University venues

In keeping with the idea of the "tailgate wedding" I have compiled a list of what I think are pretty, scholastic venues for a couple wishing to say their vows at a university with significance to them.

1.) The University of Notre Dame (Go Irish!)
The Basilica of the Sacred Heart at Notre Dame is beautiful, century-old church located in the middle of campus. You may celebrate your wedding at the Basilica if you are a current Notre Dame student, an ND alumnus/alumnae, a current member of the faculty or administrator at the University, or a member of the Sacred Heart Parish.

2.) Michigan State University
With its roots as an agricultural college, MSU has several gardens available to host weddings.

3.) Harvard University
This big name school's Harvard Faculty Club provides a reception site.

4.) The University of Michigan
While I dislike the football team, the Matthaei Botanical Gardens sounds like a beautiful conservatory to get married and celebrate. Indoor and outdoor facilities are available.

5.) Georgetown University
I do love Washington, DC. This school allows for Roman Catholic weddings to be held in several campus chapels, available to those connected to the university.

6.) Santa Clara University
I have a thing for Old Mexican-style churches. While SCU is a Catholic university, non-Catholics can get married at their Mission Church as well.

7.) United States Air Force Academy
Talk about the ultimate military style wedding, right? There is not a lot of information on the website for the Cadet Chapel, but a Google search tells me that weddings there are absolutely beautiful. See this blog for an example with several helpful suggestions.

Obviously, this is by no means an exhaustive list. All schools host events, it is just a matter of asking around. Check out your alma maters website and do a search for "weddings," or call up the school yourself. Keep in mind that religious institutions (particularly Catholic ones) may have special rules about who can get married there and what kind of ceremony the couple can have.

Polls

Lily and I have added a new feature to our blog! From time to time, we'll put up a new poll, and it will show up to the right of the most recent entry. But since I would like to see comments on it, we'll post the poll as a blog entry as well. Here's our first one:

Where would you have your destination wedding?
--A castle in Ireland
--An old Spanish church in the Carribbean
--A scenic National Park, with a lake and mountains in the background
--At my alma mater, where my fiance and I met

Please comment with additional suggestions and ideas!

Untraditional

Contrary to what Lily would have you believe, a religious pastor does not have to preside over your wedding. The second wedding I attended this summer, performed in front of a waterfall at an Indiana county park (shown above), was conducted by the bride's congressman! She had worked for him while she was in college. Instead of biblical readings, before the vows were read, members of the party came up and read appropriate pieces of romantic poetry.
Here is a photo of the bride's bouquet, which I loved from the moment I set eyes on it:

On another note, I was talking with my boyfriend about weddings (he's so tolerant, I'm so lucky to have this guy). I asked him about a fall wedding, what you would do if your football team was playing. I figured he'd say that you just don't have a wedding in the fall for that very reason, but instead, he said, "Easy. Breakfast wedding, tailgate reception. You're out by game time."

Comments? Additions? Suggestions? Seems to me that if you had your heart set on a fall wedding but your fiance's team plays every week, the solution, then, is a Friday night wedding. And if your alma mater is important to you as a couple, have the wedding in your college town, and you and your classmates can head to the game the next day for a fun little reunion.

The wedding which I attended this summer took place in the context of a Tridentine Latin Mass. This made it a new and slightly intimidating experience, especially for those of us who were not familiar with this tradition. The bride and groom understood this and helpfully included the entire Wedding Rite and Mass in the program with a side-by-side English translation. What I found interesting was the fact that the vows were still professed in English. If I remember correctly (I was quite sleep deprived, so my memory of this is a little fuzzy), it was explained to me that the vows are said in the vernacular language of the couple to ensure that they fully comprehend the commitment which they are making. There was a choir to sing the responses and the hymns, which also helped out those of us less proficient in ecclesiastical Latin.







The liturgical setting affected other aspects of the wedding, including the bridesmaids' outfits. Modest dress was expected of all those in attendence, so we bridesmaids covered our shoulders with elegant matching wraps. The bridesmaids also wore simple veils of white tulle edged with coordinating green ribbon, in keeping with the custom of women covering their heads in church. The locatino was also selected because of its suitability for celebrating such a service, as well as its significance to the bride. The interior of the church was Gothic in style with a stone altar rail, beautiful stained glass, and many statues of the saints.

Overall, situating the wedding in the context of a Tridentine Mass gave the service a very solemn and reverent atmosphere. It reflected the liturgical tradition of the happy couple and their families, and introduced the rest of us to a beautiful Liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church.

Fairy flower girls

Theresa's always been my most whimsical friend. So as a personal touch to her wedding, she had her two little flower girls, her nieces, wear costume fairy wings down the aisle! It's a cute idea for a personal touch, and something I think the toddlers enjoyed.

The above shown costume wings can be purchased from kidboxes.com.

Hello friends! Since Daisy posted a photo of her hairstyle, I thought I would put up a picture of mine as well. Although it wasn't quite what I had in mind going into the appointment, I really liked the elegant way in which the lady ended up arranging it. Having our hair done up was the bride's gift to her bridesmaids. This gift both contributed to the elegance of the ceremony and let the women of the bridal party enjoy a fun outing on the morning of the wedding. The only downside is, of course, that this sort of gift is transient, but often spending time with your friends and family can be the best gift! I know we now have several priceless photos of the happy bride making silly faces at us from under the hair dryer!





Hairstyle by Katia at
Aspen Beauty Academy
3535 Fort Meade Road
Laurel, MD 20724
(301) 490-8580

Great idea

The wedding I was in last weekend was my good friend Theresa's, in case you haven't been following along. Her wedding was at St. Mary's College, her alma mater, in South Bend, Indiana. The college is across the street from the well-known University of Notre Dame, from which her new husband graduated. As I've previously written, we'll cover more details about the wedding in the coming weeks, but because I want to give as much detail and attention as possible, our coverage will be split up in to separate postings.

The cleverest thing Theresa did, I think, was in her transportation from the church on campus to the reception hall in downtown South Bend. She looked at limos and horse-drawn carriages, but if you are familiar with the South Bend area, you know that it is home to the National Studebaker Museum and used to manufacture the classic vehicles. Theresa called up the local Studebaker Drivers' Club and asked if anyone would be willing to drive them from the church to the reception hall in one of their classic Studebakers. The owners discussed at their meeting and were happy to show off their vehicles. Theresa and John ended up driving in a 1962 white convertible Studebaker, capturing local color and at the same time saving the cash she would have spent on a limosine.

The chapter of the Studebaker Drivers' Club that Theresa contacted can be located here.
If you are from another area and would like to find your local Studebaker Drivers' Club, click here.
And obviously this idea is not limited to Studebakers. Imagine the possibilities for a wedding in Detroit!

**Picture coming as soon as I can get one**