I chosen some options for bridesmaids dresses at David’s Bridal and am waiting for my beautiful bridesmaids to send me pictures of how they fit. I chose David’s for the bridesmaids (after rejecting them for my wedding dress) because my girls are located in different cities sprawled across the US. New York. Tampa. Pensacola. And myself in Tallahassee. So thanks to technology I can see what they look like as they try them on in each of their locations via Facetime, photo texts, etc. Yes!

I have also ordered the wedding invitations from Exclusively Weddings  & postage and am eagerly waiting for those to arrive. In the meantime, I have designed my own RSVP cards and Misc. Info cards (using Microsoft Word again) to include in the invitation–I will upload the templates for these later I promise! (How will I put it together…I have no idea, we’ll see when the invites get here!). It was such a pain to make…lots of measuring lines, and cutting, and then erasing lines. I’ll remind myself to put up a picture of them along with the template. For the sake of saving money (postage) and time (snail mail vs. email) I decided to request RSVP by email. Hopefully this isn’t tacky to my guests. Honestly the modern world has made wedding planning SO much easier. I have a world of tips and ideas at my little finger tips.

I also picked out a veil pattern which my lovely and industrious (and awesome) mommy will be making for me. Not only is it the sweetest, most tickle-my-soul heart-warming thing ever, it will also save a ton of money. For brides who are lucky enough to have charitable and talented mothers DIY veil is the way to go. I know mine will be a a cherished wedding artifact that I will keep forever.

And finally, I have been working on some future posts. One is about my battle with and thoughts about name changing. The other will be on the Orthodox wedding ceremony, as promised (it’s just taking me a while because cutting and drawing lines eats up a lot of time).

P.S. I also worked on our registry.

This is the musical and visual story of their holy Jewish union which took place in Moshav Mahseya, Israel.

video is courtesy of Daniel Shugert

I had a great time photographing the wedding – it was different, beautiful and very interesting. The couple was very friendly, and it was nice hanging out before the ceremony, as we had some time to take portrait shots then. I do love photography, I just can’t help it.

Below are some photos from the wedding day – I hope you enjoy them!

The beautiful wedding ceremony.

The Uspenski cathedral is very beautiful; this is what it looks like from the outside. It’s in the very heart of Helsinki.

The beautiful wedding couple before the ceremony.

It was a pleasure to photograph them. Before the ceremony, they were waiting in the sacristy, where I also joined them for a while to take some pictures.

The bouquet.

Waiting for the moment…

The altar.

The couple’s entry into the church.

The priest and the altar.

Drinking the wine, that is so essential in Christian weddings.

The bouquet bearer.

The couple’s hands are held together, as they walk three times around the altar.

Approaching the holiest part of the church, the sanctuary behind the iconostasis.

Crowns were held above the couple’s heads during the ceremony. This is the bride’s crown.

There was a certain sense of relief after the ceremony, as everything went smoothly; from here, the couple and their guests continued on to party with friends and family.

 PDF Format

The following article was published in the American Carpatho Russian Orthodox Diocese newsletter, The Messenger April 15th.

Planning a Wedding; Preparing for a Marriage [PDF FILE]

I hope you are inspired by this stunning wedding…..

Today’s Monday’s Finding came about as a search for wedding gowns on Etsy for the Second Annual Etsy Virtual Bridal Show (coming in March/April). I began to notice that modest gowns for Muslim, Mormon, Orthodox Judaism, and for those with a personal preference for more gown coverage were practically non-existent. In my search, I used the strictest modesty guidelines: no see through, elbows covered, no collarbone showing, and full lengths. I hope that some of my finds help you in your search for a gown that not only fits closely held modesty standards, but also inspires the dress of your dreams!