I consciously wanted to avoid not only the first dance, but also all of the other obligatory dances (father-daughter, mother-son, etc.) To me there’s always something forced, and slightly uncomfortable, about them. I knew I wouldn’t enjoy it. My (now) husband agreed. So you can imagine our horror when no one would start dancing until we …

My husband and I broke with tradition quite a bit when it came to selecting my engagement ring. Instead of a diamond solitaire, he gave me a gorgeous 1-karat sapphire set in a white gold and diamond bubble band. My wedding band is a simple band of tiny diamonds to match.

We didn’t want my husband to have a …

…but a few well-chosen details can make a big difference. Here are some of my favorites:

1) Guest book pen (Etsy)

At first I resented the fact that my venue (The Central Park Boathouse) restricted me by contract to a short list of three florists. Then, upon further investigation, I resented how much wedding flowers cost, no matter where you get them!

So I got this crazy idea. I decided I was going to purchase bulk flowers and arrange them …

…the trick is choosing a venue that doesn’t really need any.

Those of you who recall my previous guest blogging stint, when I was still in the planning stage, may also recall that I was pretty averse to many so-called wedding traditions. And it’s true that while I was very traditional with many aspects of my wedding, I also sought …