Growing up in rural Massachusetts, summers always meant playing out in the backyard, swimming in the local watering hole, berry picking and coming home to feast on some fresh New England grub. I loved the al fresco dinner parties that my parents would throw surrounded by fireflies and candelight. This beautiful Inspiration to Reality photo shoot by Angie Wilson Photography and Calluna Events totally brings be back to those warm, tranquil evenings with its carefree, organic vibe and yummy farm-to-table goodies. I can almost smell a hint of honey, lavender and lilac in the air and, if I wasn’t in the middle of urban Los Angeles, I would totally kick off my shoes and run barefoot through a field.
First a glimpse at their down home, elegantly rustic inspiration board:
Now for the sweet shoot full of country chic details, easy DIY projects and a romantically rustic spread. I’m such a sucker for a cute groom holding a delectable looking dessert! And how amazing is that wrought iron chandelier draped with lilac and leaves and the sweet milk glass centerpieces by Brighter Day Floral.
Click here to see the entire gallery of images!
For those of you who didn’t give into the urge to run off and frolic with your sweetheart here is an easy peasy guide to creating a fresh farm-to-table inspired look of your very own!
1. In my opinion, the best favors are always edible. Little jars of honey are the perfect country chic gift for your guests and will always remind them the sweet time they spent with you and your honey. Personalize them with these clever Spread the Love tags!
2. The vintage button detailing throughout the shoot is not only adorable it is super easy to incorporate into the design of the day without breaking the bank. You can usually find an assortment of buttons at thrift stores. Just glue them onto your honey jars or on pieces of fabric to use as napkin rings. This crafty team even added some to the bouquet wrap!
3. I am loving the new Watters collections and this sweet little number is ideal for a fête out on the farm.
4. My favorite piece in this whole photo shoot has to be that chandelier. It adds a romantic, sophisticated touch to the rural tablescape. The ivy and lilacs cascading off of it is absolutely stunning!
5. There is something so playful and whimsical about the Vera Wang sash this lovely bride is wearing. Adding a sweet detailed belt like this one from Twigs and Honey is such a fun and elegant way to spruce up a classic look.
6. We love milk glass centerpieces around here! They can be elegant, casual, modern or rustic. I can’t go to a flea market or a thrift store without an armful to add to my own growing collection!
7. Recently, I’ve seen pops of color being brought to the table not only in the flowers or linen choices but in the candles as well! These organic honey candles tie in the theme and palette and I’m sure they smell amazing!
8. Speaking of sweet smells, I can just imagine how delicious this whole shoot must have smelled with the scent of lilac wafting through the air! It is the ultimate country chic flower and looks gorgeous in the milk glass vases.
9. Striped straws are a trend that is here to stay…at least I hope so! There are so many colors to choose from now so there is sure to be one that matches your color scheme!
10. The little milk bottles are such a fun little detail and look oh-so cute with those purple striped straws! If you don’t want to OD on dairy products you can find empty bottles in bulk right here!
From Angie Wilson Photography… Heather Dwight of Calluna Events and I (Angie Wilson Photography) paired up to plan and execute a farm to table themed wedding shoot. After deciding on Frog Belly Farm (an actual working farm in North Boulder) as the location, we visited the farm to gather ideas and inspiration. Beehives, old wagons and trucks, tall trees, old watering cans and milk containers, farm animals and rows upon rows of herbs and vegetables were a few of the things that inspired us at the farm. Our desire was that the design & decor fit with the farm but wasn’t too rustic or “farmy”. We focused on incorporating pieces and elements you’d find on a farm – the beehives, lilacs (which were in bloom during the shoot) and farm equipment – for a more DIY approach – but still incorporated elegant pieces to round out the feel into a warm, lovely, laid-back style.
Heather had wanted to incorporate buttons and fabric flowers into a wedding for some time. She had found inspiration for buttons in centerpieces and favors as well as fabric flowers in bouquets and boutonnieres and we loved the idea of incorporating these into the overall feel to tie the pieces together. Buttons were used in the centerpieces, on the trim for the napkin treatment and in the honey favors. Fabric flowers were handmade by the florist – Brighter Day Floral – and were incorporated into the bouquets and boutonnieres as simple treatments that blended beautifully into the arrangements. The old farm table with an assortment of eclectic chairs was placed beneath the branches of a tall willow tree. The chandelier that hung from the tree featured florals and beeswax candles by Brighter Day Floral. Our inspiration for the florals was to incorporate as many locally grown flowers and keep with the farm feel – however we wanted to steer clear of a full wildflower look. We also included herbs to incorporate the “farm to table” theme. The arrangements were set in vintage milk glass vessels to incorporate an elegant but vintage farm vibe and to tie in our “milk” theme. In keeping with the organic farm style the bride’s bouquet and the groom’s boutonniere were wrapped in twine and buttons were added to the stem. Each place setting included the guest’s wedding favor—a small jar of fresh honey—topped with fabric and buttons and tied with twine. The honey was actually provided by Calluna Events Associate Coordinator, Spice Jones, who in her first year as a local beekeeper yielded five gallons of honey!
We decided to partner with local letterpress extraordinaire Brad of Smokeproof Press. Heather had worked with Brad on several occasions and thought his design would be a perfect pairing with our theme. Brad went above and beyond by creating an entirely new suite of letter pressed pieces that modeled our farm theme. Menu cards were letter pressed with dotted lines, with the intention of handwriting the menu in pencil. These were then inserted in envelope “seed packets”. Also featured on the menu card was a perforated edge that guests could tear off to write notes to the couple. These notes were then hammered into an old farm board with rusty nails. Each letter pressed table card featured a different farm vegetable.
Lemon Sprinkle Events designed the dessert table—featuring goodies you might find at a local farmers market or roadside stand – honey sticks, mini bundt cakes, fresh picked cherries, cream puffs, cherry pie pops and more—atop an old wagon borrowed from the farm. A DIY fabric bunting, button and paper details and handmade fabric flowers adorned the dessert display. Smokeproof Press printed labels on wooden craft sticks to identify each dessert –in a similar fashion as the vegetables in a garden might be labeled. The cake, pie pops and cream puffs were made by Slice, while the rest of the desserts were provided by Lemon Sprinkle Events.
The bride’s dress was a design by Modern Trousseau from anna bé (sash by Vera Wang). Both the bride and groom wore jewelry designed by Todd Reed, a Boulder-based jewelry designer who specializes in raw diamonds and high carat recycled gold jewelry.
Event Planning: Calluna Events / Photography: Angie Wilson Photography / Floral Design: Brighter Day Floral / Stationery: Smokeproof Press / Dress: Modern Trousseau from anna bé / Sash: Vera Wang / Dessert Table: Lemon Sprinkle Events / Cake: Slice-The Designer Cake Studio / Jewelry: Todd Reed Designs / Location + Catering: Frogbelly Farm / Make-up: The Face Lab / Hair + Fashions: Andres Mendoza