Circus Inspired Wedding from Elyse Hall Photography
Step right up, step right up! We’ve got quite the spectacular wedding for you on this lovely Thursday afternoon. Sent into us my the obviously talented Elyse Hall, this whimsical, circus themed wedding is so well executed that you really feel like you could be at the circus, sans creepy carneys of course! I just love everything about this wedding from the bride’s dress to the amazing display on the dessert table. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to run away and join the circus! Meet me in the gallery for the main event!
Click here to see entire image gallery!
We are a modern, goofy, casual, laid-back couple. We love and appreciate incredible food, music, and style and wanted to surround ourselves with these components on our wedding day. Our event evolved from a word we kept using to describe what we wanted our wedding to be like, FUN. The vision included our dearest friends, family and my soon to be step-son, and that quest for intimacy limited our guest list to roughly 40 people. From day one we promised each other we would make this day the most fun and whimsical experience we could for our guests, as well as ourselves. We truly wanted the opposite of a traditional wedding, for no other reason than we wanted this day to be about celebrating with our friends and family and focusing on experiencing those special moments instead of the stress of planning a stuffy event. The carnival theme introduced itself when we decided that we wanted our favorite hot dog cart, The Short Leash, to cater the event. We thought how could we incorporate them into this day and still make it feel like a wedding?
Then, as I was searching wedding blogs, I happened upon an event that took place at an old abandoned fairground, and the rest was history. I not only wanted the carnival feel, but a vintage circus aura as well. I hunted through countless stores to collect as many cake plates as I possibly could, and scoured thrift stores to find all of the antique mason jars we used for the tables. Spray paint played a large part in our wedding decor, as every table showcased gold elephants and lions to surround the theme. My fingers were stained on a weekly basis! Bunting, medallions, mustaches and pinwheels became prevalent touches along with popcorn containers of every shape and size.
The venue was the easiest to choose, as we only gave ourselves 4 months to plan. We knew immediately we wanted to host the event in my mother-in-law’s backyard, which meant a lot to all of us, and embracing a backyard wedding only made sense for the theme we had chosen. Together we decided to transform her pool into a big top tent, adorn the gazebo with pinwheels and medallions galore, and park a hot dog cart in the front yard.
When we met with Elyse, our genius photographer, and told her of our plans, a lightbulb went off in her head. She told us she wanted to shoot the engagement photos at our State Fair, which fell perfectly around the date, and the shots incorporated seamlessly into our table-scapes and decor. We literally ran through the fairground on a 100 degree day snapping shots and performing outfit changes, completely worth every drop of sweat!
My best friend and myself have an event planning business so it only made sense that we would create as many d.i.y. touches as we possibly could. My life became making pinwheels, pom-poms and miniature flags. We spent days, and I do mean days, converting the private yard into a circus extravaganza. The makeshift photo booth was a last minute touch intended to fill an empty space, but has since become my favorite feature of the day.
Our ceremony was simple, but captured everything this moment meant to each of us. My cousins have an incredible band, and played our favorite Coldplay song acoustically as I walked down the aisle. I was gaining a husband and a son, and the three of us held hands at the altar to accept that vow together. Our family played an integral part in our ceremony, and stood with us to share the experience.
My favorite part of the day has got to be Rich holding me at sunset as we watched children running around the yard, adults getting to act like kids, and seeing hot dogs and donuts devoured with delight. The day was absolutely everything we expected and more. We were able to share our love with our family and for us that was priceless.
This wedding meant to us a time to bring all of our talented friends and family together to create something we would remember forever. The day was all we could have envisioned and more, and dreams of corn dogs, popcorn and fried pickles still linger in our heads.
Photography: Elyse Hall Photography / Floral, Event Production and Design: Eventology Events / Hair Piece and Bouttonnieres: Mignonne Handmade / Dress: Bari Jay / Invitations: Blush Design Studio / Event and Tent rentals: JMS Tents / Catering: The Short Leash / Wedding Cake: Dunkin Donuts / Cake Topper: Eventology Events / Welcome Reception, Ceremony and Cocktail Music: Find your Smile / Celebrant: Reverend Carol Hushek / Event Venue: Private Residence in Gilbert, AZ
56 Comments about “Circus Inspired Wedding from Elyse Hall Photography”
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June 2, 2011 at 12:20 pm
Love this! I bet this was SUCH a fun wedding.
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June 2, 2011 at 12:34 pm
I have a wedding crush on this one! Adorable!!!
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June 2, 2011 at 12:39 pm
Love the graphic design and colors!
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June 2, 2011 at 12:52 pm
Fabulous! And how cute is that doughnut tower?
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June 2, 2011 at 1:03 pm
is that a real chicken in the cage? If so that is so cruel look at the size of it, it is tiny....disgraceful
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June 2, 2011 at 1:05 pm
So adorable! Such cute and fun ideas. Loving the pinwheels! Great job team.
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June 2, 2011 at 1:09 pm
Have no fear, Lauren! That's a total fake chicken in the cage. As an animal lover myself, I definitely did a double take!
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June 2, 2011 at 1:14 pm
WOW!! I can't believe all of the decorations were by this gorgeous bride!!
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June 2, 2011 at 1:21 pm
Are you kidding me? What you notice is the chicken?! It's not real, you can obviously tell.
What an adorable wedding! Gets my brain turning with new ideas! -
June 2, 2011 at 1:25 pm
I am seriously SWOONING over this wedding. Absolutely gorgeous, fun and unique. They must be an amazing couple and how lucky for all of their guests! WOW!
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June 2, 2011 at 1:29 pm
I am in AWE that this many incredible details came together in 4 months. BEAUTIFUL work, girls!
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June 2, 2011 at 1:36 pm
Love, love, LOVE it. I'm blowing kisses at all of the pictures on my screen!
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June 2, 2011 at 2:00 pm
I think I am having a doughnut craving now! Sad times... I really want to grab on of them out of the picture.
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June 2, 2011 at 2:18 pm
It must have been so fun to get all the props for this wedding!
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June 2, 2011 at 2:29 pm
I LOVE the guest sign in/love poster thingy- Was this designed for you or can it be purchased somewhere?
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June 2, 2011 at 2:30 pm
The color pallete is incredible & I LOVE all the details!!!
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June 2, 2011 at 2:41 pm
Great lighting and love the detail!
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June 2, 2011 at 3:00 pm
Thank you everyone for the beautiful compliments! No, it was not a real chicken, and I actually found the guest poster on marthastewart.com. I doctored it a bit to fit our theme:).
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June 2, 2011 at 3:00 pm
LOVE THIS! Ours too will be a backyard wedding of about 40! I had similar decoration ideas and am glad to see it all come together so beautifully for yours. It is also lovely that all three of you stood up together, was planning that as well with my 3 year old daughter. Best wishes for a wonderful life together! :)
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June 2, 2011 at 3:56 pm
I am speechless!! I love this wedding, love it, adore it, i'm obsessed with it!!
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June 2, 2011 at 4:04 pm
What a fun day! I love all the color and the couple is lovely!
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June 2, 2011 at 4:11 pm
This is the best example of a backyard wedding I have seen, so many touches making it special! Of course I am interested in the flowers and I just love the colored vases and delicate pink buds. Even the pin wheels reminded me of flowers, they were so cute!
Your hair is just perfect for an outdoor wedding, so well styled and yet relaxed and classic. The blooms in your hair matching the boutonniere really tie you together as a couple. The whole shoot just looks like you had a balll on your special day - Congratulations!
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June 2, 2011 at 4:27 pm
This looks so fun... and lovely! I love the colors!
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June 2, 2011 at 4:35 pm
awesome dress
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June 2, 2011 at 5:14 pm
I really just want to express my love for this wedding. It is so cute and what a fun theme! My wedding is actually taking place at the Ringling Museum ((http://luckyinlove2.blogspot.com/2010/11/day-in-sarasota.html )) in Sarasota, although we aren't doing a circus or carnival theme, I wish I had thought about it! Spectacular!
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June 2, 2011 at 5:24 pm
I love everything about this wedding!
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June 2, 2011 at 5:47 pm
Jaw-dropping! Wow!
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June 2, 2011 at 6:10 pm
Oh my gosh this is exactly like my wedding plans! small world... love it!
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June 2, 2011 at 9:28 pm
Love all the details...especially the mustaches!
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June 2, 2011 at 10:13 pm
I also wanted to give some love to the amazing invitation suite that Blush Design Studio created for our day...please check out the beautiful letterpress save the dates and invites that Elizabeth created here: http://www.blushdesignstudio.com/2011/04/circus-circus.html
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June 2, 2011 at 10:52 pm
Kudos on your beautiful, whimsical, fantastical wedding. Every aspect is so well thought out and executed. Well done, you! :) :)
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June 3, 2011 at 12:08 am
Soooo colorful!
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June 3, 2011 at 2:59 am
Super cute! I love how the circus color palette isn't loud and obnoxious. It's still very circus-appropriate but soft and sweet and perfect for a uniquely themed wedding. Brilliant!
The French Bouquet-- European-Inspired Floral Design
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June 3, 2011 at 5:42 am
It seems it was such a fun wedding out there..... Good Job
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June 3, 2011 at 6:56 am
Oh how I love love love this!
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June 3, 2011 at 7:30 am
Beautiful, fun, and sooo inspiring! Love it! Congratulations!
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June 3, 2011 at 7:31 am
how incredibly fun! love the bright colors. and OMG a doughnut cake? yes, please!
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June 3, 2011 at 11:31 am
Simply amazing.........every photo just looks too good to be true! this is definitely one of my all time favourite wedding i have EVER seen... I love it! The bride is so stunning, and i absolutely love her hair, congratulation to her and her hubby! And thanks for sharing this one....its GORGEOUS!
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June 3, 2011 at 1:15 pm
That was a beautifully executed wedding and it still felt laid back. So awesome. Props to the bride for all the hard work and staging.
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June 6, 2011 at 11:36 pm
I love love love this! Look at all of those details! Love the colors as well!
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June 7, 2011 at 4:37 pm
What a fun wedding & adorable couple. You can tell that they have a lot of fun together! It makes you happy just looking at it
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July 17, 2011 at 12:24 am
Does anyone know where I can find those accordion streamers that are on the gazebo. I have been trying to find them for awhile.... This wedding is the bees knees!
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May 21, 2012 at 5:54 am
Philosophy begins in wonder. And, towards the end, when philosophic thought has been doing its best, the sweetness remains. ~Alfred North Whitehead
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