Niecy's biography
It was a beautiful day. Everything went perfectly ....and I had a ball!
We had a "music" theme ...and I love how it all worked out :)
And it was "Broughten" !!!!!!!
My daughter singing "The Rose" My dedication to my mom
My stepson Alex singing "Cheap Sunglasses" DH's dedication to his father
This is my brother Jonathan ... he has Downes Syndrome ...and he is the life of every party :)
My wedding day was also his birthday ...he was quite emotional when I brought him his Birthday cake
and had the whole place sing happy birthday to him :)
We then danced to "Don't Stop Believing"
DH Twirling the Garter .....and me mocking him :)
Me and my brother James (the Best Man)
I don't know what that face is he is making ...and I have no idea what I was cheesing for ;)
My nephew Tyler putting the garter on the Maid of Honor ........ yep ....he's 4 years old ;)
His dad wasn't too proud (more like mortified) but me and DH were :) GO TYLER!!
Watch and learn Tyler
"Like This Uncle Mike???"
"GOT IT! "
Come on baby let's do the twist ....... no one does it like my mommy and my uncle mike :)
My grandma LOOOOVES to dance to "Shout" ...I believe this is the "a little bit softer now" part
Im going to go ahead and submit that this was during "Jump Around" for 2 reasons .....one my brother only dances with me to that song ..... (though we learned he will dance to "Boom Boom Pow" that pic coming soon) and for 2 because we don't actually jump at the JUMP JUMP part because it takes too much effort we just raise the roof ;)
IT'S ELECTRIC!!! ...... I loved that DH's Grandpa and Aunt Stell did the Electric Slide like Pro's!
"BOOM BOOM BOOM" -Who knew all it took was "Boom Boom Pow" to get my brother to bust a move for REALZ!!
"Don't Stop Believing" - Jonathan is our Angel
Just Bust A Move
My Stepdad Bill has a signature move I call "The Bill" ... I had the DJ call him out and encourage everyone to do "THE BILL" ...it's real easy to do ...
"Don't Stop Believing" - Jonathan is our Angel
This would be the "PEOPLE" part of Don't Stop Believing
"PEOP UH UH UH LE!"
I have so many I never posted ...so Ill add them little by little
The top layer of the cake
Introducing ......
Parents of the Bride
Father of the Bride
Parents of the Groom
Bridesmaid and Grromsman (I love Jonathan's "thumbs up" ) LOL
Junior Bridesmaid and Bling Bearer
The flower girls
First Dance
Jonathans Cake
Mikes aunt and uncle
My mom and my uncle doing teh twist (yeah they take it to the floor)
More of the girls dance routine
(community article)
<!-- AddThis Button END -->| edit this article | about this guide | more wedding articles »
I was married April 25th 2009. It was a beautiful day , and everything was perfect , because I married the love of my life. Was every last detail REALLY perfect ....no of course not .... but I was there , he was there , our families were there and we became husband and wife, and that's all that matters. In hindsight I think we all can look back and give sound advice once we've had our day . So here's mine , and I hope it helps atleast one person .
#1 - make sure every single button , fasten , hook and loop is checked on your dress the day before the wedding and are secure. One of my loops broke as I got dressed and my mom had to meet me at the door to the venue and sew me into my dress. Not what you want to do right before you walk down the aisle :)
#2 - Don't do your programs 2 days before the wedding at 2 am, leading you to forget your vendors in your thank you's in your program. I did this, I got so wrapped up in thanking the family and friends that helped and dedicating the back page to my kids, (plus I was tired) that I forgot to add my vendors ..DUH!!!! I fixed this by printing out my thank you's to the vendors in large bold print on a sheet of paper and putting it in a frame that was displayed next to the program basket on the table. I suggest trying to avoid this ;)
#3 - Remember to tell your DJ about your do not play list. I forgot, and even though I will pretty much dance to anything, I meant to tell him no songs about strippers and the like. I was a little embarrased when "you spin me right round when u go down when you go down " came blasting out of the speakers. (sorry grandma) I also would have said no to "Low" but alas, I danced like it was my job making sure to "give that big booty a slap ...HEY" when it was appropriate ;)
#4 - Don't sweat the small stuff - and once your processional starts and your heading toward the love of your life, all the rest of it IS just that ...small stuff. Don't forget what the day is REALLY about. You can impress your friends or your snobby aunt another time. That day is about you as a couple , always keep that in perspective
#5 Which leads me to this ....... I think it becomes very easy to get wrapped up in other peoples thoughts, ideas , suggestions , comments , and even what other brides are doing .... DON"T! Your day is about you and your husband to be, no one else. (unless you already have children) ... I guess I have become a firm believer that your wedding day is your opportunity to display and show the world how much your in love , why your in love , what you have in common , and who you are as a couple. Not so much about how many petals you can possibly line that aisle with, or how blingy your centerpieces are, or how wonderful everyone will think you are if you serve them filet mignon . If your wedding doesn't reflect who the two of you are, than it is just a show. Where is the meaning in that?
If he wants to wear converse , or adidas or vans.... LET HIM!
If you want to wear a Red dress ..... WEAR IT
If you want to sing eachother songs - SING YOUR HEARTS OUT
If you want to use a funny poem as your vows because it "feels like you" - DO IT
If you want to decorate your reception venue like Yankee Stadium because the two of you cherish your season passes then .. LETS PLAY BALL
If you want to get married in a backyard barefoot and serve Barbecue because that's how you roll ... then ROCK ON WIT' YOUR BAD SELVES!
It's your day ... not a day to impress the masses ... put a little more of you in it and the memories will mean SOOOO much more to the two of you and your guests afterwards ...TRUST ME!!!!
#6) MOST IMPORTANT - HAVE FUN!!!!! Before you blink it is over. Make sure you are enjoying yourself,.... any bumps in the road ...forget about them. Just enjoy yourself , your guests , have a GREAT time , and just thoroughly enjoy your very first moments being his wife. Memorize the smiles on people's faces and live in the moment .
Denise
So we went to Key West - LOVE IT!!!! We are already planning how we will get back there and also plan to take each of our kids for their 21st Birthdays :) ..... It was really HOT ... but July in Key West was bound to be ..... almost everyday we woke up ... had the breakfast provided by our B&B , headed out for the morning .... had lunch ... came back to the B&B , swam in the pool and took a NAP!!! :) .... then we would get up ... go find dinner and PARTY :) .... It was so much fun and so relaxing .... it is a very different way of life in Key West .... the people are SOOOO friendly .... we had some really great food ... met some really cool people ... and I had fun trying different drinks Ive never had ( If you go you have to have the Pirates Punch at "Captain Tony's" ... delicious! We toured the Hemmingway House ... and other museums ... the history in Key West is so weird and different ... I really enjoyed the historical stuff ... we went to Fort Zachary Beach ... Took a Wine Tasting Sunset Sail .... and then partied with three other couples we met on the sail for the rest of the night .... I do not remember alot from this night ... but Ive been told I danced on a bar and I bought CD's from various musicians playing in the bars we stopped at .... as well as danced on the street with another girl while a street musician played some very eccentric tunees on a violin .... ummm yeah ... okay so the music LOVED LOVED LOVED the music there!!! ...All day everyday there are bands and musicians playing in most of the bars and restaurants ...this was so perfect ... and made it very easy to get stuck on a bar stool with your tasty beverage just listening and grooving along :) ....We rented bikes right from our B&B , which made getting around very easy ... We stayed at "Papa's Hideaway" ... which is about a block from the Southernmost point... with the sun blazing walking is tough after a while ...the bikes were fun! .... We will be going back .... Key West is my kind of place ...Im so glad we went there!
Our B&B
Our porch/balcony
The Ernest Hemmingway House
On a sunset Wine tasting Sail
Posing with the Street Musician
Key West Sunsets
One Human Family - Key West Motto - The people in Key West are so friendly
Well not really old old ...I'm 32 years old. :) We met at work about 7 years ago .....we've officially been together about 5 years and lived together for the last 2. I have 3 beautiful daughters , ages 15, 11, and 9 . He has a gorgeous son and daughter , 12 and 9 . So altogether we have 5 kids in the house a lot of the time. Add to that a crazy dog. We have a Great Dane/Chocolate Lab mix named Jett. He is almost a year old. He sleeps with mommy and "owns" the couch. He is high strung and very active.
Our children are all very artsy. My oldest can draw, can bring tears to your eyes when she sings, loves to act and is in the Drama Club. My younger two girls and my step daughter all love to dance. And my stepson loves to sing and act. We spend a lot of time running to and from dance classes, rehearsals, recitals, plays and talent shows :) All in all we have one crazy household , and I LOVE it!
ALL of us! :)
I am a HUGE karaoke nut! I love to sing , but would never do it in front of anyone until a few years ago when an all Karaoke all the time bar opened up near us. Once I tried it , I was hooked and it is my favorite place to go when we get a night out. My brother and I love to sing my Fiance NEVER has gotten up and sang anything. He just goes because I like to go , and he likes to watch me sing.
We went out last March about a week after my birthday to celebrate it. Of course I wanted to go to my karaoke bar :) A few of our friends met us there , my brother was there and my uncle and my stepdad all came out too. I should have known something was up when my stepdad came along , he usually doesn't :)
So I had just gotten finished singing "Love Song" by Sara Bareilles of all songs , when the DJ told me not to leave the stage just yet , and proceeded to tell everyone it was my birthday and that "Mike" my fiance had something to say . (Ok at this point , I STILL had no idea , I'm thinking Mike was only getting up on stage to get everyone to sing happy birthday or embarrass me in some other way - we are both obnoxious and sarcastic like that ) ..... but Mike comes up and takes the Microphone and then drops to one knee and tells me he loves me more than anything and will I marry him. I burst into tears , and obviously said yes. Then the owner of the bar took the stage and sang "Unchained Melody" while Mike and I danced and I cried and kept looking at my ring. ( I am going to walk down the aisle to a beautiful piano only version of "Unchained Melody" )
As for the ring. He did good!!! My brother is a jeweler so of course I was getting a great ring. But once upon a time I mentioned that I don't care much for diamonds (really I don't) They are nice , and pretty enough, but every girl has one, and I am all about color , I LOVE purple and my favorite stone is an amethyst. Plus this is my second marriage and I got a diamond the first time. So I mentioned once that I thought an Amethyst would be nice in an engagement ring. He remembered ,and my ring is an emerald cut amethyst with diamonds surrounding it and going down both sides of the band. I LOVE IT! Of course now I will need a custom made band to fit around it but oh well ! :)
I will marry the man of my dreams , my soulmate April 25th 2009 at 11:30 am , our children , my brothers and his sister have done us the honor of agreeing to be our bridal party :)
We are doing the ceremony as well as reception at Wysocki's Lake Park Manor in Cicero , NY
Due to the high probobility of rain in Syracuse on a lovely day in April , we have decided to go ahead and plan to be married indoors. (Besides that it saves the cost of chairs for outside ....I am truly a bride on a budget)
I will walk down the aisle to a beautiful piano version of "Unchained Melody" by an artist named Robin Spielberg
Following our ceremony , Mike's uncle has been so kind as to agree to take pictures for us ...we plan to spend about 20-25 minutes doing this while hors deuvres and punch are served to our guests. Following the pictures , we will do the announcements and then go right into our first dance which will be to "Speak Softly Love" - the love theme from the Godfather movies by Al Martino.
Immediately following our first dance I will dance with my dad to "Unforgettable" - Nat King Cole chosen by my dad as our song.
Next Mike will dance with his mom to "Your Song" - Garth Brooks - he chose this and she has no idea :)
I will then dance with my step-dad (who I am extremely close to ) to "Bridge Over Troubled Water" - Simon and Garfunkle - song chosen by my step-dad. ( I bawl every time I try and listen to it)
Once these dances are finished we are going to cut the cake before dinner to get it out of the way :)
Right before cake is served later on I am having a cake brought out to my brother Jonathan who is a groomsman and will be 17 the day I get married. Jonathan is so psyched that I am getting married on his birthday. Thank goodness because I got so wrapped up I didn't think about it being his birthday when I booked the venue :( I felt awful , but he thinks it's great! I will have his own special cake brought out to him right before cake is served and have the whole place sing him happy birthday . He will LOVE this! Then I will have "Don't Stop Believing" played so we can dance to his favorite song :) Jonathan has Downes Syndrome and he is my families' special angel :) ......oh and he has some pretty funky dance moves too! LOL
After dinner it's party time - WHOO HOO! I plan to kick the party off with "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough" by Michael Jackson and dance like it's my job! :)
Mike and I are also dedicating songs to eachother during the reception ....
I chose "Maybe I'm Amazed" - remake by an artist named Jem , and Mike chose "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" - remake by an artist named Jeffrey Gaines
I'm hoping there are enough personal touches to our reception that our feelings for eachother, our parents, our children, and our families in general really come through. I know the day will fly by , I almost wish I had more time to dream about it , so it wasn't so soon before it will be over :(
These little people are the reason I breathe! .... I love them all to death!
Left to right .......
stepdaughter- Morgan 8, daughter Jade 9, daughter Brooklyn 11, stepson Alex 12, daughter Destynee 15
This is mine from the back .... the only one I could find ..... I didn't even give it a second glance when my FMIL pointed it out in the store ....but then my mom handed it to me while I was in the dressing room and said "here try this on FMIL and I like this" ..... and that's how it went ...I was disappointed in the front a little but LOVE the back , especially when it's bustled
Me in it :
The back
I ended up being very self concious about my cleavage after the seamstress sewed cups in
so we ended up adding a modesty panel - in the end it looked like it belonged on the dress and I was very glad we made that decision
And with my shoes ...... I am so in love with my shoes :)
This is the Junior bridesmaid dress - this color is "lilac" and is the actual color of all the BM dresses
This is the dress my oldest daughter and my MOH are wearing this is my daughter below...they both liked it best out of all the lilac dresses so I will try and set them apart with flowers and jewelry .......
These are the flower girl dresses , but with lilac trim on top and bottom ...couldn't get this pic in lilac either
I think this hairstyle is it :)
Hair trial
Okay so between the hair trial and the wedding day , I started looking at the above pics and thinking I normally don't wear bangs and as much as I loved the way my hair trial turned out, I wasn't sure how I felt about the "swoop" across the forehead on "me" ..... I had decided I was going to ask her the morning of if she could just pull the front back in some way rather than have it across my forehead .....
So the morning of the wedding I sat down in the chair and SHE said .... "how do you feel about me pulling the top back and giving it some height rather than having it swoop" .... at that moment I knew Kara of Salon Allure was the only person who I would trust with my hair from now on ...I couldn't be happier with her!
FAVORS
We will place a silver organza bag full of candy including Lindt Truffles at each place setting , and are doubling "Wedding Day Soundtrack" CD's as both favors and place cards :)
Our Wedding Day Soundtrack
1)Unchained Melody - Processional (Piano version)
2)That's Amore - Dean Martin - Recessional
3)Speak Softly Love- Love Theme From The Godfather movies - First Dance
4)Unforgettable - Nat King Cole - Father/Daughter - chosen by my bio dad
5)It was Your Song - Garth Brooks Mother/Son - chosen by FI
6)Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon and Garfunkle - chosen by Step-dad
7)Cut The Cake - Average White Band - Cake cutting
8) The Rose - sung by my daughter Destynee , dedicated to my mom
9) Cheap Sunglasses - ZZ Top - dedication to Father of The Groom -
10) I'm a Man - Bo Diddley - removal of garter
11) One Way Or Another - Blondie - bouquet Toss
12) Boom Boom - Big Head Todd - throwing of Garter
13) Mash up of Henry Mancini's "Peter Gunn Theme" and The Police "every Breath You Take " - Putting on of garter
14) Maybe I'm Amazed - remake by Jem - dedication to Groom from Bride
15) The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face - remake by Jeffrey Gaines - dedication to Bride from Groom
16) You Sexy Thing - Hot Chocolate - kids fave song to sing in car on roadtrips :)
17) It Takes Two - Rob Base/DJ EZ Rock - Brides fave song to dance to
18) It's Amazing - Jem - Dedication to their kids from Bride and Groom
This is a mock up of the centerpieces , the vases are actually candy dishes but I love the fullness of them ... there will be only clear glass beads and lavender quartz rocks in the bottom, a floating candle , the tulle will be arranged much neater and will resemble a flower shape and the ribbon with music notes as you see
Okay so update ..... The above centerpieces started literally breaking while sitting untouched in boxes 3 days before the wedding ....so I ended up running to Michaels and buying all new vases in varying shapes and sizes and we had to redo them all :) Luckily my mom , aunt and grandmother took care of this for me .... moral of the story if you find vases for $1.00 there is probobly a reason they are a dollar - like maybe a flaw in the glass :/
The new and improved vases are below .....my mom used the beaded garland INSIDE the vases rather than around the bottom like above and I loved this so much more
Here are two of the other shaped vases shown on the tables at the reception ....we used larger hurricane type for the parent tables ....all in all we had some short and round ....some short and square ...some tall and cylindrical and then the large ones
The parent gifts - I found these on etsy- Architectural Letter Name Frames
These are the request cards we put in the RSVP's to A) tie in with our "music theme" and B) involve our guests in the planning of our reception ....every song played during cocktail hour and reception was either requested by us or one or more of our guests ....it was a hit ...many guests filled them out and mailed them back with the RSVP's , and it was so much fun seeing what everybody requested :) SOOOOOO glad we did this
FI custom made his own pair
The tongue - skulls and flourishes :)
The Best Man's - My brother would not typically wear Converse so it's one of his gifts and we selected The "Kurt Cobain" pair from the "music" section of the Converse website - My brother is a Nirvana fan and atleast now if he never wears them again they are a collectors item :)
And these for my stepson (RB) and my youngest brother (GM)
My two oldest ddaughters (Jr BM and BM ) will carry these ....they are not quite finished in this pic ...I love the Hydrangea and Wildflower look of them :)
My mom made us a shadow box as one of our shower gifts ..... she found pretty antique looking music note paper she used as the backdrop .... then put inside one of our invites and a frame for our wedding pic ....and added little extras ..... My mom ROCKS!!!! ....she helped put so many tiny music details into my wedding :)
I put this little look together and then started having "Do-over" syndrome .... I would have loved to wear this dress .... but I found it too late :(
http://www.projectwedding.com/post/list/pw-guide-article-mrs-bajish-500-ensemble
Here is a link to the PW Music Group .... where we can discuss any and all things music related ..... wether its Wedding Music or any other music discussions you would like to get into :)
http://www.projectwedding.com/groups/boards/music
For all the lovelies who live, have lived or are getting married in Upstate NY .... here is our forum to discuss all things upstate related :)
Here is the link to our very own Upstate NY Group
http://www.projectwedding.com/groups/boards/upstate-ny-brides
