The Smell and Taste of Fall

A friend just recently shared with me, that when she got out of her car at our wedding venue, she could smell the bonfire....Love!!!  That is the nice thing about being in the country in the fall...the smell and warmth of a bonfire.

Traditionally Chrysanthemums are the most popular choice for fall. Bring a whole 8-inch pot indoors and celebrate the season with the vast selection of warm toasty colors. Find an old enamel saucepan to set the flowerpot inside. If there is extra room, add a few colorful pansies. Fill in any showing space at the top with sheet moss.

My favorite thing to do in the fall is to take a “gathering” walk through our woods. The canvas of colors is bright flame of yellow, crimson and orange. I return with a handful of colorful leaves, berries and top-heavy grasses. Some I bring indoors and display in a tall crystal vase yet, they make a beautiful arrangement to leave by my back door in an old watering can. For an indoor centerpiece, a hollowed out pumpkin with a mason jar inside to hold water can hold colorful leaves and bright yellow mums.  A bit of bittersweet woven in the arrangement or honeysuckle vines curling give added interest. Let a few leaves fall onto the table.

 

An Unplugged Wedding

            It seems that everyone who attends a wedding these days has a cell phone in their hand, pocket or purse. Decide before your wedding day if you would like to address the issue of everyone taking his or her own pictures of your wedding day. For some, it is quite all right to do so, and for others it is a thorn in their side. After all, a bride usually pays hard earned money for a professional photographer to capture all the special moments, without cousin Ethyl standing up with her cell phone in the middle of a tearful “I do”. 

             For me, the best solution is to totally let the professionals handle the ceremony and guests soak up all the emotional vows, as they are encouraged to put down their phones. They can then laugh, clap, and dab a tear as they become emotionally involved in the most important part of the day. This can be accomplished several ways. You might have your officiate speak to the fact at the beginning of the ceremony that the couple respectfully requests that all cell phones and cameras be turned off. (The paid professional photographer will love that for they won’t have to dodge interference.) When the officiate makes the announcement, people seem to take serious note.

            You might also put a note in the program as you encourage guests to  “unplug, turn off, and tune in to the moment” of your wedding ceremony. Although many churches do not have camera policies, more and more couples are drifting toward an unplugged wedding and ask guests to turn off their devices. A professional photographer once told me, “One thing there is absolutely nothing I can do to combat is a flash from a guest photographer’s camera.” A program note might include something to the fact,

“The bride and groom have asked that you share in their wedding ceremony fully and not through the lens of a camera or cell phone.”

            At the reception perhaps is a different story….a chalkboard sign with “Share your photos on Intagram with  #masonandnicole” will let guests know you are encouraging the sharing of photos. Graciousness and hospitality are what the south is all about, so add a bit of tech etiquette, as there are mannerly ways of letting guests know your thoughts on an Unplugged Wedding.

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.

                                                                                         Ecclesiastes 3:1