So, we’ve feasted on the pure beauty of Paul and Krystal’s gorgeous New England wedding…one stunning photograph after another where the love and the joy literally jumps off the page. But now it’s time to get down to the nitty gritty. The details. And after photographing weddings for over a decade, this pair knows how to do great SMP style details. Plus, they enlisted the help of Matthew and Enna Grazier to snap the photographs, ensuring that each and every idea is so beyond steal-worthy. If you’re dying for even more, click right here.
CLICK HERE to see the full wedding gallery by Grazier Photography!
Having met in photography class at the University of Connecticut, Paul & I always joked that we had met “in the darkroom.” Soon after we graduated, we opened our photography studio, and have been in business for almost as long as we’ve been together. So we decided photography had to be incorporated into several aspects of our day.
Our Save-the-Dates were unique Polaroids created for each guest of us holding a chalk board sign reading ” Save the Date 10.10.10.” I designed our invitations 2.5×22,” printed them on Kraft paper and then we rolled them up and placed them into vintage metal film canisters. As you walked down into the yard where the wedding was, there were 4×6 black & white photographs of us from over the years hanging from a clothesline. At our welcome table we had a book of images from our engagement shoots for our guests to write us messages in. We also re-used the vintage film canisters for people to leave us a well-wish that we could read on our first anniversary. This table was also decorated with some of our vintage cameras and photo chemistry bottles filled with flowers. Hanging from the trees, as you walked down thru the yard, were old windows with images from our engagement shoots, created by my good friend (and artist) Christine Pearson. We also had an awesome photo LUXE booth, made by our dear friends the Graziers. In the photobooth, guests had fun with props including old hats, fur coats, and handmade mustaches on sticks, made by Whiskerworks on Etsy.
Some other little details that made our day unique were our Irish Soda Bread favors made by Paul’s dad Bob, and handmade felted soaps made by my sister Kalee. There were also lots of wooden signs that were designed and handmade by Kalee and me. We printed them on Kraft paper and polyurethaned (water-based) the prints to old, weathered wood found in the McNerney’s barn. We created a giant post with signs pointing the way to different areas of the yard. Even the bathrooms had a sign.
I designed and printed our unique programs, which was quite a project, but worth it. The program booklet had many pages, including our love story, the story of how Paul proposed, thank you’s, our ceremony outline, the bridal party & family members, and a fun page to find out what “tree” you had fallen from- an idea from Martha Stewart. The programs would not have been possible without the help of many friends in assembling them. Staying with our tree symbolism, our friend and artist Shannon McCarthy created a Tree-of-Life Painting for us, on which guests left their inked thumbprints as leaves on the tree. Also we are bicycle enthusiasts, and our friends Matt & Enna Grazier surprised us with a Vintage Western Flyer Tandem Bicycle that they bought from a neighbor and reconditioned. This was a fun prop to use for our photographs!
While most of Paul and Krystal’s little goodies were found scouring flea markets, goodwill and garage sales, here’s a look at a few of the awesome vendors that helped out with the details…
Tree-of-Life Painting: Shannon McCarthy / Mustaches on sticks: Whiskerworks on Etsy / Silk Dupioni Hand-binding Sash: Vivi Uptown Infants on Etsy / Vintage Wooden Bird Cage: Found on Ebay / Custom Beer Glasses : Logo designed by Krystal and printed on beer glasses by Discount Mugs / Local Old-Fashioned Sodas: Hosmer Mountain Sodas in Willimantic, CT / Old-Fashioned Looking Buckets : Purchased from Lowe’s in the garden department / Vintage Green Wine Jugs : Purchased at the Brimfield Antique Show / Silverware: Collected on Ebay and the Brimfield Antique Show / Chairs : Borrowed from an antique dealer that is setting up a shop to rent out vintage pieces for weddings. Contact Krystal & Paul for more info / Burlap Table Runners : Rolls purchased from Online Fabric Store then cut to length
Thank you so much to Paul and Krystal for choosing SMP to share your wedding with. I know that our readers are loving the inspiration that they’ve found today and are all wishing you a life as beautiful as this very day!
XOXO, The SMP Team