WEDDING BLOG

Real Weddings – Southern vintage wedding at Monumental Church and Main Street Station in Richmond, Virginia

March 19, 2013 | editorial team

The Couple: Blakely and Caleb

The Wedding: 12.29.12 – Real Weddings in Richmond, Virginia, Monumental Church & Main Street Station

What adjectives best describe your wedding? Vintage, southern, warm and inviting

What was your wedding color palette? Winter Neutrals (blush, gray, ivory, taupe)

What inspired your personal wedding style, and how did you incorporate your style and personalities into your big day? Having a winter wedding played a large part in the decisions we made. We wanted to choose indoor venues that captured the historic essence of Richmond, VA. We absolutely loved the character of Monumental Church and Main Street Station. They are both located in the heart of downtown. We wanted our wedding to have a soft southern and vintage feel and incorporated subtle touches throughout, without taking away from the beautiful architecture and history of each venue.

Our wedding was somewhat traditional but had unique details. The bridesmaids wore skirts and sweaters rather than traditional bridesmaid dresses. Instead of a traditional wedding cake, we had a variety of cupcakes. Our bouquets and boutonnieres incorporated cotton bolls and pods along with fresh flowers, creating a soft, wintery mix. I wore my great grandmothers platinum pin on the burlap wrap of my bouquet. This pin has been worn by many women in my family on their wedding days. I was thrilled to carry on this tradition.

Caleb and I both love creating things and working on projects. We did many of the wedding details ourselves. For example, Caleb carved stamps of our wedding venues and framed each print for our guests to sign the surrounding photo mats (guest book). He also created a stamp for our out of town guest bags. We stamped each bag to make them more personal. I decorated small mason jars with lace, burlap ribbon, and buttons to hold hot chocolate ingredients for our guests (favors). My mom, sister, and I used the DIY flower arrangement area at our local florist to create the reception table centerpieces and pew markers at the church. These are just a few examples of how Caleb and I took a hands-on approach. We loved working together as a couple and with family members to add these personal touches.

Looking back, what are the moments, decisions or memories that you love the most about your wedding? Overall, our wedding was such a special day! We loved working together with our families to create a lovely wedding filled with personal details. We are glad that we decided to do a First Look prior to the ceremony. It gave us an opportunity to experience a more intimate moment. It calmed our nerves before the ceremony and allowed us to get to the reception quickly since most of the photographs had been taken earlier.

What piece of advice would you give to a bride planning her wedding today? Count on your friends and family to provide support throughout the wedding planning process. If youre going to splurge on one thing, wedding photography is a good investment. Well have the photos to look back on for a lifetime! Our photographer, Alex Fagundo of Soul Echo Studios, did an incredible job capturing our wedding day.

The Wedding Team:

Photographer: Soul Echo Studios
Ceremony Venue: Monumental Church
Reception Venue: Main Street Station
Catering: White House Catering
Florist: Vogue Flowers
Cake: Pearls Cupcake Shoppe
Wedding Dress: Custom dress by Bridal Bliss Designs on Etsy
Bridal Accessories: Shoes – Nine West
Bridesmaids Apparel & Accessories: Sweaters and earings – Banana Republic, Skirts – Ann Taylor
Groom & Groomsmen Apparel & Accessories: Suits – Jos A. Banks, Ties – Tommy Hilfiger
Live Music: Klaxton Brown Band
Rentals: The Prop Shop

Thank you for sharing your beautiful wedding day with us, Blakely and Caleb!

Eclectic Wedding in New Jersey held at Stone House at Stirling Ridge From Off BEET Productions

March 18, 2013 | editorial team

dark pink lavender light pink navy blue purple

The Couple: Jennifer and Orlando

The Wedding: 9.16.12 – Stone House at Stirling Ridge – Warren, NJ

What three adjectives best describe your wedding day? ahhmazing, creative, completely and utterly us

Was there a decor theme that ran through your wedding? What was the inspiration for that particular idea and how did it reflect you as a couple? We are both in love with all things vintage but didnt want it to be so much of a theme that it would hit people on the head the moment they walked in. At the same time, we really wanted the decor to reflect our personalities and be anything but typical. I actually found it really stressful at first to plan a wedding in New Jersey, until my husband suggested to simply just do what we like to do and stop worrying if it all goes together. That is when we tried to weave in a lot of what we liked, from the quirkiness of the apothecary jars filled with mushrooms and old books and clocks adorning the tables, to homemade jam as favors for the guests. I guess it could have ended up not flowing together but luckily it totally worked!

What were some of the different ways you used decor elements to create the beautiful, cohesive event you were envisioning? We used apothecary jars filled with succulents and mushrooms along with moss, vines and muted hydrangeas on top of the tables to create an interesting focal point for our guests. We also used a lot of my grandfathers pre-WWII Polish books and some old clocks to create a more personal centerpiece that was reminiscent of an older time. Since each setting was a little different, it inspired an almost museum quality and felt like an exploration as guests wandered around to see each one. We also handmade miniature milk cartons complete with polka dotted or striped straws and used them as escort cards. Guests identified their tables with handmade table numbers made out of vintage-themed paper. Lastly, guests took home homemade jam labeled with an old fashioned tag that read Thanks for jammin out with us.” They totally added the personal flavor we were looking for.

Where did you choose to hold your wedding, and how did the location influence your decor decisions? We fell in love with the Stone House the moment we walked in. We loved how open it was and its huge windows. The cocktail space was also a big draw for us. With its exposed beams, multi-level floor and tucked in corners it resembled more of a cozy place to chat than an event space. The mirrors out front and the huge red doors presented the best opportunities for hamming it up for memorable photos which is something that was really important to us. Since it wasnt set up like the typical catering hall venue, its uniqueness and blend of stone and wood allowed us to be creative with our decor and really let our personalities come through.

Looking back, do you have a favorite project or successful decor idea from your wedding? Honestly, I loved it all. If I had to pick a project that was near and dear to me though it would have to be the jam favors. My husband and I wanted guests to be able to take home something that was not only tangible but also yummy. Making 160 jars of strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, peach and apricot jam was definitely a challenge, but they looked adorable sitting on top of the tables bundled with fabric, twine and an oversized tag. It was also incredibly fun to make the jam together, which made it so much more personal than an item we could have purchased and given out. Even now, 6 months after the wedding, family and friends are still asking if we have any more jam. It was delish!!! I secretly do, but some of it is for us!

The Wedding Team

Photographer: Kate Connolly, Off BEET Productions
Ceremony Venue: St.Theresa Church
Reception Venue: Stone House at Stirling Ridge
Videographer/Film Maker: Off BEET Productions
Officiant: Father Grippo
Invitation Designer: Minted
Florist: The Little Flower Shoppe
Cake: Rudys Pastry Shop
Wedding Dress: Michelle Roth
Bridal Accessories: Tejani Wedding Jewelry
Bridesmaids Apparel & Accessories: Alfred Sung
Groom & Groomsmen Apparel and Accessories: Vera Wang
Hair & Make-up: Maggie Makas at Forever Young Salon
DJ: Denny Testa of Off BEET Productions
Transportation: Stardust
Rings: The Clay Pot

Thank you for sharing your whimiscal, vintage wedding with us Jennifer and Orlando!

Readers, for more wedding inspiration like this, be sure to check out the photos of purple wedding decor in our image gallery!

Elegant Wedding in Louisiana from Courtney Dellafiora – Ashley and Graham

March 15, 2013 | editorial team

lavender light pink white

Ashley and Graham’s wedding in Louisiana was full of sweet southern perfection, and we adore Courtney Dellafiora’s stunning photos that captured it all…from the portraits of the couple on a wooden swing; to the bride’s family plantation-style home; her lacey, elegant dress; pretty bridesmaids in rose-colored dresses, and the sweetest Father/Daughter dance we’ve heard of! There is just something so relaxed yet elegant about perfect southern style, and these two have it!

The Goals: Graham and I wanted the day to reflect us as a couple and the things that are most important in our livesour Faith, Family, and Friends. It is very easy to get caught up in the details of wedding planning and all that comes with it, such as time, stress, and decisions. Therefore, it was important to us to keep the focus on what this day is all about – our union of becoming husband and wife!

The Vision: We wanted to plan a joyful and celebratory evening for our guests, while maintaining our style and personality. Both the ceremony and reception were held at my parents home, so from the beginning it was very personal. It also paired perfectly with the Southern Plantation style I envisioned. My parents built this home when I was 11 years old and, ever since the day we moved in, I pictured my wedding there. To sum up the style of my wedding day, I would say that it was Southern Elegance.

The Look: I was open-minded when trying on dresses but when I put on this Monique Lhuillier dress, I fell in love. Ive always loved her designs; they are so classic and timeless! All the detailing of the dress is what really drew me to it. The French alencon and chantilly lace alone were to die for. The portrait neckline with the full corset fitted bodice was very flattering, not to mention the gorgeous key hole back. The split skirt made for a dramatic detail which I absolutely loved! Plus, it showed off my shoes!

The Moments: It is very hard to pick out a favorite moment from the day, so Ill give you a few. The ceremony itself was extremely memorable for me. The music for the ceremony was very important to me, as I have played the violin for 23 years and knew I wanted numerous stringed instruments for my ceremony. We had a stringed quintet, accompanied by two trumpets, keyboard, vocalists, and harpist. It was heavenly! Graham and I decided to write our own vows to each other, which was very special to us. We have known each other since we were 6 years old so it was important to us that we write our vows to each other on our wedding day! After the vows, the two vocalists sang The Prayer, which was idyllic and serene.

For the reception, Graham and I decided to take dancing lessons to be able to choreograph a romantic dance as our first dance together as husband and wife. It was wonderful and I believe the guests enjoyed it. One of my favorite aspects about the reception was our dance floor. My familys backyard pool was covered with plexiglass which served as the dance floor. A dance floor like this was something that I have also pictured as a young girl when imagining my wedding day! It was magical being able to dance the night away on top of a glistening pool!

By far, the most memorable part of the evening was the Father/Daughter dance. Ever since I was a little girl, my dad and my song was Butterfly Kisses by Bob Carlisle. Little did I know all those years ago, my dad made a promise to himself that, one day, he would have Bob Carlisle sing this song to me at my wedding. Fast forward twenty years. While on the dance floor getting ready to dance with my dad, a man I did not recognize approached the microphone and began reading a letter from my dad to me. The letter contained all the things that my dad wanted to say to me on my wedding day but knew he could never get through without crying. As this man on stage finished up reading the letter, he said: Ashley, your dad flew me in from Las Vegas to personally sing to you Butterfly Kisses. My name is Bob Carlisle and I wrote this song. He began singing Butterfly Kisses while my dad and I danced. This was a complete surprise to everyone in attendanceeven my mom! My dad pulled this off by himself without anyone knowing. Of course, by then, there was not a dry eye at the reception. If that were not enough, guests were handed tiny boxes of monarch butterflies which they released into the air as we danced. It was the most magical, special, and unforgettable moment of my life!