Happy Monday SMPers! I hope you had the loveliest of long weekends and are refreshed and ready to conquer yet another week of pretty! I can’t think of a better way to start the week long pretty parade than with this lovely wedding by Pezz Photo. With the simple elegance of a backyard affair that we all love so much and a Bride planned every little detail, this is a DIY wedding executed to perfection. Want to see more? Of course you do, so head on over to the full gallery of images for even more pretty!
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From Pezz Photo…When Elizabeth and DJ first set out to plan their wedding, they met with a wedding planner who declared that every wedding detail should shout, “that’s so them.” Elizabeth wholeheartedly agreed and right then and there made the decision to hire the best person for the job: herself. To encapsulate all the adventures of their ten-year relationship, complete with two close families and a group of shared, childhood best friends who had the dream of growing old together living next door on a cul-de-sac, Elizabeth knew that no one but herself could pull off the ultimate “that’s so them” wedding. And “so them” it was – with Elizabeth running the show no detail was left untouched and no opportunity to incorporate an adventure or favorite thing of the couple was missed. The 85 person wedding was held in the bride’s family’s backyard in the couple’s hometown of Sarasota, Florida. The lush and intimate venue set the stage for what would become wedding’s unofficial theme of “relaxed backyard elegance.” In the months leading up to the wedding, Elizabeth and DJ easily tackled the standard wedding details: caterer (www.mattisons.com), wine list, guest transportation (of course it had to be the Sarasota Trolley) and the DJ. But other matters took more careful planning.
A lover of all things paper and pretty, invitations were a top priority for the bride. She commissioned the artistic talent of Christine Elizabeth Van Duyn of cevd.com to create a custom letterpress invitation suite in a palate of pinks, tans, gold and creams. Christine created a personalized monogram with subtle reference to the couple’s nicknames “Bear” and “Lizard” bestowed on them by their friends. Addresses were beautifully hand-penned by Elizabeth and topped off with vintage stamps found on The Paper Nickel to give guests a tease of what the wedding had in store. The wedding itself featured unique accents special to the couple to give the wedding a personalized and one-of-a-kind touch.
Ceremony music was provided by the bride’s “second mom” on guitar, the ceremony officiant was the groom’s aunt, the wedding cake was made by the bride’s uncle and a late night dessert spread was created by the couple’s friends. And to the entire wedding party’s delight, the groom’s mother baked hundreds of her famed chocolate chip cookies for the special occasion. Bridesmaids wore dresses of their own choosing in colors complementary to the invite’s color scheme, a bridesmaid (accompanied by her mom and sister) sang the couple’s favorite Jack Johnson song during the ceremony, and guests dined family style at two long feasting tables underneath lighted trees.
The breathtaking table setup – complete with antique glass vases from store shopping trips with bridesmaids, succulent centerpieces handpicked from a local flower market, the bride’s grandmother’s china at the head tables, and rose wine bottles used as table markers (an idea lovingly “borrowed” from this Style Me Pretty post) – played host for an amazing dinner of shared fare, heartwarming toasts and even the presentation of a photo of the couple’s first date during their senior year of high school.
The only guest absent from the wedding was the couple’s beloved pup, a rambunctious chocolate lab who threatened to spend the entire wedding in the pool and on guest’s laps. But to everyone’s delight, Anna was incorporated into the wedding in several dress-saving ways, including an illustration of her in the couple’s wedding monogram and as the “welcome chalkboard,” (www.chalkink.com) which served as the wedding’s first impression. The evening ended with guests filling in around the pool to dance under the twinkling lights to a playlist picked by them (the couple set up a music request on their wedding website!), which guaranteed a packed dance floor. After pulling guests off the dance floor and watching guests stash chocolate chip cookies into suit pockets, guests packed on to the Sarasota Trolley for a quick drive to the couple’s favorite bar. Complete in wedding attire, the celebration continued well into the night thanks to the bar’s signature drink “the village idiot.”
Ceremony + Reception Location: Private Residence / Wedding Dress: Claire Pettibone / Groom’s Suit: Z by Zegna / Make-up: Colours by Linny / Hair: Elena Joseph / Wedding Photography: Amy Pezzicara of Pezz Photo / Assistant Photographer: Michelle Fader / Stationery Design: cevd {custom invitation studio} / Vintage Stamps: The Paper Nickel / Catering: Mattison’s / Floral Design: Lynne Pitts Hamilton of The Finishing Touch / Wedding Cake: Bride’s Uncle / Desserts: Brides’s Uncle + Couple’s Friends / Day-of Coordination: Bride’s Friend / Lighting: Affairs in the Air / Transportation: Siesta Trolley / Officiant: Groom’s Aunt / Seating Chart Chalkboard: RevivedVintage / Dog Chalkboard: Chalk Ink / DJ: DJ Al Garcia