Music!

by Stephanie
Danny and I picked some of our songs for the wedding! Below you will find some youtube clips of random people playing the songs we are going to have, and explanation as to why we picked it, as well as the lyrics to each of the songs. For the processional and recessional music I put a video of the original version, and then a video of some random person playing it on the piano.

Processional
"You & Me" - by Lifehouse
We are having my best guy friend, Shawn, play the piano for us during the ceremony. We were having a hard time finding any classical music songs that we liked that sounded good just on a piano, and that had the right beat for actually walking down the aisle to. While we were searching the internet for piano songs we stumbled across a bunch of modern, pop or rock music being played on just the piano. It was truely amazing how beautiful some of the songs sounded when just instrumental. (We also found some amazing string quartet versions of pop/rock songs!) "You & Me" by Lifehouse had the right sound, the right pace, and great lyrics! It also could be easily shortened, or lengthened depending on how long it takes to walk down the aisle and get situated and started. Yay!





This clock never seemed so alive
I can't keep up and I can't back down
I've been losing so much time

'Cause it's you and me and all of the people with nothing to do
Nothing to lose
And it's you and me and all other people
And I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you

One of the things that I want to say just aren't coming out right
I'm tripping on words
You've got my head spinning
I don't know where to go from here

'Cause it's you and me and all of the people with nothing to do
Nothing to prove
And it's you and me and all other people
And I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you

There's something about you nowI can't quite figure out
Everything she does is beautiful
Everything she does is right

'Cause it's you and me and all of the people with nothing to do
And it's you and me and all other people
And I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you
and me and all other people with nothing to do
Nothing to prove

And it's you and me and all other people
And I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you

What day is it?And in what month
This clock never seemed so alive

Recessional
"You're My Best Friend" - Queen
We both wanted a recessional that was happy sounding, but not cheesy. Once again we found one of our favorite songs that sounds absolutly great as a piano solo. And the lyrics are perfect.

Ooh you make me live
Whatever this world can give to me
It's you you're all I see
Ooo you make me live now honey
Ooo you make me live

Ooh you're the best friend that I ever had
I've been with you such a long time
You're my sunshine and I want you to know
That my feelings are true
I really love you
Oh you're my best friend

Ooo you make me live

Ooh I've been wandering round
But I still come back to you
In rain or shine
You've stood by me, girl
I'm happy, happy at home
You're my best friend

Ooo you make me live

Whenever this world is cruel to me
I got you to help me forgive
Ooo you make me
Ooo you make me live

You're the first one
When things turn out bad
You know I'll never be lonely
You're my only one
And I love the things
I really love the things that you do
You're my best friend

Ooo you make me live

I'm happy at home
You're my best friend
Oh ya
Oh you're my best friend
Ooo you make me live
You you're my best friend

First Dance

"Come Rain or Come Shine" - B.B King & Eric Clapton

It just doesn't get much better than B.B King & Eric Clapton singing together. And let's face it...we are getting married in Oregon...if it rains at least this song will seem even more perfect lol.


I'm gonna love you like nobody's loved you,
Come rain or come shine
High as a mountain and deep as a river,
Come rain or come shine

Well I guess when you met me
That it was just one of those things
But don't you ever bet me,
'Cause I'm gonna be true if you let me

You're gonna love me like nobody's loved me
Come rain or come shine
Happy together, unhappy together
Won't that be fine?

Day may be cloudy or sunny
We're either in or we're out of the money.
I'm with you always
I'm with you rain or shine

You're gonna love me like nobody's loved me
Come rain or come shine
Happy together, unhappy together
Won't that be fine?

Day may be cloudy or sunny,
We're either in or we're out of the money
I'm with you always
I'm with you rain or shine

I'm with you always
I'm with you rain or shine

Last Dance of the Night
"Wonderful Tonight" - Eric Clapton
Because it is an amazingly beautiful song.

It's late in the evening; she's wondering what clothes to wear.
She puts on her make-up and brushes her long blonde hair.
And then she asks me, "Do I look all right?"
And I say, "Yes, you look wonderful tonight."

We go to a party and everyone turns to see
This beautiful lady that's walking around with me.
And then she asks me, "Do you feel all right?"
And I say, "Yes, I feel wonderful tonight."

I feel wonderful because I see
The love light in your eyes.
And the wonder of it all
Is that you just don't realize how much I love you.

It's time to go home now and I've got an aching head,
So I give her the car keys and she helps me to bed.
And then I tell her, as I turn out the light,
I say, "My darling, you were wonderful tonight.
Oh my darling, you were wonderful tonight

***
So what do you guys think??? Good choices?

And they lived happily ever after...

Making the Save the Date Magnets

by Stephanie
All the save the date cards are finished and sent! Yay! We really wanted to do something fun, cheerful, colorful and different. We ended up making refrigerator magnets that matched the header image for this website. The only difference is that they have the website address on them and it says "formal invitation to follow." My friend Dana did refrigerator magnets for her save the date cards and I thought it was such a great idea. That way instead of just being a piece of paper that gets lost or thrown away, you have a reminder every time you go to the fridge.


Here is a picture of all the stuff I needed in order to make them:


Paper cutter, scissors, exacto knife LOTS of glue sticks, the magnets, envelope liner template, the save the date cards, a huge list of names, stickers, and of course...a movie rental card and the entire first season of "Angel."

Once my camera battery is charged I will take some pictures of the finished save the dates.

And they lived happily ever after...

Personalized Monogram

by Stephanie
After looking around online for wedding decoration ideas, I stumbled upon the idea of getting a personalized monogram made. I liked the idea of being able to make stickers, napkins, water bottles, etc all have some similar design. However, I was having a hard time finding a monogram style that I liked. They were all really fancy and traditional, neither of which Danny and I are lol.

I then found this great website, Pink Design, where you can get a custom designed monogram for only $20! She designs one for you and then sends you the image file so you can put it onto whatever you want. So I emailed her a picture of our wedding invitations and explained some of the design elements we liked from her existing monograms. Here are the two we ended up picking:

I think I am going to have the second monogram put onto white napkins. We are going to use the first monogram for tons of things. It was nice to get one monogram that had a distinct border around it, and another that is just kind of a floating monogram. It allows us to put our monograms on lots of different types of things. The neat thing is that she gives you the file, so I was able to cut out the words in Photoshop and add in my own text to the box monogram and used it in the save the dates.

Aren't they great?! It will be really fun to think of neat ways of including our new monogram into the wedding decorations.

And they lived happily ever after...

Merry Christmas!!!

by Stephanie

We had a great Christmas! Here are some random pictures of our little Christmas that we had. Hope everyone had a great Christmas and a great New Year's!

Here is the front door to our condo and the pretty wreath we have on it right now:

I love welcome mats! I have one for each holiday season, but I think this Christmas one is my favorite. The snow men are so cute!

Our neighbors put Christmas lights on the little bush outside our mutual walkway. They are so pretty!

Our Christmas tree all lit up:

Our Christmas tree with the rest of the living room lights on. You can really tell how many ornaments we crammed on our little tree lol.

We couldn't find an angel for the top of the tree that didn't creep me out. They all had really scary faces painted on them! So we ended up with a glitter covered silver star. However, it was way too heavy for the top of our tree so it sat crooked. But it is sparkly at least!

The two Christmas ornaments we got while in Amsterdam this summer. We collect ornaments and refrigerator magnets from all the neat places we go or special things we do during the year.

The ornament we got while in Vienna this summer:

The ornament we got while in Prague this summer.

Danny's sister (Lindsay) and brother in law (Chris) gave us this ornament at our engagement party. Frogs are supposed to be good luck because they always hop forward, never backwards.

This is one of the ornaments that my Grandma painted for me to put on my miniature Christmas tree that I had when in the dorms my freshman year in college. The ornaments she gave me for that tree are still some of my favorites!

Another one my Grandma painted:

Another one my Grandma painted:

She also gave me a bunch of really tiny angels and snow men to put on my tiny dorm room tree. Every year I think I took them all off, and then I find some still on the tree the next year because they were so tiny they hid from me!

When Danny was little, each kid used to have a miniature Christmas tree in their room that they decorated with their own ornaments. The next couple are from that. This one is a spinner that Danny's grandma used to put on the tree. If you situate it just right above one of the Christmas lights it will heat up just enough to spin the little silver disk in the middle.

From Danny's first year at the University of Oregon (Yellow and green are the UO colors). I'm sure glad he decided to go there for school!!!

A little rocking horse ornament from Danny's first Christmas:

So cute!!!!!!!!!!!

Our stockings above the fireplace. One for me, one for Danny, one for Harley and one for Zoe:

Yay! Santa showed up!

Harley and Zoe each hopped up to their respective stockings immediately! They even started pulling the toys out of the stockings! It was soooooo funny and cute.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

And they lived happily ever after...