Where did the last year go?

Seems like the last year has really gone by fast.  I realized this as I was downloading pictures so I could use my Shutterfly gift certificate, yes, I am only now getting around to printing off wedding pictures. Last year at this time I was a frantic Bride-to-Be trying to get everything ready for my beach destination wedding. Everything did not go quite as I had envisioned, but all of the important things fell into place.

We had a reception party back home after our nuptials. I wouldn't say I regret it.  Having a destination wedding makes it hard to celebrate your union with everyone. At our reception, we got to have a great time will all of our friends & family that were not at the wedding.  It was worth every penny & all the hard work.

We did so much of our wedding at the beach. We were on a tight budget & I love to be creative. I'm sharing some of the DIY projects that I did for my "Big Day".  That was probably one of my favorite parts. Party planning is my passion after all!

Centerpieces from my Bridal Shower were 

recycled from my sister's Wedding

Then used for our Beach Wedding

And ended up being the centerpiece at our reception at home.

Talk about getting your money's worth!

Found this great idea on Pinterest.

Looks like a Life Preserver

But it's really there to freshen your breath!

What's more "beachy" than 

Salt Water Taffy?

I monogrammed bags that I purchased

 from Uline & filled them with taffy

BTW-I got those for a steal,

200 burlap bags (with shipping) for under $70!

We aren't huge fans of cake, 

so it wasn't the most important thing to us.

I bought a regular round store cake for us to cut & decorated it ourselves.

My best friends cousin is a baker in Richmond, VA

so we asked her to make cupcakes for us. 

Unfortunately, her cupcakes looked more like a Pinterest Fail.

(We were too upset to even take pictures)

So my future Sister In Law worked her magic on the existing cupcakes. I loved the way our cake table turned out.

The dining area was inside as well as on the deck.

The table cloths were a last minute purchase & matched perfectly

Appetizers for Cocktail Hour

-Caprice Salad Bites

-Veggies & dip cups

-Taco Dip Cups

-Cheese & Cracker Tray

-Pickle & Olive Tray

Dinner Menu

-Chicken Marsala

-Brown Sugar & Garlic Chicken

-Tortellini & Marinara

-Red Skinned Potatoes w/Parsley

-Green Beans

-Salad Bar

Since we have our son, we wanted to incorporate him into the Unity Sand part of our ceremony. When I started to look for bottles for the sand, I couldn't believe the prices. I wasn't overly concerned about what the sand was in, so I didn't need something super fancy.

I went to my favorite local craft store, Pat Catans.

I bought 3 Oil Pourers & a Bottle with a cork.

We put 3 differnt colors of sand in each one, representing each one of us.

Including the 3 bags of sand, our Unity Sand cost under $20.

We put sand from the beach at the bottom & eventually filled it the rest of the way with more sand from the beach. I loved the way it turned out. I have it with a picture from our wedding on a shelf.

I had a few more projects that I, honestly, just forgot to take the time to take pictures.  I re-used a bouquet that I caught at a friend's wedding.  It was artificial Jasmine flowers.  I just simply changed the ribbon to match our wedding colors.  I have since made a similar one for another friend's wedding.  I like being able to keep it. It was my something "old" at my reception.

Your special day is what you make of it.  At the end of the day, as long as me & my hubby were married, that was all that really mattered!