I’m loving so many of the details in this wedding, but my absolute favorite has got to be how the couple displayed their love letters to one another while the groom-to-be was serving over in the Middle East in a large, old window for all their guests to see. Bridal Blueprints did an incredible job of infusing their romantic love story throughout the reception and kept the decor green and re-purposed many items to keep the overall cost down which is always a good thing in the wedding world! Ulmer Studios snapped all the pretty images and there is so much more waiting for you in the gallery.
Click here to see the entire gallery of images!
From Bridal Blueprints…The bride’s color palette was navy, mustard/gold, lavender and ivory. Since we were working on a budget, we had to get creative when it came to decor items. We wanted to bring in a lot of personal details to the wedding – primarily the couple’s love story. The groom had been in the Middle East since early last year, met his bride on a brief trip back home here, they kept in touch through letters, email and Skype – he sent her flowers on a weekly basis. He proposed to her ‘unofficially’ over the summer when he sent her to Genesis Diamonds under the premise of picking up a watch he had ordered. When she got there, the salesman told her to pick out which ring she wanted. The groom came home for a week of leave in October, where he went home with her to meet her family. During a family photo session, the groom proposed to her in front of her whole family. Because of the dangerous situation the groom is in (his job is basically what the guys in the movie the Hurt Locker did with bombs), they went ahead and got married at the courthouse. Their real wedding was the one at Carnton in June. We wanted to share their story, and did so by using the letters they sent to each other as part of the decor.
I tried to ‘upcycle’ as many things as I could do bringing in a green, environmentally conscious element as well. All of the fabric flowers and pennants were made from old sheets purchased from Good Will. The window was taken from an old house in Franklin. Rather than using a ton of flowers, we went with fabric flowers for centerpieces and attached them to twigs from dead branches in my yard. The glass vases were all old jelly, spaghetti sauce, pickle, salsa jars. Rather than renting new dishes, the bride collected vintage china plates from yard and estate sales and thrift stores. The guests were also invited to sign these plates & will serve as the couple’s Guest Book. The bride’s bouquet was made primarily from her grandmother’s vintage brooches – they served as her ‘something old’. All of the drinking glasses were mason jars that were fitted with tags for guests to write their names on and claim for the evening. The suitcases used as the altar were from the bride’s family and supported memorial candles in honor of the bride’s grandmother and the groom’s sister.
Wedding Photography: Ulmer Studios / Wedding Coordination: Meredith Zeller of Bridal Blueprints / Caterer: Bacon & Caviar / Ceremony + Reception Venue: Carnton Plantation / Entertainment + Lighting: Ross Hill / Event Rentals: Music City Tents & Events / Floral Design: Melissa Marie Floral Designs / Hair: Bryan Wood of Salon Capelli / Linens: Connie Duglin / Make-up: Andrew Pentecost