10 Years

August 5, 2000

While one of my goals of my year long obsessive wedding planning was to have a fete that would never look dated, the one thing that I didn't count on was the massive advancement in photography technology.

I was thinking about this as I was scanning some of my pictures in to be able to post them.

I remember when we were looking at photographers... there were 2 that we talked to that were doing this new fangled "photojournalist" style. They cost 3x as much as the "traditional" photographer.

Our photographer actually had 2 cameras - one with color film and one with a few rolls of B&W. And we had to pay extra for the B&W pictures.

There were very few touch-ups. The pics were what they were. 

Guess it's a good thing that we were still young and cute.

We even debated getting disposable cameras to put on the tables so other people could take pictures. But we didn't because we were worried what exactly our friends would be taking pictures of.

10 Years. It goes by in the blink of an eye. Careers, kids, birthdays, holidays... You stop and turn around and an entire decade has gone by. 

Song of the Open Road
by Walt Whitman

Listen, I will be honest with you
I do not offer the old smooth prizes
But offer rough new prizes
These are the days that must happen to you:
You shall not heap up what is called riches,
You shall scatter with lavish hand all that you earn or achieve.
However sweet the laid up stores,
However convenient the dwelling, you shall not remain there.
However sheltered the port, however calm the waters, you shall not anchor there.
However welcome the hospitality that welcomes you,
You are permitted to receive it but a little while Afoot and lighthearted, take to the open road
Healthy, free, the world before you the long brown path before you, leading wherever you choose.
Say only to one another:
Camerado, I give you my hand!
I give you my love more precious than money; I give you myself before preaching and law:
Will you give me yourself?
Will you come travel with me?
Shall we stick by each other as long as we live? 

Jason, Thank you for walking the road with me... here's to the next decade! 

Wedding Bliss

Babies! We were babies!This year Jason and I will be married 10 years. That means that it's been about 10 years since I've obsessed over weddings... well, with a reason to. I am the woman that IF I have 10 minutes to myself will sit alone at Barnes and Nobel, sipping a coffee and thumbing through Martha Stewart Weddings and if I *happen* upon a wedding website, just may stop and take a look around. 

*SIGH*

I loved my wedding. The only thing that I slightly regret was that I was a little too young to really get into the WHOLE WEDDING THING. I didn't truly love paper yet, and I was 100% thrilled with my $60 Nina shoes and no name dress and didn't have the slightest clue about flowers. Luckily my mom worked for an event planning company and I ended up with a positively perfect day. These days, I would probably be the snootiest bridezilla ever. 

So, for the past few years I've been content to glance in from the sidelines and wonder.. wonder how my day would be different if I was getting married August 5, 2010 rather than August 5, 2000. But who are we kidding.. I would be walking down the aisle in Christian Louboutin's at this age.. 

But then a few months ago something wonderful happened - wonderful in SO MANY WAYS - one of my dearest friends got engaged.. and.. and.. she's letting me help! I don't think Carrie understands how excited I am about her allowing me to send her daily emails with flower ideas and pretty dresses. I'm not taking over her wedding - or trying to relive mine through hers - but I'm loving having a reason to look. And I swear that I am one of the only people in the world that can sit and talk weddings for hours upon hours.

But it has been awhile, and I am a bit out of the loop of wedding websites. As I hate to even admit, back when I got married the web was still pretty new. We had AOL dial-up and the only real site was the Wedding Channel.com. That being said, scouring the web for wedding ideas is a new thing for me.

One of the ones that one Carrie's other friends stumbled upon is 100 Layer Cake. A site who's pictures of real weddings make the photographer wanna-be in me squeal. And of course there is the blog from the QUEEN of the dessert tables, Amy Atlas, and my go-to party inspiration mama Hostess With The Mostess. But who else?

When you need ideas, or inspiration, where do you look?