This Bride claims she’s not a crafty person but I beg to differ. Not only was her wedding filled with fantastically done DIY projects but she also sewed beautiful lace trim to her mother’s tulle veil; that my friends is dedication and skill. This fab style extended to her bridesmaids – all decked out thanks to Weddington Way – and the combination of chosen colors makes me downright giddy. Krista A. Jones captured every shade and these pics are what I like to a call a great midday pick-me-up.
From the Bride… We love the look on people’s faces when they ask us where we’re from and we answer separately, ‘New York City’ and ‘a really small town in South Carolina.’ Meeting each other and falling in love must have been destiny because so many things had to fall into place just right for it to happen. Luckily, my best friend/Maid of Honor knew what she was doing when she introduced us. Her (then) boyfriend attended the Naval Academy and David accompanied him to South Carolina for the USC vs. Navy football game in September 2012. They stayed at our apartment for the weekend and David and I spent hours talking in the kitchen. A year later our friends convinced us to catch up via Sykpe and the next thing I knew, I was buying a plane ticket to visit him in Annapolis.
We wanted the wedding to be reflective of both of our families and cultures – which can be difficult when two cultures and families are so different (I’m Southern and David is a Polish New Yorker). The food really helped pull the cultures together and we even did a celebratory shot of Spiritus (Polish vodka) as a nod to David’s family members who traveled from Poland to attend the wedding.
I was a budget-conscious bride, so I decided to make anything that we needed for the wedding that wouldn’t be suitable as décor in our home. I’m not a very crafty person, but I can get creative when I need to! My favorite DIY project was the ‘Need a Ride?’ taxi signs and business cards that provided guests with information about Uber and local transportation options.
Ever since I was a little girl, I knew I wanted to wear my mother’s cathedral length veil on my wedding day. After purchasing my lace and tulle wedding gown, I realized that my mom’s tulle veil was beautiful but definitely needed lace. After finally finding the perfect lace trim, we spent a weekend with the veil laid out in the kitchen floor hand sewing the lace around the edge. It was hard work but totally worth it!
Another special touch was our cake topper. David loves Batman and after seeing a Batman and bride cake topper on Pinterest, I knew we had to have it. One of my best friends from college took up clay molding as a hobby while recovering from cancer treatments and volunteered to make it for us. It was a perfect touch on our cake!
Choosing the Naval Academy was an easy choice for us and dictated which date we chose for the wedding. With only seven months to plan, finding a reception venue was a bit trickier. Luckily, we stumbled upon the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and fell in love. It had the romantic feel we wanted and was the perfect combination of an indoor and outdoor space. Our wedding date was the only date available for the spring and summer, so we knew it was meant to be!
Photography: Krista A. Jones Photography | Videography: Ben Franco | Wedding Dress: Allure Bridal | Cake: The Main Ingredient | Invitations: Minted | Ceremony Venue: Naval Academy Chapel | Reception Venue: Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Philip Merrill Environmental Center | Rings: Zales | Bridesmaids' Dresses: Watters | Catering: The Main Ingredient | Makeup: Caitlyn Meyer | Hair: Caitlyn Meyer | Transportation: Towne Transport | Bridal Boutique: White On Daniel Island | Bridesmaids' Dress Shop: Weddington Way | Cake Topper: Willow Tree | Headpiece: Sara Gabriel