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From the bride… When Seth dropped to his knee under a rainbow-filled sky on Primrose Hill in London after a long, rain-drenched walk in the park, I went into a confused state of shock. I even asked him if he was serious and looked around a bit … which still gets me in trouble. I had known from our very first date that I wanted to be his wife, but as Seth is extremely practical and I am not, I knew that it would take him a bit more time to come to the same conclusion. My plan was to simply hang tight until he realized that he just had to pop the question. Haha! The funny thing is, when he did actually drop to his knee, I could not believe it. He is my hero and my love, and my calm and my heart, and I could not believe that God could possibly bless me so very much. It was awesome.  

After it finally started to sink in, though, I had another fantastic realization. Being from the wedding industry, it hit me that I would now get to plan my own wedding and make all of the little details that I love to design and create! So the planning started. Seth and I are very low-key and wanted to have a very simple but elegant “rustic” wedding with homemade touches. We quickly fell in love with the beautiful New Braunfels venue, Boulder Springs, and set to design a wedding that would compliment its outdoorsy, rustic atmosphere. I have loved the beautiful and creative work of Austin photographer Sarah Q for quite some time, so we quickly brought her on board. Next, we were so fortunate to find the awesome Michelle Hodges from Sprout in Fredericksburg. Her flowers and design sense are impeccable, and it was such a pleasure working with her. For dessert, we wanted a fun dessert bar, but did not want to spend the budgeted money on professionally-baked treats, so we opted for smaller bride and groom cakes and had friends and family make the most precious treats to add flavors and dimension! We then hired San Antonio based catering company Black Tie Affairs, who created a fantastic traditional BBQ dinner for our guests. We wanted to make our own invitations, but were clearly not gifted in the art of calligraphy, so we brought on designer and calligrapher Jennifer Gilllespie from Calligraphy by Jennifer.

After the bigger pieces of the puzzle were solidified, it was time to get crafty. Somewhere along the way, I fell in love with yarn and started wrapping anything  I could get my hands on — framed boards, large letters and recycled CD covers for guests. We then added layers of pillows to various benches and spaces to add a touch of softness. Finally, we realized that we were missing one thing: something blue. Earlier in the year, my grandfather had passed away, and we were trying to think of the right way to make him a special part of the day. I had my grandmother sew my garter from one of his blue shirts and was able to wear it down the aisle. Our biggest hope for the day was to recognize the greatest source of love in our life and to share that with everyone we love. God is the core of our relationship, and we had the gifted Mark Swayze lead us in worship during our ceremony to honor God and to thank everyone who helped to shape us into the people we are today. When all was said and done, we couldn’t have asked for a more blessed day, spent with amazing friends and family. We are so thankful for the incredible team of professionals and support of each and every person who lent us their time, talent and heart. We love you very much!!

Wedding Photography: Sarah Q Photography / Wedding Venue: Boulder Springs in New Braunfels, Texas / Event Design: Mayhar Design (Owned by the Bride + Her Sister) / Flowers: Sprout / Wedding Invitations: Calligraphy by Jennifer / Catering: Black Tie Affairs / Wedding Gown: White by Vera Wang / Necklace: Stella & Dot / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Various Designers / Bridesmaids’ Earrings: Kendra Scott / Ceremony Music: Mark Swayze / Cakes: Cathy Young (210-493-8466) / Other Desserts: Friends + Family of the Couple / Decorative Pillows, Ring Pillow, Flower Wand, Programs, Kids’ table, CD Favors, Yarn-wrapped Embellishments, Signs + Additional Decor: Mayhar Design

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Post tags: Black Tie Affairs, Boulder Springs, Calligraphy by Jennifer, Cathy Young, Green, Kendra Scott, Mark Swayze, Mayhar Design, New Braunfels, Purple, Sarah Q Photography, Sprout, Stella Dot, Texas, White by Vera Wang
Post categories: Casual Elegance, Do-It-Yourself Inspired, San Antonio Weddings, Texas Weddings

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From Theresa of Theresa Scarbrough Photography… I wanted to share with you Beata and Charles’ Chicago urban chic wedding from the fall of 2011. They are such a fun and sweet couple and I hope you enjoy looking over their images! Beata had her dress embellished with jewels on one side of the waist and matched it with the same jewels in her earrings and necklace matching with the glitter heels from Kate Spade. Charles wore his Army uniform. They were married on October 29th, 2011 in Chicago, Illinois, at St. Hyacinth Basilica. Portraits were taken around downtown and the reception was at the quaint Fulton’s on the River.

Wedding Photography: Theresa Scarbrough Photography / Ceremony: St. Hyacinth Basilica in Chicago, Illinois / Reception: Fulton’s on the River / Flowers: New Six Corners Flowers in Chicago, Illinois / Officiant: Rev. Francis Róg CR / Wedding Cinematography: Jeff Manimbo / DJ: Corey Sanford of Music Masters Entertainment, Inc. / Cake Topper: Milk Tea / Wedding Cake + Mini Pastries: Rolf’s Patisserie (Now Closed) / Red Velvet Cake Balls: The Bleeding Heart Bakery / Wedding Programs: Shine Invitations / Menus + Seat Assignments: DIY by Bride / Photobooth: Smilebooth / Makeup: Kelly Letto of Bobbi Brown / Getting Ready Location: dana Hotel and Spa / Bridal Party Gifts: Anthropologie / Wedding Dress: Vera Wang / Dress Applique + Hair Piece: Belle Vie Bridal Couture / Shoes: Kate Spade / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Various Amsale Dresses in Eggplant / Sketch Pin Design + Save-the-Dates: Kelly Murray / Sketch Pins: Pure Buttons

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Post tags: Amsale, Anthropologie, Belle Vie Bridal Couture, Bobbi Brown, Chicago, Corey Sanford, dana Hotel and Spa, Fulton's on the River, Illinois, Inc., Jeff Manimbo, Kate Spade, Kelly Letto, Kelly Murray, Milk Tea, Music Masters Entertainment, New Six Corners Flowers, Pure Buttons, Purple, Rev. Francis Rog CR, Rolf's Patisserie, Shine Invitations, Smilebooth, St. Hyacinth Basilica, The Bleeding Heart Bakery, Theresa Scarbrough Photography, Vera Wang
Post categories: Chicago Weddings, Illinois Weddings, Traditional Elegance

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From the bride… When we got engaged in January, we knew we wanted to get married as soon as practicable. We loved Maine as a location, because although we’re currently living in DC, my roots are in New England, and J has spent every summer in Maine as well as having gone to college there. Most venues were already booked for the summer, and, as I spent the summer studying for and taking the bar exam, we figured a fall wedding was probably our only choice if I was going to maintain some semblance of sanity. We fell in love with both of our venues, our caterer and photographer on a couple of whirlwind weekend planning trips and booked them right away. Many of our decisions had this flavor: yes, we wanted everything to be festive and nice, but we didn’t have a specific vision for any particular element going into the planning, and it made it easier to make choices when there wasn’t a predetermined “just so” that we had to find.

But that’s not to say we didn’t feel invested in pouring energy and effort into the wedding, in part because I love to craft and, in part because we knew it would, in some cases, save us good money. J’s mom and grandma are both seasoned scavengers of tag sales and church rummages and did an amazing job collecting all the mugs, vases, votives, doilies and water pitchers used at the wedding. My sister designed the save-the-dates, invitations, and programs, and J’s sister painted the watercolor design that was on our invitations. We used Vistaprint and Zazzle for printing (a pretty affordable option, I might add) and printed the programs on my inkjet a few nights before the wedding. I focused my crafty energy on designing a rubber stamp for our programs, welcome bags, and thank you notes, and on embroidering the table numbers, although number 16 was stitched two nights before the wedding by a dear friend who took one look at my frazzled state as I ran around making playlists and arranging flowers and took pity on me. (The numbers are on their way to becoming a small quilt for our wall — after we finish the thank-you notes, that is.) We had a pipe dream of baking all the desserts ourselves, but I am so very glad that plan was abandoned early.  I love to bake and am surrounded by bakers, but churning out 20 pies two days before the wedding would have been a disaster. Instead, we made one of the passed appetizers ourselves, a turkey curry puff pastry, we baked two kinds of cookies (espresso chocolate shortbread and Viennese jam thumbprints), and my mother-in-law baked two cakes for the non-pie-lovers. So our baking yens were satisfied and we had delicious pie that magically appeared the day of the wedding. We also did our own flowers and DJ’ed our wedding on a laptop, both of which I will admit caused some stress — J had to finish editing the playlist right after we wrote our vows, in bed, the night before the wedding, because I had passed out in exhaustion — but we loved every song on that playlist and the flowers were beautiful! Last on the list of wedding items imbued with blood, sweat, and tears: the dress. No, I didn’t sew it myself! But I purchased it “new without tags” on eBay, and it unfortunately arrived smelling quite strongly of body odor. After two months of worrying, I decided to wash it in my bathtub– no way was I spending as much money dry cleaning a dress as I had buying it in the first place.  I found instructions that another bride had posted on Weddingbee, scrubbed it with cold water, Tide and a toothbrush, and voila! body odor gone. Best $200 (or whatever insane price I would have been charged) I ever saved.

I can’t recommend all our vendors highly enough — particularly our photographer, caterer, bakery, and jeweler. I almost wish we could do it again just to have an excuse to work with them all some more!

Wedding Photography: Becca Wood Photography / Ceremony: First Universalist Church in Yarmouth, Maine / Reception: The Barn on Walnut Hill in North Yarmouth, Maine / Flowers: DIY by The Couple, Their Friends + Wedding Party via Whole Foods / Event Planning: Sarah Crossman / Food: 111Maine / Wedding Dress: A Used Allure Gown via eBay / Seamstress: Angie Cavallaro / Shoes: Nordstrom / Wedding Bands: Custom by Digby & Iona, Friends of the Couple / Earrings: Borrowed from the Groom’s Mother / Felt Hair Flower: Katie Created / Pies: Two Fat Cats / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Various / Bridesmaids’ Bags: Zazzle / Groom’s suit: J.Crew / Hair + Makeup: Fabu Salon (207-775-3228) / Rentals: One Stop Party Shop

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Post tags: 111Maine, Allure, Angie Cavallaro, Becca Wood Photography, Digby & Iona, Ebay, Fabu Salon, First Universalist Church, J. Crew, Katie Created, Maine, Nordstrom, North Yarmouth, One Stop Party Shop, Pink, Purple, Sarah Crossman, The Barn on Walnut Hill, Two Fat Cats, Whole Foods, Yarmouth, Yellow, Zazzle
Post categories: Destination Weddings, Vintage Chic

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Alice and Ben met on Martha’s Vineyard in August 2001, on the eve of Ben’s 21st birthday, at a concert performed by Alice’s college singing group. Both were undergraduates at Yale (he a senior, she a sophomore), and they began dating the following school year. Martha’s Vineyard carries additional meaning for both of them, as their families have spent time on the island over the years. Alice’s mother’s home is perched on a hill in Chilmark with splendid English gardens throughout, as well a 180-degree view of the lush New England greenery below and the Atlantic Ocean beyond. When Ben proposed almost nine years later, there was no question where the wedding would be held.

With the indispensable help of wedding coordinator Julie Hatt, the couple set about organizing a ceremony and reception that combined simple elegance with the natural beauty and intimacy of the property. The bride chose a color palette of vivid purples, magentas, and blues, which went beautifully with the lush greenery and bright colors of the gardens. Stone walls are ubiquitous in Chilmark, and the stone wall that runs parallel to the ocean in the backyard of the house became a motif of the exquisitely designed and elegantly produced paper goods by Bryn Chernoff of Paperfinger. Alice and Ben recognized the risk they took in planning a summer wedding on an island in the Northeast, but as it turned out, the weather was absolutely perfect the entire weekend. The incredible team of photographers, led by Shawn Connell of Christian Oth Studio and supported by second photographer Glen Allsop, captured every detail and moment of the day to perfection.

As guests arrived for the ceremony, they were greeted with lemonade in mason jars and were provided shade under parasols that had been used previously at the weddings of two of Alice’s close friends. The simple ceremony celebrated the warmth and familiarity of the occasion. After the ceremony, guests milled about the grounds for an extended cocktail period before heading to the dinner tent where they were served a delicious meal of summer gazpacho (Alice’s mom’s recipe), local striped bass with island vegetables and corn pudding, and individual servings of mixed berry shortcake. The escort card table displayed wedding photographs of the couple’s parents and grandparents. Instead of a guest book, guests were invited to write personal message on simple cards, which the couple plans to incorporate into a scrapbook. As the sun went down, many guests sat perched along the stone wall chatting and enjoying the striking Vineyard sunset over the Atlantic. Ben and Alice departed through a path lined by sparklers waved by all of their friends and family who were given little boxes of chocolate for the journey home. 

Wedding Photography: Shawn Connell of Christian Oth Studio / Second Photographer: Glen Allsop / Wedding Venue: Home of Bride’s Mother in Chilmark, Massachusetts / Wedding Coordination: Julie Hatt / Wedding Flowers: Lynda Dandeneau / Wedding Officiant: Cantor Theodore Aronson / Wedding Calligraphy, Save-the-Dates, Menus, “Guest Book” Cards, Escort Cards + Programs: Bryn Chernoff of Paperfinger / Wedding Invitations: Dempsey & Carroll / Catering: V. Jaime Hamlin & Sons / Desserts: Val Cakes (508-274-0396) / Entertainment: The Sultans of Swing / Tents: Big Sky Tent & Party Rentals / Event Rentals: Big Sky Tent & Party Rentals + Be Our Guest / Wedding Dress: Carolina Herrera / Wedding Dress Steaming: Elinor Corfield / Bride’s Shoes: Badgley Mischka / Bride’s Jewelry: Jamie Wolf / Bride’s Hair + Makeup: Maysoon Faraj / Bridesmaids’ Hair + Makeup: Mary and Gretchen of Boucle / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Jenny Yoo / Men’s Suits: J.Crew / Men’s Ties: Paul Stuart / Transportation: Stagecoach Taxi / Wedding Favors: Chilmark Chocolates (508-645-3013)

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Post tags: Backyard Wedding, Badgley Mischka, Be Our Guest, Big Sky Tent & Party Rentals, Blue, Boucle, Bryn Chernoff, Cantor Theodore Aronson, Carolina Herrera, Chilmark, Chilmark Chocolates, Christian Oth Studio, Dempsey & Carroll, Elinor Corfield, Glen Allsop, J. Crew, Jamie Wolf, Jenny Yoo, Julie Hatt, Lynda Dandeneau, Magenta, Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, Maysoon Faraj, Paperfinger, Paul Stuart, Purple, Shawn Connell, Stagecoach Taxi, The Sultans of Swing, V. Jaime Hamlin & Sons, Val Cakes
Post categories: The Blog, Traditional Elegance

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From the bride… Alex and I met in July 2009 while I was on a study abroad trip in Costa Rica. I was there with a group from my art school and spoke very little Spanish. He spoke very little English. But like a cheesy romantic movie, we fell for each other within 2 short weeks! After I returned home, we kept in touch via telephone and Internet as I frantically studied Spanish and planned a 6-month return to Costa Rica. Following my second trip, where I was able to learn more about Alex, his family and culture, he decided to come to the US to do the same! And after a few trips back and forth, Alex was here to stay and we were planning our wedding.

Concerning the look and feel of the wedding, I was determined to have ours outdoors. I wanted something effortlessly beautiful — to be surrounded by nature without having perfectly manicured floral arrangements. I also wanted artsy little details that made our guests interact with one another and socialize. We had post cards on each table, DIY centerpieces and a corn hole game on the lawn for our guests to play. Trying to save a little money, I looked up DIY ideas that I could incorporate thoughout our big day. For flowers, I contacted a local farm owner who sold small bouquets at our town’s farmer’s market. She actually let me (and my sister and aunties) go pick flowers ourselves! Practically free flowers for a wedding?! We got so lucky. I wanted it to look like we’d just picked them from the garden, so that’s exactly what we did. My bridesmaids and I arranged the centerpieces the night before the wedding. I also had some bridesmaids paint the wedding signs with me. I was happy to have little projects that brought us together more often than usual.  

When it came to the venue, we decided to have our wedding at my parents’ house. We knew it was going to be a lot of work but felt more comfortable investing our money into my parents’ property rather than spending it on a rental fee at a venue. My friend, Brooke Covington of Dolce Bella Events, was able to sort through my thoughts and help plan it all. I wouldn’t have stayed sane if it weren’t for her great ideas! And while I was getting ready before the wedding, she set everything up and executed the day exactly as I’d hoped!

Wedding Photography: Nam Nguyen Photography / Wedding Venue: The Bride’s Family Home in Peachtree City, Georgia / Flowers: DIY / Wedding Coordination: Brooke Covington of Dolce Bella Events / Wedding Dress: Watters / Shoes: ModCloth / Wedding Cake: A Family Friend / Jewelry: Sophie Pie / Groom’s Vest + Tie: JoS. A. Bank / Catering: Sun in My Belly / Hair + Makeup: Ici Paris Day Spa & Salon

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Post tags: Brooke Covington, Dolce Bella Events, Georgia, Ici Paris Spa & Salon, Jos A Bank, ModCloth, Nam Nguyen Photography, Peachtree City, Pink, Purple, Sophie Pie, Sun in My Belly, Turqoise, Watters, Yellow
Post categories: Atlanta Weddings, Do-It-Yourself Inspired, Georgia Weddings

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From the bride… Brian and I wanted to feel like us on our wedding day — carefree and laid back. Having our loved ones take part in our big day was a personal experience for us — our good family friend officiated the wedding, our best friends and family members made up our wedding party, Brian’s childhood friends played the ceremony music and shot the day on 8 mm film, and our readers are close friends as well. We wanted our day to be easy — no stress for our guests or us. This feeling was the same for our décor. We wanted to have an understated sophistication and elegance. Basically, we didn’t want to go over-the-top. We kept everything very simple — planning, décor, flowers, using in-house pastries versus purchasing an additional wedding cake, and we added fun touches that tied into our mod desert venue (palm fans for programs, printed canvas gift bags, vintage family photos and Jonathan Adler “Mr. & Mrs. Muse” cake toppers). Finding The Parker as a venue was perfect for us because the décor is similar to our style: a fusion of classic, rustic, artistic and eclectic. When planning our big day, we focused on the decor and natural beauty of the gardens at the resort. Using what we had available allowed us to stay within a budget, but also helped to keep things simple like we wanted. With 90% of our guests flying in for the wedding, we wanted everyone to be taken care of. We wanted our guests to have an experience staying at a relaxing and beautiful hotel where the wedding would be steps away.

For the indoor reception, we wanted the ambiance to feel dark and warm, like at some of our favorite restaurants. We had a long table going down the middle of the room with our family and friends surrounding us, which made it feel intimate. The focus was on the experience and making sure our guests enjoyed themselves. The food was phenomenal; the music got everyone onto the dance floor; and our photographer, Shannen, captured countless candid moments. Finding the perfect venue and vendors truly made our day stress free.  We knew everything was taken care of and that our big day would go off without a hitch. 

I spent the day getting ready with my mom, soon-to-be mother-in-law and best friends in the world.  Although I was so happy to be with them, I couldn’t wait to see Brian. Once I was ready, I remember walking with Shannen to our first look location, having no idea where she was taking me. She held my dress as I babbled on about who knows what. As soon as I saw Brian, he took my breath away. After our first look it was time for the ceremony.  I’ll never forget the feeling I had walking down the aisle towards my husband to be … I couldn’t take my eyes off of him.  The joy in his face is a moment I’ll remember for the rest of the life. We will always remember having everyone we love most in the world in the same place at the same time.   

Wedding Photography: Shannen Norman Photography / Wedding Venue, Catering + Cupcakes: The Parker Palm Springs in Palm Springs, California / Event Design: The Bride + Groom / Event Planning: Kathy Recchia of Save the Date Events / Floral Design: Kate Holt of Flowerwild / Wedding Dress: Somsi Couture / Hairpieces: Nancy Shefts / Shoes: Jimmy Choo / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Amsale, J.Crew, Dessy + Nordstrom / Bridesmaids’ Robes: Plum Pretty Sugar / Hair + Makeup: Neeraja Lockart (Makeup), Michael Strause (Hair) + Jodi Sanger-Weaver (Hair + Makeup) / Groom Suit: Hugo Boss Red Label via Nordstrom / Groom Shoes: Cole Haan / Men’s Ties: Nordstrom / Wedding Cinematography: Jac Cheairs / Wedding Invitations: Brown Printing / Wedding Programs: Ink & Envelopes / Black & White Cookies: Izzy’s Deli / Ceremony Music: Steve Paikai / DJ: DJ Chris Paul / Cake Topper: Jonathan Adler

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Post tags: Amsale, Blush, Brown's Printing, California, Cole Haan, Dessy, DJ Chris Paul, Flowerwild, Hugo Boss Red Label, Ink & Envelopes, Izzy's Deli, J. Crew, Jac Cheairs, Jimmy Choo, Jodi Sanger-Weaver, Jonathan Adler, Kate Holt, Kathy Recchia, Lavender, Michael Strause, Nancy Shefts, Neeraja Lockart, Nordstrom, Palm Springs, Pink, Plum Pretty Sugar, Purple, Save the Date Events, Shannen Norman Photography, Somsi Couture, Steve Paikai, The Parker Palm Springs, White
Post categories: Casual Elegance, The Blog

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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

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From the bride… From the get go, Kyle and I knew that we wanted to have a large role in the pieces that would make our wedding day whole. We struck a fine balance between knowing when to ask for help and knowing what we could handle ourselves. Sometimes it was a bit stressful, but in the end, it all turned out perfectly. Kyle and I got engaged in a photo booth on Christmas Eve, and though we knew having a photo booth would be important to us for our fall wedding, Kyle (an industrial designer) decided to put a unique spin on things: he built our photo booth himself. Not only was craftiness a large part of our wedding, but so was locality. I’m from Iowa, and Kyle is from Michigan, and we tried to have the wedding reflect our appreciation for all things local: our food included Iowa prosciutto and local greens, the honey we used as our party favors was from Iowa, and our salad had Michigan dried cherries. All of our paper materials were provided by a Michigan paper company, and our beer and wine were purchased from the restaurant where I worked all through high school and college. Kyle and I are proud of our roots, and we wanted to pay homage to them in every way we possibly could.

While we take the tradition of marriage seriously, we did want to have at least a little bit of fun with our guests — which is why we enlisted the help of Kyle’s brother, best man, and sister-in-law to help us stage a spoof in which the best man “forgot” the rings and had a remote-controlled helicopter bring them over to him. It was the best surprise ever — from everyone’s reactions, you can see that we were able to keep that one a pretty good secret!

Aside from the photo booth, Kyle designed our invitations, programs, menu cards and honey tags, and I wrote the copy for everything. Nothing felt better than knowing the majority of what we’d come up with we’d also been able to execute and create ourselves. We had friends do the chalk art, arrange songs to be played during the cocktail hour, and help us assemble the photo booth. We were lucky enough to have had Kyle’s father, a judge, marry us. Looking back, nothing is cooler than seeing the parts that so many wonderful people played in helping us with our wedding day. The day was wonderful, from top to bottom. Kyle and I knew that above all else, our hard work was only an element of the event. We wanted to have a good time and not sweat what we couldn’t control. That was the easiest (and best) decision we ever made. The night flowed perfectly, thanks to our coordinators; the decor was absolutely stunning; and every moment was filled with laughter and wonderful conversation.

Wedding Photography: Mark Kegans Photographs / Event Planning, Design + Flowers: Magnolia 105 by Divine Flowers / Wedding Venue: Sticks in Des Moines, Iowa / Wedding Cake: Cake Me, I’m Yours! / Food + Catering: Lisa LaValle / Wedding Invitations: Kyle Lawson, Groom / Shoes: Miss America / Wedding Dress: Tara Keely

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Post tags: Brown, Cake Me I'm Yours!, Des Moines, Iowa, Kyle Lawson, Lisa LaValle, Magnolia 105 by Divine Flowers, Mark Kegans Photographs, Miss America, Purple, Red, Sticks, Tara Keely
Post categories: Contemporary, The Blog