If you’d told us this wedding inspiration at Wilderness Weddings Canterbury had taken place in the African plains — and not the middle of the UK — we definitely would have believed you! The sprawling, rustic vibes of the property combined with all the Moroccan-inspired details Butler and White curated, a glorious bohemian wedding dress, and pampas grass galore came together for a styled inspiration shoot that was equal parts organic and totally chic. Nataly J Photography truly took our breaths away with these images, which captured not only the striking designs but also this sweet couple who was giving us swoon-worthy moments from beginning to end!
We’ve seen a lot of beautiful vintage-inspired weddings over the years, but Susana and Jarrott’s Ace Hotel Portland wedding just might take the cake for the most authentic! Between the bride’s Amy Kuschel dress and vintage headpiece from Joanna Reed Bridal, the groom’s brown tweed suit, and the girls’ fur stoles, this wedding party looked like it stepped out of a ’20s soiree. The details were minimal — candlelight, greenery, and a school bus for transporting guests — but with backdrops like the iconic Ace Hotel and the cozy FireHouse, as well as the stylistic eye of Anna Caitlin Photography, a curated set of details was really all they needed. Best of all was that the couple’s vendor team was more than just a group of insanely talented professionals; they were dear friends who poured their hearts into bringing Susana and Jarrott’s vision to life. Oh!…and The Wedding Llamas made a special appearance!
The most important part of wedding planning was having everything done and made with love! We really wanted to make it a memorable and personal day for our family, our closest friends, and for us. We knew as soon as we started planning that our loved ones would be a huge part of our day. Every detail, from flowers to cocktails to food to decor, was done with love by the people we love most!
We were on a hard budget, so Jarrott and I did all the planning ourselves. We got engaged a year before we actually were married and started brainstorming right away. We also were very lucky in that almost all of our vendors were friends, so it was really easy to coordinate with them. My best advice is to make lists and stick to them!
From the moment we started planning, I knew I wanted to have Rojo and Napoleon (our llama and alpaca friends) be there to surprise our guests. They really made for a memorable party and awesome photos!
Jarrott is the head chef of FireHouse restaurant, where we had the reception so, we had full creative liberty which was so fun. We decided on a Scandinavian feast! It was important that we kept it pretty casual, and we wanted people to snack all night so it was set up buffet style. There were various Smorbored (little bite-sized appetizers), fondue, fresh oysters, Norwegian meatballs with mashed potatoes, roast chicken with lentils, roasted pork with braised beans, beets with herbed yogurt, apple and cabbage salad, and braised beef with root veggies. We had a really hearty menu to keep everyone warm and cozy since it was January.
After falling in love with the history and the architecture of Mt. Washington Mill Dye House in Maryland, Alexis and Mark knew that they had found the perfect backdrop for the industrial minimalist wedding they had always wanted! With the help of Eventi Florals & Events and the floral talents of Crimson & Clover Floral Design, the couple hung greenery and Edison bulbs from the rafters, set up raw wood tables and copper chairs, and added bright, colorful blooms for a look that was uniquely them. Alexis was a bride after our hearts, and not just because she styled her fun and flirty Hayley Paige gown with a magnolia headpiece and sparkly Jimmy Choos! She learned hand-lettering prior to the wedding and made each of the magnolia leaf place cards for their guests — how sweet is that?! We can hardly get over how captivating these images from With Love & Embers turned out and how the couple radiated excitement from beginning to end!
My wedding day fashion could be described as modern glam with a touch of stripes and a dash of glitter! I loved everything about my dress from the subtle white satin stripes, to the asymmetric hem and the darling open back. The details were unique and it felt like the perfect dress for me. I wore my hair down with a white half flower crown. My nails were ombre french with glitter (so fun!) and shoes were ombre light blue glitter pumps by Jimmy Choo. I also had the diamonds from both of my late grandmothers’ engagement rings made into earrings for the wedding which felt very special to have a part of them with me on my wedding day.
Mark and I originally wanted to have the wedding in DC where we met and still live, but couldn’t find a venue that we loved and was within our budget. We expanded our search to Baltimore and fell in love with The Mt. Washington Mill Dye House. The building was originally an old cotton mill built in the 1800s that was recently renovated and still has many of the original structural elements. The venue had so much potential with its tall ceilings, exposed beams, natural light, and exposed brick. We knew this was the space for us and looked no further!
The most memorable part of the day was probably our photo session with Jill and Ryan right after our ceremony. Mark and I both love to hike and are pretty adventurous so Jill and Ryan knew we would be up for anything including climbing over a tall fence into a dry river bed in my wedding dress and Jimmy Choos. It was nice to get away for a moment to enjoy our first moments adventuring as husband and wife and the photos were totally worth it!
When it comes to planning your wedding, sit down with your partner early on in the process, and have a conversation about what you do and don’t want to include in your wedding. Do you want a big wedding or a small wedding? Adult only or all ages? Religious, non-religious or hybrid? Destination or local? Ideal budget vs max budget? Then own those decisions and stand by them as a couple! Friends, family and even complete strangers may try to impose their own ideas of what your wedding should or shouldn’t be like. I’m here to remind you that this is your wedding, not theirs! It’s totally okay to skip any wedding traditions or wedding related events that don’t feel right to you. As long as both of you are happy with what you planned that’s all that matters.
I knew that I wanted hand-lettered greenery for my place cards but was trying to save money wherever I could. So a few months before the wedding, I bought a book and taught myself how to hand letter. It’s actually quite easy to learn and a great stress reliever! A few weeks before the wedding I ordered about 200 preserved magnolia leaves and began hand lettering guests’ names with gold leaf pens. I would only complete about 5-10 done per hour so you can imagine how long it took to complete 125 of them, but it was totally worth it! I was so proud of the end result and how it perfectly tied in with the overall decor. Our guests loved them so much, many of them took their leaves home with them!
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