SUCCESS is when we see one of the SMP Inspiration To Reality features turned into true REALITY! Today’s newlyweds saw an ITR on Style Me Pretty {here} ~ and used it as a springboard to their own fab Maine destination wedding. Their good, good friend Jenny Smith of Alders Photography was there with them to celebrate the day! In addition to being a great real wedding, it’s also a terrific testament to the wedding prowess of etsy!
Scott & I are Chicagoans, and love our city, but we were both more interested in having a destination wedding. I was voting for tropical, and Scott was angling for the East Coast, so it would be easier for his family to attend. We didn’t argue long about this, because the perfect venue was just sitting there, waiting for us to recognize it. My aunt and uncle own a winery in Maine, the Winterport Winery, and the special events venue attached to it, Pairings, was an intimate, cozy location for a fall wedding in New England.
So, the venue decided, the wedding planning began. We kept the guest list to family and close friends, and we were shocked by how many of them chose to fly in from various parts of the country for our wedding! (Though I harbor some suspicions that they were using it as an excuse to see Maine, as most made a long weekend out of it!) We were looking for our wedding to represent our urban selves in a New England fall setting…not an easy task. I had already settled on dark teal and chocolate brown for our wedding colors, and was having a hard time figuring out how to make those work together, until I stumbled upon this Inspiration to Reality photo shoot here on Style Me Pretty. PERFECT! A lot of lovely elegance, and a little bit of drama with the feathers! I loved it! Scott is an actor, and we LOVE drama, so I was instantly energized with a new vision for what I wanted in our wedding…and it HAD to include those feather flowers from Emplume! We took some of the elements that we liked and the overall feel of the day, and I am so thankful for that photo shoot for heading us in the right direction.
In retrospect, I would not recommend planning a wedding over 1,000 miles away by yourself in 4 months with no wedding planner. It’s a bit complicated, and that’s an understatement. Thank God for the internet! Etsy was my best friend in planning, as I am not particularly DIY-inclined. Many of the small details that you see in the pictures were sourced from there. My friends also stepped up in a big way. I happen to be very close friends with Jenny Smith, from Alders Photography. I am absolutely in love with her photographs, and so a part of me was sad to lose her as a photographer, but it was much more important to us for her and her husband to be in our bridal party! She solved the problem by providing photography from another friend of hers, Belen Aquino at Gerber + Scarpelli in Chicago, who documented our day alongside Jenny, and you can see the amazing result.
Another friend of ours, Dana Chen, provided the invitations and stationery for the event, and a friend of Jenny’s, Stephanie Potter (whose wedding was featured here on StyleMePretty – pt 1, pt 2, pt 3, pt 4, and pt 5!), provided my necklace and the bridesmaids’ jewelry for the wedding. It’s such a blessing to have such talented artists as friends!
In the end, our wedding was a little bit vintage, a little bit New England, and a little bit rock & roll. All in all, pretty perfect in our minds. We’re not very traditional, so it was fun to mix it up a bit. I loved every detail and every part of our day, but in the end, there is this: I married my best friend and the man who makes me a better person, surrounded by our family and closest friends. There is nothing better than that.
Photography: Alders Photography, featuring Belen Aquino from Gerber + Scarpelli / Venues: Winterport Union Meeting House and Pairings at the Winterport Winery / Florist: Chapel Hill Floral / Rentals: Wallace Tent and Party Rental / Invitations & Stationery: Dana Chen / Caterer: Pairings at the Winterport Winery / Bridal party bouquets and boutonnieres: Emplume / Cupcakes: Morning Glory Bakery / CD Favors: Bride and Groom, photo by Alders Photography / Gown Designer: Val Stefani by Moonlight / Bridal Jewelry: Vintage earrings, necklace by Stevie Potter / Bridal Shoes: Frye / Bridesmaids dresses: JCrew / Bridesmaids Jewelry: Stevie Potter / Ivory Ceiling Tile Memo Board and Custom Magnets: JoyFrameworks / Coffee-Dyed Escort Cards: therustypig / Glass jars: TranquilityFarms / Vintage Letters storage box: OrbitingDebris / Vintage Typewriter: nomadwords / Veil: Hems and Bustles/ Rings: Green Lake Jewelry Works