Lanterns, lanterns and more lanterns…

One of the main decorations for the wedding were lanterns. Many, many lanterns.

Above is a picture of two such lanterns. These were balloons that were covered with paper mache paste, with layers of lace or paper laid over top (the image shows one of each). They were then hung on a line to dry, which consisted of string between two chairs. Once they were dry, the balloon was popped and removed, and presto – a lantern made. These were lit with glow sticks the night of the wedding and really did look magical.

Another type of lantern (which in the end was my favorite) were the crochet cotton lanterns. I made these by covering balloons with fabric stiffener and wrapping the cotton around the balloon in a random fashion. Then while still wet sprinkling them with glitter.

These were a bit more delicate, and very messy to make, but so worth the effort. These were mostly hung by lights in the pavilion, and added to the magical feel.

The most challenging of the lanterns were the star lanterns, but once we got the folding and gluing down, they turned out very nice. One thing about these lanterns is they fold up when not in use, so they can be stored easily. These were also lit with glow sticks.

Were we crazy for having so many paper decorations for an outdoor wedding? Perhaps so!

Pavilion

When our youngest daughter told us that she was going to get married she also asked if it would be ok if she got married on the farm – not just anywhere on the farm but under the big oak tree – how could we say no?

The big oak tree sits in the center of our property, and over the years has become significantly special to our family. The kids loved to play there when they were young, Jamie and I had many alone walks there, Jamie’s mom used to like to sit there to read, Jamie’s mom wanted her’s and Jamie’s dad’s ashes spread there after they were gone, which they are. This has also been the spot for many family get-togethers

However because of the time of the year she wanted to get married, September 23rd, we knew that we would need shelter for just in case. Not only that but this was the perfect excuse to finally build the pavilion we have been talking about for years

So we got busy clearing the area, leveling the ground, cutting the trees for the logs, peeling the logs and then on June 30 the start of the pavilion.

Right now the pavilion has a tarp roof, however come spring we plan to put a proper roof on it – we just did not have time before the wedding due to all the other projects that had to happen before the wedding.