What We Want in a Wedding

Our concept of how we want our wedding to be is definitely still fuzzy, but it's starting to take shape, so I want to formulate some of the thoughts we've had so far. Also, by the way, I totally bought three wedding magazines to read on the plane to Austin and Martha Stewart Weddings is by far superior to any other wedding magazine I've seen. I can't wait for the next issue to come out. In fact, I briefly considered ordering back issues on Amazon. Is that sad, or should I just go ahead and do it?

• An evening wedding with the ceremony at six and the reception going until around midnight
  
• Formal photos before the wedding, with us seeing each other for the first time in a private place
• Possibly some fun photos of the two of us in our wedding clothes at some photogenic spot in DC, like the Lincoln Memorial or somewhere else that's a clean white colour with nice lines--since it will be November, we can't really go for charming nature shots
  
• An emphasis on candid shots capturing moments and emotions and little details from throughout the night
  
• Torsten in a classic black tux and me in a white dress, possibly with some subtle purple detailing somewhere
• The bridesmaids in purple dresses, all different
  
• The groomsmen in black tuxes
• Me with a purple bouquet and the bridesmaids with either white or mixed-colour bouquets
• Approximately 75 guests in attendance
  
• An intimate, personalized ceremony, with a reading written and read by a friend; a song sung by a friend; possibly a sand ceremony like Shauna's; us speaking to each other with words we've written ourselves before taking simple, traditional vows; and a secular officiant
• A cocktail hour between ceremony and reception with a full bar, passed hors d'oeuvres, and us there, talking with our guests
  
• Soft lighting at the reception, including lots of candles, fires in both fireplaces, maybe some Chinese lanterns or twinkly lights around the room, and some lamps with nice shades
• An open bar throughout the evening
  
• Music by a DJ who is good at reading the crowd and gets lots of people on the dance floor
• A basket of flip flops and/or slippers for women whose shoes are hurting them, either for dancing or for going home in
  
• Favors at every place setting on the tables, possibly a plant in a pretty pot--although we may have to find an alternative favor as most of our guests will be from out of town and might have trouble transporting their plants home
• A coffee/cappuccino bar that includes alcohol such as Kahlua and Bailey's for people to make their after-dinner drinks a bit more interesting
• A three-tiered cake in white and purple with different types of cake in each tier, possibly with a super-retro ceramic bride and groom from the 1950s (or earlier) on top
  
• Quiet music played by the DJ during the meal so that people can actually hear each other talk; us walking around during part of the meal, talking with our guests
  
• Tables of different sizes and shapes without giant floral centerpieces that block people's views of each other
• A guestbook that is basically a big blank book with either a Polaroid camera or a digital camera with a printer and a friend manning it--so each guest gets their photo taken (with outfits showing), then has their photo glued in book and writes their message next to it
• Couches and armchairs by the fireplaces for non-dancing guests to sit in, chat, and relax

What do you think of this? Are there things that sound totally off, or things that you think should definitely be on that list (whether or not they are currently there)? If you're planning/have already had a wedding, what are/were the most important elements for you?