Not all signage is created equal. Some signs have that extra sparkle that add a big dose of personality to an affair. The kind of signs that announce “we’re awesome, we’re married and we want to sing it from the mountaintops.” And when a Bride owns the most adorable invitation company we ever did see, and infuses every ounce of her big day with country charm and sparkling declarations on wood and paper alike, it looks a little something like this beauty captured by Imago Vita Photography. A backyard affair as pretty as they come and a gallery that proves that statement right here.
From the Bride… I married my best friend on a family friend’s beautiful private ranch in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma right outside of Tulsa. I knew from the first time I visited the ranch with Anthony, before we were even engaged, that it was the perfect place for our wedding. After the proposal we were over ecstatic that they agreed to let us celebrate our big day there! Immediately I started crafting, and crafting, and crafting. With the help of my mom, sister, stepmom, aunts, cousins, and many friends, we created about 900 feet of bunting made from fabric that belonged to my grandmother and great grandmother. The favors were kitchen towels from IKEA that were hand stamped, ironed, and tied by my sister and stepmom and used as napkins as well as custom designed koozies requested by the groom. We did our first look in front of a large 8′ folding wall that my Dad built out of old picket fences. Many hands helped paint our names and sweet love verses across the wall and it turned out even better than I had hoped! I bought all the flowers for the centerpieces to DIY, which turned out much harder than I had originally thought. Thankfully, Anthony’s aunt showed up and saved the day, creating jars and jars of beautiful arrangements!
I own a custom stationery business, so paper details were important and abundant. Our invitations reflected our personalities perfectly. Simple, clean lines, and a little gold foil for me with Kraft paper and western fonts for Anthony. For the back of the invitations I designed a pattern using all the things that reflect us, both individually and together… antlers (for my deer hunter), arrows, softball, fishing, banners, our J/A wedding logo, an envelope, paper airplanes, etc. I created paper flags to go in the centerpieces that incorporated the same graphics. During the ceremony, guests wore custom designed buttons in memory of Anthony’s father and they folded their programs into paper airplanes that were tossed in the air as we walked down the aisle as husband and wife. Menus and a thank you to the guests were placed in white IKEA frames at each table and paper tags were tied around each and every napkin. One of my bridesmaids lives in New York and wanted to help with the crafting, so I gave her the task of cutting and gluing paper hearts to little sticks that were used all throughout the wedding. The morning of the ceremony, all of the bridesmaids created a path with the paper hearts to lead the guests through the pasture to the ceremony. It truly was the perfect touch to our fairytale setting!
Aside from all the DIYing, Anthony and I wanted a wedding that was comfortable, fun, and completely full of every person that we love! My wonderful brother-in-law married us and it was absolutely perfect. Instead of choosing between all of the kids in our lives, we had them all in a “kid parade” down the aisle holding flags and signs. They were so adorable and did such a great job! My bridesmaids each got to pick their own navy blue dress. The groomsmen each picked their own shirt and wore gray vests, jeans, and boots. If you ask anyone who knows me, they will tell you I’ve been dreaming of and planning my wedding day since the day I learned to walk. Anthony, however, was less about the little details and more about everyone having a good time and just being themselves. Overall the day was filled with everything that was important to the both of us and it all blended together better than I could have ever imagined!
Wedding Photography: Imago Vita Photography / Venue: Private Residence at Rockin Horse Ranch in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma / Floral Design: The Floral Touch (918-760-3324) / Catering: Fat Jack’s BBQ / Wedding Cakes: Ann’s Bakery / Music: DJ Connection / Rentals: Party Pro Rents and Events / Stationery: SwellMail Designs (the Bride) / Wedding Dress: Custom Design via Abelina’s Boutique / Bride’s Veil: Bridal By Teri / Bride’s Shoes: Dillard’s / Bride’s Boots: Corral Boots via Cavender’s / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: J.Crew + JC Penney + Maurices / Groom’s Vest + Jacket: JC Penney / Hair: Ashley Franke of AnnaLivia Styles / Makeup: Ashlee Bivins