Honoring Family Ties

Marika and Saxton incorporated elements from both sides of the family at every turn - which made their wedding more meaningful and more beautiful.

Something Old Marika had three something olds at her wedding - her engagement ring, a 1920's vintage piece, her late mother's wedding ring (which was pinned to the underskirts of her dress), and the ring pillow, which she had "made out of a handkercheif that belonged to Saxton's grandmother who had just passed away." She also wore Saxton's family's lace before the ceremony. She was the 32nd bride in their family to wear it!

Something New + Something Borrowed Marika's something new was this striking purple shawl that matched her bridal party. "My wedding stole/shawl was hand knit by my sister-in-law as my wedding gift. It's absolutely gorgeous!" For her "borrowed" item, she wore drop earrings that belonged to Saxton's cousin.

Charity Registry Creating a charity registry is a wonderful way to raise awareness about and money for causes that are important to you. To honor Marika's father who passed away in 1998, Marika and Saxton selected a charity that is particularly dear to Marika's heart - ZazAngels. " ZazAngles is a foundation that my father, Michael Zaslow, started in 1996, to raise awareness about ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). After my father died, my mother worked tirelessly to keep the foundation going before her death in 2006. ZazAngles is part of the Greater New York Chapter of the ALS Association."

If you want to learn more about ALS, Marika's mother Susan wrote a powerful book about her husband's struggle entitled Not That Man Anymore: (A Message From Michael).

It includes his journal entries along with Susan, Marika's and other friend and family members memories of the experience.

If you would like to donate to ZazAngles in Marika and Saxton's honor click here.

Recycle Your Wedding

After our wedding, when I had donated my dress, returned my mother's hall rug, and put away the family and heirloom items we used - I was surprised to find we still had a lot of miscellaneous wedding STUFF sitting around in our basement. We listed some of it on Craig's list and sold a few things off on eBay, but then I was introduced to the new Recycle Your Wedding site.

As CEO Rob Bailey notes, "Every bride wants a fairytale wedding, but not every bride can afford to spend $30,000 on their wedding. That's why it's so important to provide economical alternatives to expensive bridal and retail stores.The bridal community is a tight one, and new brides understand the struggles that future brides face. And when they can share their ideas, suggestions, and even products, it gives everyone a chance to enjoy the possibility of a fantasy wedding come true."

It also saves closet and landfills space, and helps offset the cost of your wedding. Also, unlike eBay, listing is free - which I highly approve of!

I like the idea of a wedding-centered marketplace - where couples can buy, sell, and trade wedding items (and bid on services). My husband and I listed glassware, candle holders and even the pump mechanisms we used in our table fountain centerpieces. Here's to another great way to keep things out of the waste stream! Recycle you wedding!

Vintage Pearls + Natural Makeup

Instead of buying new jewelry, I sent an e-mail to out to the women in our families asking if I could borrow pearls for our wedding day.  My husband's parents lent me this beautiful necklace that belonged to his grandmother, and my parents gave me pearl earrings and a bracelet to match.  It was nice to wear jewelry from both side of the family and was much more meaningful than purchasing something new.  Although it is hard to see in this black and white picture, I also used all organic and natural makeup. I have added several good books on the toxicity of traditional makeup to the reading room and have compiled some of my favorite natural cosmetics in the look book. Take a look and let me know what you think!