Bride-to-Be Blogger Danielle: The Little Details

So, I think it is abundantly clear by now that I love the beach. I love the raw power of the ocean, and the sand and shells and vegetation. When I was a kid, I loved it for its mystery. As I got older, I took some time to study life sciences like beach erosion, waves and geology. Tim says I’m a “rock dork,” but I really find these things interesting — not to mention beautiful. So when I found out that the Academy of Natural Sciences was hosting the Philadelphia Shell Show last weekend, I had to go!

Tim was out of town, so I went over by myself, partially to fulfill my geeky side, and partially to see what I could find in the vendor showcase to use as details for the wedding. I learned all about why shells coil one way or the other and took a bunch of photos. Then I headed down to the vendor area, where I looked around for things we could use as in the wedding ceremony and reception.

Tim had been largely opposed to the idea of a guest book for a long time. He thought it was very old-fashioned, but I kind of liked the simple tradition of it. We talked about options for a more modern guest books, but some of those — such as having guests sign a photo of us — made him uncomfortable. When we were on vacation this summer, we came to the compromise that we would find a picture or coffee table book of shells and have guests sign that. It would serve two purposes, and just felt a little less self-indulgent. Luckily, I found a great modern book with incredible photos that we will use as a guest book. Tim liked it a lot when I showed it to him.

I also came home with an idea that I ran past him: Instead of having a ring pillow or dish, I thought it would be really different and beautiful if we used a shiny abalone shell with mother-of-pearl to hold our wedding rings. And since he didn’t hate the idea, I’m going to contact one of the vendors I met at the show to order one that is not astronomical in price. (Shells can be expensive!) I also started pricing some larger ones for centerpieces. I am not sure that we will be able to make that work from a budget perspective, but we’re going to at least run the numbers.

Are you using a traditional or modern guest book? What kinds of details are you thinking about? 2Is your fiancé interested in the little things like centerpieces and ring pillows/dishes?

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