Monday, August 17, 2009

Love Again: The Reception, Part 2

The Rehearsal, Rehearsal Dinner, Rehearsal Dinner Gifts, Getting Ready, First Glance, Portraits, Loved Always, Pre-Ceremony, I Thee Wed, Post-Ceremony Hugs, Cocktail Hour, The Reception - part 1

After dinner it was time to dance and eat candy! What could be better than that, really?

The candy buffet is definitely my favorite wedding trend. It is the single most talked about detail from our wedding, to this day. Plus, it made for some great memories! (And interesting cocktails, later on in the evening a table of friends were drinking champagne flavored and dyed with rock candy, delicious... or something.)

Mr. Pineapple was worried that people would eat the candy necklaces off one another and it would turn into a fraternity mixer. I mean really, doesn't he know I come from a classy family?


Sister Pineapple and I know that sharing a candy necklace fulfills its one and only purpose. (If they were meant to be eaten solely by the wearer they would taste better and probably be wrapped in bacon.)

Groomsman Phil was in attendance to represent the Lollipop Guild.


Mike was upset that no one was sharing with him so he took matters into his own hands... or rather teeth.


Mike did a wonderful job as emcee and DJ. Having a laptop and sound system set-up was definitely the right choice for our wedding. I don't really come from a family of dancers and the crowd was small to begin with so music wasn't at the top of our budget priority list. After the announcements and official wedding stuff was done, Mike was able to pretty much let the computer do the hard work, with a few adjustments when needed.

He even got some of the employees from the River's Club line dancing, good times.

I spent a lot of the night exposing the nether regions of my wedding gown. Man, was that dress heavy! My hips hurt by the end of the night from so much weight pushing down on them. As you can see my wine colored crinoline was long gone. It was much too much fabric, I was too hot and too poofy to really dance.

One of my favorite photos, my nana and aunt Laurie dancing.

I love this one of my mom and sister too. Krissy thinks she doesn't look like our mom, ha!

The Pineapples-in-law, I am so lucky to be a part of their family.

I was a tired, hot mess by the end of the night. I could have fallen asleep in Mr. Pineapple's arms.

Next up a look back at the details.

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Love Again: The Reception, Part 1

I did something today that I have not done in a very long time. I continued writing my re-caps. It has been almost a year since Mr. Pineapple and I first married in a small cinder-block building in Clymer, PA.

When I last posted several months ago cocktail hour was over and the party was just about to begin...

The Rehearsal, Rehearsal Dinner, Rehearsal Dinner Gifts, Getting Ready, First Glance, Portraits, Loved Always, Pre-Ceremony, I Thee Wed, Post-Ceremony Hugs, Cocktail Hour

After the introduction of the parents, bridal party and Mr. Pineapple and I, began the speeches from Sister Pineapple, Krissy and the Best Man, Erik.


Erik and Mr. P. were roommates throughout college and beyond. There were a few months when the three of us all lived together in a house with five cats. (In case you are wondering, five cats is way too many.) If there was anyone who could embarrass Mr. P. it was Erik. So, I have to admit I was a bit worried what Erik would have to say in his speech. In the end it was lovely and endearing.


My sister and I were almost always at odds growing up. We were both very much into the arts, attending the same magnet school. We had all of the same classes and same teachers, but thought we could not be more different. She went off to Carnegie Mellon's school of design for college and I almost immediately crossed it off my list of colleges. I thought I had spent enough time following in my sister's footsteps. Well, some how I find myself in a pool of orange-brown Jell-o, wrestling my sister, at a CMU frathouse a couple years later during the week of my freshman orientation. I won the match and things changed.

My sister talks about hour our relationship took a turn when I started taking her out to lunch on my meal plan. We learned that we were not so different after all, in fact, it was probably because we were so much alike that we butted heads so often growing up. Now we are both graphic designers (I still claim she followed in my footsteps on that one) and we talk everyday. My sister's speech was so sweet and it made me glad to be, as she phrased it, her twin born three years late.


Next, it was time for free-J Mike to cue the first dance music.


Mr. Pineapple and I had been dating for just a few months and we were at our regular spot (and rehearsal dinner location) Smokin' Joe's. Mr. P. disappeared few a few moments. When he returned Howie Day's Brace Yourself starting playing from the juke box and he whispered into my ear, "I want to play this song at out wedding." And so was chosen the song for our first dance.



A few weeks before our wedding my parents were visiting from Florida. I had spent almost every waking hour painting and repainting our home. I was stuck on the wall along the staircase. I had peeled layers of wallpaper off the wall, paper that had been there for decades. It wasn't going so well. No matter what I tried I couldn't get all the little pieces off the plaster. So my Dad and I got to work hanging drywall. As we measured and drilled I asked him what song he would like for the father daughter dance. "Country. Anything but that woman, I don't like her." I guessed he was referring to Sugarland, "Yeah her, not her." So I picked My Little Girl by Tim Mcgraw, country, simple, sweet and not Sugarland.



We decided to cut our cake right after the dances and before dinner. This allowed for the rest of the night to just happen, uninterrupted. We cut the cake without too much trouble - after we got the knife into the layer. Did you know they sometimes put a layer of board on top of the layers for support? We didn't. Turns out you cannot really cut through the board...


As you can see, there was no cake smashing for us. Which really disappointed my normally shy father. So much so that he requested a do-over:
Sorry Dad, that's not happening. :)

Next it was time for dinner and merriment...

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Love Again: Cocktail Hour

The Rehearsal, Rehearsal Dinner, Rehearsal Dinner Gifts, Getting Ready, First Glance, Portraits, Loved Always, Pre-Ceremony, I Thee Wed, Post-Ceremony Hugs


The cocktail hour gave guests time to mingle and search the escort card trees for their seats. It also gave Mr. Pineapple and I the opportunity to sneak down stairs where hors d'ovres, drinks, and a few minutes alone were awaiting us.

© Mingwei Tay Photography


I love this photo of my grandfather and Mr. Pineapple's dad because although Mr. P and I were not there I can imagine exactly what they were talking about. My grandfather, a man of epic stories, was probably telling FIL P. about the many weddings he attended, only briefly, to deliver the beautiful cakes my grandmother used to make.

© Mingwei Tay Photography


Sister Pineapple played the role of videographer throughout the night. One of my favorite parts of the video was the cocktail hour. She went around to all of the guests and asked them who was the prettiest bridesmaid. Of course, since she was the one asking, everyone said "Oh, you Kristina!" Then she went up to Kim and Lindsay and said "I have been asking everyone who the prettiest bridesmaids were and everyone has said you two!"


Mom Pineapple also got ahold of the video camera a couple times throughout the evening. Much of her video is of herself, holding the camera upside down and eating giant pixie sticks. She is an artist.


Mr. Pineapple and I rejoined our guests with just enough time to say hello to everyone and hear the story of the prettiest bridesmaid before introductions.

Will you be visiting with guests after the ceremony or will you wait for the reception introductions?


Thursday, April 30, 2009

Love Again: Post Ceremony Hugs!

The Rehearsal, Rehearsal Dinner, Rehearsal Dinner Gifts, Getting Ready, First Glance, Portraits,Loved Always, Pre-Ceremony, I Thee Wed


Just a few moments after the wonderfully giant hug given to me by my hubby we were swarmed by the rest of the bridal party and our parents. Let the hug-a-thon begin!



Then it was time to bustle my gown. There were 11 ribbons to be tied, my sister and mother raced to see who could get the most tied first. While still not missing any. I am not convinced that 11 was overkill.


My sister's little fingers and working eyes won the race :)


After I was all tied up I took my gown for a spin (literally) just to make sure everything was tied down.
© Mary Mervis Photography

© Mary Mervis Photography

It was official, we were married again. This time we were able to do what we have hoped from the beginning, share our wedding with all those who truly loved us.

Will you be spending a few moments with loved ones after your ceremony? Or do you and your husband plan to be whisked away?

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Love Again: I Thee Wed

The Rehearsal, Rehearsal Dinner, Rehearsal Dinner Gifts, Getting Ready, First Glance, Portraits, Loved Always,
Pre-Ceremony

Hello Hive! Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Mrs. Pineapple and I am a slacker bee. 2009 has been a pretty rough year in the Pineapple household - health, money, friends, family - you name it and it has gone wackadoodle. I am very excited to have some time carved out of my new crazy schedule to finish sharing our wedding with you, the best is still yet to come!

My father has always been fairly reserved, but the moments leading up to him handing me off to Ryan he was absolutely beaming.

Walking down the aisle toward Mr. Pineapple was an amazing few moments. Although we had a fairly small number of guests there was an incredible energy in the room. The bride is supposed to walk slowly and take her time getting to the groom, but I just wanted to break free from my father and run up to Mr. P and give him an epic hug.



I have to admit, most of the photos of me from the ceremony are a little silly looking. I spent most of the time fighting back tears or a massive grin. It was amazing to hear the words that Mr. Pineapple had written for our ceremony. I wish I could marry him again, everyday.


Mr. Pineapple and I held hands throughout the ceremony. I didn't want to let go of him. I wanted to be able to squeeze him and really be there in the moment with him.

© Mary Mervis Photography

Bridesmaid Kim and I have been friends since the fourth grade when we suffered through Ms. Greenhill's class together. Even when we were nine years old Kim had a voice much much bigger than her tiny little frame. I used to make her sing on the bus and I would tape record her. Her voice amazed me and I was her biggest fan. Kim is an amazing friend who I know will always be there for me and I am so lucky that she was able to sing to us on our wedding day.


Finally it was time to let got of Mr. Pineapple's hand and pull him close for the kiss.


After we got back down the aisle and we were alone for just a couple moments, Mr. Pineapple picked me up and gave me a huge hug. This was one of the best moments of the entire night.

© Mary Mervis Photography

What moment are you most looking forward to?

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Love Again: Pre-Ceremony

The Rehearsal, Rehearsal Dinner, Rehearsal Dinner Gifts, Getting Ready, First Glance, Portraits, Loved Always



After returning to the River's Club after our portrait session the boys headed to the Men's locker room and the bridesmaids and I went to powder our noses. I wanted to get upstairs and hide away before the guests arrived, so Emily, the wedding coordinator for the River's Club, took me through the coat closet and into the ballroom where the ceremony would be taking place.


As you can see, we did very little to decorate the ballroom. We were working with a limited budget and would only be in this room for under and hour, so any grand ideas I once had were scrapped. The decor wasn't stunning, but the carpet was new and there was some simple decorative art on the walls.


The only things that we added were programs on each chair and the hand-painted aisle runner. (The runner was taped at the end to the floor, something I didn't take into consideration.)


Our ceremony and pre-ceremony music was performed by great friends of ours, Pete and John. Pete was also one of the groomsmen so there were moments when John played and sung solo. It worked out really well, with Pete just sitting and standing when needed. :)


They did an amazing job and I love that so many of our friends were able to be a part of our wedding.


So while Pete and John were playing to an empty room I was hidden away on the other side of a temporary wall. My bridesmaids were in the locker room finishing their touch-ups and I have no idea where anyone else was. This was a very strange, but relaxing, time for me. It seemed like I was sitting alone for an endless amount of time. Every few minutes my mom, Emily or one of the photographers would peak there heads in to make sure I hadn't run away.


This is one of the times my mom came to keep me company. The only way I could think to sit down without wrinkling my gown was to sit backward. I am indeed a classy gal. At one point all three photographers and Emily came in with worried looks on their faces. I don't even really remember what the crisis was, something about having enough time to get photos of the important moments before our contracted eight hours were up. I just kind of giggled and said to put the events in whatever order was necessary. I couldn't imagine actually caring at that point. (It turned out not to be an issue at all and the photographers left well after the cake cutting and such.)


One of my favorite parts about having all of these photos is seeing how genuinely happy everyone was. I was over the moon to have this time to share with our loved ones, but it is wonderful to see how over the moon happy others were too, like Krissy and Katie.


Finally, my best friends, sister and father joined me. We lined up to get ready for our walk...