Wayne Oak Plantation Wedding by Annie McElwain Photography
Hooray for Friday! I can’t imagine a better way to jump start the weekend than with a sunny, DIY wedding by Annie McElwain Photography. We have seen a lot of love birds themes around here but never one that was pulled off quite as sweetly or as perfectly as this Virginia beauty. My favorite part? Probably the two lovebirds at the center of it all whose infectious smiles will have you grinning all the way to Monday. See more of these cuties and all their fun details in the full gallery!
Click here to see all the images in the full gallery!
From the bride… Our amazing friends, Bill Crews and Judy Kelley offered their home as our venue out in the country of VA. The moment we saw it we knew this was it. The gorgeous civil war home/property was enough to stand alone but my creative wheels began turning immediately. It felt appropriate to have elements of antique/southern/country…unlike my typical more contemporary/modern style. My maiden name is Robbins so we wanted to incorporate birds somewhere along the way– so we decided on a love bird’s theme. I’ve always been one of those people that sees something and says “hey I can do that myself for much less” so that’s pretty much how this whole day happened.
I rode in on my dad’s white truck… adorned with yellow lanterns, homemade pillows, a white carpet and sitting on an antique church pew. At the end of the ceremony we also rode back out on the edge of the truck bed, holding an old antique “Just Married” sign (painted by me). Our aisle was created by wrought iron stands (for hanging planters) which hung yellow glowing lanterns. We decided that instead of making the day disjointed by having one area for the wedding ceremony and another area for the reception, we would rather create an intimate space for the entire day to happen. We created a dinner theatre-like setting, where all guests sat at their table, separated by an aisle, and watched the wedding from there.
We were having an evening wedding and wanted to create lighting for the guests while also continuing the flicker of the stars above us, so we created our own centerpieces (which was much cheaper too!). For the centerpieces we took a weekend and went to the country to hunt/cut tree branches/twigs. My dad was a huge help in this effort. I literally rode in the back of the truck (the same one that later became my chariot!) with a bed FULL of tree branches. We (my dad, my “coordinator”/family member Susan Stringer, my mom and myself) then cut the twigs to size, spray painted them all white, and set them in planters with plaster. Later we made our own votive wire hangers (this was cheaper than buying pre-wired votives) and hung them on the branches. Finally, the morning of the wedding, Susan glued hundreds of real flowers all over the branches to add color. We added water above the plaster in the planters and used some floating candles for additional light. I have to say they turned out so perfectly! During the “day” part of the ceremony, the tables were bursting with our yellow accent color. Once the sun came down for the reception it looked like fireflies flickering across a huge field under the moon! We also made 3 HUGE versions of the centerpieces (taller than us) in order to create an alter behind us. We were surrounded by flowers and candles while creating a backdrop that flowed seamlessly from the tables.
We had a blast making everything ourselves and saved literally thousands of dollars doing it!
Wedding Venue: Wayne Oak Plantation / Bride’s Dress: Nicole Miller / Bride’s Hair Piece: Ann Leslie Designs / Bride’s Shoes: Betsey Johnson / Bride’s Jewelry: Nicole Miller / Hair: Erin Backer / Bridal Bouquet & Boutonnieres: Rochette’s Florist / Cake: Cake Kitchen / Catering: Walter Johnson at Thompson Hospitality / Rentals: Awesome Party Supplies / Bridesmaid’s Shoes: Vince Camuto / Bridesmaids’ + Flower girl’s Necklaces (and my one bridesmaids-man brooch): Zafirenia Maridaki / Flower Girl Dresses: Gabriella Rocha / Flower Girl Shoes: Lands’ End / Favors: Custom stamp made Love to Create Stamps / Groomsmen’s Ties: Express / Groom’s Suit: Howe / Officient: Reverend Angelo Chatmon / Invitations + Guestbook: Inviting Moments / Programs: Kims Custom Gifts / Wedding Photography: Annie McElwain Photography
20 Comments about “Wayne Oak Plantation Wedding by Annie McElwain Photography”
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August 5, 2011 at 8:07 amLove the wrought iron chairs! We cannot wait to include wrought iron bistro chairs in our upcoming collection additions!
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August 5, 2011 at 8:51 am
What a lovely wedding. The bride is beautiful
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August 5, 2011 at 8:54 am
That is one beautiful couple. The photography is lovely- captured every smile. And the Peeps! Such a cute idea. xoxo
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August 5, 2011 at 8:54 am
So creative! I love the peeps favors.
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August 5, 2011 at 8:56 am
Love Love Love! What a classic beautiful bride- you looked amazing! Love the bird theme. So cute great job!
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August 5, 2011 at 9:25 am
I am in love with this wedding. Every aspect was so well thought out. OMG the kids were adorable.
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August 5, 2011 at 9:49 am
LOVE this wedding! Two questions: Were did you get the cake topper & the overlays?
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August 5, 2011 at 9:56 am
This whole wedding is just adorable!
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August 5, 2011 at 10:12 am
Where did you get the cake topper?
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August 5, 2011 at 10:21 am
The bird theme is so cute! I love the rustic feel of this.
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August 5, 2011 at 11:41 am
I'm friends with the bride and LOVED her style. She is so gorgeous and looked amazing. Love the DIY of this wedding...
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August 5, 2011 at 11:42 am
Hi... I was the bride (thanks for all the sweet comments!!). In response to the questions: I actually made the cake topper myself. I saw 2 love birds as a cake topper on etsy that looked very similar but it was $65. So I figured I'd spend about $10 on Sculpey clay and try to make them myself... if I ruined it, THEN I'd fork over the $65. So they turned out great! I added a little veil on the bride... and then in order for their little toothpick legs not to sink into the cake, I found a nest at he florist shop just a few days before.
Also the overlays on the table are from http://www.hartsfabric.com/ . I found a great yellow fabric with grey birds that we just cut with pinking sheers so we didn't have to bother with sewing them. I saved all the fabric afterwards and may make a little sundress or skirt out of it :) -
August 5, 2011 at 12:01 pm
LOVED the gray and yellow theme and the bride and groom look amazing!
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August 5, 2011 at 2:16 pm
I too love every DYI aspect of this wedding! My guess is that this talented bride also made the "guestbook tree".....do you mind if I ask how it was done?
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August 5, 2011 at 7:20 pm
I was one of the bridesmaids at this wedding and it was just as beautiful in person as it is in the pictures! Juli is an amazingly creative, hands-on type of gal!
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August 6, 2011 at 10:33 pm
@Jess: The guest book was actually the only sign that I didn't make! I ordered it from Inviting Moments on Etsy... she did my invites so I wanted it to match. It also came with the white ink pads for guests to stamp their fingers. However, I will say that if I had it to do over again I'd ask if it could be printed on different paper. This came on large photo paper and the stamped finger prints either didn't show up very well or began to smear. (I would have loved it in large linen card-stock, but I have no idea if that's possible in such a large size). Otherwise I loved the idea and think it's a great way to remember our special day!
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August 8, 2011 at 8:12 am
Thanks for the great info Juli, I will definitely keep your suggestions in mind! I might try and tackle this project for a good friend's upcoming wedding, and I will make sure to test out my materials first to see what will work best. Best wishes for a long and happy wedding!
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August 8, 2011 at 8:14 am
and by wedding I mean marriage :) ....whoops!
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August 10, 2011 at 4:01 pm
juli, you did such an amazing job with all the DIY stuff and obviously made a totally stunning bride. i knew your wedding would end up on SMP and it deserves to be. everything was just flawless! beautiful, beautiful photos. <3
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[...] plenty of DIY in this Virginia wedding, featured on Style Me Pretty. I am (as usual) in love with the yellow details. [...]