When Bryan and I started planning our wedding, we knew we wanted something low-key and relaxed. I remember the first time I started planning for our wedding. It was one or two months after we had gotten engaged and we were kayaking in Northern Michigan with two of our friends. We had been on Lake Michigan for hours it seemed, kayaking 4-5 miles across a bay from the small island where we had set up camp the night before. My arms were sore from the trip out the previous day and our friend Kate was paddling next to me. We were talking about music festivals and I decided that was it – that was what our reception would be like. Laid back, outdoors, and filled with live music played by our talented friends and family. Kate, my lovely friend and kayak buddy, is one of the front-women in the local band The Crane Wives, so that started the wheels turning for the line-up for our wedding. By the time our wedding day arrived, we had also enlisted my younger brother, Garrett, and his friend to play, as well as my cousin Katie and her boyfriend. Once we had decided on the music-focus for the party, we started searching for locations. We lucked out and found an awesome lodge at one of our city parks, a little place tucked away in the woods with a wrap-around porch perfect for hanging out on a September’s afternoon.

Pulling together our wedding plans was a relatively simple process for us. Our ceremony was held at our church and we were so glad to be married in the beautiful tradition of the Orthodox Church. For the reception, we knew we wanted music and we knew we wanted it to feel like a big party. We also wanted it to be supportive of the great local food, beer and wine culture that we have in Michigan. We choose beer and wine from small local companies, as well as a few hard ciders to celebrate the autumn season. For food, we chose our favorite restaurant to cater an all-vegan meal for our 160 guests. The restaurant, Marie Catrib’s, has a great relationship with local farms and they designed a great autumn-themed menu for us. The meal is the number one thing that guests were head-over-heels with at our wedding and we’re still getting compliments on it. We had a local baker make an array of cupcakes, muffins, chocolates and truffles, all vegan, and my mom added to the sweets table with her famous apple pie and a tasty vegan pumpkin cheesecake. Another easy decision for us was choosing our photographers. Bobbi and Mike had taken our engagement photos (which is where Bryan proposed– I thought we were taking promotional photos for our website!), and after getting to know them we knew we wanted them to be a part of our day. They have such wonderful personalities and their work is, of course, just stunning. We were so happy to have them on board with us.

The other details of our day, all the smaller, frilly things – colors, decorations, flowers – were chosen rather easily. I am obsessed with the color mustard (my friends call me mustard mae), and well, purple just looked nice with it. I made most of the decorations in the last few weeks before the wedding, and it was a welcome excuse to get together with my closest friends and have a good time. The bouquets came from a local florist who grows flowers in her backyard and sells them at a local farmer’s market. I had found her through the recommendation of one of our past brides and I loved working with her. Since Bryan and I are wedding photographers, we were lucky enough to have a lot of support from our couples, and to even have one couple who shared their thrifted plate collection with us and another who shared mason jars with us. What a blessing!

So the day-of came, and it was beautiful. Sunny skies and warm for late September. I got ready with my friends, saw Bryan for our first look, and then we got married. And then it started raining. Right before our reception, which was supposed to be both indoors and outdoors. When we arrived at our reception, we were happy to see The Crane Wives, our cocktail band, playing on the wrap-around porch as rain beat down on the roof, with all of our guests on the porch as well. When we first arrived, we wove our way through the crowd and had the opportunity to greet all of our guests for the first time. It was such a wonderful experience. No one minded the rain, nor did they mind when the power went out because of the storm! When it went out, my brothers and our friend Matthew rushed to a local store and came back with hundreds of tea lights, which they lined the tables with. Some of our dear guests contacted folks they knew with generators and before we knew it, the party was back up and running, just in time for dinner and more live music. After dinner, the skies cleared, we snuck outside for a few more photos, and our guests were able to enjoy the lovely landscape and games that we’d set up. We danced into the night to a great mix by our awesome DJ. My favorite moment of the entire evening was after the party, when we ran out through sparklers. Bryan and I got to our car but before we drove off, we held each other and watched all of our crazy friends running around the lawn with the sparklers, yelling and having so much fun. It was beautiful and the best way to finish such a lovely day.

Photographer: bobbi+mike / Floral Designer: The Flower Garden / Invitation Designer: Hitch Design Studio / Desserts: Wednesday Evening Cookies / Wedding Gown Designer: Watters / Bridesmaid’s Dress Designer: Lulu’s / Rings: Touchwood Rings / Groom’s Suit: Topman / Caterer: Marie Catrib’s / Beer: Founder’s Brewing / Wine: Leelanau Cellars / Cider: Tandem Ciders / Veil: DIY / Fabric Flower Headpieces: Darci’s Doodads / Bride’s Hair: Hair by Kayley Heeringa / Cocktail Band: The Crane Wives

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Post tags: Babies, Baby's Breath, bobbi+mike, Bowties, Bryan And Mae, Burlap, Buttons, Casual Elegance, Chalkboards, Color Palette Yellow Purple, Croquet, Darci's Doodads, DIY Veil, Do-It-Yourself Inspired, Greek Orthodox, Hair by Kayley Heeringa, Hitch Design Studio, Leelanau Cellars, Lulu's, Marie Catrib's Founder's Brewing, Mason Jars, Michigan, Mustard, Northern Michigan, Outdoor Weddings, Quilts, Tandem Ciders, The Crane Wives, The Flower Garden, Topman, Touchwood Rings, Vintage Chic, Vintage Windows, Watters, Wedding Photography, Wednesday Evening Cookies, wildflowers
Post categories: Casual Elegance, Little Black Book Blog

Click here for the FULL wedding!

From Jake of Valo Photography… The day began in gray skies, and the hope for snow was high. After all it was December 30th in Wisconsin — if something was going to fall from the sky it would be snow, right? To the dismay of the bride, the only thing that started to fall from the sky was rain. Wait, rain? At the end of December in Wisconsin!? Rain, one of the only things not planned for. Hope was not lost, and we all thought very snowy thoughts…

As we left her parents house to make some portraits before the ceremony, the temperature started to drop. The rain was starting to mix with snow. As we drove, the mix of rain and snow kept moving more towards the snow than rain, and by the time we got to the covered bridge we were shooting at the snow was falling thick and fast from the skies. It was a gift from God that lasted just long enough for the photographs we needed.

The wedding was a DIY winter wedding dream, now complete with snow! It was perfect. The bride wore a splendid flowing dress, reminiscent of the falling snow, by San Patrick. The girls wore dresses identical only in color — The styles fit each woman’s personality and were dresses that they could wear again. The men were no less stylish in J.Crew suits. The details, hand-made by the bride and her family, right down to the amazing floral work, centerpieces and baked goods by the bride’s mother. All the printed materials — place cards, signage, custom logo and even an awesome handmade calendar for the guests to take with them — were made by the bride herself. Nothing was an afterthought — even the gold circles were added to the tea bags to tie into the overall theme. Candy canes, Christmas trees, cookies, hot chocolate, wreaths, pine cones, hearty meal, gold stars and just the feeling in the air made the wedding experience feel like the most elegant Christmas party I have ever attended.

Wedding Photography: Valo Photography / Flowers: Mother of the Bride / Event Design: The Bride / Ceremony: Alliance Bible Church in Mequon, Wisconsin / Reception: The Old Courthouse Museum in West Bend, Wisconsin / Wedding Invitations + Printed Materials: DIY by the Bride / Catering: Saz’s Catering / Wedding Cake + Cookies: Bride’s Family / Hair + Makeup: Studio 890 + The Bride / Wedding Dress: San Patrick “Calais” / Bride’s Shoes: Madden Girl / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: J.Crew, Dorothy Perkins, H&M, Express + Other Various Designers / Groom’s Suit: J.Crew / Music: DIY with an iPod

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Post tags: Alliance Bible Church, Blush, Do-It-Yourself Inspired, Dorothy Perkins, Express, H&M, J. Crew, Madden Girl, Mequon, Pink, San Patrick Calais, Saz's Catering, Studio 890 San Patrick, Taupe, The Old Courthouse Museum, Valo Photography, West Bend, White, Wisconsin
Post categories: Do-It-Yourself Inspired, The Blog

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McKenzie Miller Films shared their spectacular wedding film with us and we are so excited to share it with you!

From the bride… Alek and I really wanted our day to focus on things we felt were the most important: the emotion of the day and the personal touches that were uniquely “us.” We created a personal ceremony that felt really meaningful and was most definitely a tear-jerker. I think it can be really easy to get caught up in little details that don’t really have any meaning and just end up creating stress and draining your bank account! We decided not to decorate with a lot of flowers and instead use tissue paper as we were only going to be at the venue for four hours and didn’t want to throw away all those pretty flowers after such a short time. The succulent centerpieces were a nice compromise that the guests could take home with them. But all in the all, what sticks out most in my mind is the overwhelming feeling and emotion of the ceremony and the love from our friends and family. Because in the end, that’s really all the matters.

Wedding Photography: Aubrey Joy Photography / Wedding Venue + Catering: The Casa Marina Resort in Key West, Florida / Bouquet: Love in Bloom Florist / Wedding Cake: Junior’s Cheesecake in Brooklyn, New York / Wedding Dress: J.Crew / Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell / Bride’s Necklace: Norbu Bijoux / Groom’s Suit: J.Crew / Groom’s Watch: Braun / Bride’s Ring: Ray Griffiths / Groom’s Ring: Fitzgerald Jewelry Store / Announcements: Peter Kruty Editions / Music: George Aderhold / Cinematography: McKenzie Miller Films / Hair and Makeup: Studio Marie-Pierre /  Centerpieces, Tissue Paper Tassels, Swizzle Sticks, Cake Topper, Boutonniere, Invitation Design + Button Design: DIY / Buttons Purchased Through: Busy Beaver Buttons / Succulents Purchased Through: Succulents Galore / Wedding Video Song: “Perfect Day” by Holley Maher, Licensed Through The Music Bed

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Post tags: Aubrey Joy Photography, Braun, Busy Beaver Buttons, Do-It-Yourself Inspired, Fitzgerald Jewelry Store, Florida, George Aderhold, J. Crew, Jeffrey Campbell, Junior's Cheesecake, Key West, Love in Bloom Florist, McKenzie Miller Films, Norbu Bijoux, Peter Kruty Editions, Pink, Ray Griffiths, Studio Marie-Pierre, Succulents Galore, The Casa Marina Resort, White
Post categories: Florida Weddings, Key West

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Oh, we’re not done with all of the lovely just yet.  We have one amazing film by Siberian Pictures below. Enjoy!

From the Bride… Vince and I have known each other since high school and were best friends throughout college — despite the 1,100 mile distance between our schools. He proposed at a quaint bed and breakfast overlooking the Puget Sound in the heart of downtown Seattle. For our wedding, we both wanted to celebrate love, family, and cultural traditions with an intimate, stress-free fete. We initially considered a destination wedding in Cinque Terre or Paris, but decided to save Paris for our honeymoon. Our guests’ experience during our wedding weekend was our top priority. We wanted everyone to feel welcome, loved and relaxed. All our guests stayed at a resort on the same beach that the wedding ceremony took place on. We had a lot of fun putting together welcome baskets that included champagne, hand-made soaps, German gummy bears, Belgian beer and a variety of other things that highlighted special places throughout our relationship.  Because the majority of our guests came from out-of-state, we gave them a taste of Florida by treating them to a visit to the Alligator Farm in St. Augustine the day before the wedding. Afterwards, we had our rehearsal dinner outdoors on the water where we were able to watch the sunset as we enjoyed our meal.

Our wedding day was perfect. We were surrounded by a dozen of our closest friends and family for a quaint ceremony on the beach. I walked down the aisle as a string quartet played, and I completely surprised myself when tears began falling and blurred my vision — thank goodness I had my dad to help navigate me! There were so many special parts to that day … hearing Vince say his vows, sharing with my (step)dad that I planned to change my middle name to his family name, taking pictures in my Korean dress (han bok) with my sister and mom … the list could go on. One of the most special moments was when Vince and I planted a Magnolia bonsai to symbolically represent the beginning of our family tree as the quartet played “Married Life” from the Disney/Pixar movie “Up.”

The second priority for the wedding was to have it captured in photographs that we could treasure for the rest of our lives. We are so thankful to have had wonderful photographers in Julie and James. Every time I look at our photos, it brings me back to that day and I’m filled with the same giddy, care-free happiness.

Wedding Photography: Julie Cate Photography / Wedding Ceremony: One Ocean Resort and Spa in Atlantic Beach, Florida / Wedding Reception: Ruth’s Chris in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida / Flowers: Publix / Wedding Dress: Kenneth Pool via Solutions Bridal / Bride’s Shoes: Vince Camuto / Hair: Cortello Salon / Makeup: Kimtasha / Groom’s Suit: Ralph Lauren / Music: Belle Fleur String Quartet / Wedding Cinematography: Siberian Pictures

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Post tags: Atlantic Beach, Belle Fleur String Quartet, Cortello Salon, Do-It-Yourself Inspired, Florida, Julie Cate Photography, Kenneth Pool, Kimtasha, Lavender, One Ocean Resort and Spa, Publix, Ralph Lauren, Ruth's Chris, Siberian Pictures, Solutions Bridal, Vince Camuto
Post categories: Casual Elegance, Florida Weddings, Jacksonville

My husband John and I found each other when we both moved to the Harrisburg area to pursue our careers. It started with a friendship between two adventure seeking teachers and blossomed into an unexpected romance. The journey of our wedding started 50 feet up in air, climbing on a ropes course element called The Catwalk, balancing on a telephone pole, when he got down on one knee and surprised me by asking me to marry him. The proposal was very much like the life we live, full of surprises and excitement.

I knew I wanted our wedding to represent us and be unique, fun, and entertaining for our guests. I wanted it to be an adventure like our relationship, our life, our engagement. We chose to have our wedding at the rolling acres and pristine views of Lauxmont Farm’s Japanese Gardens, because of my love for horses and our love for nature and the outdoors.

The day of our wedding the sun was shining with a slight breeze, complete with blue skies. It was a perfectly painted summer day. Our ceremony took place overlooking a field with horses running and in the distance the Susquehanna River. It truly was a stunning site. We tried to make our ceremony personal with our dear friend as our officiant and instead of a unity candle, since we both love wine, we did a wine ceremony to remember our relationship will only get better with time. Our ceremony was sincere, light hearted, and memorable, full of love and laughter. Cocktail hour was in the Japanese gardens where wine and cheese tasting took place. Here there were wooden fences from which photographs fluttered in the wind and guests mingled at tables adored with collections of vintage books, antique bottles, and delicate flowers. Signature drinks of lip smacking sangria and puckering pink lemonade were enjoyed along with the appetizers.

The reception tent was filled with personal touches. Through our wedding planning I was the designer with the inspirations and my husband was the builder and project manager. I’d venture to say it was all “do it yourself” because it was such a hands-on event, and I tried to put my heart into everything that was selected. We had a memory tent to celebrate our history together and our family’s history. We also had a kid’s tent, equipped with a lollipop centerpiece, homemade coloring books with our photographs, lots of toys, and things to do to keep our young guests entertained while enjoying themselves. John and I are very much kids at heart, so we knew the adults would enjoy this area too. The guests had a great time in our photo booth filled with silly and vintage props. Since I am from the Pittsburgh area, we had a large cookie table, a tradition in which many friends and family bake tons of delicious cookies for the wedding, and then they are displayed beautifully for everyone to enjoy. It was clear one of our guest’s favorite parts of the wedding was when the ice cream truck drove up to the reception tent to help everyone beat the July heat. Nothing brings out the child in someone like an ice cream truck.

Our wedding truly was a labor of love. My maid of honor designed our gorgeous invitations, our good friend officiated us, my husband’s sister painted signs, one of my bridesmaids, great friend, and an incredible stylist did my hair, and my friends and family helped me create numerous decorations, like hundreds of purple origami flowers that friends and family spent endless hours helping us make.. My husband and I had a blast rummaging through tons of antique stores finding the right pieces for our wedding, such as dishes, books, bird cages, bottles, you name it. Even though I was in the hospital for three days before our wedding, all of the little details fell into place perfectly. All our vendors were so wonderful and helpful with our wedding planning experience.

What I found most important about our big day was to step back, breathe, and take it all in. The kids playing with the toy horses, the laughter spilling out of the photo booth, my husband’s 91 year old grandfather in his dapper purple shirt overlooking the view, the ice cream filled smiles, the energy on the dance floor, the candle light glowing from the lanterns in trees. There were things that got broken, giggling when we forgot and stumbled over our vows’, I mean who needs to be taken as a lawfully wedded wife, when you could be a lover for life, as my husband mistakenly said. There was my torn bustle, and mother-son dance that almost didn’t happen, but thanks to all the love from my friends and family, and my wonderful husband, it was a day that in my eyes was perfect.

Photographer: SANDERSON IMAGES / Videographer: Jewelsheam Films, Jeff Wise / Floral Designer: All Things Beautiful / Event Planning & Design: DIY / Invitation Designer: Jessica Sipe / Cake/Desserts: House of Claredon / Wedding Gown Designer: Anjolique / Bridesmaid’s Dress Designer: David’s Bridal / DJ: Mad Hatter Productions / Caterer: Festive Board Catering / Photobooth: Katy Trefry Photography / Venue: Lauxmont Farms

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Post tags: All Things Beauitful, Anjolique, Birds, Books, Bouquets, Chalkboards, Chinese Lanterns, Cookies, David's Bridal, DIY Projects, Do-It-Yourself Inspired, Dove Release, Festive Board Catering, flags,, Flower girls, House of Claredon, Ice Cream, Ice Cream Truck, Jeff Wise, Jessica Sipe, Jewelscheam Films, Katy Trefry Photography, Lauxmont Farms, Mad Hatter Productions, Outdoor Ceremonies, Outdoor Weddings, Ring Bearers, Sanderson Images, Tented Reception, Vintage Chic, Wedding Photography, Whimsical
Post categories: Do-It-Yourself Inspired, Little Black Book Blog

Click here for the FULL wedding!

From the bride… Brandee and Christian have always loved to travel. As they started talking about getting engaged and where they would go on their honeymoon, Italy was a strong contender. As Brandee was looking at an online gallery of pictures of Europe, she came across a colorful market picture and she thought planning an Italian Market-themed wedding would be a fun way to get excited for an Italian honeymoon. Christian loved the idea as well. When it came to location, they knew right away what the perfect backdrop for the wedding would be: Christian’s family property in St. Charles, Idaho, where they had spent a lot of time exploring and having some down-time with each other. The sunny, golden fields, tree-lined mountains and the sounds of the creek around the field set the scene for a classy, romantic, Italian market wedding in an outdoor setting.

Food was very much a part of wedding festivities and decor. Brandee and Christian both love authentic Italian food and wanted there to be an assortment of food to thank their guests for their involvement in their lives. The market place displayed the food and drinks for the cocktail hour and was an affordable option for decor. The colorful and earthy fruits, vegetables and market flowers blended perfectly with the adjacent early autumn woods and fields that housed the Italian-themed market.  The caterer brought in a wood-fired pizza oven to cook Margherita, Italian sausage and Mediterranean artichoke pizzas and served a variety of handmade pastas, fennel meatballs, deli meats, caprese salad, plenty of bruschetta, cheeses and asparagus-wrapped prosciutto, along with Italian sodas and San Pellegrino to drink. Luckily, their pastry chef was Italian and baked an assortment of pastries, including cannolis dipped in chocolate and pistachios, almond fruit tarts with a poached pear, zeppoles with chocolate and fruit dipping sauces, not to mention the Italian cannoli wedding cake and two other delicious cakes. To compliment the pastries and cakes, selections of gelato were available, including chocolate, pistachio and lemon.

The dinner was amazing and it was fun to hear family and friends say a few words to the bride and groom, but then came the first dance. Brandee and Christian had been looking forward to dancing under the stars and lights with each other as sweethearts in a place that holds so many special memories for them. They were really in their own little world at that point. They didn’t realize their first dance was so emotional to others as well.  Brandee’s good friend told her afterwards that she couldn’t help crying at the sight of Brandee so happy with her soul mate. Thank you to the vendors and especially Ken Kienow. You captured a wedding photographer’s own wedding day perfectly.

Photography:  Ken Kienow Photography / Ceremony: LDS Temple in Logan, Utah / Reception: The Groom’s Family Home in St. Charles, Idaho / Dress: Anne Barge via Alta Moda Bridal / Bride’s Belt: Modern Trousseau / Bride’s Shoes: Grazia / Bride’s Hair Accessory: Twigs & Honey / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Bill Levkoff via The Perfect Dress / Men’s Suits: Ralph Lauren / Bride’s Hair: Mindee Soto (Bride’s Sister) of 987 Studio Salon / Makeup: Cynthia Dean of Enizio / Getting Ready Location: Riter Mansion / Catering: Culinary Concepts / Cakes + Pastries: Grace Harvell of The Graceful Baker / Pizzas: Jack’s Wood-Fired Oven / Dining Tables & Tents: Diamond Rental / Market Chalkboards:  Sweet to My Heart / Sign-in Book: Emerson Bindery / Dance Floor, Sign-In Table, Cake Table, Crate Dining Tables, Market Stands + Event Layout:  Groom, His Brother + His Father / Raspberry Jam Favors: The Bride + The Groom’s Mother / Market Baskets + Berry Containers:  Texas Basket Company / Wedding Invitations + Blackberry Design: Laurie Robison

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Post tags: 987 Studio Salon, Alta Moda Bridal, Anne Barge, Bill Levkoff, Culinary Concepts, Cynthia Dean, Diamond Rental, Do-It-Yourself Inspired, Emerson Bindery, Enizio, Etsy, Grace Harvell, Grazia, Idaho, Jack's Wood-Fired Oven, Ken Kienow Photography, Laurie Robison, Logan LDS Temple, Mindee Soto, Modern Trousseau, Pink, Ralph Lauren, Riter Mansion, St. Charles, Sweet to My Heart, Texas Basket Company, The Graceful Baker, The Perfect Dress, Twigs & Honey, White
Post categories: The Blog

Click here for the FULL wedding!

From the bride… As I began putting the pieces together for our big day, I began to feel very overwhelmed. I love so much about weddings that I actually had a very difficult time narrowing down which details I wanted to include. Ok, I admit … my Pinterest addiction didn’t help. I had so many ideas but no clue how to create a cohesive event. After fighting myself over cakes or cupcakes, salmon or beef, and centerpieces, I decided to take a step back. I decided to make our wedding about “us” and not “me.” After I changed my focus I began to create the wedding of our dreams. I knew from the beginning that we were not the traditional couple. Our first dance was going to be “When I’m Sixty-Four” by The Beatles and we didn’t play the Electric Slide or the Macarena. Our wedding was going to be about our love for each other and not a cookie-cutter event.

We wanted the feel of our wedding to be very old Florida. There was lots of  lace, oil lamps, cut-glass bowls and real Florida scenery in our wedding. Since both of our families are from small southern towns in the heart of Florida, it was very important to us that our wedding was about our families as well. We included pictures of our parents, grandparents and great-grandparents at the seating card table. The gold rings I wore on my right hand belonged to my grandmother and great-grandmother. My shoes were vintage Salvatore Ferragamo pumps given to me by my aunt years ago. My childhood minister officiated the ceremony. Andrew’s father played guitar for the ceremony. Two of the songs used in the processional were written by Andrew. I was escorted down the aisle by both my father and mother. Needless to say, our wedding was all about us. As far as the details, we did a lot by ourselves. I made the boys’ bow ties, the ring bearer pillows, the “Here Comes the Bride” sign, the invitations, and even decorated the hanger for the picture of the dress. Friends and family helped with the invitations, the candy buffet and much, much more. I may have gotten a little carried away, but it was definitely all worth it in the end. It was all of the personal touches that made our wedding day so special.

We couldn’t have had a more fantastic day without Harbour Ridge Yacht and Country Club and Mi.Amore.Foto. Harbour Ridge Yacht and Country Club was just perfect. The view was spectacular, the dining room was impeccably Florida, and they had incredibly gracious staff. Not to mention they specially made us a guava-filled wedding cake even though it wasn’t on the menu. Other than the “I do’s,” the photography was the most important aspect of our wedding. We wanted a photographer that listened, was someone that we could trust and even collaborate with on our vision. Shannon Mathis of Mi.Amore.Foto was way beyond a wedding photographer. She made us feel so comfortable and truly captured our love. Our wedding day was incredibly personal and loving. As I look at our photos I am reminded of how lucky we are to have one another and our family and friends to support us. This day was only one day out of many in our marriage, but it stands out as the most beautiful start a couple could ask for.

Wedding Photography: Shannon Mathis of Mi.Amore.Foto / Wedding Venue, Catering + Cake: Harbour Ridge Yacht and Country Club in Palm City, Florida / Flowers: Harbour Bay Florist / Wedding Dress: San Patrick via Tamera’s Forever Bridal / Bride’s Shoes: Vintage Salvatore Ferragamo / Bride’s Gold Rings: Family Heirlooms / Hair: Sara Lucas / Makeup: Shannon Mathis / DJ: Paragon Entertainment / Wedding Invitations, Bow Ties, Ring Bearer Pillows, “Here Comes the Bride” Sign, Dress Hanger + Candy Bar: DIY / Ceremony Music: The Groom’s Father

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Post tags: Blush, Do-It-Yourself Inspired, Florida, Green, Harbour Bay Florist, Harbour Ridge Yacht and Country Club, Mi Amore Foto, Palm City, Paragon Entertainment, Salvatore Ferragamo, San Patrick, Sara Lucas, Shannon Mathis, Tamera's Forever Bridal, White
Post categories: Florida Weddings, Traditional Elegance

Click here for the FULL wedding!

From the bride… From the moment we got engaged, my husband and I knew we were not looking for the traditional wedding. We wanted it to be unique, which decided a lot of things right off the bat. First of all, it meant paying for it ourselves. We wanted our wedding to be entirely “us,” which meant making all the decisions on our own and not having to worry about offending the people footing the bill. And as that was the case, the second thing it meant was DIY. It really worked out perfectly since I love craft projects and homemade things. I had SO much fun (favorites include the boutonnieres, my cake topper, and the little hors d’oeuvres cones I made) and I even got my fiance in on some of it, which made it extra fun!

We found the perfect setting at Birdsong Barn — a sort of ready-made atmosphere, complete with a lawn for playing games, loads of already-hung white Christmas lights, and plenty of charm. We picked a giant oak tree for the actual ceremony and planned a mixture of traditional and non-traditional elements. Our vows were classic, but our wedding party was not. Since we wanted to keep it very small, it felt strange to have ten of our friends standing up front when there were only about 50 people total! Instead, we had them be part of the ceremony by constructing the arch. Each of the bridesmaids and the parents added flowers to the mason jar arch before sitting on the front row. Everyone in the bridal party picked their own clothes with very general guidelines — girls had to wear purple and guys had to wear suspenders.

Another key was using our friends for everything possible! From our bluegrass band, Springer Mountain, to SeaLillie, the company who designed and made all my jewelry (including earrings made from the extra buttons from my wedding dress for all my bridesmaids), we made sure to support our friends as much as possible in the process. Fortunately, I have a lot of talented friends! We figured if we had to pay someone, why shouldn’t it be people we already know and love? Both of our families were amazing too. Almost all the decorations that we brought to the barn were pieces that my mom has had lying around forever — books published in the early 1800s, vases, pitchers and vintage mason jars that have been passed down in our family, etc… We wanted everything to mean something! My mom and sister and I made batch after batch of pickles and apple butter and jam for the favors, and Jared’s family was a huge help too!

Wedding Photography: Shea Christine Photography / Wedding Venue: Birdsong Barn in Titusville, Florida / Band: Springer Mountain / Jewelry: SeaLillie / Cake Topper + Boutonnieres: DIY by the Bride / Wedding Cake: A Family Friend / Wedding Dress: Justin Alexander via Robyn Lynne Bridal / Veil: Penelope Koleos Williams / Wedding Flowers: Whole Blossoms / Wedding Signs: DIY + Birdsong Barn

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Post tags: Birdsong Barn, Black, Do-It-Yourself Inspired, Florida, Justin Alexander, Penelope Koleos Williams, Purple, Robyn Lynne Bridal, SeaLillie, Shea Christine Photography, Springer Mountain, Titusville, White, Whole Blossoms
Post categories: The Blog, Vintage Chic