Intimate Orcas Island Destination Wedding

Josh & Jodie's destination wedding on Orcas Island can best be described as gorgeous, relaxing, & intimate. If one of your wedding day goals is to really, really, relax and enjoy a calm and peaceful wedding day, an intimate destination ceremony is The Way To Go. 

As soon as we boarded the ferry and headed topside, the warm air just blew away the hustle and bustle of daily life and we were literally transported to a place that seemed worlds away from reality.  :)

The Rosario Resort & Spa (pictured below) is a gorgeous place to stay. It's also REALLY really peaceful. 

Josh and Jodie found a hidden gem of a chapel on Orcas. And, seriously - it's hidden. Victorian Valley Chapel is at the end of a meandering dirt road - past ponds and trees, nestled perfectly into the scenery. 

Jodie's dad wanted to make sure he didn't mess up on his part of the ceremony, so he employed an age-old memory-enhancing technique. Loved it!

He did a great job of giving his daughter away!

Josh & Jodie did a wine blending (and preserving) as a part of their ceremony, to be saved for a future anniversary. Isn't that a cool idea?! Officially the FIRST time I've ever seen/heard of it.  :)

Because it was such a relaxed and intimate day, we had a flexible schedule and plenty of time to take plenty of photos. 

While we were enjoying our "couple portrait" time, we found a frog! Country girls like Jodie and I don't pass up moments for frog-catching.  PS - getting a frog to hold still for a photo: not something I considered while frog-chasing.  :)

Guest Lists & Tough Decisions

The other day I had a phone meeting with one of "my" 2013 brides. I could hear the stress in her voice. The source? The guest list. It was too big for her venue and her budget. But she couldn't stomach The Cuts. Can you relate?

After sputtering about how I was sure it would be ok, I actually remembered something useful for dealing with your huge guest list. She seemed relieved with our plan. I was so proud of us for being phone geniuses that I decided to brag about our awesome wisdom on tackling the dreaded Guest List Cuts.

Instead of "cutting" people, we decided to tackle it from the other side. If you'd like to try it yourself, grab a bunch of different colors of highlighters or markers that won't make your list disappear. Go get your big, intimidating guest list. Maybe also grab a glass of wine.

Step 1: Grab your first marker. Highlight those people on your list who absolutely, positively MUST come to your wedding or you'll cry and cry for days.

Step 2: Grab another highlighter color. Include anyone who wasn't included in step 1, but will definitely be invited to the wedding. If your families are contributing to your wedding (and guest list), this category is for you.

Step 3: Grab another color. The next category are the people you guys would really, really like to have at your wedding.

Keep this up until everyone on your guest list has a color/category.

Your venue and your budget "should" definitely allow for everyone highlighted in at least the first two colors you picked (preferably more). I know that this doesn't change the reality of your situation. It just (hopefully) makes it easier to address.

One final thought - as you receive RSVPs from people who are unable to attend, it's OK to invite some of those (preferably local) people you couldn't quite squeeze in on the first round.