Allie + Sebastian Get Married! The Details + Our Wedding Video (Part 4)

Ahhh, the details! Since we had a destination wedding, the planning process was smooth sailing. A simple checklist of what we wanted from the resort, a few items we packed with us, and there you have it! (I had a very proud moment when we were able to fit all wedding-related items in one suitcase! Hip-hip-hooray!)

It's the little things that tie the wedding together, and show off just a bit of our own personalities, and now I'm giving you the inside scoop on it all! From gorgeous floral pieces to a little something to cure a hangover! Enjoy...

FLORALS

Because they're just so darn gorgeous...

WHAT I WORE

Funny story about the dress: back in August I went dress shopping for the first time, and didn't expect to find anything I liked. I tried on one shoulder dresses, big puffy dresses, ones with ruffles, bows, sparkles, rhinestones galore... I never thought about my wedding dress once in my life. When I was asked what I was looking for, I just sort of shrugged, not knowing where to even begin. (Talk about options out the wazoo! Holy cow!)

That same day, as I was trying on dress after dress, I was handed the dress you're seeing today. I looked at it and scrunched my face. Nah, it's not me, I don't really like it.

But on it went! And my face just lit up. Oooh, I really like it. It was flowy, beachy, tucked in just the right spots, and had just the right amount of sparkle. (It even had built-in air conditioning as the dress opened at the bottom, revealing my legs as I walked, bonus!)

I stepped out of the room, showing it off to my Mom and now Mother-In-Law. My Mom's jaw practically smashed into the floor, speechless, and my Mother-In-Law was in tears.

And that was it. The first day, I couldn't believe it! Something I had expected to be a long and grueling process stretching out for weeks on end, just clicked, like so many other details during the planning process. Another moment where I just kept repeating, meant to be.

During the ceremony, I really wanted to go barefoot, so when I stumbled upon these barefoot sandals, I was head over heels. (Ha-ha!) The girls wore light pink beads, while I stuck to ivory. The material was soft and stretchy, so after putting them on, they were really comfortable and we didn't feel them at all! (They'll probably end up making a few more appearances this summer:)

Not pictured: On the morning of the wedding, I was surprised with two family heirlooms: my grandma's blue hankercheif, and a "T" pin that her mother gave her when she was little. I was blown away! It felt incredible being able to have a piece of her with me on such an important day in my life.

THE PROGRAMS

Can I just toot my own horn for a second and tell you how much I loved our programs? Sebastian and I put our heads together and created them ourselves and I just love them! We used a photo from our engagement session, worked a little magic in Photoshop/Illustrator, and voila!

On the day of the ceremony, we placed them with a hand fan (that we got for a wicked deal in Chinatown!) on each of the chairs. It was so nice seeing the final product and finally being able to reveal everything to our guests. We kept all the details a secret from everyone because we wanted each person to experience everything for the first time that day.

Here's how they looked...

OTHER BITS + PIECES 

I was absolutely in love with our place cards, found on FairyfolkWeddings Etsy shop. (Who was a dream to order from!)  I really wanted to stray away from the traditional place cards and have something that our guests could have as a keepsake from the actual wedding day.

Once they came in, I wrote out each of our guests names on the cards, and we were set! They were a little bit tricky to set up, just because they have to be "just-so" to get the cards to sit correctly, but they looked so beautiful on the tables. (Have a look at this post for a glimpse of the table settings!)

Our guestbook was one of my favourite pieces we picked up for the big day! We worked with PuzzleGuestBooks to custom-make a map of the Dominican, with a heart located where Punta Cana is. She was incredible to work with, and gave us lots of tips on how to make our guestbook look as good as it could possibly be. Each piece is handmade and was even more amazing when we got to see it in the flesh.

Unfortunately, our actual guestbook is away being framed so I'll have to update this photo once we get it back! Our friends and family signed each piece with some of the most hilarious and heartfelt words and sayings. We spent the morning after our wedding reading through each piece and laughing hysterically. I can't wait to see the final product and hang it up on our walls.

OUR FAVOURS

When it came to gifts for each of our guests, Sebastian and I wanted to keep it light-hearted and fun. Truth be told, in the beginning, we had no idea what to give our guests, and wasn't sure if they were even worth it. Back and forth we went, would anybody even care? Would anybody use it? Was it worth the time and money?

Then came The Hangover Kit. It was a perfect mix of our sense of humor, and a nice way to welcome our guests to the Dominican. Everyone received the following...

+ A welcome note + itinerary designed by Sebastian and myself. (Note that this gal, who is so far from a professional diy-er, went incredibly stamp happy the day these were made!)
+ One reusable cup (which were carried around throughout the rest of the trip! It was a lot nicer than having flimsy plastic cups poolside!)
+ A hangover kit bag, which I feel really completed the look. I found these ones on Etsy.
+ Advil (& More advil)
+ Pepto Bismol
+ Tums
+ Breathe Right Strips (Cracks me up everytime, but they do work wonders!)
+ Listerine Strips
+ Mint Tic-Tacs
+ Sunscreen

Everyone ended up loving the bags, and kept telling us how much they used it throughout the week! :)

THE VIDEO
And now, here's our wedding video! I hope you enjoy! (For better viewing, head to YouTube and increase the quality:)


Thank you so much for reading along and sharing your thoughts on our big day! I loved every minute of sharing it with you! xx

For more wedding-related goodness, pop on over here to read Allie + Sebastian Get Married! (Part One), The Ceremony (Part 2), and The Reception (Part 3)

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Allie + Sebastian Get Married! The Reception (Part 3)

The reception can only be described as an absolute whirlwind. Following the ceremony is truly when the good times started to roll - we all mingled on the Beach Terrace Restaurant, munching on hors d'oeuvres and sipping on drinks as we celebrated and killed some time before dinner.

With our ceremony scheduled at 2pm, the reception would not kick-off until 6:30 that evening. During the planning process, I was a little nervous having such a big time gap between events, but the timing could not have been better. Our guests had time to jump in the pool and cool off, and freshen up before the festivities really began, and we were able to wait out the daytime heat, and have our photos taken later on in the day.

The reception area was romantic, and intimate, located off the main path, surrounded by palm trees, and the pool. The location could not have been more perfect, unlike the larger reception area which was a larger, open area where fellow-vacationers could easily walk by, this was tucked away, and felt like you had your own private room, under the sky.

DINNER + SPEECHES

 

Once it was time for Sebastian and I to make our entrance, we had this hilarious moment where our wedding coordinator asked if we wanted to be announced. It wasn't even something I had thought about! We hadn't picked music or anything, we just laughed and said "sure!" and then they hit the music and we danced down the pathway to lots of cheering and clapping, officially as husband and wife. After the high-fives, we made our way to our spots at the head table, and it was straight to dinner.

 

Part way through enjoying the meal, it was time to keep it going with speeches. This is the part where the wave of emotions really hits you, because honestly, by the end, ev-er-y-one was in tears at one point or another. There were many moments of out-right laughter, happy tears, and pure joy that just makes your heart grow exponentially in size.

 

The maid-of-honour and best man speeches were awesome! Sebastian's brother, Matt, had a killer of a first line, "So guys... how about that ride in?" and we all burst out laughing and seriously did not stop until his speech was over. Gold. My maid-of-honour, Julie's speech had me holding back some serious tears as she said the most beautiful things... to this day, as I watch her speech back, I get that little tingle and have to tell myself to hold it together.

 

A couple of our friends said a little something as well, which were completely unexpected and totally heart-warming. Our friend Valeriy had me in tears during the ceremony and during his speech. Hello, emotions! There you are. (I had been doing so well all day!) We were both so incredibly touched by his words, as was everyone there, as he spoke about friends being our chosen family. Funnily enough, my bridesmaid Sarah wasn't going to say a speech, and then in the moment, she proclaimed, "I HAVE to say something! I can't just sit here!" Up she went and knocked it out of the freaking park.

 

One of the most incredible moments for me was hearing my Dad's, and Sebastian's parents speeches. It's an amazing feeling bringing our two families closer together, but even more incredible when it just works.

 

Time and time again, I've said to Sebastian that I feel like I love him even more every time we spend time with my family. There's just something about seeing how both of my parents accept him like he's their own, when my brother starts up a sweet bromance, and when my sister-in-law gets him more than I do sometimes. (You know, those Eastern Europeans gotta stick together;)

 

And how I've always felt walking into Sebastian's home. Loved and accepted. Part of the family from day one. It's something that I will be eternally grateful for. These speeches were all about expressing that love, and everyone there that day was seriously feelin' it. The positivity, excitement, love kept on flowing and filled the air. It poured out in bucket loads, I tell you!  

 

Being able to experience this time in our lives with the people we truly love the most had me in awe. I know it may sound cliche, but it's so true: it was magic.

 

DANCING + PARTYING

 

Once the speeches were over, it was time for the first dances and starting off the party right! We went a little against the grain on tradition and re-arranged the order of the dances with Sebastian and his Mom kicking it off with El Divo's I believe in you. A beautiful arrangement she chose for the two of them. (Those pictures say it all, don't they?)

 

My Dad picked our song, Louie Armstrong's What a Wonderful World. I honestly think I laughed throughout the entire dance as he got into character with the song, led me all around the dance floor, and I so gracefully stepped on his toes.

 

For our first dance, we chose Adele's Lovesong. Once the song started playing and we started dancing, it was perfection. The world fell away for that moment in time and it was just him and I.

 

Once our song slowly faded, we knew we wanted to pick up the pace - quickly. Everyone was forced (haha!) to the dance floor, and Hall & Oates You Make My Dreams Come True seriously brought it into high gear. There was no turning back.

 

The dance floor was packed all night long, the drinks and shots flowed endlessly, and we had a cigar roller on standby to hand roll cigars for all of our guests. Per-fect-ion. The party was more wild than I could have ever pictured in my mind - by the end of the night, shirts were unbuttoned (or off entirely), my dress was ripped, dirty, and both Sebastian and myself were covered in cake. Let's just say everyone's calves and heads were hurting the next day.

 

Thank you to everyone who made this day so special - our family, friends, you reading this right now - who gave their unconditional love, support, help, and advice. Without you guys, this day would not have been what it was. One giant party. Full of love, hugs, kisses, fist bumps, laughter, cheersing, booty shaking, wicked tunes, singing in unison, hands-in-the-air-give-it-all-you've-got dance moves, and more. Incredible. Unforgettable. The best damn party ever. We came. We conquered.

And now... the end of the reception... a photo that probably should be kept neatly tucked away in my computer archives, but I just can't resist because... well, c'mon. Can you blame me? Epic.

Stay tuned for more on the details of the day -  everything from stationary to favors, and the extended cut of our wedding video. So excited to share all of this with you!! xx

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Allie + Sebastian Get Married: The Ceremony (Part Two)

From the beginning, Sebastian and I wanted our wedding to be of ease. To be intimate, fun, light-hearted, and a reflection of... us. A heartfelt celebration of our two lives and families coming together. The planning process for the most part was simple, everything came together and clicked. I lost track of how many times I uttered the words meant to be.

Knowing that this moment - one of the most important in my entire life - would soon pass me by, I remembered to just breeeeaaathe and soak it all in. To be present, to savor everything, and enjoy the ride.

I hid behind a wall separating myself from Sebastian, arm-in-arm with my Dad, with just moments to spare before walking down the aisle, my heart pumping wildly, butterflies swirling, I was ready.

My bridesmaids, Julie and Sarah walked down the aisle to One Republic's Good Life - a song that evoked every feeling I wanted our guests to feel during the ceremony. This song had me picturing myself on a beach, dancing in the sun, smile on my face. It rang true. It clicked.

Once I heard the intro to Jack Johnson's Angel, I knew it was time. I clutched onto to my Dad's arm and walked out, revealing myself to everyone. One of my most vivid memories is walking out, and seeing Sebastian looking at the ground, his nerves illuminated so bright, I could feel them in my own body. Once I walked to the aisle runner, he looked up at me, and our eyes locked. My smile couldn't get any wider.

Choosing songs for our wedding was such a daunting task, let alone choosing a song for myself to walk down the aisle to. My mind swayed back and forth, running over option over option, I would pick one, but it never felt quite right, more like, this will do. Until Sebastian and I were driving home together late one night, listening to Jack Johnson (as we do), and Angel came on. Sebastian exclaimed, "THIS IS IT. THIS HAS TO BE IT!... It's perfect." And it was chosen, just like that. Having my husband-to-be select the song I'd be walking down the aisle to pulled on my heart strings like no other.

On that day, it was magnified. Amplified. A feeling that places you gently on top of the world, and gives you enough strength to move mountains. Surrounded by warmth and love.

 

THE READINGS



We wanted my oldest brother, Adam, and our friend, Valeriy to be involved in a significant way during our wedding, and asked them to read two beautiful readings for the ceremony. As they read the words, it brought tears to my eyes. Here they are:

 

An excerpt from The Alchemist, one of my all-time favourite books.

 

“When he looked into her eyes, he learned the most important part of the language that all the world spoke – the language that everyone on earth was capable of understanding in their heart. It was love. Something older than humanity, more ancient than the desert. What the boy felt at that moment was that he was in the presence of the only woman in his life, and that, with no need for words, she recognised the same thing.

 

Because when you know the language, it’s easy to understand that someone in the world awaits you, whether it’s in the middle of the desert or in some great city. And when two such people encounter each other, the past and the future become unimportant. There is only that moment, and the incredible certainty that everything under the sun has been written by one hand only. It is the hand that evokes love, and creates a twin soul for every person in the world. Without such love, one’s dreams would have no meaning.”

Union by Robert Fulghum, as recommended by the gorgeous Mo.

You have known each other from the first glance of acquaintance to this point of commitment. At some point, you decided to marry. From that moment of yes, to this moment of yes, indeed, you have been making commitments in an informal way. All of those conversations that were held in a car, or over a meal, or during long walks – all those conversations that began with, “When we’re married”, and continued with “I will” and “you will” and “we will” – all those late night talks that included “someday” and “somehow” and “maybe” – and all those promises that are unspoken matters of the heart. All these common things, and more, are the real process of a wedding.

The symbolic vows that you are about to make are a way of saying to one another, “You know all those things that we’ve promised, and hoped, and dreamed – well, I meant it all, every word.”

Look at one another and remember this moment in time. Before this moment you have been many things to one another – acquaintance, friend, companion, lover, dancing partner, even teacher, for you have learned much from one another these past few years. Shortly you shall say a few words that will take you across a threshold of life, and things between you will never quite be the same.

For after today you shall say to the world –
This is my husband. This is my wife.

 

As we exchanged vows, my smile had seemingly grown which I didn't even think was possible, and as I looked up at Sebastian and he looked back at me, I could feel ourselves radiating. A moment locked in time for eternity.

Once we got to the oh-so-anticipated Kiss, King Charles' Beating Hearts played loudly, kicking off the celebrations. We danced down the aisle as husband and wife, toasted champagne, hugged our friends and family, and snuck kisses.

It was beautiful beyond words, and more perfect than I could have ever imagined... here's a quick peek at our wedding video! (I'll be posting the extended version in a future post!)



Next, I'll give you the inside scoop on our reception...aka the drinking + partying the led into the night! Keep your eyes peeled.

+ If you missed part one, just hop on over here.

+ Photos courtesy of Tropical Studios, and Valeriy Tyshchuk

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