Welcome back to another fabulous wedding Wednesday! Today we’ve got eight amazing weddings to share with you, all handpicked and guaranteed to inspire and put a smile on your face. Just make sure to hit up the full galleries because it’s tough work squeezing all this pretty into one day.
Kicking off our day is this super cute woodsy wedding by Razvan Photography. Our favorite parts of this fete include the gorgeous bouquet adorned with vintage brooches, the cute-as-can-be cake topper made to look just like the bride and groom and of course, the butterfly release just before dinner. Click here for more.
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From the Bride…On July 4, 2010, we were sitting on a grassy hill watching the boats gather ‘round the lakes of Okoboji for the fireworks show when Jon popped the champagne and the question. Thereafter, it was nothing but planning for our wonderful wedding set for August 20, 2011. From bridal magazines, to “Say Yes to the Dress,” to multiple websites (my favorite being Etsy.com), I found my inspirations. In the beginning, however, I couldn’t be more confused as to what I exactly wanted. As time went on, I began to realize that it was important to have what I could describe as “Jon and my personalities” and to have something that would be timeless. I decided that a woodsy-modern theme was something that fit our character. We also wanted everything from the wedding, to the cocktail hour, to the reception to take place outdoors. We booked it at the Wild Rose Inn, a beautiful bed and breakfast with wonderful landscaping, walkway with a bridge, and small waterfall. Best of all, the owners felt like family.
As for our colors: The natural/organic colors of green and brown were a great background to compliment the beauty with nature inspirations everywhere. Jon made a lot of the props like the tree trunk dessert/cake pedestals, the band’s wooden dance stage, the grand wooden dance floor, the wooden engraved “dining”, “dancing”, and “cocktails” arrow signs, and much more. Our cake-toppers were made by my employee’s artsy daughter; it was wooden people designed to look just like Jon and I on our special day (of course we hid it at my work so he couldn’t see it, because otherwise he would have known what I would have specifically looked like, and of course we wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise!). Moss covered the dessert table beneath all of the wonderful dishes to create a story-book feel. Burlap was placed as table-cloths to give it an earthy feel. Burlap was strung on the balcony with lanterns, around the tent, and even above our arch where we were married outside. Lighted tree branches were strung up the opening tent sides and tent poles.
Mustard-yellow was my little pop of funk. It was incorporated in one of my brooches in my bouquet. Jon’s tie had a tree-ring look with white and mustard-yellow. The bridesmaids carried billy ball and ranunculus bouquets. The maid of honor had a mustard-yellow sash. The boys also had billy ball boutonnieres. These yellow flowers were strung from bamboo sticks which led out the paths. They were also placed in tree-trunk vases on all of the tables in the dining area under the tent and also in the cocktail area on the high tables. The girls each had bracelets as a gift to them from me with a mustard-yellow flower and charcoal beads hand-made by an Etsy.com girl. Mine was also a mustard-yellow flower but with white beads with splashes of yellow. I also had wonderful Sun Dance ballet flats with a satin bow. They kept me comfortable and shorter than Jon, which was important, because I’m just under his height to begin with (I wanted to look like the wife in pictures, not the sister!). Charcoal grays gave us the edginess. The boys wore gray suits with converse charcoal gray shoes while the girls wore charcoal gray dresses that were a bit darker in shade. Jon wore high-top white converse shoes. My bouquet was white ranunculus, grandmother’s lace, and other flowers along with vintage brooches that were silver with rhinestones (found at flea-markets and antique stores). My hair I kept down with a veil for the wedding, but put to the side for the reception with a silver brooch. I had also a silver rhinestone belt.
Memorable items: Knowing when I had found my dress when you’re MOH and mom tear up…you know right then that you are getting married. We had BUTTERFLIES flown in by plane from across the country to be let out in the tent before dinner, each in their own envelope (over a hundred of them). Little do you know how delicate they are as they come with a set of rules! They are dormant and put on ice until 2 hours before you release them. You let them be in room temperature to awake them in these 2 hours before you hand them out (which my aunt, Kelli did carrying around a wooden basket). This was an unforgettable idea of my mother’s and it will not be forgotten by the guests or me. When I see a monarch butterfly it reminds me now of this day. The flower girl had a brooch bouquet as well that I made a little out of the norm with multi-color flower brooches but no real flowers. They were all unique and colorful and very fun and out of the norm. Jon sang me a song as a surprise and had me dance with his dad as he played the guitar to us as well that night. My friends got really feisty and fun and the girl who caught the bouquet and the guy that caught the garter did their own garter dance together for everyone to put it on her leg. It was a riot! Many were surprised by the band. They were a young group, but they were very talented with their instruments as they played classic rock and roll and blues from artists like Eric Clapton, ZZ-top, The Eagles, Stevie Ray Vaughan, etc. The amazing cello player for the wedding, cocktail hour, and jam fest with the band was amazing. He would be a prodigy in my book.
Wedding Photography: Razvan Photography / Venue: Wild Rose Inn Okoboji / Wedding Decor: Trisha Wempe / Band: Cirkle of Fifths / Catering: Minerva’s / Desserts: Erika of The Chocolate Season / Hair: Stephanie Parks of The Strand / Make-up: Dallas Dotson of Okoboji Skin Care / Cello Player: David Downing