bridal brigade featured on "a practical wedding"

such an honor, meg over at a practical wedding has featured the bridal brigade!  having my friends involved in the wedding was such a blessing...i have such lovely, talented and gifted friends, and their effort made our wedding outstanding.  i wanted to involve our community in our wedding, rather than just hire a planner.  the idea for the brigade--having friends participate in the planning of the wedding--came to me after i abandoned the potluck idea.  i wanted friends and family participating in the wedding, not just observers and hence the bridal brigade!  i wanted to showcase people's talents, but i also didn't want to burden them with too big of a project, that's why the idea of several close friends worked so well.  everyone participated in the way that they felt comfortable...since there were so many, people could pick and choose different projects that suited them.

i also didn't want to be fussy with the outfits--as i've mentioned before, i told everyone to wear whatever they wanted as long as it was in the pink and brown family...that way everyone's individual style came through.  i also really didn't want anyone going out to purchase an outfit that they would never wear again!  

in fact, this blog was born because of the bridal brigade...i used it initially as a way to communicate projects, inspiration and ideas with the brigade and it grew from there.  the wedding was such a community effort and we felt so supported throughout the entire process.  it was a great way to see friends, too!  i loved having friends over to craft and assemble items for the wedding, it made it so much more special!

all my love & thanks to the lovely, talented bridal brigade:

{clockwise, from my left}

georgia:  the brigade general--planning & all details!

linda: diy projects, thrifting & opera singing

kate {and mary, her mom, not pictured}:  my beautiful bouquet & flowers, the garden

moore: vegan cupcakes & diy projects

danny: cupcakes, usher & the serenity prayer

craig: diy projects, thrifting, wedding dress help, usher & the serenity prayer

antonia: diy projects & lovely, fun reading

romy: diy projects, photography support & the gift of song

leslie:  love from sf, my beautiful tattoos

melissa: thrifting, diy projects, patty's cufflinks, wedding dress help & beautiful reading

not pictured, but instrumental help on day of the wedding:

roz:  my make up & hair, patty's grooming

pamela, shrader, kelly & donyale:  transforming the seating area to the dining area 

what an amazing, special day thanks to all of our fantastic friends & community.  

protest across the nation

los angeles, ca

houston, tx

washington, dc

chicago, il

chico, ca

unfortunately, i didn't take any photos this past saturday {of all days, i forgot my camera}.  there are amazing photos on the jointheimpact.com flickr photo stream here.  you can see photos from cities all across the nation.  if you have photos, you can post them on their stream as well.  it brought tears to my eyes looking at the numbers of protesters who came out in the name of equality.  in some cities there were only a handful, in others, tens of thousands.  the cities with a only a few people really brought tears to my eyes,  just thinking about the courage it took for those 7 or 10 people to stand out in front of their city hall for what they believe in.  

you can see the numbers yourself here, but here's a taste:

Anchorage, AK 100

Montgomery, AL 7  {the note for source says, "i counted."}

Chico, CA 700

Los Angeles, CA 12,000

Boulder, CO 850

Washington, DC 5,000

Ft Meyers, FL 1 

Orlando, FL 1,000

Honolulu, HI 350

Des Moines, IA 150

Chicago, IL 10,000

New Orleans, LA 500

Boston, MA 7,000

Baltimore, MD 450

Jackson, MS 130

Fargo, ND 250

Las Vegas, NV 1,500

New York, NY 10,000

Cleveland, OH 350

Eugene, OR 200

Corpus Christi, TX 18

Aberdeen, WA 14

thanks across the states & across the world {there are some international numbers up there} for standing with all of us for equality, justice and love.

photo credits here.

reduce, reuse, recycle: {b*tch & switch}

this weekend, a bunch of us girls are going to get together for one of our "bitch & switch" parties.  here's how it works:

1.  clean out closet

2.  bag up clothes {cream of the crop only}

3.  assemble at someone's house {potluck, bring a snack!}

4.  swap clothes!

5.  go home with some "new" clothes & the rest {not swapped} goes to goodwill {or take it & sell it at crossroads}

it's a fun way to reduce your closet, weed out some great stuff that you just never wear & invigorate it with some "new" pieces from your fashionable friends.  {you know you've been coveting your best friends sweater, maybe she's sick of it!}  we've had several & i have some great finds from the parties.  it's also a fun reason to get together--we usually do a simple snack potluck.  we need energy for shopping!  we only bring the "cream of the crop" to swap {no one really wants your old pajamas}, and someone volunteers to take the "leftovers" to goodwill, or one can always bring home & sell it at a crossroads or someplace similar.

join me at city hall

there will be an international rally tomorrow at city halls across the country and beyond.  to find out more information, but sure to join here.  10:30am pacific time and 1:30pm eastern time.  there are still several cities that need organizing help, so be sure to check your city on the website.

love & equality for all. repeal prop 8.

other folks weddings: {katie & clinton}...the ACTUAL holgas

here are the actual holga photos from katie & clinton's wedding...lovely!

photo credit ken stabile.

other folks weddings: {katie & clinton}...holga photos

i stumbled upon these amazing wedding photographs on flickr.  then i started a conversation with the bride, katie, and it turns out she's a photographer as well.  i'll post photographs she has taken of other weddings later, but these images from her own wedding are just amazing.  for these images, her photographer, ken stabile, used a holga camera, the same toy camera our photographer used for some of our photos.  i just love the effect, so haunting, vintage, timeless and ethereal.  

katie & clinton are truly a creative couple:  katie is a teacher, photographer & collector and her husband, clinton is a glass artisan.  they were married at a beautiful outdoor park setting in massachusetts.  congratulations to the happy couple! 

see more of their lovely wedding photos here (they have other photos besides just the holgas!).

**UPDATE:  the lovely bride (and much more of a photography expert than I am!!) sent me an correction:  these photos are NOT holga, but rather black & white infrared.  stunning nonetheless.

photo credit ken stabile.

hooray for connecticut!

i was driving last night from work on my way to a vigil/rally at the mormon temple when i heard that connecticut performed the first same sex wedding.  despite the legal battles we are contending with here in california, this is a joyous occasion.  

congratulations to the first couple to wed, jennifer vickery and peg oliveira.  i wish the couple much joy and happiness for years to come.

photo credit here.

other folks weddings: {shannon & monika}

what a beautiful day & a beautiful couple.  shannon & monika got married at san francisco's city hall on nov 4, 2008 (election day).  i love the setting & all the no on prop 8 support!  congratulations to the couple & best wishes for a happy married life.

more photos & credit here.

thank you prop 8 supporters

this past weekend, i visited with one of my bridesmaids in northern california.  i drove up with another friend & we met 2 other friends from LA while we were there.  of course, we had many hours of thought-provoking discussions about prop 8, what it meant, what we could have done differently and what we need to do next.

i'm not going to play the blame game here or ponder how we could have run the campaign differently.  rather, i'm going to thank the prop 8 supporters--yes, THANK them.  had it not been for their money and enormous efforts, our civil rights & gay rights may not have been pushed into the national spotlight.  in fact, because of the passage of prop 8, the world is now watching.  i've had notes of support from scotland, england and ireland.  this is not going away.  there's a silver lining here.  like richard bach said:  "every problem has a gift for you in it's hands."  had there been no prop 8, we would have gotten married quietly and stayed under the radar.  now it's our responsibility to fight for the rights of gays and lesbians not only in  california--but across the country.  so thank you prop 8 supporters for putting our rights on the national agenda.  

of course i'm disappointed that it passed.  but it's time to make lemonade and count our blessings.  our community will respond with petitions, actions, protests, inspiration & wisdom.  and now the world is watching.

more photos and credit here.

wedding details: {vows}

i need a break from the political posts & i thought what a better time to focus on my vows?  at first, i wasn't going to post my vows, i felt like they were too personal to post.  but after the activities of the last month and especially the last week, i thought why not share my love & commitment to patty with you...it is what is really important.  not the piece of paper from the state.  regardless of what happens in the state and political sphere, we will always have our vows.

here are mine to patty.  i based them on vows that i found on snippet & ink.   i loved the format and some of the wording, but i re-wrote some & tweaked some others.

i promise to love you unconditionally, 

with passion & enthusiasm.

i promise my loyalty and that i will stand by your side

through hard times as well as the good.

i promise to respect you as the guardian of your own individuality

and celebrate and accept you as you are.

i promise to be true to myself so that i may share my life with you.

i promise to surrender my will

to the care of the higher power that brought us together.

i promise to be patient with our differences

and to remember that they imbue our relationship 

with resilience, strength and humor.

i promise to recognize my humility 

and continue to share the joy of laughter with you.

i promise to keep our relationship fresh and lively

and to always remember that you are my lover 

and my beloved.

i promise to do what i can to stay healthy and fit

in body and mind so that i may age gracefully

by your side.

i promise to help create a home that is welcoming,

inclusive, spirited and inspiring.

i promise to look within and recognize our abundance

and live my love with you with honesty, love, compassion, acceptance and gratitude.

i promise to cherish your family as my own.

i promise to love you all the days of my life 

and to be with you in spirit even after i die.

thank you from the bottom of my heart

thank you for all your notes, wishes, support, love, posts, comments, etc.  although no on prop 8 has conceded we will not give up.  i attended the rally last night in west hollywood & i literally felt the support & love.  yes, this is a fight, but a fight for love & equality.

what more can you do?  well, keep reading the blogs & stay connected, as two chicks nest so eloquently suggested.

most of all, i just wanted to say thank you.  i have so much to be grateful for:  an amazing wife, fabulous friends, supportive family, my health, my dogs, a roof over my head, a supportive blogging and online community, i live in a beautiful country where homosexuality is legal & there is peace on our shores, obama was elected president...the list goes on & on.  with that in mind, i am truly happy, no matter what.  it's far from over, but i am fighting with love in my heart & from a place of gratitude.  thank you.

sweet gratitude card from mnotes on etsy.

time to challenge the legality of prop 8

so a petition against prop 8 has been officially filed.  check out pam's house blend for details. 

am i a second class citizen? the results don't look good.

i'm not quite sure what to write today.  so i'll keep it short.  i'm feeling so much more disappointment, sadness and hatred (towards me) that i expected i would.  when we planned to get married, it was before the june supreme court decision...so we didn't even expect to have the "right" to marry.  but to have it for 5 short, sweet months & then have it ripped away is incredibly jarring.  i'm trying to "keep the faith" as geoff kors urged folks to do at the SF "victory" rally last night, but i'll admit, it's hard.  i'm feeling really dejected.  

i feel like a "debbie downer," not able to participate in the celebration.  when obama says, "america is a place where all things are possible," it's hard to feel included.  

i'm sure tomorrow i'll be feeling much more positive & ready to fight for the rights of all citizens, but right now i'll take my "personal day."

patty & i are still MARRIED and our love is stronger than ever...no one can take that away.  

i'll just stick to my mantra today:  steady happy, steady happy, steady happy...

geoff kors posted election results here

marriage rights for all!

just got back from volunteering for the NO ON PROP 8 campaign at the polls all morning!!  had about 90 % NO & 10% yes at the poll i worked in the la cienega area!  let's hope we trend that way at all the california polls!  

all you need is love.  marriage rights for everyone.  NO ON PROP 8.

don't forget to vote! {no on prop 8}

i'll be working the polls tomorrow morning reminding everyone to preserve marriage rights for EVERYONE, vote no on prop 8!!!

we had a {real wedding}

kathryn at snippet & ink featured our wedding as part of her {real weddings} series.  if you haven't checked out snippet & ink, you are in for a real treat.  kathryn puts together the most amazing inspiration boards & always has fantastic tips.  i literally consulted her blog everyday {sometimes multiple times a day!} and even though the wedding is over, i still love to read her blog.

thanks so much to kathryn for including us & writing such a thoughtful, lovely post.  see the post here.

all you need is love.  equality for all.  please vote no on prop 8.

wedding details: {holga}

our photographer, chris strother, was amazing.  {i know i've said that a lot, but i'm so grateful she was able to shoot our wedding.} she shot color digital, black & white film & panoramic and also with the amazing holga camera.  sometimes referred to as a "toy camera," the effects are simply stunning from these little cameras.  it really captures the vintage feel that we wanted at the wedding.

all you need is love.  equality for all.  vote no on prop 8.