This wedding has my name written all over it. Because let’s be honest — anything inspired by a 1920’s garden party is right up my ultra girly alley. And adding to this vintage chic obsession? Every pretty bloom from Village Flower Shop (I’m looking at you, pink ranunculus) and one amazing cake from The Master’s Baker (hello, gorgeous yumminess!) Want even more? You can find all the images from The Wedding Artist’s Collective waiting oh-so-perfectly for you here.
From the Bride… Our intimate wedding was held in Pottstown, Pennsylvania on Saturday, May 18th. Although the weather was unexpectedly chilly and rainy at times, we couldn’t have felt more lucky. We celebrated the day with fifty-four of our closest friends and family, amongst colorful gardens, trees, and sprawling meadows. Our time spent outdoors has always been a time of peace and connectedness, which made Welkinweir, a country estate and arboretum, the perfect place to say I do.
We chose blush tones as our colors, and wanted everything to feel and look very soft and romantic. We were inspired by 1920s garden parties that look so simple, yet elegant. My Jenny Packham gown was art deco inspired, and I love how timeless it looked. Daniel looked handsome in his navy J Crew tux and black pork pie hat. We snuck in a first look in between rain clouds, one of my favorite, quiet moments from the day. It was so hard keeping my dress a secret from Daniel for almost a year!
We were fortunate the rain stopped just a few minutes before the bus with our family and friends arrived. As they walked down Azalea Lane, where hundreds of azaleas, rhododendrons, and mountain laurel were in full bloom, our very talented friends, Johanna Samuels and Sean Pierce began to sing. After singing a few songs, including one of my favorites, True Love Will Find You in The End, it was time for the ceremony to start. Our ceremony took place in the remnants of a two hundred year old barn, in front of a beautiful stone wall covered in ivy. Daniel, his best man, Jon, and my sister, Brittany, walked down the aisle to If Not For You by George Harrison. As I walked down the aisle, Johanna and Sean played In The Aeroplane Over The Sea on their guitars. Daniel and I met at a Jeff Mangum concert, and it took every ounce of strength not to cry the whole way down the aisle! One of my very best and oldest friend’s, Jason, was our officiant. Hearing him read the ceremony script Daniel and I completely wrote together, was so special. My friend, Joe, who had flown in from Thailand, and my Uncle Joe, read excerpts from books Daniel and I chose. Daniel read me an excerpt from Asphodel, That Greeny Flower by William Carlos Williams, and I read him Sonnett XVII by Pablo Neruda. And just like that, we were married!
Our cocktail hour was supposed to take place outside, but unfortunately because of the rain, it was moved inside to the estate house. This was a little disappointing, as Daniel and I had spent many months rounding up a vintage couch, garden tables, chairs, a bench, and other outdoor decorations. As our DJ played delta blues and jazz, our guests sipped on cocktails and snacked on hors d’oeuvres. We had four signature cocktails — a cherub’s cup, dark & stormy, tequila thyme lemonade, and an old fashioned.
After cocktail hour, we had a tented reception that overlooked the enormous pond and woodlands. I absolutely loved our table settings, filled with candles and lush floral arrangements of mostly peonies, dalias, ranunculus, and garden roses, in wooden boxes handmade by my dad. My mom handmade the floral fabric napkins on the table. My sister, Brittany, folded hundreds of blush tone paper cranes that looked so pretty hanging in the tent. Together, my sister and I made a tissue pom backdrop for the bar. Sage catered our amazing, completely vegetarian wedding. For dinner entrees, we had a choice of lemon herbed baked tofu, spinach stuffed portabellas, and strozzapreti pasta. We had a dessert table with bite-sized tarts and cakes, and a lemon wedding cake with raspberry filling.
As the night was quickly coming to an end, and we’d been dancing for hours, our photographer, Gary Ashley, opened the polaroid photo booth. The polaroids do such a great job of caputuring everyone’s personality and spirit of the evening! My favorite moment of the night was our sparkler send off. Just as we were walking through the sparklers, it started to pour. It truly felt like a movie, with us kissing in the rain and our friends and family waving goodbye, as we hopped into a vintage car to head to our bed & breakfast.
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Photography: Gary Ashley of The Wedding Artist’s Collective | Wedding Venue: Welkinweir Estate in Pottstown, Pennsylvania | Floral Design: DeeAnn of Village Flower Shop | Wedding Catering: Sage Catering | Wedding Cake: The Master’s Baker | Ceremony Music: Johanna Samuels & Sean Pierce | Invitation: Designed by Ashley Shaw and Daniel Morris of Geronimo James + handprinted at The Arm Letterpress | Calligraphy: MJW Calligraphy | Signs: Handpainted by Groom | DJ: Nate Cheyney of White Label DJs | Wedding Dress: Jenny Packham | Headpiece: Debra Moreland | Maid of Honor’s Gown: Vera Wang for David’s Bridal | Groom’s Tux + Best Man’s Suit: J.Crew