"Fulfillment" by Langston Hughes

Gretchen's mom read the poem "Fulfillment" by Langston Hughes during the ceremony. Enamored of the words and the sentiment, this is the only poem Gretchen has ever memorized.

The earth-meaning
Like the sky-meaning
Was fulfilled.

We got up
And went to the river,
Touched silver water,
Laughed and bathed
In the sunshine.

Day
Became a bright ball of light
For us to play with,
Sunset
A yellow curtain,
Night
A velvet screen.

The moon,
Like an old grandmother,
Blessed us with a kiss
And sleep
Took us both in
Laughing.

"Finish each day..." by Ralph Waldo Emerson

After some squabbling over whether it was appropriate for Jeff to pen his own exegesis on love to be read at the wedding (Gretchen won that fight), Jeff spent some time considering the sentiment he wanted reflected in a short reading during the ceremony. Of the four he picked, each focused on living every day as if it were a new day, with the goal of living a life that is brilliantly exhausting. This is the one he eventually chose. 

"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense." 

― Ralph Waldo Emerson

Curious about the other readings he considered?

How many slams does a screen door slam, by Shel Silverstein

Life should not be a journey..., by Hunter S. Thompson

Jeff's Vows - Wedding Day August 17, 2013

Here are the vows Jeff spoke during the wedding ceremony today...

Gretchen. 

Vows remind me of knights in armor and mediaeval settings. They remind me of heartfelt proclamations shared before a quest...or a journey. 

Though I didn’t bring a horse or a sword today, the words I share carry a similar weight as those spoken centuries ago between knights and maidens. 

I vow to enjoy our journey together and to bring you happiness in all the ways I know how. 

I vow not to change, except to be more attentive to you every day.
and I vow that we’ll never be homeless, because wherever we are together, that’s our home. 

That’s my simple proclamation to you Gretchen. And this is our quest. 

Our wedding vendors

We are big fans of recommending people who do great work. With that said we want to share the contact info for our wedding vendors. If you need a caterer, a florist, an event venue - please consider using any of these people. They all provided great service at a reasonable price.

Venue
Fuller Craft Museum
"Brockton? You are getting married in Brockton!?" The most frequently heard question about the wedding. Yep. We got married in Brockton at the Fuller Craft Museum and were thrilled. The venue was unique, the dedicated event staff was creative and generous, and we felt like we had a special and non-traditional event in a special and non-traditional venue. As an added bonus, Gretchen's pal Nikki is close friends with the event planner on staff (herself an artist), so we were REALLY taken care of while we were there.

Catering 
Cindy Laney with Catering to You
Cindy's team cooks elegant food in Brookline, and offers meticulous displays. Her service includes display accoutrement, including linens, plates, silverware, and serve ware. She keeps her margins low -which mean her office isn't fancy and she's often stretched too thin to be believable - but her food is unbelievable and the service is impeccable.

Flowers
Kelley Sousa with Alchemy Flowers and Gardens
Recommended by a pal in Hingham, Kelley Sousa really understood what we were trying to the decor for the event. When I explained my vision to everyone else, I imagined blank stares and David Tutera's voice saying, "Chalkboards? Gramma's old tea kettles? Bird cages? This thing is a mess!" But not with Kelley. Kelley got it. I recommend her without reservation.

Photographer
Kristin Jordan Photography
Recommended by Ben and Katie Cutler, Kristin Jordan expressed the most enthusiasm about photographing our wedding. Her enthusiasm, combined with her skills, made her a great choice for us. She encouraged creative thinking about our engagement and formal wedding shots, and delivered our products on time.

Cupcakes
Baked Things
Baked in North Scituate provided nine different flavors of cupcakes for the events. After a cupcake tasting extravaganza that took us as far away as Dover, we ended up with a shop right in our own backyard. And, in the spirit of everything working out in the end, we learned that the shop manager is besties with our caterer!

Design and Printing
Sparkvites
We are uncertain how anyone planned a DIY wedding before Pinterest and Etsy came along. Were it not for Etsy we would likely never have found our designer/printer, Irene and Blake with Sparkvites. Their spirited and eclectic designs appealed to Gretchen and Jeff, and they were more than happy to make our vision work.

Gretchen's Hair
Deja Vu Salon in Hingham, (781) 749-9769
Sarah Curtin, Gretchen's hair stylist for more than five years, is relaxed, encouraging, and really enjoys doing updos (who knew?). Special thanks to neighbor Angie for helping with the creative vision.

Gretchen's Nails
Nail Flair in Hingham, (781) 749-5800
Rick and his team, over the course of two days, prepared not only Gretchen's nails, but those of all the women participating in the wedding.

Gretchen's Make-Up
It was the amateur hour in the make-up chair. But not really. Professional writer and nearly professional lover of all things product related, gal pal Meg Tripp did make-up as her wedding gift to us. Thank you!

Have a question about who did what when? Please drop Gretchen a note and she'll answer as quickly as she can. Email is your best bet, gretchen.kinder @ gmail.com.

Wedding FAQs (or everything you ever wanted to know about Gretchen and Jeff's wedding)

Yay! You are thinking about coming to our wedding on August 17th! But maybe you have some questions before you say yes?

Here are the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about our nuptials.

1. Brockton? Who decides to get married in Brockton?
2. How do I get to the ceremony?
3. How long should I plan to actually get to the Fuller Craft Museum?
4. What's the dress code?
5. What time does the ceremony start?
6. Will the ceremony be long?
7. Are kids allowed?
8. Who can I bring with me?
9. What if I don't want to cart your gift all the way to Brockton?
10. What's on the menu?
11. Will the reception be open bar?
12. What time does the wedding end?
13. Where is the afterparty?
14. What is the social media plan for the wedding?
15. What's the hashtag for the wedding?

1. Brockton? Who decides to get married in Brockton?
The Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, near the Stoughton line, offered everything we were looking for in a venue - interesting environment, easy to get to, plenty of parking (and bathrooms) on site, and the option for an indoor event JUST IN CASE the weather (knock on wood) is bad.

As a bonus our guests get to explore the museum during the event, and we get the privilege of having their facility event planner help with the wedding.

2. How do I get to the ceremony?
The Fuller Craft Museum is located at 455 Oak Street in Brockton, MA.

Type this into your GPS to get directions from your home/hotel. For our part, we'll be heading to the fiesta from our home by way of Rte 93 S to Rte 24 S. We'll get off at exit 18B, and take a right after the shopping plaza to get onto Oak Street. If you pass the the Panera you've missed the turn.

If traffic is horrible, then we'll likely go back roads (e.g. Rte 37 or 123).

If you are staying at the wedding hotel, the concierge can give you directions. We're good like that.

3. How long should I plan to get actually get to the Fuller Craft Museum?
That depends entirely on where you are coming from! We are budgeting 45 minutes each way from Hingham.

4. What is the dress code?
Gretchen is wearing a formalish dress, Jeff is not wearing a tie or jacket. That's code for nearly everything goes.

Need more direction? Our theme is vintage family picnic. Imagine a family reunion at Gramma's house (and Gramma lives in a craft museum) in 1959 or 1966. Way more family members have shown up than we expected, so we've had to comb through the cupboards to make it work. That's the energy we're going for - fun, casual, family-oriented, innocent.

Do you prefer instructions in the negative? Please don't dress like you are going out for wings and beer, and black tie will be excessive (unless you are George Cutler, and then black tie is 100% appropriate.)

5. What time does the ceremony start?
Promptly at 4:00 PM. We're both sticklers for things starting on time.

6. Will the ceremony be long?
We're planning a 30-minute ceremony. Does that feel too long for you? No worries, we'll have activities to keep you entertained during the ceremony.

7. Are kids allowed?
Nope. Gretchen is devoted to her nieces and nephews, and wouldn't dream of having a wedding without them. As a result, we've invited our twelve nieces and nephews. But that's where it ends.

8. Who can I bring with me?
We researched invite etiquette extensively to make sure we were being clear in our invites. The people specifically named on your invite can come. That's it. Sorry, but space is tight. We look forward to meeting your sweetheart/best friend/favorite son at another event.

9. What if I don't want to cart your gift all the way to Brockton?
Awww...thanks for thinking of us! We will have a gift table at the wedding, along with a card baskety thing. And Gretchen's family is on deck to cart gifts back to the house on Sunday morning. With that said, if YOU don't want to bother carting a gift to Brockton, feel free to drop it off at the house ahead of time, or ship it to us and the return address on your RSVP card.

10. What's on the menu?
We'll host a cocktail hour and then a buffet-style dinner. That's all we're saying.

11. Will the reception be open bar?
Yup. That's how we roll.

But open bar is not an excuse for bad behavior or poor choices. If you are driving, please be sure to eat enough, drink plenty of water, and try not to overindulge. If you DO overindulge, we will make sure the facility is prepared to call a cab to get you safely to your bed.

12. What time does the wedding end?
Promptly at 9:00. Seriously.

13. Where's the after party?
Uhm....there is no after party. At least not one that we're organizing. That's NOT how we roll. We plan to be in bed by 9:45 PM. Seriously.

14. What's the social media plan for the wedding?
We're social people. But space and money make it impossible for us to invite everyone we know through our social networks. So, we are happy for you to post pictures, videos, and commentary on the Interwebs so more people can feel like they are there. We aren't concerned with our "privacy."

If you do, please follow these rules:

1. We don't want pictures of the kids posted on any social media sites. That's just good common sense. 
2. A handful of guests have expressed concerns about online privacy. So, if you plan to tag a photo, please make sure you have the person's permission before naming them online. 

15. What's the hashtag for the wedding?
#wwjcm

RSVP Online

Invites are starting to trickle out for the big event on August 17th.

If you want to RSVP online, you can do so here: http://jeffandgretchen.blogspot.com/p/rsvp-online.html.

And yes, yes we know! If you are responding online, you aren't really saving a stamp, because the response cards were all pre-stamped.

This is happening!

So the invitations are officially out the door to our guests who are traveling from far away. This is really happening! We're getting married!