“Christmas is a coming and the bells begin to ring,
The holly’s in the window and the birds begin to sing.”
This past week I spent holed up inside, prepping for Christmas and listening to Christmas music from every speaker in the house. The past few months have been a flurry of schedules, meetings and to-do lists. It wasn’t until December 1st that I realized Thanksgiving had come and gone and pretty soon Christmas would be too, and I had yet to take in the joy of the season. So for one week, I cozied up inside my house watching Christmas movies, drinking cocoa, decorating for Christmas, and enjoying the most wonderful time of the year. Now, if only it would snow.
https://jsevents.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/logo-pink-1030x925.png00Jessica Swagmanhttps://jsevents.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/logo-pink-1030x925.pngJessica Swagman2014-12-09 14:21:122014-12-09 14:21:12Christmas Is Coming
https://jsevents.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/logo-pink-1030x925.png00Jessica Swagmanhttps://jsevents.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/logo-pink-1030x925.pngJessica Swagman2014-12-04 20:42:182014-12-04 20:42:18Wajde and Kristi: Wedding Video
Every year it seems that more and more of my family doesn’t make it home for the holidays. Having siblings that live out of state and country has been the story of my life though, so by now I should be used to it. Each year it seems to be just my parents and I, settling into quiet evenings around the house during the hustle and bustle of November and December. It’s easy for me to be envious of all those other families that live so close to each other or who all get together on Christmas, no matter the distance or miles. However, I have learned to appreciate and truly cherish the times that all six of us (my parents and siblings) are together under one roof (it’s been 6 years) and for the time I spend with my Canadian family. Now, with Thanksgiving almost done and with Christmas on its way, I am looking forward to December where the Swagman house will be a little louder, a little more full, and just a little more festive. With a brother coming home to visit from Southeast Asia and a sister and her family coming home from the West coast, I couldn’t be happier. Now, if only we could get the one other brother and his family home too. Happy Thanksgiving and I hope you enjoy your time with your families.
Yes, it is over a year later that I am finally blogging about this wedding. There are no excuses, other than it took me a while to get ahold of the pictures. Leave it to my family.
Yes, this was a big wedding for me because it was my brother getting married. In Canada. I spent the week leading up to the wedding hanging out with Jenna (the bride to be), gallivanting around Edmonton and having way to much fun. She’s truly a gem.
In western Canada, weddings are a little different from your average US wedding. Weddings have “programs,” you can return any unopened alcohol, and a guest list of 300 is normal. Ok, that last one maybe not so much. But, Mike and Jenna come from two huge families, so the guest list was long.
I also noticed that in Alberta (within my large network of family and friends), weddings are more about the commitment and less about the stuff. I think, working in the industry I am in, I get so caught up in making sure everything looks picture perfect and swoon-worthy. I will spend hours working with my brides to make sure that their wedding is breathtakingly beautiful, sometimes with no dollar spared. While I absolutely love doing this, since designing a wedding is part of my job, sometimes it’s nice to take a step back and think about what we are celebrating.
Yes, these lovely people in Alberta still want their wedding to be beautiful. Yes, they still want everything to go smoothly. But, it’s less about “how much money are we spending on flowers” and more about “how can we make sure our guests truly enjoy their time.” It’s refreshing. So, while Jenna and Mike’s wedding was truly beautiful, it was also beautiful in another way: it was about their commitment for each other and to God, and celebrating their love with family and friends.
Now, over a year later, Mike and Jenna welcome into the world Ashton John, who was born October 28. Congratulations on all accounts to my amazing brother and sister-in-law. Love you both so much. Can’t wait to meet Ashton.
And, because I just can’t help myself, here is a picture of their new baby.
https://jsevents.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/logo-pink-1030x925.png00Jessica Swagmanhttps://jsevents.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/logo-pink-1030x925.pngJessica Swagman2014-11-15 19:31:412014-11-16 14:00:25Michael and Jenna
It’s always exciting when I meet a Bride for the first time. Especially since she is friends with a past bride of mine (Katherine) and was a guest at her wedding. Kristi and I had been emailing and talking on the phone for months before we actually met when she drove up from Chicago. Working with her and her fiancé throughout the whole process was such a dream. Kristi is the buyer and visual merchandiser for Crate & Barreland let me tell you, she has impeccable taste. With her Grandparents wedding photos as inspiration for her entire wedding and her love of all things vintage, especially mercury glass, we were able to create a gorgeous wedding. With Wajde and Kristi’s different cultural backgrounds, we wanted to properly represent their traditions in the wedding, starting with a killer introduction of epic proportions. See those pictures of Kristi and Wajde entering the Ballroom and then being lifted onto chairs? It was even cooler in person. Being a part of this gorgeous wedding and sharing in this day with these two amazing people was such an honor. All my love to them as they begin this new journey together.
