I always wanted a picnic table reception. So when I saw this wedding I knew it was awesome. The bride is gorgeous, the venue, Tate Farms, is breathtaking and those picnic tables.....I LOVE. Susan Hudson Photography really captured the love between these two. This rustic beauty is one for the books. That is for sure.
Source for all images: Better Homes & Gardens
Last week I mentioned that we wanted to take advantage of summer weather in Seattle to have my bridal shower, even though we still have months until the wedding. It was completely amazing and I can't wait to share details! Since the sun shines on, we've also talked about another summer party: a BBQ hosted with the purpose to pick our wedding wines.
We're going to send invites with a per bottle price maximum and do a blind test with our friends and bridal party to try and choose the bottles that we'll buy for the big day (our venue lets us bring our own alcohol). We felt like this would be a fun way to get the families together, enjoy the sunshine, and give some involvement into the planning process.
In anticipation, I've been pinning ideas for decor and food for this little outdoor soiree. Can't wait to share which bottles we chose!
There were so many endearing homemade details in this wedding, it was truly the work of the entire family. The groom reupholstered chairs, built the bar and even their amazing sweetheart table that features the iron frame of an old Singer sewing machine table. (I have one of those as well, so I was delighted to see this awesome detail!) Morrissey Photo really rocked this one!
Our theme was based around “Our Love Story”. We had been together for six years and through those years created an amazing life together. I loved the rustic/antique look, and after finding our venue, we began to plan the details of our wedding that were most important to us.
We were planning a fall wedding so we incorporated teal and a deep orange color into our flowers and décor. I loved the look of blue ball jars and clear glass vases outside for cocktail hour, and inside the tent we kept it elegant with antique mercury glass vases and bottles for candles, votives and flowers on the tables that were a similar blue color, with greens and shades of white.
My dress was an elegant gown of hand-placed French Corded Lace designed by Christos named Femme for Neiman Marcus. The thoughtful placement of the lace created a chevron pattern throughout the gown. The fit-to-flare silhouette was accented by a sculpted bodice featuring delicate lace eyelashes along the neckline and a soft sweep train added a touch of unexpected drama. We decided to add a Swarovski belt and covered buttons down the back where the zipper was.
Paul has worked in catering and he knew that he wanted to bring an amazing catering company in that would work with us on each element of the catering and décor. Brulee Catering was the company that we chose for our reception.
Furniture was refurbished by Paul & his father to be placed on the lawn or in the tent. This furniture was planned to later be used in our future home. Paul personally made the bar from barn wood and fabric panels. He also made the sweet heart table with wood & a singer sewing table iron base and carved our initials in along with our wedding date, his & her chairs, old windows with guests names for table arrangements, personalized hor dourves trays made by Paul that included elements of our life together, lanterns, antique lace table cloths, and home made seat cushions for all the outdoor furniture.
Venue: Applewood Estate Photographer: Morrissey Photo Musicians: Party Wave Band Caterer: Brulee Catering Hair Stylist: Jolie Salon & Spa Cake Designer: The Masters Baker Floral Designer: The Rhoads Garden
I love statement necklaces! J Crew is one of my favorite places to find awesome necklaces for every outfit, let alone for your wedding day. If you are looking for something huge and blingy, here are a few of my favorite pieces from J Crew's newest collection.
SHOP: 1. Deco Pendant 2. Piled Stone Necklace 3. Crystal Venus Necklace 4. Technicolor Floral Necklace 5. Butterfly Wing Necklace
I can't believe this week is finally here! After a year and three months of planning, we leave for our wedding weekend today! I'm so excited for it all to come together and have my family and friends in one place for an entire weekend.
Here are some of the images that have inspired me and shaped our wedding over the past year...
Source: top, bottom three
Sources: top left, top right, lower left, lower right
It's been so much fun being a part of the E&I community! Thank you for following along on my journey to the alter. Cheers!
Rachel
I think it takes a lot of guts to elope. I just love the idea of eloping and today we have a super one good one here on the blog. The couple sought out Michael and Carina Photography to shoot some photos and Storybook Events to officiant their ceremony.
From The Photographer: "Pilar and Jarad eloped last December. They decided it was time to tie the knot after 7 years. They wanted to ring in the new year as a married couple - and surprise their friends and family with the news on Christmas day. As they have close ties to William and Mary, they decided to elope near the William and Mary Campus in Colonial Williamsburg. Only the officiant and the photographers joined them on the warm December afternoon. They wanted their big day to be simple and all about them. They are perfect together, so laid-back and fun."
My bridal shower is this weekend! I know that seems crazy because I'm not getting married until April. But in Seattle, when you really only get 2 months of solid sunshine, you want to take advantage of it. This will likely be my only outdoor wedding event, so we figured why not have it early and just prolong the celebrating. My girls have put together what I'm sure will be an amazing afternoon - I can't wait to share. Since they haven't let me lift a finger, the main thing I've been focused on is finding a cute dress to wear for the occasion. Originally I was leaning toward finding a pretty white or ivory dress, because I figure this is the one time in your life you can unabashedly wear white. After sifting through a few options, though, i just wasn't thrilled with anything. I went back to the drawing board and noticed that there are a ton of styles right now to choose from in our colors. So, instead of traditional bridal white I'm looking to pick up a summer frock that mimics the motifs in the pattern we had designed.
Here are a few of the favorite affordable options I've found and loved:
Sources (Clockwise from top left): One, Two, Three, Four, Five
Whats your shower style? Does it have to be formal bridal white, or can you get into the theme of the big day a bit?
I'm excited to share one of our blogger bride's weddings with you today. Kim & Dan were married at the Vine Hill House in Northern California on a beautiful day with an even more beautiful sunset. Kim designed her own wedding invites and various paper products all around. After her wedding she opened up a Graphic Design studio and specializes in wedding invitations.
Wedding Photography: Ken Kienow Wedding Photography | Wedding Venue: Vine Hill House in Sebastopol, California | Floral Design: BV Florals | Catering: Park Avenue Catering | Wedding Cupcakes: Foxy Cupcakes | DJ: AMS Entertainment | Wedding Stationery: Bright Room Studio | Wedding Dress: Ivy & Aster | Bride’s Shoes: Elie Tahari | Bridesmaids’ Attire: Asos | Groom’s Attire: Joseph Abboud | Groomsmen Attire: Calvin Klein
Signature cocktails are a little more work, but aren't they just so fun? Choosing a his & her drink selection is a fun way to get guests in the mood right away. And of course, there are plenty of fun things you can do with the design. Straws, personalized napkins, fresh fruit, and of course an awesome sign. The options are endless, choose whatever drink you want!
A few weeks ago my girlfriends and I threw a rooftop brunch for our friend who is getting married in August. One of the hosts has an amazing spot in San Francisco's SOMA neighborhood, so the backdrop was taken care of.
*Note the bus/boat going into the water in the background. We got to watch it drive right into the water about every hour. :-)
Inspired by our bride-to-be's french roots, we served dishes like quiche, and, of course, kept the champagne flowing. Fresh peach and strawberry purees (courtesy of my new Vitamix!) made for colorful bellinis. It was a hot day so we also served french press coffee on ice.
Homemade quiche, apple french toast, cheeses, fruit, and fresh beignets. Delish.
We decorated with pictures of the bride and groom-to-be. We also had guests bring a few pictures of themselves with the bride so she could go home with a little keepsake. In our world of digital pictures, it's fun to have a good, old-fashioned photo book!
One of our guests got married last month and had collected assorted china and goblets for her big day, which we were lucky enough to use for the brunch. My friend whose rooftop it is is also a hobby florist and arranged this awesome centerpiece. We tied the napkins with lavender and billy ball sprigs.
It made for a really fun day in celebration of a great friend tying the knot with her sweetie next month!
I can't believe I'll be leaving for my wedding weekend in a week from today. It has really flown by. See you all here next week for my final post before the wedding!
