This wedding has sent me over the colorful edge with its remarkably bright yet oh so gorgeous palette of citron and red. Who would have thought this would be such a beautiful pairing? But all color aside, this also happens to be a really unique, totally charming wedding. The uber fun bride and groom did hold their nuptials at an Illinois tree farm after all. Genius, pure genius. Adorable couple, vibrant colors, and breathtaking images from Lark Photography = hog heaven for a wedding blogger. And trying to chose which photographs to use was so very hard. There were just that many great ones which means visiting the gallery is an absolute must. See it all here.
see more of this beautiful day here!
I’ve been working with brides and creating elements for weddings for about 5 years now, so my laptop was already full of folders bursting with wedding ideas. But when it came to my own wedding, I felt what probably so many brides feel–where to start? One of the beautiful things about weddings is how much they’ve evolved. These are not our grandparents nuptials. I believe the number one thing your guests should say from the moment they see your invitation to the moment they get in their cars after your reception is “Wow, that was so them.” So Dugan and I decided to start with the things we liked, and try to figure out how to make them all work together from there. My favorite color is yellow. (I believe it’s a completely underutilized “fall wedding color.” Look out your window now and what do you see? Yellow!) Dugan decided he wanted to wear a red tie and so I thought if that’s his one request, I’m going to figure out a way to make it work. (But I did stop telling people my wedding colors were “red and yellow.” Even I think that sounds strange!) I love pearls and feathers and when things look effortless… Dugan likes color and fun, so those were all elements to consider incorporating. I’m so blessed to have some of the most creative women I know as friends–fellow designer, Sarah Axelson and spatial genius, Chrissy Parks. They helped me bring direction and vision to our eclectic mix of ideas and styles, and I had so much fun with them. The final inspiration was a sort of “old meets new,” and “Anthropologieish” became a verb we used often. We wanted everything to have vintage charm, but to still feel happy and fresh and easy. My good friend and photographer Laura was probably the second phone call I made the day after our engagement. I knew that no one would better capture the tone and vision of our day than she would, and I was right.
Sarah designed our invitations. She had an idea from the very beginning, and I was so grateful! I spent hours with my mom at the sewing machine laughing and yelling as the velvet ribbon for the band got stuck over and over again. I finished them off with bright white calligraphy and handfuls of vintage stamps. I made clips for my shoes out of feathers and vintage earrings. My necklace from J. Crew was the first thing I purchased for the wedding. My beautiful bridesmaids’ dresses were also from J. Crew. (I have to say, the fine people at J. Crew treated us like movie stars. It was a great experience to work with them). I choose different accessories for all the girls in our wedding because it was important to me that their individual styles and personalities would get to shine through the uniformed dresses. Dugan did the same for the guys–different ties from Express and shoes from TOMs. His suit and their vests were also from Express. My maid of honor Ashley ventured her Grandmother’s house as a place to get ready, and it was perfect the perfect setting! I loved getting to relax all day with some of my favorite girls in the world. The wedding and reception were at Williams Tree Farm. God blessed us with a completely magical day. The leaves fell like glitter as the sun was setting through the trees. Chrissy peppered the aisle with rose petals and lined it with a variety of vintage candleholders, all hand-painted to match and adorned with unique corsages. Dugan’s mom officiated our wedding, and that was such a special and personal gift. Another treat, our friend and musician Nathan Eiesland of Scattered Trees sang during communion. We laughed and cried and laughed… and when we went to break the glass (a Jewish tradition we incorporated into our ceremony) and the glass didn’t break, I even laughed all through our first kiss! I had fallen completely in love with vintage blue mason jars, and made it my personal goal of collecting as many as possible. Event Floral created the most gorgeous mix of flowers and feathers and berries for the boutonnières and bouquets, and then mixed and matched the flowers in jars throughout the reception to make it feel fresh and easy – like a vase at your own kitchen table. Good friends Jason and Bob made custom flavored brownies for us as favors for our guests, and local apples served as place cards. Each layer of our delicious cake from Patricia’s Pattisserie was a different yummy flavor, and we topped the whole cake off with vintage picture frames. Dugan’s sister Breeze sang during our first dance, and Dugan surprise serenaded me as well. The glow from the candles, lights, and lanterns felt intimate and romantic. It was a beautiful day full of love and perfect little details everywhere.
Photographer: Lark Photography / Event Design: Lindsay Letters and Chrissy Parks of Hello My Dear / Invitation Design: Sarah Axelson of Hello My Dear / Calligrahy & Paper Goods: Lindsay Letters / Flowers: Event Floral / Cake: Patricia’s Pattisserie / Ceremony & Reception Location: William’s Tree Farm / Officiant: Sharon Sherbondy / DJ: Jordan Chance, Luxe Productions / Guys shoes: Toms / Bride’s dress: purchased at Wedding Belles / Bridesmaid dresses & bride’s necklace: J.Crew / Groom’s suit, groomsmen ties & vests: Express