by Will Keeler
Monthly Archives: April 2010
You might also like:
Stephany at EyeSpy Photography shared this DIY summer wedding with me, and the couple, Janet and Ben, shared some of the details of the day… “We began the day with a picnic barbecue, lawn games and garden strolls on the grounds. We then gathered in the gardens for a sunset ceremony, beautifully officiated by our friend, followed by a champagne toast, strawberry shortcake dessert and dancing under the stars.”
We had picnic blankets and baskets of snacks for everyone to enjoy during the day as well as seating and dining in the LuLu Belle’s Roost building, a tent for extra space and a huge deck for dancing. All of our family and friends brought yard games: ladder golf, bocce ball, washers, Kubb and croquet.
In addition to wonderful wedding craft ideas, our dear friend JoEllen designed our save-the-dates, invitations and gave us elements from the graphics to create stamps and programs. The programs contained the day’s events and a map of the gardens for everyone to enjoy.
I changed into a Jim Hjelm bridesmaid dress I ordered in ivory. I added vintage embroidered lace to the dress and the same lace to my J.Crew flats. The lace was from ParisPennsylvania’s Etsy shop and though I bought it long before I bought the dress, it matched perfectly.
It was difficult to have a nice I’m-getting-married-blissful smile during pictures. I had a big goofy grin on my face the whole day. I was so surprised at how I could not control my expression at all. Big grin when everyone arrived, big grin and tears going down the aisle. My cheeks hurt and I still grinned. It didn’t always make for the most, er, perfect wedding pose, but it was exactly how I felt that day. I loved every minute of it.
My mom is an AIFD certified florist and I’ve watched and helped her design many wedding flowers. It was important to both of us to enjoy doing the flowers together. I collected antique aqua jars and milk glass, along with a few family heirloom silver serving pieces to create a mix-match of containers that we filled with Casablanca lilies, hydrangea, veronica, roses, alstroemeria, rosary vines, succulents and some leggy green beans from the farmer’s market and as many herbs, dahlias, lisianthus and succulents as we could get from our own gardens. We made table numbers out of wood slice coasters with numbers cut from various patterned papers.
My niece took her role as flower girl very seriously and did a wonderful job. She wore her own dress with my mother’s turquoise necklace and tiny flowers added to the straps.
Venue: Berwood Hill Inn in Lanesboro, MN
Bride’s dress / shoes: Jim Hjelm / J.Crew
Groom’s suit: Banana Republic
Music: Joel Schann during the day / iPod in the evening
Catering: Canadian Honker
Rentals: Majestic Tents and Events
Congratulations Janet and Ben! Thank you so much for sharing your charming wedding with us, and thank you to Stephany at EyeSpy Photography for sending over these wonderful photos!
You might also like:
As I write this I’m sitting here with my honey watching the NFL Draft, and I have to say, I don’t really get it. I mean, I get it, but I don’t get why people want to watch it. Am I missing something? Now the Oreos I’m eating as I watch it? Those I get. Mmmmm…
Some fun links for you to kick off your weekend:
{via We Heart It}
Cheerful yellow and a cute short-haired bride.
Gorgeous monogram font.
Don’t you want to buy your undies here?
The bad-ass inside me loves this. The bride in me loves this.
Won’t you invite me to your mad tea party? via mint.
The music room.
I’m thinking this bag would like to come to the beach with me.
Backpacking kitty.
Snips and snails and puppy dog tails.
Bumper stickers for your shoes and modern in miniature, both via A Cup of Jo.
Love story, 1980.
Wooden churches in northern Russia, via banquet.
After two years teaching kindergarten there, the Mississippi Delta holds a special place in my heart, via wishfulfillment who taught there, too.
Have a wonderful weekend, lovelies!
You might also like:
I’m really excited about today’s wedding, not just because it’s epitomizes my idea of simple beauty, but also because Cappy Hotchkiss was the photographer, and I’ve been dying to get her work up on Snippet & Ink forever. Here is what the beautiful bride, Michelle, said about her September wedding:
Our wedding was a challenge to balance the groom’s conventional style with the bride’s more un-traditional flair. We wanted to celebrate Jewish customs, while instilling a sense of us as individuals. We were married by groom’s family rabbi, but marched down the aisle to Queen’s “You’re My Best Friend.” We said the seven blessing to commemorate a Jewish marriage while guests munched on popcorn and drank lemonade. The groom wore an awesome retro fedora for our “couple’s photos” but donned a yarmulke for the ceremony. The bride covered her tattoos under the chuppah with a tallis (prayer shawl) that our mothers wrapped around both of us. We had a kosher caterer that served a vegetarian meal at the reception. We thought of our wedding as the first opportunity in a marriage to compromise and make everyone happy.
During wedding ceremonies I’ve attended as a guest, I get hungry and can’t stop wondering when things will wrap up so I can eat. With that in mind, our caterer provided fresh popcorn and lemonade for guests to enjoy during the nuptials. I made labels that read: “Popcorn, Good for Noshing and for Tossing. Eat what you want and THROW the rest at Michelle and Joseph as they make their way down the aisle after exchanging vows.” The popcorn doubled as snacks and an eco-friendly alternative to rice. The popcorn labels doubled as escort cards. If you’re gonna do it yourself, make things easier, not harder. Efficiency is key.
After the ceremony we went to Yichud, which is a custom where the bride and groom seclude themselves and enjoy their first moments as husband-and-wife together. We didn’t exchange our own vows during the ceremony, but wrote each other love letters that we read to one another in the bridal suite. It was so intimate and lovely. We plan to read each other these love letters on every anniversary. Jewish or not, it is worthwhile to take time to reflect and absorb everything that happened. If nothing else, a wedding keeps you busy. You won’t get much privacy during the reception, so why not set aside ten or fifteen minutes to be alone together?
At first I was intimidated by having a larger sized wedding, but Joe wanted to celebrate with all his friends and family. We were able to create the feeling of intimacy. Our wedding party consisted of our parents and siblings. We took our couples photos together at a gorgeous park with only the photographer present. We shared an intimate post-ceremony drink in the bridal suite and read each other love letters. And, it turns out, the more the merrier! We had so much fun with everyone there, even I admit that I wouldn’t have wanted anything smaller.
Venue: Bet Am Shalom in White Plains, New York
Bride’s dress: Nicole Miller
Groom’s suit / tie: Hugo Boss / Theory
Flowers: House of Flowers
Wedding programs: DIY printed at Staples
Ketubah: The Aesthetic Sense
Catering: Foremost Caterers
Thank you so much to Michelle and Joe for sharing your wedding day with us – it’s such a beautiful day, and the details you shared make it that much more inspiring. Wishing you all the best for a lifetime of happiness! Thank you, too, to Cappy Hotchkiss, who takes some of the prettiest wedding photos out there.
You might also like:
Another vintage-inspired board today, but a totally different look from yesterday’s. More feminine, more glitzy, more urban sophistication. I think the key to a vintage look for your wedding is to update it so that it doesn’t look like a themed costume party. Though a flapper wedding could be really fabulous…
Mood: vintage whimsy
Palette: oyster gray, pearl pink
{click image to enlarge}
Top row from left: flapper photo via Paris Apartment, glitter paper moon photo booth from Martha Stewart Weddings, vintage music paper cake topper by Studio d.Sharp
Row 2: silver glitter favor cup by Studio d.Sharp, zinnia and ranunculus bouquet from Martha Stewart Weddings
Row 3: pink and gray velvet jewelry boxes and pink and gray bridesmaid dresses both from Martha Stewart Weddings, shoe photo by Bret Cole
Row 4: headband from Jennifer Behr, paper flower boutonnieres from Charleston Weddings, stationery suite by Mr. Boddington’s Studio
