I’m pretty sure you girls are going to go bonkers when you see this next wedding. It’s beyond hard to believe that this wedding was actually a budget affair…filled with DIY touches and cost saving decisions, NONE of which look at all like they were budget finds. Seriously this wedding is the preppy cat’s meow and the crafty bride, who managed to make all of her centerpieces the night before the wedding, should definitely consider going into business for herself. Photographed by the forever talented, Josh Meredith at Bella Grace Studio, we’re definitely putting this wedding down as a new Style Me Pretty favorite. Let the mayhem begin!
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Our day was absolutely perfect. So romantic, so spectacular.
The wedding planning itself was fairly simple compared to the landscaping planning and work that we did at the location of the wedding! Since my cousin was taking on such a huge burden by hosting the wedding at her house, we decided that we should be responsible for the landscaping. Little did we realize exactly how much work it is to make five acres look trimmed and perfect! We wanted lots of pink flowers in the flowerbeds and planter pots to coordinate with the other wedding flowers, which turned out looking fantastic, but it was a very laborious task! We couldn’t have done it without the help of our family and friends!
Walking down the aisle and seeing Anderson standing at the end of it was very symbolic for me. It was like I had already done it by going through my life (down the aisle) without him, but I was headed toward him all the way. He was standing there nervously with a gigantic smile on his face. I also had the biggest smile I’d ever had, showing every one of my teeth to our family and friends. I’ll never forget finally reaching the end of the aisle and being joined with him in what was the end of one era of our separate lives and the beginning of our new era together.
I thought the lights were very southern. My friends and I joked about how they resembled the lights from a party scene in the movie “Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood” which is a very southern film (and one of our favorites). The outdoor reception area was also southern in that it was simply and minimally decorated, but it still looked exquisite. The food was a split plate of beef tenderloin and sautéed chicken, roasted baby vegetables tossed in a vinaigrette, and roasted fingerling potatoes, which is classic upscale southern cuisine. Our signature cocktail was a Seabreeze, which reminded me of South Carolina, where we went on our honeymoon.
Our flowers were hot pink peonies for the bouquets and centerpieces and light and hot pink ranunculus for the groom and groomsmen’s boutonnieres. Our fathers wore white ranunculus boutonnieres, and we gave our mothers single stem white peonies rather than having them wear corsages. We made all of the centerpieces and bouquets ourselves the day before the wedding and ordered the boutonnieres and a garland for the altar from a local florist.
Our cake was an ivory three-tiered square cake featuring our monogram on the center tier in ivory icing. Around each tier was a band of navy blue ribbon and on the top there were three fresh hot pink peonies to match the other wedding flowers. The layers of the cake were: chocolate with raspberry filling, lemon with lemon curd filling and red velvet with buttercream filling. Our money-saving secret: the bottom tier was actually decorated Styrofoam! The third flavor of cake (red velvet) was actually a sheet cake, but looked exactly like the other tiers when it was cut, so the guests never knew the difference!
I loved working with Josh Meredith of Bella Grace Studio. He was there from the moment I arrived at the hair salon until the end of the reception, and that was after he had been at the wedding site taking pictures of my dress and shoes prior to my hair appointment! He was extremely thorough and took about 2,500 photos all day long! He also showed me pictures that he thought were really cool right after he took them, which assured me that he was on the right track in getting the shots that I wanted. He was very thoughtful in making sure that I was comfortable and had everything I needed throughout the day. He even showed up with a glass of wine for me right after the ceremony while my mom and sister were bustling my dress!
All in all, our wedding was everything we ever dreamed it would be.
Photographer: Bella Grace Studio / Planner: Bride / Venues: Family home for wedding and reception (Kim Logan, bride’s cousin) / Florist: ordered wholesale peonies from My Flower Buyer for bouquets and centerpieces / Nanz and Kraft for boutonnieres and garland / Wedding Cake Baker: Michelle Tow / Caterer: Josh Hillyard / Bride’s Dress: David’s Bridal / Bride’s Hair Accessories/Veil: My something borrowed from my sister / Hair styled by Z Salon / Bride’s Shoes: Rebecca’s Wedding Boutique / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Rebecca’s Wedding Boutique / Accessories: My something old- Grandmother’s bracelet; Grandmother’s anklet used as a bouquet charm