Tuesday 14 February 2012

Valentine's Day // A Little Romance // Framed Wedding Vows

I know, I know, it's like so much cooler to be all 'Valentine's Day is so gauche, forced, commercial and was invented by Hallmark to control us all!!!!'... but Mark and I (being the schmaltzy pair that we are), don't mind a prompt to inject a little extra love and romance into our lives!

Sidenote: Do all the V-day boycotters also boycott Mother's Day and Father's Day? Cos they are pretty much the same things right, 'appointed' days to show love and appreciation (in whatever form) to special people in your life!? 

Anyway, obviously, whatever floats your boat, but for us we usually take the day as an excuse to do something a little romantical (yes, that is a real word, I say so!), whether on that exact day or thereabouts.

Just like Mother's Day and Father's day, for our family the focus is not on gift buying but more on finding ways to show our love and appreciation to each other in special and creative avenues and in quality time. I have very fond memories of the Valentine's Day adventures Mark has concocted over the years, including secretly planned dinners and picnics, paddle boating on the lake and so on! Ahh, good times!

This year due to Mark recently being away so much and with my cold too, we opted for a cosy dinner in (after putting the cherubs to bed early) which was perfect for the rainy weather.




Mark BBQed some yummy salmon and asparagus with hollondaise sauce (delish!) and for dessert I made up a tray of divine and super easy Maple Syrup Roasted Rhubarb and Strawberries. Tasty, tangy, oozy deliciousness!! Served with ice cream and Bob's your uncle! Candle-lit dinner with Eva Cassidy playing in the background... bliss.





Now, as I said, as a rule we don't get gifts for V-Day but this little woman has been on a serious mission for quite some time!! I have had this idea for aaaaages to get our wedding vows printed up professionally in a gorgeous framed typography. I've just struggled to find the right person to do it. I had tried to get it organised for our last anniversary in December... but didn't happen. Christmas would have been good too but again, couldn't get it organised in time. For shame, huh! Then along came my beloved Etsy.com (ooohhh how I love Etsy!). I couldn't find anything to match my vision, even on Etsy, the home of all gorgeousness... so I just hunted for a graphic designer's style that I liked and finally came across the lovely Meka at Breeding Fancy - she happily (and wonderfully) did me up a custom order that I was sooooo thrilled with, I teared up when I saw it! Here 'tis....

In case that's not really readable, here is the text...

Katie,
You are my best friend and I love you. Today is the day that I give myself to you unconditionally, and I do it with these simple words: I promise to take your hand and lead us faithfully towards God. To be a safe harbour for you, and to sacrifice myself for you… for the rest of my life. You have such a beautiful character and I can’t believe you are marrying me! You were entrusted to me as a gift from God, and I vow to always treat you with love and care.

Mark,
My love, today I promise to be yours for life. I commit to loving you and supporting you each day and will trust and respect you always as my husband. My faithfulness is assured, for we will be ‘one’ – you are my partner and my best friend. I vow to guard this marriage with my life, and always look to God for His blessing and guidance. You will forever be my resting place and my home.



Oh, and green and pink were our wedding colours hence choosing them with the grey font. Sigh.... so gorgeous, I'm very very happy with them. As Mark said, they are something we want to have hanging up in our home for decades to come!

Suffice to say, Mark was pretty speechless/touched/thrilled/possibly just a little bit teary when I gave them to him!! YIPPEEE!!!! I wish I could have held off till our anniversary as would have been just that bit more 'perfect' then, but I just get WAY too excited about giving gifts (I'm a bit a of 7 year old at heart!) and I just could not wait! Anyway, he loved them, I love them too, oh and yup thankfully those vows still hold true all these years later - seven years and counting, baby! Will be so nice to have them hanging in our room, a reminder of our ongoing promises to each other.

A sweet and quiet Valentine's Day with my wonderful husband. A lovely reminder to tell him the delight he is to me every single day in so many ways. God has blessed me beyond my wildest dreams when it came to giving me a husband like Mark. Not something I ever want to take for granted. Not something I only want to save to express only one day a year either.... but hey, if in the humdrum of life we don't express what's really in our hearts as often as we could... I'm ok with a little prompting from the calendar! There is always time for a lil' bit of romance, I say!

Because when you stop and really think about how big this love is, it takes your breath away. Makes my heart just about burst with gratitude...





In the spirit of the day, whether you 'do' Valentine's or not, whether you are in a relationship right now or not, you are loved! I shall sign off with the words of Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber of Veggietales fame...

'Remember, God made you special and He loves you very much!'

16 comments:

  1. That really is gorgeous. The type of gift that is cherished by both the giver and receiver. Well done. :)
    We did a quiet Valentines Day, but it was very special and memorable.

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    1. heehee, yes I admit it was kinda just as much a gift for me ;) it was fun to give and that we also both get to enjoy it. so glad your quiet v-day was also sweet - thats the main thing, feeling the love!! :)

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  2. I am one of those people who think V-day is over commercialised but really appreciate the vein in that you celebrated. A very valid point about mother's & father's day - but I feel different about them... why not have a day to spoil them them? I guess for me it feels different. Love your vows idea - reminded me that I wanted to do this.......

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  3. Such a great present and they look beautiful (I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE ETSY too!!!). And Maple Syrup Roasted Rhubarb and Strawberries...um yum! Hope you had a great night!

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    1. glad to find another etsy fan!!! its sooooo gorgeous and addictive huh?!

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  4. Wow I love this, not just the photos but your vows and what you have written. Hope you had a lovely evening together.

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    1. aw thanks Kylie - yes our vows were very personal and meaningful to us (as everyones are!) so its fun to have them on display to us every day rather than fading memories! YAY for veggie tales - love em, its so great to have a show i enjoy watchiing too!

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  5. Oh, I LOVE the vows framed! Gorgeous! I teared up reading them remembering back to when I heard them in real life!! We celebrated very similarly to you guys. I had to smile when I saw you made the roasted rhubarb and strawberries! At least now I know what to buy you for your birthday...a book all about things you can roast!! lol

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    1. thanks Sarah! you beat me to it, i was going to post on your wall today saying THANKS for sharing that recipe! it was the perfect easy (and red!) valentines dessert - so yummy! yeah seriously, im a roasting addict haha! glad you had a cosy v-day dinner in too, its kinda nice huh. xx

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  6. adorable!

    I love it! They not only look stunning, but are so personal and meaningful to you and you will get a little buzz everytime you see them!

    I did a similar thing with wording from different elements of our wedding day in red font making the shape of a heart. As I did it myself I am still not 100% happy with it, but it is still special and meaningful to us - even if it doesn't look as 'pretty' as it should! :)

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    1. oh good on you for making your own version with a heart - perfect!!! so nice to have your vows on display, im sure yours is gorgeous!

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  7. You two are the most adorable couple. I love how much LOVE you show for one another :)
    I love the vow frames. You did well and so happy that Mark loved them too! x

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  8. Hey Kate!
    It was such a fun journey creating your prints. I'm thrilled that you are both so pleased with how they turned out! What really makes the prints so wonderful, though, are the vows that the two of you created and the loving relationship that inspired them. I've browsed your blog, and, let me tell you: we should all be so lucky to, now or someday, have the beautiful life that you and your family share. God Bless! -- Meka (Breeding Fancy)

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    1. thanks so much for dropping by Meka - and thanks for doing such a beautiful design job! it was really fun working with you :) you were so caring about it all, and wanted to make sure it was just right - and they turned out even better than I imagined and look gorgeous hung in our bedroom! thanks again!!

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  9. :) Thanks for a lovely Valentines, missy. I love you! I also love that you got our vows printed and framed so nicely. A real treasure.

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