20 Details We’ll Remember About Our 2020 Wedding
Crystal Mountain, WA
20 Details We’ll Remember About Our 2020 Wedding
Oct. 1, 2020
If you had the chance to read my latest blog post: The Tale of a 2020 Bride, you may have noticed that our wedding story was pretty long. That’s my bad - I’m a lover of details and I can’t help but document the little moments that I want to look back on one day! Believe it or not, there are actually even more details that I’d like to highlight about our wedding. Some made it to the main story, but for the others - I’d like to highlight them here.
1. Why August 8, 2020?
Not only is 8.8.2020 an easy anniversary to remember (right Lucas? ;) ), we both agreed on a summer wedding. It allowed for a lesser chance of rain, and it also gave us a few months of preparation after Lucas returned home from his deployment. We didn’t want to cut it too close to his anticipated arrival date and risk him getting delayed (which definitely happened so good thing we planned for the late summer!). My mom also shared that the number 8 is good luck -- we ended up needing all of that luck during 2020!
2. Elizabeth’s Beautiful Invitations
We were blessed to work with Weddings by Eccentricity! Elizabeth is a DREAM to work with! Her thoughtful designs and sweet nature are absolutely what you’re looking for in a stationery vendor. I came to her with dreams of gondolas, mountains, and dusty blue -- she blew me away by completely exceeding every expectation that I had! I’ll let the photos speak for themselves, but believe me when I say that we will excitedly hire her again whenever we need stationery.
3. Our Accessories Held Stories
We were able to go shopping for our wedding rings together when Lucas was able to come home from his deployment in November 2019. We walked around the mall looking at different options, but once we walked into Ben Bridge and met the jewelry associate working that day - we were sold! She easily became a genuine friend to us, and provided phenomenal customer service! Lucas picked out a silver titanium wedding band, and I selected a rose gold ring with diamonds on the side (rather than on the top!).
We loved that jewelry associate so much that we returned to find her again when I was on the hunt for Lucas’ wedding gift -- a watch! She helped us select a Khaki Pilot Hamilton watch with a brown leather strap and black dial. For the wedding gift Lucas gave me, see Detail #5!
4. Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue
Something Old:
My “Something Old” was my mom’s wedding ring. Because it no longer fits her, and because both of my parents have professions that don’t allow rings to be worn while at work, she not only allowed me to wear it on my wedding day, she gifted it to me as well. It’s a simple gold band purchased in the Philippines with a leaf pattern circling it. It also has my dad’s name, “Joseph” engraved on the inside in cursive. You’ll rarely find me without it on now.
Something New:
My “Something New” was my wedding dress! (I wonder how many brides choose that as their something new… haha.) My mom and I purchased my Martina Liana wedding gown from New Beginnings Bridal Studio back in July 2019 (SO early!! lol). After Lucas proposed, there was a gown event happening at our local bridal studio. Since I didn’t know what style I wanted to go for, I wanted to try on dresses at a nearby store just to see what style I liked. So, with zero intention to purchase a dress that day - I invited my mom, my Matron of Honor/Best Friend Chelsey, and my mother-in-law to accompany me. Little did I know, I was going to find my dress on that same day! Have you seen Say Yes to the Dress? Because we definitely had one of those moments when I put it on… I didn’t want to take it off and some tears were even shed once the veil was placed.
Something Borrowed:
My “Something Borrowed” were my mom’s diamond earrings. Fun Fact: I love wearing earrings, but I hate putting them on. There’s just something about piercing a piece of metal in my ear that I can’t do… but maybe that’s just me! Haha! Because of this, my mom knew that the only way I’d wear earrings on my wedding day is if she put them on for me. She’s been doing this for me for 25 years, and will hopefully continue to do so forever! :p
Something Blue:
My “Something Blue” was my blue and white lace garter. Truth be told, I didn’t invest too much time or money in my garter. I only wore it for the garter toss. My brother-in-law ended up catching it, so I guess he’s next in line to get married!
5. My Tiffany & Co. Butterfly Necklace
Lucas chose a silver butterfly necklace from Tiffany & Co. as my wedding gift. Butterflies are how my family remembers and honors my grandma who lost her battle with cancer a few years ago. Wearing a butterfly around my neck allowed for her to walk down the aisle with me when the big day arrived.
6. We Wrote Our Own Vows
I took pictures at a wedding last summer where the bride and groom wrote their own vows. They wrote them so eloquently, it intimidated me out of writing my own vows... or so I thought. I ended up changing my mind a few months before the wedding. I realized that we didn’t have to write vows as well-written as the other couple. We just had to write vows that were... well… ours. Our story developed into something worth sharing with our loved ones, so with that mindset, we decided to write our own vows. Surprisingly, Lucas was completely on board! It took me a bit longer to write mine, but saying our own vows was a decision I will never regret. A note for anyone who is on the fence about it -- go for it!! Your partner will adore every word simply because they’re coming from your heart!
7. My Best Friend is My Forever Hair and Makeup Artist
Let me start off by saying that my best friend (aka my Matron of Honor) is a MIRACLE. I am so so blessed to have her in my life for many reasons beyond hair. Have you seen a photo of me with my hair curled? There’s a 98% chance that she was the one who curled it for me. To this day, I still don’t know how to curl my hair (and I’m 25 as I’m writing this... lol). How spoiled am I to have a best friend who’s a hair and makeup magician! She not only did my hair and makeup, she also did her own hair and makeup, my mom’s hair and makeup, and my aunt’s hair! I know… MIRACLE. She also patiently allowed me to do multiple hair trials leading up to the wedding. I had the hardest time deciding whether or not I wanted my hair up or down. While there were many friends/family members insisting that I looked beautiful with my hair up, it just didn’t feel like me. I am so happy that I chose to wear my hair half-up with a braid, with my favorite Boccamazzo Beauty curls!
8. Magical Photographers
Chelsey was one of many magicians involved on our special day. Our photographers were simply… INCREDIBLE! You probably agree with me after seeing the pictures they took! If you’re still not convinced, check out their portfolio! Words can’t express how thankful we are for their amazing work and positive energy throughout the entire wedding planning process. Nick has a way of getting you comfortable in front of the camera -- whether it’s making noises to spark a laugh, or smiling right at you until you join him! Lexi exercised her magical powers too when I accidentally got lipstick on my dress while getting ready! It was a crisis quickly averted once Lexi sprung into action ready to help take the stain out. Bless!!
9. There Were Bears at Our Wedding!
In addition to our magical photographers, we were also blessed with silver bears at our wedding! Now before you go on thinking we had real bears at our wedding, I’m talking about the incredible Silver Bear Creative team. If you didn’t already know, Lucas and I very much prefer to be behind the camera lens, so the thought of being on video for our wedding was a little daunting at first. However, it wasn’t long until Ryan, Allison, and Kris had us laughing like we were all just hanging out and having a good time. They spent all of Saturday with us, and even most of Friday afternoon/evening! We are SO excited to see the movie magic they’ve captured!!
10. I Walked Down the Aisle to “The One”
I wrote about the significance of this song in my previous blog post, but wanted to highlight it here in a little more detail. Before we found out that our reception was potentially cancelled, Lucas and I had been searching for our “First Dance” song. Many songs came to mind that held significance to us like, “Wildfire” by Seafret, and many Ben Rector songs, but none of them felt perfect. Lucas chose the song “The One” by Matt Johnson and John Adams (originally sung by Kodaline), and my heart melted. The lyrics held so much meaning.
When we found out that our reception was potentially cancelled altogether (and before my aunt and uncle offered to host us in their backyard), we weren’t sure if we were going to have the chance to have a First Dance at all. So, at the last minute, I decided to tell the DJ to play “The One” instead of my original choice, “Extraordinary Magic” by Ben Rector (we danced to this one instead!) but kept it a surprise from Lucas. His reaction makes me believe that I made the right choice. :)
11. My Uncle Married Us
My Uncle/Godfather Jeff said yes to marrying us! This is a big deal because he has never married anyone else before. We were his first couple, and I have to wonder if he’ll be marrying any of our cousins next ;). He brought us to tears, he made our stomachs hurt from laughing, and he shared marriage wisdom that Lucas and I will forever treasure. We are so blessed to have him in our lives!
12. The Gondola Operator Had a Hot Toddy Waiting For Me After the Ceremony
As I was boarding the gondola on the way up to the ceremony, the gondola operator told me I was very brave going up to the summit without a jacket on. I laughed and told him that my adrenaline and nerves were so high, I couldn’t even feel a thing. We joked together that I might need a hot chocolate or a hot toddy on the way down once the adrenaline wore off. Low and behold -- once we descended the gondola after the ceremony, we heard a “CONGRATULATIONS!” and all of a sudden there was a hot toddy waiting for me at the gondola station. I HAD NO WORDS! If you couldn’t tell from the photo shown above, my heart literally burst into a thousand pieces because of his thoughtfulness and kind gesture!
13. Our Last-Minute Reception
As mentioned earlier, our reception venue cancelled our dinner within two weeks before our big day. It left us scrambling to find a new location where we could all gather safely. My Aunt/Godmother Loretta and Uncle/Godfather Jeff were originally supposed to be going out of town right after the wedding to their summer house in eastern Washington. We were extremely blessed that they decided to stay on the west side through Saturday night so they could host our reception in their backyard. We, again, HAD NO WORDS for their generosity and kindness.
If you don’t know my aunt/godmother, she lives up to her title as godmother to the point where she’s our FAIRY godmother! She has the wonderful reputation of saying that she’ll set something up and it’ll be “nothing fancy.” The next thing you know, she has the most glamorous set-up imaginable! (A PRIME example of this was when she hosted my bridal shower!) Given that she was also a wedding coordinator at one point, her vision was way better than anything I could’ve ever come up with!
On the weekend before our day, Lucas and Brent helped with yardwork, I cleaned out vases, and my aunt/godmother and I helped design the cake table wall. Her vision was white curtains, some floral, and these awesome glass orbs that hold tea light candles. It made for a stunning sight! With decor prepped and ready for the following weekend, my cousins and Aunt Jackie prepared everything else the night before and on the day-of (e.g. tables, chairs, linens, gold banners, water station, etc.). My Aunt/Godmother Loretta literally set up a DREAM wedding reception with only 2-weeks notice! She’s amazing!
14. The MVPs of Our Wedding
I wanted to take a moment to highlight our good friends, Taylor and Johnny Tyler. All four of us went to high school together! I knew Taylor because we were on the high school dance team together, and Lucas knew Johnny because they were both captains of the water polo team! Little did we know that years down the line, we’d all be standing on top of Crystal Mountain - married and still friends!
Johnny and Taylor aren’t coordinators by profession, but I wouldn’t have trusted anyone else to make sure things happened on time. Taylor held the duty of making sure everyone was getting ready when they were supposed to, and Johnny was the muscle to haul all of the flowers down the gondola when it was time to bring them to the reception. Our wedding day would’ve been a lot more stressful and would’ve looked tragically different without all of their help! (We hope to thank them with A TON of lobster when they visit us in Boston!)
15. My Cousins Served Us Dinner
As a precautionary step, we jokingly asked my “younger” cousins (they’re not so young anymore!! It’s wild!) if they wanted to serve everyone dinner at the reception. Turns out, they were down! With masks and gloved up hands, they served our loved ones with food catered by our favorite Filipino restaurant. Them stepping up really helped everyone’s peace of mind!
16. Cheers to Laughter and Tears
Oh, the speeches and toasts… so many laughs and even more tears! My brother kicked us off with a heartfelt statement saying that although I was the younger sister, he looked up to me in many ways. Followed by a laugh when he brought up that Lucas dominated their Fantasy Football League two years in a row. My Matron of Honor shared that we’ve both seen each other marry the loves of our lives, and how she’ll forever call me Genevieve. My father-in-law shared a handful of laughs too, including when I pranked him, “It’s a Boy!” when I was actually talking about Sherbert, our cat ;). My parents had everyone grabbing for the tissues when my mom talked about how four years ago I told her that Lucas was different, and how she knows he’ll take the best care of her little girl. That one hit hard… and I had a feeling like it would, so strategically, we asked my godmother to go next, which sparked more laughter, and Lucas’ Best Man went last. Although he had our hearts in tears when he talked about their time together in Afghanistan, we knew he’d get everyone to smile by the end.
17. I Cried During the Entire Father/Daughter Dance
Speaking of tears… I cried during the entire Father/Daughter dance. If you don’t already know, I’m a total Daddy’s Little Girl. I grew up really close to my dad. When I turned 18, it’s a Filipino tradition to have an 18th birthday party called a Debut (similar to a Quincenera or Sweet 16). During a debut, there’s typically a Father/Daughter dance so I asked my dad to pick a song. He was very set on “Butterfly Kisses” by Bob Carlisle because he’s known it since I was a kid, and it was special to him that we danced to it. If you listen to the lyrics, it brings up a sweet 16 (18 for me), followed by a verse about changing her name. By dancing to this song on my wedding day, it was like we were “completing” the song.
I knew it’d be a sentimental moment, but I didn’t think he’d start singing to me while we were dancing. That had my tears falling, and there was no stopping them! I love my dad. Wife, or not, I will always be my dad’s little girl. :)
18. A Competitive Bouquet Toss
For weeks I teased my single friends and cousins about who was going to catch the bouquet and be next in line to get married. We were at a point where everyone started taking bets all in good fun! To no surprise, it was my brother’s girlfriend, Stacy, who caught the bouquet! And she RAN for it too! Lol! I promise it wasn’t rigged, but was I happy with the result? Absolutely! We joked all evening about how I was ready to have a new sister ;).
19. We Danced the Electric Slide to “Before I Let Go” by Beyonce
I had a handful of wedding wishes. One of them was to dance the Electric Slide on our wedding day. Line dances are my FAVORITE. When the Cupid Shuffle plays at any party, I’m that person who immediately runs to the dance floor. The Electric Slide is extra fun at Filipino parties too! All the aunties and uncles get down for the Electric Slide, so it was absolutely a must for me, even if we had to space out! Ray recommended that we dance the Electric Slide to a new song -- and we were all for it! We danced the Electric Slide to “Before I Let Go” by Beyonce and everything about that dance floor was perfect!
20. The Mountain Still Came Out
Lastly, our beautiful Mount Rainier made its grand appearance in the evening. Although she moved behind some clouds during our ceremony to allow us to be the stars of the show, she wanted to let us know that she was still present. She gave us a grand sunset view to end the night, and that too, was magical in itself.
We are OBSESSED over our epic mountain photos that were taken on our wedding day. But with that said, we are also JUST as obsessed over all of the moments captured in-between. The little moments are what truly made our day special! Since these memories can easily be forgotten, I wanted to write them all down so we can remember and celebrate them years down the line.
Cheers to all of the details!
Gen
Our AMAZING Vendor Team:
Photography: Nick Plus Danee (+ Lexi!)
Videography: Silver Bear Creative
Floral: Alanna Jae Floral
Wedding Dress: Martina Liana + New Beginnings Bridal Studio
Ceremony Venue: Crystal Mountain Resort
Bridesmaid/Godmother Dresses: Azazie
Groom/Groomsmen Attire: The Tux Shop
Wedding Cake: Safeway (really!)
Caterer: FilCuisine
Stationery: Weddings by Eccentricity
Ceremony DJ: DJ Rocryte
