The DIY Details: Bouts, Bouquets & the Toss

Our bouquets and bouts were a personal labour of love for me.  I decided from the very beginning that we were going to make them by hand using everything but real flowers. The bouquets in particular went through many evolutions, as described in my weekly post on Broke-Ass Bride.  The bouts I made, on the other hand, were a snap. I got them done on the first try.  Check out their hotness:

Lace, foam flower, dried baby flowers, velvet ribbon, flower wire and paint.

I paid special attention to Mike's butt, errm, bout. While crafting it, I mean.

I also made bouts for our fathers.

Mike's dad. Sportin' my DIY bout.

I used feathers instead of big foam roses on the dads' bouts.

My Popilo (dad) (lol). Sportin' my bout. 

 Here's a few more shots of the bouts:

Dave and Felix. Ladies, they are both single. Dave is Canadian. Felix is Burmese. (I think). Both live in Southern California. Email me at bowiebride@gmail.com for inquiries.

The bouquets were an intense project. I spent countless hours on them.  They were the most difficult DIY project I took on.  Which is funny, considering I the bouquets were the first thing I decided to DIY. Fortunately, they turned out great.

Awwww, I see tears!  To be fair, I cried at Laura's wedding. And I'm sure I'll bawl my ass off at Titfield's. I'm a big crier at weddings.

My sister's bouquet.

 

I love the bouquets in this shot. They are so vibrant. Like the smiles on Team Zissou's faces.

Subway bouquets!

CATZ!

 Once the ladies (and gentlemen) were done carrying them, we used them for decor:

This one has a giant red lion jumping through the fake flower part of the bouquet. I'm weird. I know.

One of the many art pieces our venue had in-house.  This one makes me laugh because it reads, "Bumps Ahead." Ironic for a wedding, no?

I had no real set plans for the bouquet toss. Basically after we did the first dances, I grabbed a random bouquet from one of the tables, then screamed this to the crowd: "Ok I'm gonna toss this thing! Anyone can catch it! Not just chicks! Who wants it?!"  Everyone screamed, and I tossed that sucker hard.

The toss!

 All the ladies were up front ready to catch the bouquet... but one man would steal the prize and the glory from them all... 

I could not have asked for a more perfect person to catch the bouquet at my wedding.  His name is Berger, and we used to work together. He's awesome. And has an even more awesome girlfriend. So... we should be pressuring her to pop the question, right?

*All photos by Nicole Polk Photography

Shoe Shots

Remember my endless posts asking you all to help me choose the perfect wedding shoes?  Thank you for bearing with me on that, by the way. I couldn't have been happier with the Pour La Victoire shoes I ended up with. Gaze at their beauty...

*All photos by Nicole Polk Photography

Lil Wayne First Dance: Moonlight and Candles and Shit

Disclaimer: THIS POST IS NOT SARCASM. I FUCKING LOVE LIL WAYNE AND THIS SONG.

Listen to this song by Lil Wayne right now:

I dare you... DOUBLE DAWG DARE YOU to play this song at your wedding... or better yet, dance to it for your first dance!  You would be my hero. Forreeals.

Nothing says, "I love you" more than these lyrics: 

Smoke a lot of weed but I could never forget ya
Then I told her to her face,
If everyone was like you the World would be a better place

Am I right? But my favorite part of this song goes to the chorus:

God Damn, you the shit. 
And I'll rip my heart out and hand you the shit.
And I don't really know how to handle this shit, 
but tonight it's moonlight and candles and shit

What person doesn't want to share moonlight and candles and shit with the one they love?!?! 

 

And then there's this part. It cracks.my.shit.up. Oh, Lil Wayne, you are a rap genius. 

 

See you with your girls, they probably telling that he ain't right. 

Bet they be the same bitches at the wedding throwing rice

So who's got the balls to dance to this song?

The Epic Processional!

After we lined up, my little sister Cassidy got into position... meaning she picked up her axe and got ready to jam to some Bowie, 'cause girl was playing our processional song: Soul Love by David Bowie.  Cass named her axe "Steg".  No reason other than the fact that it sounds badass.

 Cass in action:

Here's the song just in case you want to relive the processional as it was...

I love her badass ring...

Then the parents and fam started to walk out.  Grandma Grace and Uncle Larry:

 Mike's Mom and Dad:

 My Mom and Dad:

Then Felix and Steve walked out... arm in arm... it was beautiful...  Steve (in the suspenders) was looking at his wife sitting in the crowd while he was walking with Felix, no doubt sharing a laugh:

Then the Flower Boys came out... I had made them an actual flower basket that said, "The Flower Boys" on it, but I forgot it at the hotel. Sadface. BUT! Jon and Chris picked some random flowers from the tables and threw those instead. It was impromptu perfection.

Chris can't help but laugh:

 See the flowers! Wheeeeeeee!

 Then Alexis and Dave made their way down the aisle.

Then Titfield and Joe walked out.

Then our favorite married couple walked out... Steve and Laura.

Then our best friends Andrea and Adrian walked out.

 A + A are big pimpin in this pic:

Then all that was left was Me, my sister Kim, Mike and his sister Amanda... Cass kept jamming on the guitar...

And I took my last deep breaths.

 Then it was time for Mike and his sister Amanda to walk out.

 Then I took some more last minute deep breaths.  Kim was able to calm me, which was awesome...

 Amanda and Mike continued to walk...

Then it was finally our turn!

I was so nervous!

 But once we were in the light, all the nerves melted away...

 It was time to get married... like, finally!

Then Mike and I took each other's hands...see the smile on my face... I was so excited!

Next up: my absolute favorite part of the day... the ceremony! I'm going to share the vows with you all, so get those tissues ready...

*All photos by Nicole Polk Photography