Something old, Something new... Liz & Chris, December 2017

On December 30, 2017 my daughter Elizabeth Estelle was joined in marriage with Christopher John Brault on a very happy day!   

On December 22, 2015, Chris proposed to Liz on a very snowy evening in Missoula, giving us two years to prepare!  

Liz had some very unique ideas of things she wanted for her wedding.... and so did I.  

Something old...

Ron and I were married in 1975.  I made my wedding dress (as well as all my bridesmaid's dresses -which is another story)  

At first Liz thought she might be interested in wearing my dress, but after trying it on, it was obvious it wasn't her.  So I looked for ways that it could still be part of the wedding.  Liz asked her niece (my granddaughter) Bethany Marks, age 2 1/2, to be the flowergirl so I decided to make a flowergirl dress out of my wedding dress.  I cut off the bottom 14 inches as well as the bottom of the lace train and made her dress with a jacket. 

The dress twirls 

Bethany throwing "petals" walking with Graecien

She loved  her "princess dress".  On the day of the wedding she looked at Liz and said, "We match!" 

"We Match! "

There was  enough fabric and lace left to make a ringbearer pillow and the handle for her bouquet (more about that later)

Ringbearer:   Graecien Fitzgerald

There was even enough dress left to be a dress-up princess dress for all my little girls to play in!

My friend  Princess Gillian all dressed up! 

Something New.....

This past year I've really started quilting.  At some point along the way I saw a post about a quilt guest book where guests can sign the quilt squares and then it gets put together into a quilt.   So early in the year, Liz and Chris and I decided on a pattern and fabric.   I did some research with a couple of my Facebook quilting groups and found out how to square the squares, back the squares with freezer paper (to make them easier to write on) and the pen to use that would be the easiest to write with and last the longest  (Pentel Gel Roller for Fabric)

The pattern was the Missouri Crossroads from Missouri Star Quilts.   The great thing about it was that as you start to put the squares together it begins to look like the old traditional wedding ring pattern (with a modern twist) 

It was pretty exciting to see the signatures on the quilt and as they were signed, my sisters Susan and Jane put them up on the board to see what it would look like!  Now the work begins... putting it all together. 

Quilt Display at the wedding

Something Borrowed....

My mother and dad Dick and Joy Fagenstrom got married on July 29, 1946.  My mom wore a brooch at her wedding.  The article from the local newspaper about Mom and Dad's wedding said this. "She wore an antique topaz brooch set in old gold which had been in the Walker family for four generations and was worn by Dr. Walker's (mom's father) mother at her wedding. The long drop old fashioned earrings worn by the bride have also been in the family for four generations. "

Joy Fagenstrom in her wedding dress, 1946

Liz didn't want to wear the broach on her dress, so I took it and created a comb to be worn in her hair that included the brooch and two other nearly matching earrings.  Mom told us that her mother had found those earrings (the ones on the outsides of the comb) at an antique store and Grandma Ollie had put them in with the brooch.     How lovely Liz looked!   Mom and Grandma Ollie would have been smiling!   We are keeping the brooch and earrings to be worn by future brides in the Fagenstrom family!  

Liz's beautiful hairdo with the brooch comb
(hair done by cousin Kinsey Roberts) 

Something blue.....

Liz is allergic to flowers which was part of the reason she chose a December wedding...  But she did quite a bit of research and found some ideas on how to make a bouquet out of brooches.  She found quite a few different kinds of brooches in the shades of blue she had chosen for her colors. A week before the wedding we invited her wedding party to our house to make boutonnières.  We found a several great videos on YouTube on how to make brooch bouquets, but one in particular had some very unique ideas on how to attach the wires and twist the wires using a drill.  (powertool boutonnière making!  The girls loved it!) 

Power tool bouquet/boutonnière making! 

Groom/ Groomsmen boutonnières

Boutonnières for fathers and ushers

the back of the bouquet

The result was Stunning!  Check out the bride and groom! 

And a sixpence in your shoe! 

Liz's aunt Lorrie shared with when she got married her mother in law told her that there was another verse to the saying

Something old,

Something blue,

Something borrowed,

Something blue.

It was:  and a sixpence in your shoe. 

That part of the saying had gotten dropped because sixpences weren't being made any more.  Lorrie had found a sixpence and shared it with Liz.  I remember when Liz and Chris did the "shoe game" at the reception, the sixpence fell out of her shoe! 

So speaking of shoes... another fun thing they did at their wedding was the Shoe Game.  Each of them took their shoes off and each had one shoe of the brides and one of the grooms. They were seated back to back.  Questions were asked and they had to raise the shoe of the person that the question described.  Here's a video Chris' cousin took of the shoe game

A few other fun things

Genealogy

Chris has gotten very interested in genealogy the past year or two.  He was able to create a family tree that went back to each of their grandparents.  So fun for family members to check out

Kransekake

We are members of Immanuel Lutheran Church who has had a long tradition of hosting Scandinavian Smorgasbords to celebrate our Swedish Heritage.  One of Liz's favorite desserts is the kransekake, a Norwegian wedding cake.   Some of our "church ladies" Linda Redfern, Sharon Hanson and Carrol Karlsgodt got together and put made a kransekake for Chris and Liz's wedding (honoring Liz's Great Grandma Myrtle's Norwegian heritage).   

The cake is a series of rings (usually 18 or more)  The cake is made with almonds, sugar, egg whites and held together with white frosting.  "The kransekake is not only impressive and delicious, but also glazed in tradition.  At weddings, it's customary for the bride and groom to lift the top ring of the cake.  The number of rings that stick to the top one is said to be the number of children the couple will have." (Norsk hostfest.com)   

Liz and Chris lifted one ring!  so we shall see.

A Fun Celebration! 

We so enjoyed this celebration and all that led up to it.  We all decided we wouldn't change anything except it would have been nice to have better weather so some of our long distance friends and family could have made it!   Thanks to all who celebrated with us either in person or virtually!