After a long holiday hiatus, we couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome all of you lovelies to a new, sure to be gorgeous, year at SMP. Whether you have been reading for years, or are new to the wedding planning scene (congrats on that sparkly new bling by the way! eek!) we’ll help you ease into the new year with what we do best – inspiring the pretty. You’ll find we are a group that believes in fairytales. We believe in the magic of a good love story, and romance on repeat is how we prefer to spend our days over here – so when Creation Studios sent over this gorgeous gala inspired by the home of fairytales, Disney, we were intrigued. And when we laid eyes on how the Bride’s vision unfolded, it was obvious the day was full of wedding magic. The glowing beauty of a Bride worked side by side with her fairy godmothers, the Social Butterflies, to make her fairytale wedding a reality and the result was something dreams are made of! Click here for more magic!
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From the Bride…Growing up in a wonderful family of six in South Florida, I am a huge Disney fan. Casey went on his first Carkeet Christmas Disney trip in 2010. In true Disney magic, he shocked me with a proposal in front of my family during a dinner in Cinderella’s castle. It was absolutely perfect for me, right down to watching the fireworks from our table! I knew I wanted Disney to be the inspiration of my wedding, but the softer, magical, romantic side.
The amazing Social Butterflies, my planners, found out early that I wanted to do everything different from a typical wedding. I want everything to work together but not matching. I didn’t want people to feel like they are at a wedding, but a place with friends having a good time. Vintage, romance, Disney and family were the themes I wanted tied together and they did it beautifully in a setting of blush pink, ivory, champagne and pops of peacock blue and marigold.
October 7, 2011, I can’t even express enough how perfect it was. I had no idea that an evening could be created that was so perfect for me that I truly felt like I was in a dream. My bridesmaids, my sister and sister-in-law, and I got our hair and makeup done at Juve Salon. Catie and Maury wore Alfred Sung peacock blue long dresses with skinny belts, pearl studs and Dogeared single pearl necklaces I got for them. They helped me into my ivory bridal ball gown with a beautiful ruffled neck as well as the Tiffany & Co. small loops Casey surprised me with that matched my wedding band. I also wore my Mommom’s pearl necklace as a double bracelet and a simple one layer veil. I have never felt more beautiful!
We made our way to Davies Manor Plantation, where I was to see Casey for the first time. I stood in the lawn of Davies Manor Plantation among massive ancient trees in anticipation. He smiled at me and that’s all he had to do for me to know how beautiful he thought I looked. I carried a vintage-inspired gorgeous bouquet filled with various textures and colors and pinned to it was my late Daddad’s money clip. He passed exactly a year before and he means to much to me that I knew I wanted him right by me at the altar.
Guests were greeted by a valet service and then proceeded down the plantation road flanked with woods and the occasional deer sighting with the plantation wedding site as their focal point. They were given beautiful vintage paper covered programs fastened with champagne ribbon. Each program had a wand attached, that my mom and I made. In the program and on a little flag attached to the top of the wand, they were instructed to wave them as Casey and I kissed and walked down the aisle as Mr. and Mrs.
For my ceremony music, I knew I wanted the music to mean something. The grandparents and mothers walked out to “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”, the bridal party walked down to “All You Need is Love” (Beatles are inspired by my dad and Casey’s love of classic rock and roll). Then from around the bend, a magnificent white horse appeared pulling a carriage. I had kept it a secret from most including Casey. My dad and I were beaming with delight as we watched the crowd in their awe. As soon as I heard my entry song, “When You Wish Upon a Star”, it was truly the most magical moment of my life and I wouldn’t have wanted anyone else sitting with me than my dad.
We exited the carriage and I could see the big smile on Casey’s face. We passed hanging lanterns, burlap sacks and garden boxes filled with the most beautiful flowers and plants. The ceremony was relaxed, intimate and perfect. Andy Savage, teaching pastor of HighPoint church, did an amazing job leading us into this new life together. Following suit of doing things differently, I created a unity ceremony in which each of our parents’ fingerprints made a heart when put together. Family is very important to Casey and me and we wanted to showcase that and showing our parents how much they have impacted our lives. Casey’s dad passed away when he was 10 years old, so we had a good friend of his who is a graphic designer create Casey’s dad’s thumbprint to be joined with his mom’s .
As we vowed our lives to one another, kissed and turned to face the crowd, we were greeted with waving wands as we made our way down the aisle, to “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” to the carriage. As we rode off, Casey held a distressed sign that read – “Just Married…and they lived happily ever after.”
Following the ceremony, vintage signs pointed guests towards the cocktail party. Half way there, they were greeted with a signature drink station that served “Pirates of the Caribbean” complete with sword-skewered fruit. Inspired by the Disney park maps,, guests were also handed personal maps showcasing the layout and food options at the cocktail party and reception. Continuing towards the Alice in Wonderland-inspired “Mad Hatter Cocktail Party”, guests were greeted with the game area fantasy-decorated with topiaries adorned with pin wheels (that my mom made) flanked by vintage white iron fences. Corn hole/bean bag games Customized with “The Dugans” were set out for guests to enjoy, as hors d’oeurves were being passed by servers and classic rock songs were being played by the guitarist. On the porch of the reception there was a seating area where guest could rest on vintage benches, set their drinks down on wooden wine crate coffee tables and sign the guest book quilt. I created patchwork letters held on a lace line with mini clothespins and hung on an old window. Guests sign a patch with well wishes and my talented momma will sew them together to make a quilt as our guest book. My mom made the patches as well. Also on the porch was a larger version of the hand held map so guests would know which food station in the reception they wanted to try first!
The sign just above the porch set the mood for the reception …”Let the Magic Begin” (which was also on the inside of the invitation envelope). Walking into the reception, you felt warmth and romance. The usually dark wood walls and ceiling were illuminated with soft light and decorative blush and ivory paper streamers hugging the peaked ceiling. I opted for long table instead of the tradition round to make it more family-style. Tables were dressed in burlap-inspired tablecloths with various vintage runners, my momma made, running the width of the table. The length of the tables were filled with arrays of romantic flowers, cotton, succulents, moss displayed in milk glasses, garden boxes, silver vases and other vintage inspired containers. The end seat backs were accessorized with beautiful hand-made ivory rosettes. A massive stone fireplace was covered in candles enhancing the romantic aura of the room. A damask-background photo booth complete with props was set up for guests to enjoy and take home their picture as well as leave a picture for us to enjoy. The food stations and bar were all named after Disney memories/places that are special to my family. The Laughing Place Saloon was scripted on a large vintage mirror along with the bar menu and displayed behind the iron and dark wood bar. Each food station represented a Disney restaurant, “Mama Melrose” was an interactive pasta station, “Pecos Bill’s Tall Tale Inn” was a gourmet filet mignon and chicken slider station, “Tamu Tamu Refreshments” contained various fruits and gourmet cheeses and “Boulangerie Patisserie” was the dessert station including the wedding cake, grooms cake and an array of cake balls made by my good friend Gretchen Tayloe. The grooms cake detailed Casey, wearing a Memphis hoodie and hat, and me, wearing my wedding veil Mickey ears, riding Big Thunder Mountain Railroad with our hands up – it was perfect! Casey and I toasted with the champagne flutes given to us at the proposal in Cinderella’s castle as my sister, his best friend and my daddy gave touching speeches. The dance floor shined with a gobo light of our wedding logo “The Dugans” which included a hidden Mickey Mouse head design (that logo was used on the game boards, napkins, invitations, photo booths photo sleeves, etc). The night was filled with live music from Almost Famous and lots of dancing.
At the end of our magical night, Casey and I made our way out of the reception to a wave of wands by our wonderful friends and family. As guests got their cars from the valet, a final parting gift was left in their front seat – a small pumpkin with this poem I wrote attached.
“As the clock strikes twelve and the magic ends, Cinderella’s carriage becomes a pumpkin again. What a magical time and it’s all because of you. With love from the Dugans…Bibbiddi Bobbiddi Boo…”
Bride’s Gown: Blu by Mori Lee from Ballew Bridal / Bridesmaids: Alfred Sung / Men’s Attire: Suits by Joseph A Banks / Cake Balls: Gretchen Tayloe of Dulcitas Gourmet Treats / Bride hair: Myn Le from Juve Salon and Amy Hicks from Capelli’s / Bride and Bridesmaids makeup: Kendrick Simpson from Juve Salon / Planner and Event Designer: Social Butterflies, LLC, Memphis TN / Photographer & Videographer: Creation Studios / Venue: Hillwood at Davies Manor / Stationery: Natalie Chang Designs / Floral Designer: Haute Horticulture / Caterer: Ziparos / Cakes: Oh My Ganache Bakery / Rentals: Classic Party Rentals / Guest Table Rentals: Mahaffey Tent and Party Rentals / Linens: Mosaic Party Rentals / Cocktail Table Linens: Party Tables / Runners: Hand made by mother of the Bride / Bars: Holliday’s Flowers / Band: Almost Famous / Valet: Southern Valet / Carriage: Carriage Tours of Memphis / Photo Booth: Creation Studios / Lighting: Moonshine / String Quartet: Beth Luscomb / Classical Guitarist: Lloyd Rainey / Minister: Andy Savage