This is sparrow1009's Chocolate Wedding!

I spent the past three days at my mom's place working on wedding projects. My mom is my 'decorator' for the wedding and I thought I may have given her a few too many projects so I went down to help out with the two biggest ones.

The first were the trees - I loved the crystal trees everyone was doing but knew they wouldn't fit in with my wedding. We're trying to use as many 'natural' decorations as possible. The chapel is just going to be filled with candles and we're using leaves and such to decorate (fall wedding). So, instead of crystal trees we just took some fallen branches (from a maple that was cut down after a storm) and made some wire hangers for some votives out of copper wire.

The second are my posters. The chapel we're getting married in used to be a monastary so there are two really large niches at the front of the church where the trees will go (I think there would have been statues there before or something) and we're going to put these posters in some niches on the side walls...also really big spaces. The chapel had a lot of these little areas where religious things had been taken out and we needed to fill them in.

The posters will be painted in metallics - the birds will be painted a white gold, with copper/bronze wings and beaks and then there will be leaves in various metallic shades throughout. The branches will be painted just a deep brown. The idea is to have candles in votive holders along the edge underneath that will make the picture shimmer. I drew the birds from an invite I loved but couldn't afford. The only major disaster was with the iron on transfers for the words. The instructions said to press down and hold for 15 seconds - the first one scorched in 7 seconds. The big iron mark looks horrid, but it does fit in with the colours...and it's the shape of the leaves that are supposed to be there...so we're going to try to hide it. If it doesn't look good we'll scrap it, but I've got my fingers crossed that it can be fixed still when we do the painting.

Last pic is the blow up of the birds that will be painted on posters. Quotes on posters:
"If I know what love is, it is because of you" - Dante Aligihieri
"Remember tonight for it is the beginning of always" - Herman Hesse

Alright Ladies, I need your help again....How much food is too much?

I was given lots of fantastic advise on the centerpieces. I will be doing the chocolate covered strawberries and truffles on the tiers. I'm also including some red, foil wrapped chocolate hearts from Laura Secord for those certain picky people. Thanks everyone for your input!

Now, on top of that, I still wanted to do favors at each place setting. My FH is pretty passionate about his coffee - as in, eccentric - he chooses it first by country, region, etc and then orders it to our home. He takes the green beans and roasts them in different ways to come up with different flavors...he LOVES his coffee. I'll admit, I've become a coffee snob too now and won't drink what's served in most restaurants. For this reason, we've decided to use coffee as our favors. (I'll post a pic of the boxes and such a bit later on when I find that camera)

Okay - so to give a little run down. The wedding is going to be in a little stone chapel on a hill. This is still on the same property as the inn we'll be having our reception at. Down the hill from the chapel (within sight) is a tiny little 'tea house'...just a small building with standing room for four or five at a time. I'll be setting up refreshments for guests to grab in line form and stand around on the grass with. We'll be serving coffee, tea, apple cider, water and I wanted to do a basket of apples as well as some sort of mix - like a trail mix or something. Just something light and 'snacky' for the guests.

After this we'll be having a cocktail hour before the doors to the reception area open (while FH and I get pics done with family)

As a seating chart I want to do cellophane wrapped candied apples with little tags attached to the sticks all lined up on trays with the names and table numbers for guests and put up a sign to remember to pick up a candy apple on their way home. (The idea being that guests would leave the apple while they ate dinner, danced, etc.)

On top of all of this I have the ladies on my side making snacks for the dance which will be in a seperate room of the inn for the late stayers that dance off dinner and get hungry again.

Now, I come from a family of foodies and most of our celebrations revolve around full tables of goodies. Does anyone think this is too much food to have around?

Just for a quick recap:
Apples and trail mix after ceremony (around 3pm)
Dinner of Striploin, baby spinach salad and spice cake (my wedding cake) around 6pm
Centerpieces of choc dipped strawberries, truffles and little assorted chocolates on the tables
Cookies, squares and other home baked goods for the dance
Candied apples and coffee for take home favors.

Now I realize people don't have to eat it all - but I wonder how it will come across - as a good hostess or a little overboard? There will be children at the ceremony but not at the dance or reception so kids won't be overindulging and getting sick...but I'd love some opinions.

Also - would love opinions on the candy apple seating card idea. Any one else doing candy apples??

I've been spying and stealing ideas from all of you wonderful brides without posting anything of my own.

I went through a few months of not being very interested in wedding plans or posting but this past week has seen me spending hours pouring over wedding sites and coming up with my own plans...so I now intend to blog my little heart out with all the details.

Bear with me if it takes a few days - I've just moved and can't seem to find the camera yet and don't want to blog without pictures to show off. Any other October Brides out there getting excited as our days get closer? I can't believe I'm down to just over two months now. This week I'm starting to assemble my invites. Has anyone else out there used the DIY packs from Michaels for this?

Has anyone ever done an edible centerpiece or planning on doing one?

I've changed my mind a half dozen times about centerpieces already as I want something more original to me than just the standard candle or flower centerpiece. I really don't feel flowery centerpieces fit what I'm looking for - and with the room I'm having the reception in being a deep red colour, it's hard to find the perfect flower.

So what am I planning? I really want to do a two or three tiered centerpiece in the middle of each table (more likely two tiered) piled high with truffles, chocolate covered strawberries and assorted chocolates for my guests to pick at or choose over cake. I'm only having forty guests, close family on my side and family with a few friends on his. I haven't been able to find much info on this idea either or any bridal sites that have suggested it. I love the thought of it because it ties into my colours and the chocolates can be eaten up or taken home by guests to enjoy after the wedding. I hate the idea of spending a big chunk of my budget on flowers that will die within a few days and want to do something memorable.

I'm getting a lot of strange looks from family about straying from more traditional centerpieces, a few that seem entirely grossed out about having chocolates out for anyone to touch (mind you, there won't be little fingers touching everything as no kids are invited - nothing against kids, just want a grown up event only), and a few enthusiastic responses.

So I'm curious to get some opinions and, better yet, if any one has been to an event with edible centerpieces how they felt about it.

I'm new to blogging but too excited to keep the wedding plans to myself...plus, I've been looking and looking for someone doing my colours and not finding, so here I am.

I'm just recently engaged, as of December 18th, and it came as a shock to both of us...nothing romantic (or should I say traditionally romantic) just a discussion of our future with a, 'well, why don't we get married?' tagged on the end from FH.

Anyway, all that aside, it's finally happening! We've set the date and booked the venue for October 18th of this year! Everything is coming together quickly despite wanting to draw it out and savour every moment. I've ordered my dress (see profile pic), picked out the bridesmaid dresses, and already have some pretty solid ideas of what I want for cake/centerpieces, etc.

Now it's just trying to stay within the budget with so many beautiful flowers and decorations to choose from!