30 Day Challenge - Day 26: Your Dream Wedding

This post wasn't supposed to go up until tomorrow, but I read Blogger's calendar wrong when I scheduled it.  I guess you lovely readers can enjoy it a day early!

Today I get to do a squeal-ly teenage girl post. :)  Any males out there reading this, I guess you can keep reading if you want to... but don't blame me when you're bored and confused by females' obsession with weddings.

Girls love weddings.  (Most girls.)  I think it's because we love love, and love stories, and happy endings, and happiness in general - all of which are celebrated at weddings.  Also because we love pretty things and fancy hair and flowers and all the other girly wedding stuff.  :)

A while back, I posted a photo slideshow of a wedding dream book I made during a sleepover.  That sleepover and post occurred during one of the 'future wedding daydream phases' I tend to go through.  Right now I'm just getting over yet another of those phases, so this post is perfect timing.

Since that post, my basic idea of the "perfect wedding" hasn't changed much.  The ceremony and the reception would both be on the beach.  Lately I've been looking at Lover's Key State Park.  It's pretty, and it has a lovely gazebo for a reception.  :)  Although there are other pretty beaches, like Sanibel, where my grandma goes on vacation every year.

Some people decide to have an indoors ceremony or just a beach-themed wedding because they want a formal and/or traditional wedding, or because they don't want public beach goers (i.e. strangers) to show up at their wedding.  Honestly, as long as they don't take food or favors (since I'd have planned for just the guests I know of), I'd love to have random people at my wedding.  Maybe I'm just weird.  Anyway, moving on.

The bridesmaids would wear blue - like sky blue or teal - tea length dresses, made of tulle, organza, or chiffon.  They would not wear satin or taffeta - too stiff and shiny - and the dresses would not be strapless or one-shoulder.  Something like this:

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But in this color:

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The groomsmen would be more casual than at most weddings.  I'm thinking a white, cream, or ivory dress shirt, with the top button undone and the sleeves pushed or rolled up, and khaki shorts.  Definitely no ties.

Not quite what I had in mind, but it's the best I could find.
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The groom would probably wear the same thing as the groomsmen, except maybe with pants instead of shorts.

I love wedding dresses but can be very picky as to specific kinds I like.  However, my only preferences are a dislike for sweetheart necklines, short hemlines, and sleeves.  (I like certain straps, though.)  Two of my current favorites, both of which happen to be one-shoulder:

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The wedding party would choose their own shoes, but during the ceremony the wedding party would be barefoot.  Also, instead of unity candles, the groom and I would have a sand ceremony.

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Before moving on to the reception, look at this lovely sign.  My perfect wedding would have this at the ceremony and reception.  It would look a little different, with shells instead of flowers, but I love the poem.

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Now, to the reception!  The cake would be simple and round, probably three tier (none of those tier-separating pillar things) and white-frosted.  Most likely fondant icing for neatness, although my taste buds would prefer buttercream. :P  It would be decorated with shells, either real, sugar, or fondant, and maybe some form of edible coral.  I love personalized bride and groom cake toppers, too, although beach chairs might also be cute.

I'm having trouble finding pictures, but something along these lines:

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Not at all what I was thinking of, but I kinda like it.
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As for decor, I'm not quite sure.  I like the idea of fishbowl centerpieces, with tea light candles (maybe floating on water) and some sand and shells.

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These are cute, too.
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I also found the idea of painting food coloring and Elmer's glue onto glass to turn candleholders into 'sea glass.'

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Other details like tablecloths or whatever aren't something I've thought about.

And, while I generally decide to leave the food at my perfect wedding up to my future actually-getting-married self, I thought these were too cool not to share:

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I'm skipping over the dancing part, because other than the first dance (which I'm also leaving to my future actually-getting-married self) and the father-daughter dance (which I already discussed), I'm not sure if I even want dancing at my perfect wedding.  Music, yes.  Dancing, no.  I'd much prefer awesome games.

Like super-sized Jenga.

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Or the shoe game, which I've seen played and am determined that my wedding will have.

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And the best idea to ever enter a bride's head...

a wedding pinata!

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So there you have it.  The highlights of the perfect wedding, of my dream wedding.  If you want to see all the details, articles, advice, and ideas I've collected, (along with some random engagement photo shoots), check out my wedding Pinterest board.