Decorating – 2ndmanswife

A Summer of Weddings Part II

Posted on August 2, 2013 by jenschuyler

Ok, so it’s been a year – yes a full year since my summer of weddings. That summer turned into a year and six weddings later with a 7th on the way. I’m not sure how this all came about, but for now I’m going with it. For memory’s sake though, I’d like to look at wedding number two from last summer. My second wedding happened to be the wedding of our Pastor’s second son. This was the day of Sam Waterloo and Sarah Graham.

Back when 2nd man and I first came to OK, I taught 5th/6th grades at the local Christian school. That’s when I first experienced Sam Waterloo. The quirky, ultra-polite, pleaser son in the Waterloo clan. He was a treasure for sure. The school shut down as he was going into 6th grade and I was soon to have our first child, so I home schooled Sam that next year. I’m pretty sure it was the most excruciating year for this people pleasing kid who had to sit through the hormonal pitfalls that accompany new moms. I remember someone coming to the door one day and I had to put Katie down somewhere. “Here Sam, can you hold her a minute?” I asked quickly. His response went something like, “uh, uh, ooh, oh, um…” “nevermind Sam.” I put the crying child in her bassinet and went on with business.

Well, long gone are the days of hesitation. I like to think I maybe pushed him to a brink that brought out some boldness. Oh, it was many years later until he finally achieved manly boldness, but I played a small part and that makes me smile. Sam went through highschool and college being one of those guys that everyone likes. You really can’t not like him. He’s just sweet, kind and genuinely loves the Lord. Right after highschool he decided to pursue Sarah Graham. She was a beautiful, smart and sophisticated young woman who also went through our youth department. (I don’t excel in any of those qualities, so all the credit there must go to her parents – wish I could’ve been a better influence.) Anyway, they were going to separate colleges and the pressure of long distance accompanied by other factors put a stall on the relationship, so they called it off almost as quickly as it had begun, much to the chagrin of Sam’s mother. Through those years she didn’t give up hope though both of them seemed to be moving on with life. She was almost as in love with Sarah as Sam had been in a weird mother-picking her daughter-in-law kinda way. Well, her praying payed off and they found themselves reuniting after college. It’s more their story to tell, but lets just say that this friendly, unassuming youth pastor has a bold, “I wanna marry you” “you gotta be mine” side. Gives me chills really.

So, again, I found myself honored to be a part of their wedding. This one was a vintage wedding filled with nostalgic memories and literary nods. They chose to do the “first sight” picture before the wedding. The wedding party and I were all bawling at the back of the sanctuary windows as she handed him a box of letters she had written throughout her teen years to her future husband. Many in which she had pictured Sam as their receiver.

In the ceremony they had taken a large photo of the two of them and made it into a puzzle. They had asked several people (2nd man and I included) to place a piece of the puzzle on an easle while Pastor read a letter they had written about how each person or couple represented inluences in their lives be it friendship, spiritual leadership, etc. It was truly moving. Then Sarah walked down the aisle to the music played in Jane Austin’s Sense and Sensibility (which is so cool since that whole story includes the love story of a friendly unassuming clergyman and a young woman who tries to handle things right and it looks like they won’t make it and then they do…((breathe)) ok I’ll stop walking you through it now.)

Anyway, I had so much fun with this one. We rented chairs, set up lacy tablecloths, and made the church gym into a retro picnic feel with an ice cream bar and glass bottles of pop. It was a sweet affair all the way around including the extra hundred people we weren’t quite prepared for (but that’s a memory we won’t delve into here).

The work was hard, the pressure high, but the honor was out of this world!

Decorating, My Interests

A Summer of Weddings Part 1: Jonno and Esther

Posted on August 14, 2012February 2, 2013 by jenschuyler

So, finally, here is the explanation of where I’ve been all summer. Well, actually it’s going to take a couple of posts (so bear with me). I was honored last January to be asked by the lovely Esther Welbourne to help plan her wedding to Jonathan Waterloo. Jonathan (or Jonno as we call him) is our pastor’s oldest son and went clear through our youth department since the first year we came to Oklahoma. Phlegmatic to the bone with a sense of humor that makes everyone smile when he walks in the room, Jonno is very dear to our hearts. When he brought Esther into our lives we were thrilled and quite frankly unbelieving that he would find such a beautiful girl who is absolutely perfect for him. Always one to enjoy decorating AND spending other peoples’ money, I jumped at the chance! We had so much fun with planning, shopping trips to Tulsa and work nights putting flowers together. Esther loves purple Calla lilies, so there was our inspiration from which everything else fell into place. I’d love to tell you that I personally assembled all beauties in this post, but, I’d be a liar. Thankfully, there were a host of ladies and friends who were willing and honored to jump in and help, without whom none of this would have actually become reality. Below, I’d like to just comment and go through my thoughts on various aspects of wedding planning…a job I won’t be doing full time anytime soon.

My first surprising heart change came with the concept of the “first sight” photos that are gaining in popularity as a modern tradition. I’ve always been a firm believer in the groom no seeing the bride until she walks down the aisle. Not that I’m superstitious, I’ve just always enjoyed seeing the reaction of the groom! However, it is true that in all practicality, this creates a time issue for picture taking between ceremony and reception. Yet, the romantic in me just has never been able to give up the dream…until I see pictures like this

1st sight, Esther coming up behind. Don’t you love all of the “peekers” out in the foyer?

Now, how isn’t that one of the best reactions of a groom turning around to see his bride! Oh, Jonno I love when you get all sappy. This was truly a sweet semi-private moment for the two of them and still didn’t seem to take anything away from the ceremony. As a matter of fact, I wonder if he felt more comfortable giving the full reaction than if he knew all eyes were on him.

They chose to show a video before the ceremony and then came the moment of truth. Now look at that picture. Tulle and lights sigh…..Who wouldn’t want to walk down that aisle?

So this picture is purely for selfish reasons. Can you say “best looking groomsman ever?!!” Yes, 2nd man was a groomsman in his second “former teen” wedding. That’s not me as a bridesmaid, but I like her and she’s another pastor’s wife so it’s OK.

Next, lets talk aisle runners. My thoughts? Ditch the whole idea….NIGHTMARE! Ever see an usher sweat? Well, this will drive him to it.

The ceremony was precious. I’ll admit I missed most of it, because I had to run down and get the reception ready. However, when pastor (father of the groom remember)cried during this reading the whole wedding became an instant success in the eyes of every guest there.

Esther is nicknamed princess, because she’s beautiful and sweet and into the bling, hence the gorgeous tiara! We tried to bling up the unity candle display for her as much as possible. We glued purple and black ribbon with borders of diamond mesh. We then wove purple ribbon through some tulle to make a cloud like surround.

The beauty of this wedding was found in the detail. Esther has a great eye for detail and thus wanted to make sure special attention was paid to every aspect of her wedding day from the moment guests entered the church. We had fun making some special features for the lobby. My personal favorite were the trees. I’m planning to post a separate explanation of the making of these trees in a blog post to come. However, for now suffice it to say they were stunning! Four tree branches about six foot high concreted into coffee cans, were painted and glittered. We strung beads and glued purple hydrangea blossoms for a sweet effect, and put two on each side of the foyer where guests entered. This made a path to the guest book area that was decorated with tulle, lights, calla lilies and a large portrait of the couple.

On the hallway wall leading to the reception area I had my flower lady, Betty, create a heart with an arrow out of purple mini carnations and foam core board. I think it turned out absolutely lovely.

One of the unfortunate results of Baptist weddings that do not include dancing or drinking alcohol is that people rarely hang out for very long. Esther really desired to have her guests relaxed and mingling. She totally wanted to enjoy everyone and wanted to create a relaxing atmosphere. We chose to do this through both the lighting and by playing music in the background. Guess what…it worked! It was by far the longest reception I’ve ever attended at a wedding at our church. The whole room seemed to be buzzing with guests eating and mingling. Wahoo!

We set up a table of family pictures and an engagement album for guests to enjoy as they arrived. The food tables and the head table were adorned with flowing tulle and lights with mirrors for a reflected glow. (I’ll take a moment to say here that from a wedding planner’s standpoint I’m disappointed that I didn’t get more pictures than this, but oh well).

Our round tables had white tablecloths with black tops. The centerpieces were simple with mirrors and lots of candles. We used white calla lilies and turned water and wine glasses upside down for candle holders with purple carnations inside. Inside the vases were water beads and submersible LED lights.

Our piece-De-resistance was the cake table with the balloon backdrop. Ahhhh sigh.

cake by A Sweet Success Ponca City, OK

And what do you do with all of those balloons after the wedding? Well, set them off at the exit of course!

And this? Well, this was getting my J-Lo on with the wedding planning bit at the rehearsal. My only

regret? I didn’t have the head piece to cue all my “people” hee hee

Daily Musings, Decorating

Pantry Remodel

Posted on May 21, 2012February 2, 2013 by jenschuyler

So, in the midst of a busy time of year for me, I decided to take on a project this past weekend. I tend to do this to myself. I think it’s some kind of coping strategy or something; my own little pause button. Anyway, I was pleased with the results and feel refreshed and ready to take on the summer now. Here’s a look at my little weekend mania:

It all started with cleaning windows. I don’t do this very often. Here in Oklahoma, it proves to be futile with the wind rushing down the plain and all of the dust it brings. However, once in a while when I can no longer see across the street out my front window I get an urge and decide to clean them. It’s either that or I’m angry and need to wash something, but that’s another story. So, it took all day, but these babies were sparkling. Then the “one thing leads to another” law kicked in and as the sparkling morning sun shone through my newly cleaned kitchen windows the next morning, I noticed how dirty my pantry shelves were looking. “Hmm” I thought, “maybe I should change that shelf liner and just straighten things up a bit…”

I had the kids clear everything out of the pantry.

No, I am not a hoarder…. or maybe I am?!

While it was all out I decided to call 2^nd man and ask if he minded my painting the pantry since everything was out anyway. He hesitated (something he’s learned to do through the years with me) then gave me the go ahead telling me to pace myself. Then he brought up a conversation my mother had with him before we were married warning him that I overdid it sometimes. Wah!?? Yea, go ahead and throw my mother in my face like that. I thought it was a low blow. Of course, in his defense he tends to remember the infamous time I asked him if I could take ugly wall paneling out of the bathroom of our first house. It turned into a four-month project – for him. Hey, he learned how to patch tape and mud wallboard, how to texture, how to cut and put up crown molding and a plethora of other useful handyman information. Really, I think he should have thanked me, but I digress.

I decided on gray and yellow as the color scheme as it’s been piquing my interest for a couple of years now. I chose Granite Dust from Val spar paints at my local Lowes store with a trim that was a beautiful shade of yellow, (but the sticker wasn’t put on the can so I forget the name) also from Val spar.

After a lot of taping and painting I was pleased, but not satisfied. It still needed an extra kick. So, off I went to Hobby Lobby for a stencil.

I’m not the greatest stencil artist, but I figured the pantry wouldn’t be too scrutinized, except maybe by 2^nd man, who seemed to be laughing at me as I reached the point of exhaustion and frustration. Time was running out, my kitchen was a mess and I had paint all in my hair. I do this every time I paint. I could wear a swim cap and I’d still get it in my hair!

Thankfully, my kids were awed by my masterpiece and the girls wanted to help put things back together. Especially my oldest, who loves things to be organized. With their help, it wasn’t so bad. Even our little man, Jarod said, “Wow Mom! That looks beautiful!”

However, the true sense of satisfaction came around 10:00 pm Saturday night, when 2^nd man looked into the pantry and said the words I had been longing to hear, “Honey, I think it was worth it. It really does look nice.” Ahhhh sweet success.

Decorating, My Interests

Valentine Banquet

Posted on February 20, 2012February 2, 2013 by jenschuyler

Just finished decorating for our latest event at church last week. I figure event-planning goes really well with my personality. It is something I can plan and dream about for weeks, prepare for days and spend literally 10+ hours setting up. Usually something goes wrong or a plan doesn’t work, so I have to spend a senseless number of hours trying to figure it out with the rest of the team get it worked out, ooh and ahh over the results and tear it down in about 20 minutes. Now, three days later, I still am not finished washing the tablecloths! Yes, it’s definitely a fitting area for a melancholy perfectionist to work. As a matter of fact, our head decorator and my dear friend, Stacy and I have a motto that goes something like this, “we take a good plan and make it harder.”

However, I really do get a joy out of seeing a plan come together. I especially get a joy out of seeing others enjoy themselves in an atmosphere our team was able to create. This last one was a true sense of accomplishment, because we tackled the ever-present dreaded gym lighting. Yes, that lighting has been the bane of the decorating teams existence since moving into our new building…you know, the fluorescent kind that takes ten minutes to “warm” up. It’s great when using a family life center for volleyball, but events? Well…not so much. At our team meeting in January the ladies were discussing this issue. We were considering our options for investing in up lights or something. We’ve even tried to come up with ideas to cover the gigantic ceiling with draped fabric.

However, we came up with something even better (at least that’s what the men of the church should think since they now do not have to set up scaffolding to drape fabric at every event). Actually Stacy came up with it. While walking through our teen classroom a few weeks ago she spotted a lamp we have in there. It’s a simple Wal-Mart column lamp with a rice paper shade. She brought it downstairs and tried it out and wa-la! It gave off a beautiful dim glow in the family life center.

So, a plan was born and we set out to hit every Wal-Mart in Oklahoma to collect our lamps. (It was going to take too long to order online, if you were wondering). We hit up about seven or so stores in three or four different cities. Then we hit the dollar store for plastic tablecloths. Yes, you read it right $1.00 plastic tablecloths in pink to cover our shade and we had instant mood lighting for our Valentine Banquet. I was so excited over it that I just wanted to sit in there for as long as possible basking in the pink glow. This was one of our greatest decorating successes as it landed in the category of cheap and easy…something in which we do not excel.

The centerpieces were a different story. We were just as pleased at the results, but since they were my Pinterest idea I’ll take full responsibility for how complicated they were. It started out looking so cute on pinterest. Just a few cupcake liners pinned into a foam ball and placed on a candlestick…how hard could it be?

Well, considering that only four of us showed up to put them together and the pins didn’t exactly do the trick it wasn’t the greatest feet. I’ve got the glue gun burns to show for it. I was happy with the result, but no event can go by without some complicated mountain to climb. Thanks to the dim lights any imperfections were hidden and I think everyone who came had a good time.