Kelsey and Tanner's Wedding

So we've been busy at our house this past fall preparing for Kelsey and Tanner's wedding!  
It was a perfect day.  The best part was watching them during the sealing ceremony!  They were sealed by Tanner's Grandpa.  

Kelsey never wanted to get married in the winter, so she didn't want it to look at all like a winter wedding, so we used pastel colours and completely forgot that it was cold and chilly outside!
I had fun gathering all the things we used at their reception.  I had great helpers.  Tanner's mom, who is also named Joanne, and I love the same kinds of things.  So it was super fun to work together with her. My good friend Patty is a handyman, but she's a woman handyman, the best kind.  She didn't question any of my crazy ideas as some handymen would.  I'd have an idea and she could make it happen...the best!  My friend Karen who came down from Edmonton and helped me with lace and crinoline lamps. And of course my family.  Kelsey was very diligent with many things.  My parents, did a lot, my mom made the bridesmaids dress which turned out beautifully!  Our boys are so glad its over and they don't have to run errands for me.  Katie for pressing a million doilies, Jessica and Mandy for helping with the favours.  Peter for sacrificing the whole garage, putting up with all my wild dreams, and of course financing the whole thing.  My siblings with their families who traveled from warmer climates in Utah and Vegas to join in on the fun in Canada in DECEMBER, who helped so much!  


Most of my "props" came from kijiji (like Craiglist).  I also frequented thrift stores, a few antique shops, a salvage building supply store and online.  

I'll post some before and after shots.  Some of during.  

I found this mantel at a building salvage store in Edmonton.  It's solid maple.  It had nasty rose coloured tile around the fireplace opening that was all chipped and broken.  I pulled all of that out, pulled out 2x4's that looked like they could come out.  Then used some liquid sandpaper to rough up the surface.  Painted it with BM Aura Dove White with a Eggshell finish.  

 Then I added the wood medallions.  Patty framed and put the piece of reclaimed ceiling tile into the fireplace opening.  She also rewired the plug in the top of the mantel to then be plugged into the wall.
I left this piece un-antiqued.  But by the time it got to the church...it had been antiqued.


We wanted to put wedding pictures of parents, Grandparents and Great Grandparents on it.















The lace was a curtain/mantel shawl, I found at Thrift Village.


Antique camera's, antique store and Pete's Christmas presents.

Joanne's Dress

Grandma Judy's Dress

We also used dress forms to display Kelsey's Grandma Judy's wedding dress.  And Tanner's Mom's Joanne's wedding dress.

I found both dress forms on kijiji.

I'm walking you through the room, by the way.  Lead pane glass window (kijiji), little Grandma chair (kijiji), pink dresser (kijiji), lamp (elements, thrift store and kijiji).  We used the pink dresser for the sign in book.  I also had a stack of blank envelopes that I had people address, so we could send out the thank you s. 

 If you hadn't noticed yet...I love doilies.  Lots of doilies!

I could have sold this lamp 10 times over, this one I'm actually keeping.  I took a old lamp shade the kind with wire under the cloth, ripped away the cloth, starched a whack of doilies, pinned them on the frame and started hand sewing them to the frame of the lampshade.

More pictures another day!