It's time for part 2 of Michael and Michal's wedding in the woods. If you missed part 1 scoot on back to see all the fun and frolics that occur at a summer camp wedding!

Michael and Michal made their wedding their own with a myriad of personal touches and unique details that make my heart sing. From Michael's canoe entrance to the jelly bean lined aisle, dinosaur planters to the cowboy boot dress code and the way that they incorporated their dog, Marley, into the ceremony. I love it all.

And today's feature is where the geekiness of their personalities really kicks in ~ forget a sparkler send off, how about a neon light saber send off?!

Here's Michal with all the rustic, geeky, unique and beautiful details:

A Unique Entrance

We had the ceremony down by the creek which is where we could canoe during camp. My husband had the incredible idea to enter the ceremony in a canoe rowed by 2 of his groomsmen! So once everyone was ushered in to the ceremony site, he entered by canoe to the Star Wars throne room march. Little did I know that his groomsmen were taking bets on dumping him in the water – the pot was up to 5K. 

The Ceremony

My  ladies walked down the aisle to Noah and the Whale's “In 5 years time” and I came down to Rosyln and Adama from Battlestar Gallactia. When Michael and I first met we bonded over the show. Yes, we are such nerds! 

We asked my uncle Eddie to be our officiant and together we wrote our ceremony. We started by Eddie ringing a Tibetan prayer bell and asking everyone to reflect on 3 words….The typical ceremony didn't start out as something that Michael and I resonated with, but in the end pulling together pieces and reflecting on what is important as a couple really made the ceremony so meaningful and special to us. Michael's mom and his step-dad led us all in a beautiful innovocation prayer that began the ring warming ceremony. And my dad read Taylor Mali's “falling in love is like owning a dog.”

Marley, our 55lb catahoula hound was our ring bearer. After the ring warming, where we passed the rings throughout the crowd and asked people to bless them, Marley had the rings attached to her collar. Michael's sister held her at the top of the aisle and then let her off leash when Michael called her and she came bounding down the aisle with our rings! 

The Photography

Whitney Martin is my cousin and I'd seen her photography before and knew that I wanted to work with her. Plus, she has such a lovely calming manner and I knew that I would love getting to be with her all day long and she did such a fantastic job! 

The Decor

 The reception was at the dining hall which is the camp kitchen so there were huge picnic tables with benches that we decorated with the potted plants, colored glass with candles, and succulents in tins. 

We also used tiny tins of succulents as escort cards. I made some flag banners and stuck those in the succulents and these were also favors for guests. We were so interested in reusing and having items with multi-purposes. 

 

The Music & Entertainment

Michael and I fell in love while traipsing along the Greenbelt in Austin, Texas and our first kiss was on a slacklining date so before he could dance with me at the wedding, he had to “walk the line” for me! Everyone watched and cheered him on. Too bad that the line was loose and I ended up having to sit on it in order for him to walk on it. Good teamwork right?

Michael and I took dance lessons and had a foxtrot/swing routine to Dean Martin's “Ain't that a kick in the head.” It was so much fun.  

A Light Saber Send Off

We had an awesome DJ Jeremy who kept the night moving with awesome music. I made an 8ft ribbon banner that we used as a backdrop for a photo booth. Michael is in the LED industry so we bought a ton of LED accouterments like glasses, bunny ears, Mohawks and gave these to guests to wear and dance in. 

At the end of the night, we passed out LED lightsabers and danced out underneath a line of them to Stevie Wonder's “signed, sealed, and delivered.”

AMAZING. Wouldn't you have loved to be a guest at their wedding?!

Congratulations to Michal and Michael! Thank you so much for sharing the details of your wonderfully unique wedding with us, wishing you a married life filled with love, laughter and shared geeky passions.

Thanks also to Whitney Martin Photography and second shooter Ming Gong for sharing these beautiful images with us.

The third and final installment of Michael and Michal's wedding, coming up at 12pm (PST) is their incredible wedding film shot by Nostalgia Film ~ I can't wait to show you their awesome wedding in motion!

Photographer: Whitney Martin Photography / Assistant Photographer: Ming Gong Photography / Bride’s Dress: Augusta Jones / Groom’s Suit: Brooks Brothers / Groom’s Shoes: Lucchesse black cherry boots / Wedding Planner/Coordinator: Wedding Warrior (eco-friendly wedding planning) / Venue: John Knox Ranch – Presbyterian Church Camp / Catering: Austin Catering / DJ: My DJ is the bomb / Flowers: Wow Factor Floral / Cake Baker: My Anne Elizabeth / Invitations & Stationery: Details Austin / Videography: Nostalgia Film