Ten Years Later

Today marks our 10 year wedding anniversary. I have been feeling nostalgic for weeks, as I can't help but reflect on our time together. We look like such babies when I look back at the photos. I'll share just a few, because this was before digital was popular, so all I have are the real photographs. 

In case you're wondering, we got married at Ragged Point Resort. They call it "the gateway to Big Sur". We found it by accident one day while on a drive to find a lighthouse. Right before we were going to turn around, the road began to climb the jagged mountain and all of a sudden, we found ourselves at a beautiful, little, self-contained Inn overlooking the Pacific. I can't even describe how this place still makes me feel. On one of our pre-wedding visits, Brandon and I hiked down the "at your own risk" trail, which I think might now be permanently closed. Directly down that cliff I'm overlooking, is a tiny private, rocky beach. We don't visit here often enough, because it's out of the way, but it is breathtaking. The hotel rooms face the other side of the cliff, and we slept with our back door cracked open so that we could hear the waves crash on the cliff below. 

 I love the picture above, even though I think I felt silly at the time we took it. Now I see it as perfectly symbolic of us peering out at the long journey laid out before us. We had no idea what was in store for us, good and bad. Marriage is not all roses and fairy tales. At times it is hard work for sure. I look back and think of all that we have faced together in the last ten years. Life would be so much harder without him. Without the man he has become. He told me, after my dad died two years ago, that on the day of our wedding, my dad told him, "I'm not losing a daughter, I'm gaining a son." The memory of my husband meticulously sweeping up glass from where the police had to break down the door to my parents' house to get to my dad, still brings tears to my eyes.

I love this picture that someone snapped of my dad. He was watching our first dance. (Come Away With Me, by Nora Jones) His face and posture of his hands says it all. He was proud. Despite his crazy daughter that picked up and moved to California from Ohio two weeks after she graduated high school, he was proud. I am so thankful that I got him on our wedding day. Looking back, there are several people who were at my small wedding that day, that are no longer with us. A lot of loss can happen in ten years. 

 The joys and the challenges are many, but the reward is worth the work. I can't wait to see what another ten years will bring. I love you, Mr. Baeza.

A Rustic Wedding

Yesterday was finally the day! I did my first (and last until my kids get married!) wedding. Whew!

My computer is running SUPER slow right now, so I will keep it light on words. Pretty much everything you see in the photos I made from scratch. :)

The welcome area had a homemade chalkboard, my old potting bench, and a huge drawer of fan programs.

Our guest book alternative was a "wedding tree", where the guests would add a fingerprint as "leaves" and sign their name. The bride and groom can frame it and hang it in their home

My talented brother in law sketched the tree for me after I gave him a picture of what I wanted.

I mod podged a engagement picture into a large pickle jar.

The fan programs, with hand-inked edges. (Thanks for your help bridesmaids!)

I bought the french doors from Restore and hinged them together. I LOVE the banners I made out of berlap and lace!!

I made aisle runner sticks by hot gluing apple juice bottles onto them and wrapping with jute.

I bought these slices of wood at Hobby Lobby and made my own stencil with my Silhouette. Then I stenciled them with black paint.

This is the wedding gift I made.
The drawer is also from Restore.

I've been too busy to paint my nails lately. ;) These are the backs of the favors.

The bride picked her flowers and I made all of the bouquets, and arrangements myself. It took HOURS.
The bride had sunflowers, and yellow gerber daisies. The bridesmaids had fall colored gerber daisies, and the junior bridesmaids had lighter colored bouquets.

Emma and Ella earlier in the day.

I used shutters for the seating chart. I hinged them together and made banners to string across.

The front of the favors. Inside was sunflower seeds.

I printed wedding I Spy for the kids off of Martha Stewart's website.

The mason jar was the free shape of the week last week from Silhouette!

Table setting. I made each crate for $5 instead of buying old vintage ones for $20+.
I designed menu cards, inked the edges with distressed ink, and wrapped with jute.

Four of the tables had an arrangement of old bottles instead of crates.

All the head table chairs have name banners.

I stained wooden letters for the bride and groom.

I stained boards for the head tables. The jars are awaiting the bouquets when the wedding party arrives.

I made clay circle tags, and let them dry out a few days. Next, I made a stencil with vinyl and painted Mr. and Mrs. SUPER cute!!

This is the kids table. They have chalkboard signs on their chairs.

I used scraps of wood from the crates, stained them, and cut vinyl words.

I ordered chalkboard vinyl and cut labels for the cups.

I LOVE these banners. You would never know they were made out of berlap and Dollar Tree doilies.

Berlap banner that I stenciled with black paint.

THis is my FAVORITE...the wine barrel drink bar! I saw one on pinterest and knew I had to do it. The groom's parents got the wine barrels and I found the solid wood door for $6 at Restore! I made a berlap and lace strip banner for this as well. It adds so much to it!

The table numbers are address numbers on syrup bottles.

This is a close up of what Caden and Ella carried down the aisle right before the bride walked down. I had a hard time getting a picture because they were walking so fast. ;)

I had the boys set up the hay bales, and I added some mason jar flowers hung from shephard's hooks.

Photo booth fun!

My sister in law set up a fun photo booth.

The bride wanted a small cake for them and cupcakes for everyone else. They ended up doing a cupcake bar and it turned out great!

Isn't this cake lovely? The bride saw a picture of a cake wrapped with berlap (first with wax paper) and my friend Nandie did a FABULOUS job!! I snuck a bite when taking it back in the kitchen too, it tasted WONDERFUL!!!

I made these signs out of scraps from the crates.

I think this picture is HILARIOUS. It was mid-run, when she was going after her new husband for cake revenge! LOL.

Congratulations Megan and David!!