Our Wedding, Our Philosophy, and Happy New Year!

I have been debating posting photos from my own wedding this past July, but have decided that it is a great symbol of the place that this time of year holds- a place of promise and reflection, standing on the precipice of what has come before and what is about to come. It also gives me a chance to touch on Botanique's design philosophy, and our focus on local, seasonal flowers.

Our wedding was an all-local, flower-filled fete, with stems grown only by myself and the Northwest flower farmers who, over the past few years of creating this business, have become my friends. Scabiosa, dahlias and lavender from the Botanique Cutting Garden, artemisia, physocarpus, and baptesia foliage from Dennis and Diane from Jello Mold Farm, sweet peas from Vivian Larson, foxglove, clematis and wild roses from Janet Foss, Romantik Antike, Champagne and Helga Piaget roses from Peterkort, hydrangea from Glenwood Farms, and a healthy dose of aspen foliage and wild yarrow foraged from the woods at my husband's family's property in Okanogan, WA, where we were married. It was an incredible gift to know that every, single stem in my bouquet came from someone I know personally, and was grown with the utmost care and respect for ecological balance and natural beauty.

Our wedding was a very homegrown event, and came together with the help and love of many, many family members and friends: Eli's father officiated, my brother made our cake, our friends mowed paths, made outdoor showers and camping areas; my father found and cut down the aspen trees that became the poles of our chuppah, and our amazing friend Sarah acted as our "Day-Of" guru, making sure everything ran smoothly; Eli's mom cooked for the work party in the days preceding our wedding, and my mom, brother and brother's girlfriend cooked a brunch for the day after our wedding; my friend Chelsea Jepson of CRJ Jewels made my jewelery, and our friend Kim Williamson of Dottyspeck made Eli's ring; our friend Caleb wrote and played the music for our ceremony; my friend Talia did my hair and make-up; my amazing sister-in-law Olivia, and friends Nikki and Chelsea spent the days before our wedding with me making all the flower arrangements, and three of my cousins made all the boutonnieres and corsages; our friend Daven created signature cocktails for us, and Eli's brother Ben was the rock that held it all together. It was all done with a spirit of love and community, and my absolute favorite thing about our wedding was the way that it brought all of our loved ones together.

So, without further ado, the photos! All photos by Erinn J Hale.

To end this post, and to kick off the New Year,  I leave you with a copy of our Ketubah- the marriage "contract" that we created and read to each other in place of vows. Happy New Year everyone! May 2014 be a year of growth, joy and love.

Kelly and Eli's Ketubah:

This is a relationship of equals.

We hold this relationship above all others, and we will work together to protect, nurture, deepen and strengthen it always.

We recognize that we are both human and will make mistakes.

We will cultivate a space of openness and listening, where all of our truths can exist, be heard and voiced. We will remain open to the idea that we may not always share the same truth. We will respect our differences.

We will act with love and compassion towards ourselves and each other, even when we are scared. We will take responsibility for our own fears.

We will let the health and well-being of our family be the light that guides us in our actions every day. We will create a safe, loving home, where we can continue the traditions we have and create new traditions; where people are allowed and encouraged to be themselves; where family, friends and neighbors are welcome; where warmth, freedom, compassion, generosity, learning and exploration all exist.

We will maintain a playful and silly spirit together, helping each other to smile and laugh; going on adventures together, and sometimes doing stupid things, just for the fun of it.

We will make time for the love that exists between us to grow, breathe and evolve. We will remember this love during busy and challenging times, and let it soften and heal us.

We will be honest with ourselves and each other.

We will give intimacy a place of honor and importance in our relationship. We will nurture and encourage our physical union, and be open to each others' needs and desires.

We will comfort and protect each other, and will also push each other beyond our comfort zones.

We will support and nurture each other no matter what. We will help each other fulfill our dreams, discover and follow our own true path, and become our best selves.

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We choose these principals to live by willingly, in order to take care of ourselves, each other, our family and our community. May our hearts be united in love and our lives be intertwined in tenderness and devotion.