The Detail Debate

A funny thing happened in the world of wedding blogs today.
Jonas Peterson, talented Brisbane photographer wrote this: The Mason Jar Manifesto.

Of course you should go there an read it. It is beautifully written, with an important message.

In summary (in case you don't follow that link and read it) Jonas is pleading with the wedding industry.. stylists, photographers, bloggers, even brides.. to cut out the details. To strip the wedding back to what it is supposed to be - a celebration of love, of commitment and of family.
Excellent message.. and it's true.  I agree that every bride needs to step back once in awhile and remember what she's doing this for, what it is all about. That will keep every bride sane.. to realise that the perfect invitations and details do not a wedding maketh.

So while agree with the broad message, I'm kind of torn about how I feel about Jonas' manifesto.. or perhaps moreso about the comments that have been made in response to it.

If you've read my blog, you know that I love details.
And while the details might be 'fluff', I believe this 'fluff' is part of what helps a couple turn what is essentially a formal procedure into a celebration.
Details have always existed where parties existed. It used to be balloons. Now it is much cooler stuff... because couples realise that this is their chance to throw a party of a lifetime and put everything they want into it. Make it unique, make it over the top and make it fun for their guests! I guess what Jonas is saying is that the 'balloons' have taken over. And we can't see the couple and the meaning past the 'balloons'. Fair call, I suppose.

But here's where it gets interesting... Jonas specifically refers to the common details that we see these days on blogs: mason jars, vintage typewriters, hay bales, vintage rugs. Exactly the kind of things that I love.. and have written about here on The Rustic Garden Party.

I don't know if it was Jonas Peterson's intention to specifically object to these vintage / rustic type of details (or just wedding clutter in general), but the responses online definitely seem to have latched on to that.. and out has come an onslaught of complaints about people using 'details' that  are too common, popular, trendy, that don't relate to the couple.

So whilst I agree that weddings are about a couple in love... when it comes to this debate about vintage being over-done, I am left wondering...Who cares???
Does it matter if a couple wants a vintage typewriter, even though they don't dress in vintage clothes or have a house filled with antiques? As long as they are surrounding themselves with items they love and that they want at their wedding, does it really matter? Do they have to justify "oh I make jam... that's why I want mason jars" ...or... "my husband likes reading, that's why we have piles of vintage books in our centrepieces"

Nobody was ever asked to explain balloons.. so why do they have to explain this new kind of decoration?
And even when people use these same details... it's not like their weddings become identical! Everyone adds their own touches.

My point is: People follow trends every day. Look at the clothes we wear. The ways we decorate our houses. Weddings are no different.

Some people might make their wedding decor choices based on their backgrounds, or how they met, or where they've travelled, or whatever. This is great and does make the day very special and personal.
But some people will just choose things because they like it. Is there anything wrong with that?

My wedding was filled with details.Some were even the kind mentioned in the manifesto. Our photographer certainly captured those details. And they are probably the things I have blogged most about.. because really, aren't  blogs about providing resources and ideas for decorating weddings? They're not about teaching people to be in love.

Despite the details, there was never any doubt in my mind about what our day was all about.
Me And Him.
Simple.
And I'd like to think that out-shone all of our details.


(while we're being deep and meaningful, you should also go and read THIS "Open Letter to Bloggers" which also objects to same-same weddings and vintage themes. I read this today as well, so part of my post above  is probably also in response to that)

Our Photobooth

You would think that after 6 months, I would have shared all of my wedding details/photos by now. But there's more... Here are some pics from our home-made photo-booth.

Photo-booths are done quite a bit these days, particularly in the blogging world. Luckily for us though, nobody at our wedding had seen it done before. So it was still a novelty and oh-so-much FUN!
I'm really glad we did this. We have some fabulous photos as a result!
Here is just a sample:

 

We hung a backdrop and provided some props for people to use (funny glasses, moustaches on sticks, frames and blackboards for people to write messages on). As you can see, they also ended up also finding their own props on the night!

Our photographer set up a camera on a tripod with a remote control - and a TV so people could see what they were taking. At the end of the wedding, he uploaded all 500 photos to his website for us.

It was a huge success! It was packed all night. And after the wedding, we gave everyone a photo of themselves with their thank you cards!

Shoes & Socks

Some of my favourite photos from our wedding don't feature people. They're photos of details.

These details reflect the thought and planning that goes into a wedding. Those little things that not everyone notices on the day, but that the bride and groom (ok, lets be honest.. it's generally just the bride!) puts into the planning. They're little purchases that we've trawled the internet searching for, or the decisions we've worried about, blogged about, posted on forums about -  because when we're planning we are focussed on details!

In my case, shoes and socks somehow became a detail that featured heavily in our wedding snaps:

My Shoes.

Bridesmaid Shoes.

Groomsmen Socks.

Romantic Feet.

Pretty Shoes. Orange Argyle Socks. 

I never expected so many photos of feet and/or shoes. It certainly wasn't a planned detail. But it became one that stood out. And somehow these photos manage to look exactly like "our wedding".

Don't let anyone scoff and say that details aren't important. I hate it when people insinuate that brides are 'bridezillas' for worrying about Something as little as shoes.. or the perfect shade of orange argyle sock! Really - these are the things that personalise a wedding, and that put that individual stamp on your wedding. And in the end, those unique shoes/veil/vases/bonboniere might end up creating memories, making your wedding look like "your wedding", and featuring in your favourite pics!

Tell me, what details are you obsessing over?
Or what details became a feature, without you even meaning them to?

More from deep within the wedding archives..

I promised when I started this blog that I would share some of my favourite pics from the (rustic) weddings that inspired me while I was planning. There hasn't been enough of that yet - so here is one of those weddings... from deep within the planning vault. Is it just me or does this sound like a commercial radio station playing 80s music? "And now.. from deep within the audio vaults, here's another classic from John Farnham". Anyway...

This wedding was brought to my attention by West Aussie Wedding whose author was (a) one of my favourite sources of inspiration while planning and (b) a beloved "voguette".
She posted it in August 2009, precisely one month before I got engaged, so it's an early one! In fact, I spot one of the pics in that first ever inspiration board.

What's to Love??  By golly... what's not?

• The glassware... beloved glassware that was important to me from the beginning!
• It's got that lovely, homely inside-outside vibe that I've talked about. Like, it's in the bush yet it just looks so cozy, welcoming. The lights, The furniture, The rugs on the floor = LOVE!
• Those colours. It manages to strike a balance between brights and neutrals. There is plenty of colour, but it is warm. This is surely due to the bushland setting and native flowers. The colours pop without taking over. 
• It's a great AUSSIE example of rustic. It's not America. It's not a barn. It is true blue Aussie charm at it's best.

These photos originally came from here  but I notice they have been removed now, so I hope that Sue-Lynn, the photographer, doesn't mind me re-posting after a couple of years!

Alternative Wedding Cars - Our Kombi Van

I've just checked our photographer's blog - and spotted a pic from our wedding.  Hopefully this means our pro shot's aren't too far away!

The photo is of our wedding car, a fantastically restored 1960 Split Screen Kombi Van which we hired from from Kombis 4 U

Initially we weren't going to have wedding cars. My dad wanted to drive me to the wedding, just as he has driven me to every other major occasion over the course of my life. And the boys were just going to get a cab or something! 

When Adam spotted this Kombi one day at the beach though, he was sold! It is so very cool - and I love the buttery yellow colour of it!  I still went with dad as planned - but this was the transport for the boys! They loved it!!

I cant wait to see more pictures from our photographer, James Field!

If you are looking for an alternative to classic wedding cars in Adelaide, then why not try a Kombi Van!?

An oldie but a goodie.. Rustic LOVE at the ranch

There are some weddings that you look at and go "wow, that's pretty" or "nice ideas".. and then you move on. Then there are the weddings that stay with you, that inspire you, the ones that you refer back to over and over again. This wedding is one of the latter variety.
Ali & Ian got married at about the same time I got engaged. I was already planning my rustic garden party and I couldn't stop drooling over the perfection of theirs.

Maybe it is that their photographer (Tec Petaja) is super talented.





Or the fact that Ali is so damn gorgeous (almost makes me want to dye my hair red), plus seems like a super lovely girl going by her Weddingbee posts.

 

Maybe it's the pretty peachy colour scheme:

The perfect rustic venue.. (Devil's Thumb Ranch in Colarado)

Or the perfect, perfect wild flowers...

Or maybe it's the sweet-as-pie details:

...Whatever it is, it gives me true wedding envy. Even now, 18 months later, it is still right up there as one of my favourite rustic weddings. I hope it inspires another Rustic Bride out there too.

**All pics have come from Ali's own blog, but no doubt are the work of the talented Tec Petaja**

Me & You, Sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g

Something about these pictures (by Mark Brooke via Green Wedding Shoes)  just makes me giddy. I love them.

It's the light - which i imagine is not long before sunset. It's her bare-feet (and his sneakers) that add that relaxed, whimsical look. The green leaves against the dry grass. How at ease and in love the couple looks the day after their wedding. It's the slightly out of focus look that makes it all look dreamy. Aah, LOVE!

Anyway, these pics also jumped out at me because they tie in perfectly with my invitation idea.. which was 'Adam and Jess sitting in a tree'. Yup, remember the little tune from when you were a kid?

Adam and Jess, Sitting in a Tree

K-I-S-S-I-N-G

First comes love, then comes marriage, 

Then comes baby sitting in the carriage

(although lets ignore that last line for a few years!)

Somehow, I wanted this to be the theme of our invites. Cute. And given the 'tree-thing' it also ties into the rustic, woody, feel of everything.

Luckily, we had a very talented groomsmen volunteer to do our wedding invites for us.. I cant wait to show them to you! But that will have to wait til a little further down the track!