A Napa Fairytale: Fun with the Photobooth

I'm so happy I convinced Mr. Barrettes to tackle my photobooth project at the last minute! It added a fun extra element to the reception, despite its flaws. I mentioned here how it was made and what we would have done differently.

I'm sure my groom didn't plan on cutting the board (with what looks to be a cake-cutter) just before it was hung-- but ah, it adds character...at least that's what I keep telling myself.

There was a slight mishap when a guest tried to stand on some empty boxes in order to stand in the taller frame. The boxes slipped out from under her, and she ended up flat on her back underneath the board. As she fell, she grabbed the board and it broke a bit. Thankfully she popped right up with nothing but a bruised ego and we were able to put the frame back together!

Yes, that would be the groom trying to take a bite of the board. Things were starting to go south for him by this point.

Flashing the thumbs-up sign is really cool when you are re-creating a cheesy dance photo from your childhood. We may have done this exact pose 20 years earlier.

Overall, I'm so happy we had this at our wedding! Giving your guests places to hang out, other than on the dance floor is always a good thing.

A Napa Fairytale: Cake Cutting

My mouth is watering as I sit to write this post! Our cake was delish! The bottom layer was red velvet, the middle, fruit basket, and the top tier was german chocolate.

 I almost didn't want to cut into it, it was so pretty! It was a surprise to both of us, as Mr. Barrettes' mom took the cake's care into her own from the beginning of our planning. I sent her some inspirational photos and she took care of the rest.

Click below to hear the song that DJ Adam played during our cake cutting! It was so cute and all of my cousins started singing along-- which naturally made me sing along!

We're not ones for cake-smushing, but we did rub it on each other's noses before feeding it. I'm not sure why we picked it up with our hands instead of using forks...

I think that is all the cake I had for the evening. Like I said before, I felt like I had to be everywhere at once so I didn't really sit down at all. I would have liked to dig into that deliciousness a little more.

My groom really liked doing the twisty arms drinking thing. It was cute. This was like the third time we did it already!

After the cake cutting, the dancefloor heated up again and outside in the courtyard, guests were enjoying the photobooth, the twinkling lights, and the cool Napa night!

A Napa Fairytale: The Groom and His Mom Get the Party Started

After my weepy dance with my dad, the Mother/Son dance rocked the room into a dance party! They never told me what they were planning so I was just as surprised as everyone else. Their dance started off with a few bars of Celine Dion, but then they whipped out sunglasses and grooved it out as the DJ flipped on "Cooler Than Me" by Mike Posner.

Mix in some Usher, invite people to dance and you've got yourself a full-blown dance party! My cousins are so fun at weddings. They never leave the dance floor and always keep it poppin'!

(photos by Luke Snyder Studio)

With the dance floor packed, I took the opportunity to grab my groom and some of his friends and have them hang our photobooth. We so didn't have a plan for that, but it needed to get hung one way or another in the courtyard. It was also around this time that I felt like I was in charge of everything. I don't know why this happened, but I felt like the host and I had to make sure everyone was having a good time everywhere.

I never really just sat down or relaxed for one second. There was so much adrenaline pumping through my veins and so many people to talk to that I just felt like I was wrapped up in a whirlwind. If I could go back and do it again I would sit down for 10 minutes, drink my wine and enjoy the party unfolding around me.

Take a minute during your reception to just watch for a tiny bit and feel satisfied that you did a great job pulling it all together. =)