Weddings in this day and age have become so elaborate, expensive, and exhausting. Every bride is looking for the dream wedding... the one wedding of the year or decade that will be remembered. The sanity of the bride, wedding party and family are often tested in the details. What is supposed to be the happiest day of one's life often becomes the day of tension in the first few weeks of planning. The essence of a wedding and the union it involves has been lost in the money, dresses, flowers, cakes and the backdrops.

To achieve a truly memorable wedding one should consider thinking outside the box. I am not speaking of thinking "retro" or "classic" and then hiring a wedding co-ordinator... letting them order the $5,000 cake, $3,000 dress, and the $10,000 location. I am speaking of the details being intimate, but not over thought, the dresses and tuxes being classy, the location being about the personality of the couple, and the concept of getting back to basics. Simplicity is often better than pomp and circumstance.

When I announced I was planning to marry my high school sweetheart my family braced for the typical wedding. They were expecting me to want the big catered reception, detailed invitations that cost a fortune, a dress that cost nearly as much as my parents made in 6 months of working, a 9 tiered cake from a local bakery, the flowers flowing like water over everything... apparently my family didn't know me very well. I, for one, have never been about pomp and circumstance. My soon to be husband and I decided we wanted to have a wedding that was purley about us. In the end we ended up with a wedding that people still talk about 10 years later. Ours, without trying, was a truly memorable wedding.

Planning was simple for us. I sew. I designed a gown that brought together elements of designers I loved. A coursetted number with dual straps, sleek straight skirt, and flowing train. I borrowed a viel from my sister in law that was long and flowing with silk rose detailing. Perfect with my long brunette hair. I made all the girls in the wedding party dresses that were a simple, casual, A-line design. Something they could, and often did, wear again.

I asked my grandmother and mother to make and design the wedding cake. They had taken cake decorating classes and were quite good. My only guide line was simple lace, and white on white. My aunt then topped the cake with a few fresh lillys.

My aunt is a floral genious and I

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