April Fridays with O&B: Planning a Vintage-style Elopement, p.3

So pleased to welcome back Lisa Marie from Orange & Blossom to chat with us once again today {and every Friday this month!}. It's all yours, Lisa Marie:

Thank you Sarah for another Friday to guest blog about our elopement planning! This has been a perfect forum for which to give our day more thought, articulate our ideas, and share them for others who may be considering a similar type of vintage-style wedding day.

It’s pretty easy to get inspired for your wedding, and that includes elopements. Of course, “inspirational” doesn’t always equal “meaningful.” Meaning takes inspiration to a whole other level. That’s doubly true for elopements. With no invitations and programs, no readings or songs, no toasts or dances, meaning needs to come from new places. I wanted our short but sweet civil ceremony, along with the hours and days surrounding it, to move me, to have a timeless, eternal quality to them, to be steeped in weight and significance. We’ve found several ways to layer the meaning behind the marriage ...

Tangible tokens

Where old meets new

Like any bride, I wanted each object to have an importance and there have been happy coincidences along the way: The 1960s dress & jacket I chose for ensemble #2 comes from Lizbeth Jeanne, a dress shop in Toledo, Ohio, where I was born; the earrings I fell for at first sight are a vintage Farrah Fawcett design—a woman of strength and beauty. It was kismet to find an unused “Orange Blossoms” vintage wedding album from 1942. We look forward to hand writing our story inside.

And the natural-colored personalized Lokta photo albums handcrafted in Nepal have just been added to my shop. I ordered the first one from our new artist, Aurora Palesca Designs, who adds the customizable calligraphy. We’ll fill it with photos and mementos from the trip.

Part of my wedding gift to Rikky are the vintage sterling silver armorial-style cufflinks that read: “To Practice the Truth in Love.” We do that every day.

I also plan to wear my grandmother’s 25th anniversary diamond ring on my right hand that day. I have always adored the way it glistens and reminds me of her hands and her caring spirit.

Symbolic gestures & rituals:

Beyond the ceremony

With so much time before August, we’re still formulating ways to have a meaningful day. For certain, we’ll get ready together instead of separately. As part of that, I’ve decided to wear contacts, which makes me nervous in a good way. It will mark the first time since high school that I have ventured out without hiding behind the safe comfort of my glasses. I wanted to step into the world that day as a new person, as I know that’s how I will feel.

We’ll also perform a Moroccan rosewater hand washing ritual before leaving for San Francisco City Hall. It symbolizes a cleansing of the past and preparation for new life—and smells wonderful!

I think we’ll also spend time reading some of our own words to each other post ceremony. We’ve written so much to each other over the years, we pictured sitting down and compiling some of the truest words that bear repeating.

There may be additional things we’ll say or do that day or week or month to add personal meaning. But we’re still making those decisions. One thing I suggest to brides, whether you’re eloping or not: If you have rituals in your day to day life, add them to your wedding. If you don’t, start some now that you can continue. Every summer, Rikky and I make an annual “fragrance trip” where we spend hours at the counters choosing just the right new fragrance for each other to wear. This year in July we’ll choose our wedding day scents.

Time to celebrate:

With each other & loved ones

Instead of a group celebration back at home, we plan to enjoy the people in our life individually, in a way that reflects our personal relationship with them. We’ll have more time to visit with them, share our feelings about our new life and how much we will continue to value them in it, and savor the togetherness. We look forward to a first wedded year filled with these small-scale celebrations.

Thanks for stopping by again, Lisa Marie! See you next Friday!

Tweet