First Things First

let's get caught up...


I mentioned that Curt and his buddies did something pretty non-traditional for his bachelor party. Over Labor Day weekend, the guys kidnapped Curt and took him up to Big Pine (close to Bishop, CA) for a camping/fishing/hiking trip. They slept in tents and bathed in a stream and made a Craps table out of cardboard, and Curt had a blister on his heel the size of a golf ball when he got home. No joke. But they had a lot of fun. And come on, this is a much nicer setting than a Vegas strip club (I guess that depends on who you ask. but whatever):



My bachelorette party was a bit more typical, but none of the standard penis-shaped accessories. Thank God. Instead, Sarina and Kathryn made me a really cute veil headband, which was far less embarrassing. We went out to one of my favorite spots, Nick's in Laguna Beach, the Friday night before the wedding (remember, our wedding was on a Sunday).

Even my grandma got in on the action... that's her in the middle, and my mom on the right.

Corrie got me some granny panties and wrote "10th Anniversary" on the butt. Or was it 5th?

The girls had to throw in at least one traditional make-the-bride-do-something-embarrassing move... at some point one of the bartenders brought me a "BJ shot." I'm sure you can guess what the rules are when downing this particular drink...

"Look, ma! No hands!"


I know I'm going to regret posting this next shot, but for the sake of full disclosure...

Ok, yeah. Moving right along...

This is Betty. I'm pretty sure that wasn't her real name but somehow that's what we ended up calling her. She was really drunk and she really liked Corrie. And she bought shots for the whole table. Oh, Betty. You are one crazy lady.

The whole group: Corrie, Kathryn, Me, my grandma, my mom, my sister Heather, Rachelle, and Sarina.

LOVE these girls. So much.

So there ya go! Nothing too crazy, but it was still crazy fun. Stay tuned for the rehearsal brunch... unfortunately I only have like 2 pictures of it, boo :(

After that, wedding day recaps! So excited!

Jenn and Danny's Smog Shoppe Wedding

How FUN are these pictures by Steep Street Photography?! Looks like there was quite a bit of silliness involved, and if you ask me, your wedding day is a great day for silliness. Plus those bridesmaid dresses are adoooorable.

Oh, and Miguel and Sherry (owners/operators of Marvimon and Smog Shoppe) seriously know how to rock a succulent wall. We got a woolly pocket as a wedding gift... now we just need, oh, 100 more. And a giant outdoor wall. And soil. And a whole lotta plants. Hmmm, maybe I'll just leave that one to the experts...

Sometimes I really like my job.

I've been working here for the past 9 months. It's been the perfect place to be during this transition period while I'm waiting to get married and move to L.A. and start a whole new chapter. All the girls I work with have become great friends, and I've connected with some wonderful people in the wedding industry. Plus, every once in a while, I meet really cool brides. They are sweet, down-to-earth, have amazing style, and they want to create weddings that are honest, practical, joyous, and reflective of who they are.

Ginger is one totally 100% one of those brides. When she told me she was getting married in Maine and having a clambake reception, I got really giddy. Finally, something different and fun! We didn't have much luck finding the perfect dress that day, but she came back a few weeks later during a Melissa Sweet event and fell in love with the Santorini dress from Melissa Sweet's Reverie collection. After looking at some pictures from her wedding day, I'm sure you'll agree it was the perfect choice.


Ginger and Will tied the knot on July 25, 2009. Although they live in L.A., Will's family is from the East Coast so they chose Portland, Maine for their wedding location. When Ginger told me that her photographer had posted a few pictures, I rushed to watch the slideshow and was instantly smitten. Their photographer, Amy Salerno, did a wonderful job of capturing all the emotions of the day. It's so clear from the pictures that this wedding was practically dripping with love and excitement.


Being the sweetheart that she is, Ginger graciously answered a few questions...

Mason Jar Bride: How did you and Will meet?
Ginger: We met at work - both teachers!

Ginger brought her two sisters with her to The White Dress... I also helped them pick out their bridesmaid dresses!

MJB: What made you decide on Portland? Was it difficult to do all the planning from the opposite coast?
Ginger: Will's family is all from the East Coast, and mine is all from the West Coast, so we had to choose one. It was easier to get my family over to the East coast for a vacation, so we opted for that. It also gave us the opportunity to have a clambake theme. Planning was a bit more difficult, but the good thing about planning a destination wedding is that when you find a good vendor you have to make a decision to go with them - you don't have the opportunity to shop around. Since I'm really indecisive, limited options were really good! Will's family was also a huge help in scouting out the photographer and other vendors.

LOVE Will's seersucker suit. Perfection.

On the first day we met, Ginger mentioned that the wedding would be very DIY and would take advantage of the multifaceted talents of friends and family. Here's what her photographer said about the DIY approach: Family and friends were the central focus of the event. Ginger’s aunts created the beautiful floral arrangements and bouquets, a friend of the groom performed the ceremony, and the reception was rocking thanks to the talents of many of the guests. Every time I turned around someone new was up on stage. The groom even took a turn at the mike and keyboards.

MJB: Is there anything you DIY'd that you wish you hadn't? Or vice-versa?
Ginger: DIY things were the flowers, band, favors, invitations, place card rocks, programs and my hair and makeup. They all all turned out great I think, but all in all I was a busy bride. I don't regret any of it though - I loved it all.



MJB: Was there an overall style/theme/mood/feel that served as the inspiration behind the decor?

Ginger: We wanted the wedding to have a outdoor island feel. It was a clambake (which means mussels and lobster) which can sometimes be informal, so we kept all the decor really classic in order to dress it up a bit.

MJB: What was your favorite moment of the day?

Ginger: I had two favorite moments - the ceremony and the first dance. We put so much planning into the perfect reception, that we weren't expecting to be so moved by the ceremony. It was so beautiful, and my husband is so sweet. For the dance, we did a traditional Filipino dance where we jump in and out of bamboo sticks that are being hit together in rhythm. Will and I practiced a ton (not to mention that we choreographed it), so we were really pleased that it was a success.

(Go check out Will and Ginger's slideshow to see a couple pictures of the first dance... it looks like so much fun!)


MJB: Any advice for other brides?

Ginger: My biggest piece of advice for brides is to stay true to themselves, and plan a wedding that they want. I tried to remember this, and ended up having a really special day.

MJB: Where did you guys go on your honeymoon?

Jamaica!! So beautiful :)


Congratulations Will and Ginger! May you enjoy many years of bliss!

Bridal Shower... better late than never :)

It's been almost 3 weeks (yikes!) since my bridal shower... sorry I'm so late posting these! Still thought y'all might enjoy them, and I know certain friends and family members keep nagging me to put them up, so... here ya go.

My lovely Maid of Honor, Sarina, was an amazing hostess. Everything was flawless!

Perfect setting, perfect weather...

perfect food...


everything was delish!


I think the highlight of the day for everyone (except me) was the marshmallow game. I knew it was coming... I had subjected my sister and one of my best friends (both bridesmaids) to the game for their bridal showers, so it was only fair :) It really is a great ice breaker and if you ever have to host a bridal shower, make sure you throw this one in.

Here's how it works: Before the shower, someone contacts the groom with a list of 20 questions about his personality, preferences, life experiences, ideals, etc. (e.g. "Should the toilet paper roll go over or under?", "What one thing would you like to have an unlimited supply of?", "What's the most you've ever spent on a concert ticket?" Then, the bride gets quizzed about his responses. For every wrong answer, the bride has to put a marshmallow in her mouth... it's like "Chubby Bunny," remixed.

I did pretty well, but my mom was the one who came up with the questions, and some of them were really hard!! Curt told me later that he didn't even know how to answer them, so he wasn't sure if I'd be able to.

I think Sarina had way too much fun asking the questions.


By the last few questions, my mouth was so full of marshmallows that I had to write my answers down on paper instead of saying them out loud.

One of the questions must have had me pretty stumped!

My mama flew in from Denver so she could come to the shower and spend a little time in our new apartment. It was SO HOT in the valley that weekend, but she toughed it out.

Ava gets the prize for best baby EVER. She was so good and she made friends with everyone there.


yummy snickerdoodle cupcakes!


a sexy nightie from Kathryn! woo-hoo!!

ridiculously adorable apron from Becky... I wear this every time I wash dishes because the faucet is situated really high and water splashes everywhere.




And another apron that Lisa made for me! LOVE it. These ladies must know how much time I spend in the kitchen :)

About 9 weeks to go... How are the rest of you October brides feeling??

say YES! to color!

Loving this color palette, via Matthew Morgan photography. More here.