A Proper Mountain Wedding

A proper mountain woman will naturally lean towards having a wedding in the mountains.

It will start with her favorite spot up the canyon, during her favorite time of year....

....and a map for the guests on how to get there:

A school bus will be rented and decorated to help transport wedding guests to the mountain ceremony...

 *bonus points that the bus will match the fall leaves

A proper mountain woman will make sure her guests are prepared for the journey of driving through the winding canyon to watch a wedding ceremony by supplying them barf bags, tissues, fans, bottled water and mints.... 

When the wedding bus and other guests arrive to the special mountain spot, she will make sure there is a mountain man with a banjo ready to serenade the wedding party....

The ceremony will be short and simple......

The pictures will turn out great because the wedding guests will have been asked to wear their best fall mountain attire:

After the ceremony the bus will take the guests back down the mountain where dutch oven will be served and the cake cut:

The night before the wedding she will have ransacked her friends zinnia garden to have fresh flowers on the table:

Guests will "sign in" by putting their name on a small flag and attaching it to a map:

And it will end with pinatas shaped like giant acorns being tossed and smacked open in celebration!

 

The best wedding tips I can offer to any bride planning a wedding:

1 - plant your own flowers to use for decorating.

2 - don't stress EVERY detail, pick a few that are important to you and be happy with how the rest turn out. 

3 - throughout the planning, organizing, and preparing, remember to be kind and easy going to those who are helping you the most.... most likely the mother-of-the-bride. True, this is supposed to be "your" big day but it's also your mom's big day too!

4 - when people ask what they can do to help, let them help! The more people that help, the more love that is felt at the end of the day, and memories become richer. Decorations for the bus and luncheon were put together by multiple friends, one brother hung the crepe paper, the cake was made and designed by my sister, my mom made and designed the bouquets, my friend helped with my hair, photography was done by multiple friends who attended, banjo music was strummed by my favorite neighbor, and we used another neighbor's beautiful backyard for the luncheon.

5 - focus on the wedding guests who have taken time off work and traveled to be there. These are the people who love and support you, and will continue to love, support, and be there for you, no matter how things turn out. This day is still one of the best days of my life, despite the marriage not working out, because of the tremendous love that was felt from everyone who helped and attended. I now look back on this day as a day of celebration of love, friends, and fall time. And I wouldn't go back to change a thing.