An Elopement Love Story – Part 3

Welcome to Part 3 of An Elopement Love Story (click here for Part 1 & Part 2)!

Adam and I returned home after our dreamy beach elopement and began enjoying our new married life together. We wanted to have a party with friends and family to celebrate and were able to put together a casual and fun evening on a small budget with the help of our families.

Both of us were working at the Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College that summer and our employer made an incredibly generous offer – we were given 50 tickets to a performance in the Spiegeltent, an amazing venue that is brought in each summer for the Bard SummerScape and Music Festival. This beautiful tent features a wooden floor and an interior lined with mirrors (“Spiegel” is German for mirror) and provides the festival with dining, music, cabaret and a nightclub.

The Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College

The Spiegeltent

I worked with the caterer at the Speigeltent to set up a champagne toast for our guests in the garden before the performance. There would also be regular audience members attending that evening, so we decided to give boutonnieres to all of our guests so that staff of the restaurant and bar would know not to charge them for drinks and food. The same florist who designed my bridal bouquet arranged flowers for the tables which we color coordinated so that each guest’s boutonniere flower color would match the flowers on their table. We distributed them in the champagne glasses with the tickets to the performance as guests arrived.

The caterer also provided table service for us with a simple menu before the performance. After dinner and a cabaret show there was dancing with a DJ that was part of the regular programming for the evening.

There is nothing like dancing in a Spiegeltent!

My dear friend Cathleen Mallette of Feral Cat Photography photographed the event for us. I will mention that a post-elopement party is not the same as a wedding, and you may not get the same turnout as you would for a more formal event, especially if guests have to travel. My father gave us a lovely toast, although I wish I had asked some of our best friends to prepare something to say as well. Both Adam and I worked that day and then went straight to the party so there wasn’t much time to prepare but with help of family and friends and some extra advanced planning every thing went very smoothly and our guests had a unique and unforgettable evening! We had a wonderful time celebrating our elopement in this unique venue and it was the perfect kickoff to our new married life together.

Considering Eloping? We’d love to hear from you!

An Elopement Love Story – Part 2

Welcome to part 2 of our Elopement Love Story (click here for Part 1)! Now that we had decided to elope, it was time to determine the details:

Adam and I knew we wanted to get married on a beach, and wanted a progressive, non-denominational and meaningful ceremony. After some online research I found Reverend Donald Towne of Beach People Weddings. I liked him right away and after an email correspondence and a few phone calls I knew he was just the crusty old beach hippie I was looking for.  He and his wife worked as a team to officiate and photograph our wedding. Our choice of location and date was determined by their availability, so we chose April 5, 2007 at sunset on Sunset Beach in North Carolina. He recommended the very nice and reasonably priced The Winds Hotel on Ocean Isle Beach for our stay.

We ordered our eco-friendly wedding bands (click here for a previous post about Green Karat), I bought a dress that I had had my eye on for a while, and Adam chose some clothing for himself. I was able to enjoy wearing my dress again when I was maid of honor at my best friend’s wedding. As we prepared to leave for our 4 day trip, a friend who happened to be a very talented floral designer insisted that she make a bouquet and boutonniere for us as a gift (we had planned to just pick up something along the way).

We left snowy upstate New York and spent the night in a hotel on the way. The next day we got our wedding license (North Carolina issues them in 24 hours) and spent the day exploring the area. The next morning we picked up our license, went out to lunch and then came back to the hotel to get ready. I asked Adam to wait outside so that seeing me in my dress would be a surprise – and it was!  We drove out to the Beach and met Kathy and Don there. It was so exciting to be sharing every moment together!

My dress was by the designer Nataya. I had previously worn a different style Nataya dress for my brother’s wedding and the vintage tea dress look of this one was exactly what I wanted.

Our big moment! We had a traditional joining of the hands ritual as part of our ceremony, and Adam and I read vows we had written to each other. We both felt something so magical and powerful on the beach that day. Reverend Towne snagged 2 passersby to act as witnesses.

Our gorgeous recycled titanium rings!

Pure bliss….

Mr. & Mrs.

This is my favorite photo, it really captures the day for me!

Thank you again for reading, this has been such a fun way to relive my wedding day. In our next installment I describe and post photos of the post-elopement party.

An Elopement Love Story – Part 1

Although everyone at some point jokes about running off to Vegas, most people know they want a wedding with friends and family present. However, there are many of us who want something different and I was one of those people. As my husband and I approach our 7th anniversary, I wanted to share our elopement story with you. I’ll identify some of our reasons for choosing to elope and the pros and cons of our decision.

If you are considering eloping it can be very valuable to hear the real details of an elopement experience. In Part 1 of this series I’ll give you some background information about us and how we met, and how we decided on a planned elopement. In Part 2 we’ll explore the chronology of our elopement trip and wedding day. In Part 3 we’ll cover the post-elopement party we had 4 months later. I hope you enjoy our story as much as we loved living it!

Adam & Elena: A Circus Romance

The Big Apple Circus was the backdrop of our relationship when Adam and I met. I had just started my new job as Executive Assistant to the Founder and Artistic Director, and Adam was the Maintenance Supervisor. We hit it off right away, and had many fantastic adventures together.

After three fun-filled years at the circus we decided that we wanted to stop touring and moved to Saugerties, New York. It was a big leap of faith for both of us – would our relationship survive once we left the tight-knit circus community that had become our family and home? We did just fine, and our common interests: art, music, animals, cooking and antiques blossomed. One day Adam he returned from a business trip and in a moment of passion asked if I would be his wife. I was thrilled and said yes!

In many ways we were still getting used to life off of the road. At the circus there was always an audience in some form or another, whether it be the general public or our circus friends and family. When we talked about our wedding day, we both felt we needed a setting where there would be no crowds, no audience and no distractions. With all of Adam’s traveling and the hectic schedule of my new job working as the Box Office Manager at a theater, time to ourselves was precious. We started discussing elopement as a serious option.

Our main reasons for choosing to elope were:

• Privacy – We wanted to be able to focus on ourselves without having to worry about anything or anyone else. Our marriage was going to be a lifelong commitment between the two of us, and that felt like something we needed to do alone.
• Control – I wanted to be barefoot on the beach. We also wanted a relaxed schedule that included being spontaneous and wearing, saying, eating and doing exactly what we desired.
• Finances – I didn’t want my family to overextend themselves paying for a wedding, and our budget was limited.
• Religion – I am Jewish, and my husband does not identify with any organized religion. For me idea of not having a Jewish wedding was uncomfortable, and I felt equally uncomfortable asking Adam to convert to something he didn’t believe in. Eloping was a way to go beyond these issues.
• Scheduling – because we both worked in entertainment with heavy schedules and traveling, planning a big celebration produced a lot of anxiety. An elopement with less advanced planning required was a much better fit.

We decided to go ahead with a planned elopement and told our families. There was definitely some disappointment and sadness expressed, but also a lot of understanding and encouragement. We considered, rather insensitively, visiting my mother-in-law in Florida and having the ceremony there but without family present and this idea hurt her feelings. After an  apology we chose to have the wedding in South Carolina and she was very supportive.

Except for those few small hurdles everything else went beautifully and we had a unique experience that both of us treasure. Stay tuned for Part 2 next week where I’ll share details and photographs of our elopement.

Do you have an elopement story to share? We’d love to hear from you!

A Chocolate Love Story

A garden variety chocolate bar may be fine for everyday, but for those couture cocoa occasions, especially Valentine’s day, an anniversary, special gift or party you’ll want something special – and hopefully you have a shop nearby like Lucky Chocolates (you can also order online here).

This Chocolateria, located in Saugerties, New York, features chocolates handmade in small batches with organic and fair trade ingredients.  The fair trade chocolate is made from cocoa beans bought from growers co-ops so the money goes directly to farmers. This allows workers to be paid a living wage and avoids slave and child labor.  What’s not to love about that?

With artisan chocolates like these you can taste the difference. You’ll find one of a kind flavors mingling with eye catching colors. Choosing is a delightful dilemma: there’s dark chocolate raspberry bark, truffles with flavors like creme brulee or pistachio cardamon, sea salt shell chocolate turtles, chocolate buddhas and french bulldogs as well as a selection of old fashioned penny candy for kids. They also have vegan treats and take custom orders.

The heavenly aroma in the shop is to make me swoon!  Whether it’s a box of truffles for your sweetheart,  a dessert table or goody bags for your wedding these delectable treats are sure to please. Here are some photos from my most recent visit!

Do you have a favorite local chocolatier? We’d love to hear from you!

A Warm and Wooly Love Story: Part 2

Hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas and Hanukkah celebrating with your loved ones. I wanted to follow up on the Warm and Wooly Love Story post about my yearly tradition of purchasing yarn for holiday gifts from the New York State Sheep and Wool Festival. This year I knitted a Waldorf-style doll for my daughter, who is almost two years old. I used a fantastic free pattern from Wee Folk Art with excellent instructions for the entire process and variations for size and your level of expertise.

I wanted the doll to be very special, so I asked my mother to apply the doll’s hair, and my daughter’s godmother, who is an excellent seamstress, to make clothes for her. Here are the results of our labor on Christmas morning – a very sweet and wooly dolly for my sweet little girl!

It’s love at first sight!

This was such a fun project, she made the day truly memorable!

Two little pumpkins and Happy Halloween from the sisters of Something Fabulous

Boo at the zoo or school parties
costumes bought or home-made
Decorations came out October first
or perhaps only for today

Will you count your child’s candy,
trade favorites while sitting on the floor?
Have you ever emptied a pillowcase filled to the top
then run out the door for more?

Super heroes, bunnies and clowns
jack-o-lanterns sitting on a gate
do you listen for the neighborhood siren
that screams it’s getting late?

Whatever your Halloween tradition
wherever you have your fun
We wish you a safe and festive night
Celebrating life with your loved ones

Yes, that’s us… Jennifer the smiley little bunny and Kimberly the shy little clown!

Happy Halloween from Something Fabulous!

We would love to see your pictures and hear about your Halloween traditions and memories – please share them here or on our facebook page

A Warm and Wooly Love Story

This week’s Love Story comes from our Brand Content Manager Elena Batt, who is the newest member of the Something Fabulous team.  Welcome, Elena, and thank you for sharing your Warm and Wooly Love Story!

A few years ago a dear friend taught me how to knit. I had tried it when I was younger, maybe 13 or so, and it didn’t stick. This time, though, after picking out the yarn, learning to hold the needles, and then after what seemed an eternity finally holding that first finished scarf in my hand, I was hooked and a wonderful new world opened up for me. Forget dowdy or old-fashioned – knitting has become incredibly hip. Cool patterns and elegant yarns, funky felting, a large community of yarn lovers and help in the form of free videos are easy to find thanks to websites like knitty.com, ravelry.com and knittinghelp.com, just to name a few.

The highlight of my knitting life is the annual New York State Sheep and Wool Festival at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds in Rhinebeck, New York. It’s about 30 minutes away from where I live in Kingston, and it happens to be one of the largest in the country. This past weekend I was lucky enough to spend a day in fiber heaven, inspired by the colors and smells, fondling yarn and eating great food. At this festival I buy yarn that I will use to make holiday gifts, and enjoy thinking of what colors and textures my loved ones would like best. It is a way to nurture myself by doing something that I love for the fabulous people in my life – what could be better than that?

So many colors and types of yarn to choose from!

The beauty of hand-dyed yarn. It’s great to be able to buy directly from the artists who made the yarn. They are always happy to answer questions!

Roving for felting, and some beautiful sweaters.

All this yarn, and you get to see animals too!

I have to tell myself every year not to buy an Angora rabbit. You can also buy a starter flock of sheep, but I definitely don’t have a big enough yard for that!

Llama hair makes the softest yarn ever.

Seeing finished products is so inspiring and encourages me to try new things.

Do you have a Warm and Wooly Love Story to share? We’d love to hear it!

Audrey & Thomas : A Love Story

“He’s my best friend”, said the bride. Perhaps their official love story started in high school, but it surely blossomed in the years that followed. “I didn’t put my phone down for a year.” said Audrey about the year Tom, an Army Medic spent in Afghanistan. “Just in case he could send a message or facebook for a minute”.

The wedding ceremony was celebrated in Hartland, Michigan on Sunday, July 1^st. The bride and groom exchanged vows which they wrote for one another. The reception was an intimate affair held at a pub in Howell. The location was especially fitting as the couple are fans of craft brews and the groom’s family came over from England when he was just a boy. The groom’s mum designed and created the wedding cake and the menu included Yorkshire pudding and a traditional English Sunday dinner.

Yellow roses a symbol of friendship were the detail that stood out among  all of the guest tables arranged in little clusters around the pub. The couple chose to make a donation to the Wounded Warrior Project in lieu of a favor.  The charity is near to their hearts as Tom and best man/ best mate have a few stories from their own experiences of war.

Stationed in Fairbanks, the newlyweds will be on their way back to Alaska in a few days. We wish them a safe journey, much happiness and many years of love and friendship!

Were you at the wedding, did you watch this friendship blossom and grow?  Please leave a note, a message or a memory, we’ll be sure to  pass it along to the happy couple!

“Grow old along with me, the best is yet to be” Robert Browning

A Literary Love Story

When working with clients and talking about their design style, we always ask them what they love and where their inspiration comes from. So many times the answers are right in front of us but we have to think about what it is that truly touches our heart and spirit. From the invitations to the wrapped votives, and from from the table cards to custom chargers, this special wedding filled with personal details was inspired by the love of literature.

The invitation is the first impression of your wedding. Remember that the style and design of your invite will set the tone for your special day. This book-style invitation was a perfect prelude to this literature-inspired day.

Vintage books acted as table cards – this was a special process as the bride and groom each selected their favorite literary pieces. Also adorning the tables were custom wrapped votives that displayed favorite passages, quotes and poems of the couple’s choosing.

Custom wrapped mini faux books were created for place cards and favor holders. Each book displayed the guest’s name on the spine while opening to their table name. Chilmark chocolates added to the delight of these mini books, with a mini scroll sharing the story of the couple’s favorite date to the chocolatier on Martha’s Vineyard.

Vintage books were incorporated throughout the venue (even hidden in the floral displays). Custom chargers were also created to incorporate the couple’s love of literature, they were also a keepsake for the bride and groom after their wedding day.

At the end of the day, the significance behind the details are what make the difference for any celebration. Whatever your love may be, whether it’s a color, pattern or favorite pastime, be sure to be inspired by your pieces and showcase your love whatever it may be.

An Inspired Love Story

Our SF team is always thinking about design and details and we are constantly searching for the next cool piece for our clients. Part of this process is finding what inspires us. As design-director and co-founder of Something Fabulous, Jennifer is always looking for great ideas and inspiration. Just like her pinterest board, Jennifer’s main source of inspiration comes from her love for fashion and how fashion trends transcend all aspects of life, be it clothing, make-up, home decor, baby or stationery.

Check out Jennifer’s inspiration board below so see what she is loving this month:

Feel free to send your inspiration to ideas@somethingfab.com – We’d love to highlight what you are loving this Summer!