My expectations were high for a fun event, but I never used the words "perfect" or "princess" when describing my visions.... And my expections were blown away. The day could not have been more perfect, in our eyes. 

NON-PRO PICS:

PRO PICS:

.the bride.

Hails from Northeastern PA. The youngest of two, the first to marry.  Call her the marriage guinea pig. A Penn State Grad (go State schools!!), moved to Vegas on a whim in 2003. It obviously is working out well for her.  Jennifer is employed by General Growth Properties- she works at Fashion Show on The Strip.  Daytime hours are spent helping to plan events, decorating the mall with advertising and channeling her inner fashionista, helping with the live runway shows each weekend!  Evenings are spent cleaning, dreaming and writing.  She currently edits and writes a column for Las Vegas Bride magazine, entitled, "The Nearlywed Report" and several blogs, including her own,  The Nearlyweds.

.the groom.

Hails from the Seattle area. The youngest of three and the last to marry. It took him a while, but it was well worth the wait! A Washington State grad (go State schools!) Moved to Vegas in 2004 for his current job. It is working out well for him too! Tedd is currently employed by KLAS-TV, the local CBS news station where he is the weekend weather anchor and week day reporter. Tedd is often stopped and asked "What's the weather going to be?" while out and about town. This is admirable that most people know him as the "weather guy" and he reports the weather to us usually just two days a week!  His summers are spent covering monsoons and jacking up the A/C while winters are spent on the mountains, Tedd is an avid and skilled snowboarder.

We had E-pics, round 2 taken on 3.5.10, again in downtown LV, sticking with our retro theme....

Slowly but surely these pics will be added.  Our photographer, Imagine Photo Studios, shot our e-pics on 4.28.09 at a make-shift studio at Caesars Palace, the Neon Boneyard and then on Fremont St.  I was proposed to on Fremont St., so it only made sense to shoot there.

Out of almost, 300, here are just a few shots to share.

My amazing friend, Ellie, designed and printed these for us.  Once we had our photos, we discussed concepts.  I wanted to use as many photos as possible without shoving our faces down the throats of the guests.  I barely accomplished that, but do think that these are cute, unique and totally us!

**The personal deets are blacked out**

These wedding professionals (vendors sounds so cold!) were chosen by me or matched up to me and let me say, they are amazing! 

The most delicious part of the nite... cocktail hour and dinner....

Cocktail Hour, Passed Hors D’Oeuvers:

Tomato and Mozzarella with Basil and Olive oil on Bruschetta

Minted Mandarin Shrimp on Buttered Brioche

Coconut Shrimp with Sweet Chili Mint Sauce

Mini Beef Wellington

Two Hour Dinner, served Buffet Style:

Live Action Pasta Station:

Cheese tortellini and Penne with sauces of Bolognese and Garlic and Wine

With toppings: shrimp, grilled chicken, baby scallops, mushrooms, scallions, onions, peppers, tomatoes, parmesan, garlic, fresh herbs and fresh focaccia bread

Carving Station:

Steamship round and Roast Brest of Turkey

Mashed Potato Bar:

Red Bliss and Yukon Potatoes served with: cheddar cheese, bacon, sautéed mushrooms, caramelized Onions, Parmesan cheese, Goat Cheese, roasted garlic, roasted pepper pesto, basil pesto, sun dried tomato pesto

Mixed greens:

Caesar Salad

Mesclun greens tossed with crumbled blue cheese, toasted pine nuts, and dried cherries with balsamic vinaigrette

Specialty Drinks:

Purple Haze Martini:

 1 oz. freshly squeezed pomegranate juice* or
POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice
1 1/2 oz. Hpnotiq
1 1/2 oz. pineapple juice
Orange rind and apple slice for garnish

Unknown Drink but super yummy:

Blueberry Vodka1 1/2 oz. Hpnotiq
Triple Sec.

Sour Mix
Pineapple
Blue Curacao

Shortly after getting engaged, I enlisted my dad's help for our favors.  His retirement project is wine and beer making...which I knew, right away, would be our wedding favors.  He happily agreed and sent me pics for blogging about the process, etc. And here you have it!  The finished product....

MESSAGE ON THE BOTTLE:

Thank you so much for being here

We hope you enjoy this bottle of cheer

It’s been aged and refined

So do us a favor and savor the flavor

But keep the bottle to remind

Of a love that is truly divine

Unlike our marriage, this wine has a short shelf-life.

------------

QUOTE THAT IS ON THE TOP: 

Let us celebrate the occasion with wine and sweet words – Platus

---------------

TWO LABELS- ONE FOR EACH FLAVOR OF WINE. 

Gewurztraminer - a white wine, medium body, aromas of honey, citrus and flowers, this wine is near the dry side of the sweetness scale, soft on the palate with a clean aftertaste, the perfect wine for socializing.

Black Raspberry Merlot - a sweet wine with aromas of blackberry, cherries and candy store, the black raspberry thins out some of the heavy tannins from the merlot giving this wine a fruity flavor.

----------------

A LITTLE DITTY ON MY DAD AND HIS WINES

Steve, Father of the Bride, started making wine around 1960 after listening to stories of grandmother, who bought her home in the early 20th century from the proceeds of making "illegal moonshine" made from apples.  Thanks to prohibition, today he makes wine in the basement of his home in Pennsylvania, calling it The Oxbow Winery. This wine was created especially for the wedding of Jennifer and Tedd.  Like their marriage, which is created out of love, this wine is created with love for you to enjoy and the bottle was designed to you to keep as a reminder of this celebration.