We wanted the day to be a celebration of family and friends. We were getting married for the first time in our 40’s and have both lost many dear people along the way. We wanted to remember and include them in the day in some way. We had the names of those who had passed that were important to us and our guests included in the wedding programs. Photographs were a priority for us, since they are truly a lasting record of the day. We took the recommendation of a good friend who used Ulysses Photography for their wedding. Jenni and Ulysses were nothing short of amazing with their artist eye for detail, and we are absolutely delighted with the results.

We wanted understated elegance with a vintage feel for the day and achieved this with various details. The tuxes from Men’s Warehouse, Sophia Tolli Phyllis gown from the Bridal Gallery in Salem, Oregon, the long hand-beaded veil, ceremony shoes by Grace, fun blue Caparros Ulysses reception shoes, and amazing hair and makeup done by Rosemarie Pomilla owner of N.Y. Prostyle and her team, helped provide the timeless feel of the day. We had the ceremony in the late afternoon at the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception located on campus of my alma mater, The College of Mount Saint Vincent, because we love that when you enter the Chapel and the campus it feels like you are stepping back in time. We choose the Old Tappan Manor for our reception because it was like going to a ball in the ballroom of a private mansion in days gone by. They only have one event at a time, the renovated space is gorgeous, and the food was wonderful.

We wanted things we love as part of our day. The groom loves music and wanted the ceremony to be the most special part of the day. We had Pipe Major Jonathan Henken play bagpipes before and after the ceremony outside of the Chapel. For the ceremony we had singer Stephanie Budelman and The Devonshire Players string quartet. I love dragonflies, bubbles, fall leaves and various shades of blue. We worked these things into the programs, party favors, wedding party flowers, seating charts, napkins, table linens, invitations, wedding bands, and ribbons woven into baskets for the programs, directions and bubbles.

Photography: Ulysses Photography / Flowers: The Flower Shoppe, New City, NY / Ceremony Location: Mount St. Vincent College / Reception Location: Old Tappan Manor / Invitations: Wedding Paper Divas / Shoes: Grace / Dress: Sophia Tolli / Veil: Glamgal Designs / Hair & Makeup: NY Prostyle / Limo: Top Class Limosine / Cake: Homestyle Desserts Bakery

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 10 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Bagpipes, Ballroom Wedding, Classic, Dragonflies, Glamgal Designs, Glamour, Glamourous, Grace, Homestyle Desserts Bakery, Mount St. Vincent College, New City, New York, NY Prostyle, Old Tappan Manor, Sophia Tolli, The Flower Shoppe, Top Class Limousine, Traditional Elegance, Ulysses Photography, Vintage Chic, Wedding Paper Divas, Wedding Photography, Wedding Stationery, Winter Wedding
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Traditional Elegance

from Heather: The ceremony was in Rittenhouse Town, part of the Wissahickon woods. We could only invite immediate family and a handful of our oldest friends. To see every one’s smiles after the ceremony was the best part of the day!

My stepfather, Paul, drove me up to the ceremony in a 1932 Ford pickup he built himself from pieces. I was so proud to ride in it and loved that it matched the time period. He started building it while my mother was still alive and she never got to take a ride, so getting into it for the first time on my wedding day was an emotional roller coaster, so happy, but also sad. We were both bawling when I arrived to the sounds of the bagpiper playing “Here comes the bride.”

Did I mention everyone was crying at the ceremony!? My best friend Sarah read a passage from the Velveteen Rabbit about what is “real”. Jason, Shawn’s brother, read the last paragraph from “The Road” by Cormick McCarthy. After the ceremony Jason said a beautiful toast about how I have always been a part of the family, but it was good now to make it “official” and again I cried!

The reception was at the Sedgwick Theatre on Germantown Avenue in Mt. Airy. It is an art deco movie theatre built in 1928. I love the fashion and styles of that period so it was really important to me to have “vintage” hair and a cocktail dress.

The reception was a blast! I did not want a formal wedding reception, just a big party. It was a representation of us and our loved ones. We had a pool table and games for the kids. I also had a dress up photo booth for guests to take their own photos. On the center stage, there was a slide show running of my photographs from the past 14 years of our friends and family. The kids had fun jumping around on the stage and dancing in front of the photos! There was theatrical lighting to add to the ambiance. We had an Irish trio play at the cocktail hour who actually knew my mother, she played traditional fiddle in her life time. I also had the redware pottery she made put out on the tables. After cocktails the dj took over with a great assortment of country, indie rock, 80′s music videos played on the screen, hip hop and lots of dance music from our generation. It was overwhelming seeing every person I know and love in one room, all there just for us! I am so lucky to have met Shawn 14 years ago and gained so many friends and family.

These fabulous photos were taken by Sarah Miller, her friend and frequent second-shooter. For more of Sarah’s work, check out her website and blog!

LOVE the vintage-styled wedding touches that Heather executed flawlessly! Isn’t she totally gorgeous!!?

Heather has written about her wedding on her own blog and has provided a list of recommended vendors. It’s a really comprehensive list with great comments about each one. She’s also included the sources for her veil, shawl, dress, etc… There are a few photos taken by other photography friends of Heather’s and their names are also credited on her blog.

True vintage glamour ~~~

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 22 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Art Deco, Bagpipes, Birdcage Veil, Hair Accessories, Heather Fowler Photography, Mt. Airy, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Photo Booth, Rittenhouse Town, Sarah Miller Photography, Vintage Hairstyle, Vintage Style, Wissahickon
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Real Weddings, Vintage Chic