I hope you had a wonderful holiday season. Here in the fishbowl, it was our BEST holiday yet.... and probably the last of its kind! I didn't want it to end. We have had so many days of undivided time together as a family. But...more to come on that later.
Today, it's time once again for Wedding Wednesday. I am in the thick of a three part mini-series on gifts... a nice coincidence to coincide with the gift-giving holiday season.
The last post focused on GIFT #1: a singular, generous gift from my brother - he shot the engagement photos, bridals, preception, wedding, and wedding luncheon.
Mr. Fish will do some trade work for Justin and his family: home/car repairs and improvements, in hopes to repay a fraction of what Justin donated.
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There were so many other incredible & meaningful gifts given all around, and I feel a need to document them so we won't forget.
{Warning: sap and long post ahead}.
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GIFT #2
Another of the greatest gifts in the whole affair was working with Jared's parents (Don & Camille). They were so awesome. We would meet on Sunday evenings and make plans and divvy up assignments and review the budget. Camille was so helpful and did a huge chunk of the work (made the luminaries, made homemade marshmallows, gift bags for the groomsmen, helped dye coffee filters, sew pillows... and much more). Don & Camille were so easy going. They were MUCH easier to work with than we were!!
Plus we had some good times trying out different refreshment ideas for the preception.
Thank you D&C, from the bottom of our heart, for all your ideas, financial contributions, work and effort you put forth to give our kids a dream wedding!
We are grateful Daisy has such wonderful in-laws.
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GIFT #3 - to Daisy
One of the most poignant gifts was completely unexpected. On the night before the wedding, my mom gave Daisy a long pearl necklace, that was my grandmothers. I had never seen it before. So special!
But wait.... it gets even better. The pearls were hand-strung by my great-grandmother. Daisy wore it with her wedding dress.
GIFT #4 - to Daisy
Another gift from my mom, this one expected, was a darling little book --- hard cover, bound, square 5 x 5 --- called What I Wish I Had Known When I Got Married. Mom had collected bits of marriage advice from significant people in Daisy's life (co-workers, mother-in-law, aunts, friends, etc). Amazingly, there wasn't much duplication in people's answers...it turned out to be a wide range of sage advice, and so fun to read. The little book became part of the decor & sat on the coffee table at the preception.
GIFT #5 - to MOB
On the night before the wedding, my mother gave me a cameo, which was given to her by her mother on the day on my wedding in 1987, along with a beautiful letter which I will always cherish. It made me cry.
GIFT #6 - to Bridesmaids
Camille (Jared's mother) and I wanted to give gifts to the wedding party and to those who helped at the preception. We were so grateful to the many people who helped us, and to the friends / family of Daisy and Jared who played a huge role in making the day special.
Daisy had 5 bridesmaids (fun fact: each was a girlfriend from a different time period in Daisy's life). We gave them a small gift bag, including a face masque, some bit o' honey candy, orange jelly bellies, and a personalized white handkerchief. Maybe the girls will use the hankie at future weddings and think back fondly on the day they shared with us.
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| bridesmaid handkerchief |
GIFT #7 - to Groomsmen
Camille gave each of the groomsmen a black tone-on-tone striped tie, along with a pair of orange socks that we hand dyed. Each of the boys had a different shade of orange. Ombre socks!
GIFT #8 - To friends / reception help
For the girls who helped in the kitchen and manned the hot chocolate station, Camille and I gave them white aprons with their name and a bee embroidered on the chest. My sweet friend, Amee, sewed on a white & orange pocket. (Girls gotta have a place for lipsmack and cell phones!) Sadly, I didn't get a pic of these aprons.
GIFT #9 - To Jared & Daisy
Amee made these pillows to be used as wedding decor and then in Daisy and Jared's new home. We had their wedding logo (vector graphic) digitally converted for machine embroidery.
Camille and I made this pillow. Sewing on the B monogram was a PAIN. Remind me not to do it ever again.
GIFT #10 - To Daisy and Jared
Just for funsies, I had some flour sack towels embroidered with their logo for their kitchen.
GIFT #11 - to Daisy
I had been pondering about something I could impart to Daisy that
a) didn't cost a lot
b) didn't take a lot of time
but would help her to know & remember that she is part of a long line of strong and wonderful women (who mean so much to me) and have been an example of a loving and enduring marriage.
One day while working on the invitations, which said: We invite you to join us for A PERFECT DAY, an idea struck...this was simply going to be another in a long succession of perfect days.
I pulled out a book my mom had given us a few years ago (another awesome gift!) with stories, pictures and geneology information of our heritage. I wrote down each wedding day from my mom to my great grandmother. Roberta embroidered them on a crisp white handkerchief:
A LEGACY OF PERFECT DAYS
The initial and wedding dates of five generations were included. After I got the hankie back from Roberta, I was looking it over and realized that every one of them was married in the Fall.
Good Karma.
Daisy followed another tradition. Each of the women represented on this hankie got married in the same place: the LDS temple.
{UPDATE: Sap still running thick....}
GIFT #12 - to Daisy
Hankies seemed to be the order of the day. In addition to the brand new hankie (pictured above), I also passed along the hankie my mother gave to me on my wedding day. And it has been with me every time I have gone to the temple. The hankie has been passed down from generation to generation: crocheted by my great grandmother, given to my mother on her wedding day.
GIFT #13 - to Daisy
My mom also gave Daisy a hankie, crocheted by my grandmother. These are vintage heirloom treasures that will mean more to Daisy as the years progress.
(Gosh...we had a lot of hankie panky going on. Is that a sign we cry a lot?)
GIFT #14 - to Jared and Daisy
Paper and fabric. Two things I love. So I always knew that when my daughter got married, I would make her a quilt. At first it was going to be the usual... a quilt for picnics or soccer games. But then I decided to turn the quilt into a wedding decoration. We had huge spaces to fill. And quite frankly, I was running out of decorating ideas.
But was I up to the challenge to fit Daisy and Jared's style ---- modern, bees, hexagon shapes, simple? A log cabin just wasn't going to cut it. I scoured Pinterest and blogs. Finally, I found this...
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| credit |
which gave me the inspiration for this:
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| laying out hexagon quilt blocks |
Each of the hexagons were hand appliqued onto the quilt top. The machine quilting was done by Lori Durrant. I bound the quilt with hand-sewing again. And yes....If you look close, there are a few blood stains on the white fabric ;)
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| the finished quilt |
GIFT #15 - to Jared and Daisy
One day a package came in the mail that made me cry. Again. (Hmmm...answered my own question... see Gift #13). My sister-in-law's sister, Lisa Jones, sent a package wrapped with simple elegance -- creamy paper with a satin orange bow. Careful unwrapping revealed one of the most beautiful books I've ever held in my hands; along with a sweet handwritten note, expressing delight in being able to make this and share in the celebration. Both Daisy and I were touched, awed and grateful.
The book -- square 6 x 6 --- was a guest book and journal. The pages were hand torn. The inside cover had their logo imprinted on it.
Each signature began with a hand-picked specialty paper with the most beautiful patterns and textures. Lisa hand-stitched the binding using a coptic stitch, allowing the book to lay completely flat for ease of signing.
Maybe the book was so beautiful because Lisa teaches book arts at BYU - Idaho, and has access to fancy paper and stuff. Or because she takes the craft very seriously and does professional quality work. Maybe it's because Lisa has exquisite taste and a good design eye. Or because she is one of the kindest people on the planet and transferred genuine generosity into every stitch. Whatever it is, the book was magical.
So grateful for the beauty of this gift and the giver.
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We also had so many generous gifts given to Daisy and Jared. I was truly overwhelmed with the outpouring of creativity, generosity, and love shown to them.
A huge thank you to my momma, Camille, Amee, Roberta (embroidery), Lori, Lisa, and Daisy's bridesmaids who were so helpful and attentive and thoughtful. And of course, all others who helped in any way.
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Have a Happy New Year full of giving!
xoxo
Ms. Fish
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Next Week Wedding Wednesday: Gifts Part III
2 comments:
Jenni, this was so very extra special. Wow, such thoughtful, unique and personal gifts. You are amazing, Dr. Fish. BTW, I had never seen how the hankie turned out that you had embroidered, so I'm glad I got to see it pictured here.
Love all of it!! What great ideas! Really loved the ideas of the hankies!
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