Okay kids. New favorite wedding alert. BIG time. This drop dead gorgeous bride approached her day with SUCH charm, such sweet style and personality, you can’t help but fall in love. You can just tell that every detail was thoughtfully crafted and lovingly designed so that the wedding really told a story about the bride and the groom’s personality. And when I say that this wedding is a new favorite, it definitely has a lot to do with the killer style of the day. But even more to do with the unbelievable story that followed. Curious? Read on, my friends. It’s a pretty incredible wedding. Oh and you can click here to see a TON of additional details.
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After 30 years of going to weddings and being in 10 weddings, I had a pretty good idea of what I did not want to incorporate in my own wedding…trick was, i wasn’t exactly sure about everything I did want. I started asking myself questions and thinking back to some of the weddings I had been involved in that I really enjoyed. I envisioned different aspects of my special day and took note of what I was drawn to… colors (neutrals with aqua and teal accents), textures (burlap and lace) and charming things (birdcages and antiques). Tearing out pages of magazines and reading blogs like SMP helped me further define my wedding style. My inspiration started coming together with a quilt that I had found on etsy.com and a nicole miller bracelet from anthropologie that my parents purchased for me and gave as Christmas gifts. Both were incorporated into our wedding.
As I continued my wedding style research, DIY projects were especially appealing to me because I wanted to add a personal touch to our event. Over the 9 months that we were engaged, I collected 13 birdcages. I painted 10 of them aqua/teal and distressed them by hand. I used the white ones for the guest book table and our table and combining them with antique tins, bird figurines and blue mason jars completed the vintage whimsical look i had envisioned!
After picking out the bridesmaids dresses at anthropologie, I immediately wanted to start working on customized jewelry for each bridesmaid to give them as one of their gifts. I found an incredible jewelry designer on etsy.com and worked with her to design a unique set for each girl based on their individual taste and personality. I was thrilled with how they turned out! I packed each earring/necklace set in a blue pint size mason jar and put it in a gold box with an antique hanky, decorative kleenex and makeout mints. Since I had both a maid of honor (my sister) and a matron of honor (my best friend since 8th grade), I wanted them to stand out a little bit and I gave them a handmade tiffany blue rosette hair pin.
As for my outfit, my dress was a gorgeous rosette pattern lace that played off of the anthropologie bridesmaid dresses. I knew I wanted to add a little something to my dress, though. I picked a gold satin sash to complement my jewelry and then found a designer who specializes in custom boleros/wraps and knew that would be the perfect addition. I sent her a swatch of fabric, my sizes and a few ideas and she sent me the perfect piece.
I fell in love with the process of putting everything together… and when it came together I was in love with it all over again!
Now for my unpredictable wedding story. Nothing was left to chance. I should have been a wedding planner…this is what I kept thinking while planning my own wedding. Every detail was planned, every “i” dotted & every “t” crossed. So then, what is the “plan” when the UNTHINKABLE happens? Well, i found out…the hard way.
The day of my wedding, I got up ready to embrace the day I had put so much effort and detail into planning. I ate a little breakfast, got my coffee and went to my hair appointment. Our photographers started taking pictures and all was progressing as I had anticipated. We went from the hair appointment to the makeup appointment and all of a sudden, something just was not right. The sweet makeup artist cleaned my face and started to apply the primer when she noticed I was turning red and asked me if I felt okay. My face was tingling and starting to itch. I looked like a lobster! The gracious staff came to my aid with hydration, crackers and a cold compress. I thought i was fine. Maybe my body was just reacting to the lack of sleep and normal pre-wedding anxiety I had experienced.
Then the stomach cramps hit. Killer pain and discomfort. Let’s just say I had to take several trips to the bathroom and it took twice as long to complete my makeup. Still, I thought I would be fine. Right? A tad tardy, but I finally arrived at the wedding venue. As time the passed, my pain worsened. All I could do was lay down, attempting to preserve my pretty hair and makeup. After hours of taking A LOT of medication, I still felt horrible and it was time to make a decision. I asked to see my fiance, Sloane, who had been patiently waiting to hear a verdict.
Wearing a white anthropologie dress and a gray shrug, bellied over in a twin bed of the bride room….I saw my husband-to-be for the first time that day. As soon as I saw him, I burst into tears. All I wanted to do at that point was get married, but I was in too much pain. The thought of putting on my wedding dress was unimaginable.
Sloane was the rock of comfort I needed that day. At the moment, he was indeed my husband in every sense of the word. He helped me feel like no matter what, all that truly mattered was that we were going to be husband and wife. We decided to postpone the wedding a little longer and have the cocktail hour. Yes, that’s right. We had cocktail hour BEFORE the ceremony! Our guests were pleased, to say the least. They enjoyed drinks, h’ordourves and music in the Cedarwood barn. Meanwhile, I mustered up the energy to put on my dress and have my makeup and hair touched up.
An hour after the wedding was supposed to be, our guests were led to the outdoor cathedral setting, most of them with a drink in their hand! By the time I walked down the aisle, I could barely see in front of me, it was so dark. Looking straight ahead, tears already flowing, my dad held onto me and I made it down the aisle.
Sloane and I had a beautiful ceremony, by candlelight in a field in the dark. Not the plan, but our wedding was more honest, romantic, and heart-felt than I could have ever dreamed. We were able to laugh when saying our vows that we had written together…. “I promise to be your loyal partner. I will love you in good times and in bad, when life seems easy, and when it seems hard, when our love is simple, and when it is an effort.” I have to say, our guests thoroughly enjoyed themselves and no one cared that we had to start the wedding late. It was pure and unplanned.
I woke up the next day, still nauseated, but feeling very blessed, love and supported by my now-husband, family & dear friends. And isn’t that how EVERY bride should feel the morning after her big day?
Photgraphy: Souder Photography / Invitations: Julia’s Poppies Design / Venue: Cedarwood Mansion / Overall Design & Table Centerpieces: Jessica Sloane (the bride) / Bridesmaid Jewelry: Pink Street via Etsy / Quilt: Mom N Mia Quilts via Etsy / Maid & Matron of honor’s hair pins and bride’s garter: The Posh Bow Tie / Custom Stamp, Cuff Links and Wood Table Numbers: Little Wee Shop / Bride’s Shrug/bolero: Holly Stalder / Thank You Cards: Customized Stationery