Happiest Table on Earth

Disney World, 2009

This one's going on our sweetheart table.

Who's At This Table?

Yankee Stadium, 2006

I'm a Sox fan; Mr. Lion's a Yankees fan.  I couldn't come up with a name for this picture without using the word "evil," and he couldn't come up with a name without using the word "rings."  We agreed on a "Who's On First?" reference.

{all personal photos, unless otherwise noted}

It's not the most beautiful DIY project I've made so far, but I definitely think it'll make for a good conversation-starter!  What are you doing for your table numbers or names?

A Unique Opportunity

One of my PT school BFFs got married back in August.  I had the privilege of being a bridesmaid, but more importantly, my other PT school BFFs were bridesmaids too.  It was the first time that the five of us (well, the ten of us if you count our SOs) were reunited since graduation in May, so we had a lot of fun to catch up on!

One of the most important people present was PT school BFF Christina's husband, Evan, who was the wedding photographer that weekend.  As I've mentioned before, he's also our wedding photographer...and I have to say, seeing Evan in action was a really interesting experience.  Evan has been our friend for a couple of years now.  He argues with us about whether or not the finale to "Lost" was good enough, he's always introducing us to great new music, and he has a serious problem with saying "that's what she said" far too often.  But that weekend, I got to see a different side of him.

{personal photo}

Granted, we had already hired Evan, but that weekend was almost like an audition.  We got to see him when he was at his professional best.  His confidence put everyone at ease, which was strange because he's probably the second most awkward one in our group (second to me, of course).  He was clear and direct with instructions, but never overbearing.  He led well, but was also open to all kinds of ideas.  I was wicked psyched when he finished editing and sent over the finals.  It was so wonderful to see the finished product!

There were the more traditional shots, like putting on the dress...

...and admiring the final bridal look.

But there were also the less traditional photos.  One unique Evan-ism is what I like to call the "playing with layers" shot:

 

Another thing I liked about Evan's work was that even though both the ceremony and the reception were indoors, he wasn't afraid to deviate from the plan and take advantage of a gorgeous day.

One thing I admire about Evan's photography skills is that he somehow has the ability to see things that most people don't notice.  For example, I had no idea that the sun was making this shot possible:

{all photos by Weddings by Evan Hampton unless otherwise noted}

Seeing our photographer in action reaffirmed our decision to use him, not just because he's our friend but because he just plain rocks.  I've also heard of brides who found their wedding bands at another friend's wedding.  Have you had the opportunity to see one of your vendors in action?

Personalizing the OOT Bags

In addition to our groceries, a map, and a list of our favorite local places, I wanted to include a personal note in our OOT bags.  Sticking with our local theme, I found these lovely letterpress notecards:

Source

Yes, they're beautiful, but I had my reservations.  First of all, they were a little too expensive for me.  My main concern, however, was the wording.  "Greetings from Atlanta?"  It may sound trivial, but I really wanted "welcome to Atlanta."  I know, I know, cue Luda soundtrack.  But seriously.  We're welcoming them into our home, not greeting them from afar!

Well, if you can't find the right notecard, you just have to create it yourself!  There's a sign on Ponce (a major road here) that I knew would be a perfect setting for a photo shoot.  We grabbed a prop, called up our photographer friend, and brought along Lion Corgi for a little doggie cameo.

{photos courtesy of Weddings by Evan Hampton}

I love Lion Corgi's face in that first one...she's like "Do you see my dad in the background?  Is he for real right now?"

How are you personalizing your OOT bags?

E-Pics: The Outtakes

Something y'all should know about the Lions is that we are really REALLY into goofy pictures.  And I'm not just talking "tee hee, you stuck your tongue out!"  I'm talking full blown nerd.

Sometimes we're sober:

Sometimes...not so much:

Sometimes Lion Corgi even gets in on the fun!

{all personal photos}

So when we ended up with several classic outtakes from our e-pics shoots, I knew we had to do something fun with them at the wedding.  They're definitely going to make an appearance in our rehearsal dinner slideshow, but I'm not sure where else to put them.

 Yep, that's Mr. Lion looking at my booty...totes inappropski.  And in the photo on the right, I was flinching because he was sweaty and kissing me.

 Here we have Mr. Lion sticking his tongue out while I tried to kiss him.  Then he made fun of my pouty face.

 Apparently, I make this face a lot...especially when Mr. Lion booty dances during inappropriate times.

{professional photos from Weddings by Evan Hampton}

So what do y'all think?  Any suggestions as to where we should include these gems?