This wedding is just downright darling from start to finish. With the sweet DIY touches and beautiful Emerson Creek Pottery and Tea Room setting the stage for all the sweetness – it’s safe to say this soiree has charmed my socks right off. The plethora of pretty was captured beautifully by Breath of Life Photography, and you can see it all right here.
From the Bride… Evan and I really wanted our wedding to be an intimate experience for all of our guests. To do this we spent a lot of time planning and implementing small details that would help enhance the intimate atmosphere that we desired, and reflect our personalities and hearts to our guests. All of our decor was either handmade or used from our home. We wanted our wedding to be an experience that encouraged laughter, comfort, and shared special moments.
The entire day was a dream, but my absolute favorite part was the ceremony! My parents had a huge part in helping with our ceremony design. Even though we were outdoors Evan and I wanted to bring elements of the church outside. We used vintage doors, bike, and suitcase to mark the “entrance” of our ceremony site. My dad built the alter with an old wrought iron arbor and two old stained glass windows. The glass vases were constructed with several vintage plates, compotes, and bowls. All of these items my mother amazingly already had around her home! This remains true for all of the other vintage elements on our day. I love that the things we used in our wedding were things that I grew up with. My bouquet was beautifully crafted by my mother and some of her girlfriends. The materials used were vintage millinery flowers and brooches, some had even belonged to my mom and my grandmother.
The music at our ceremony was played by three extremely talented students from the ministry that Evan and I serve in on Sundays, this ministry is also where Evan and I met. The music that was so wonderfully played during our ceremony was:
Seating: How Sweet it is, James Taylor + All I Want is You, Tristan Pettyman + Moon River | Processional: Real Love,inspired by the Regina Spektor version | Bride: Love me Tender, inspired by the Norah Jones version | Feet Washing: Be Still, The Fray | Recessional: Dance Tonight, Paul McCartney
For our reception, we served four different styles of home-brewed beer provided by one of our groomsmen. Our wine was from Wine to Water, a non-profit international aid organization focused on providing clean water to needy people around the world. What better food to enjoy at a wedding than memphis style BBQ? Our cake was pumpkin spice, and our guests enjoyed apple pie, apple cider doughnuts and Scooter’s coffee (from Evan’s parents’ coffee shops)! Emerson Creek has fire pits behind their barn, so for our favors we gifted S’more kits!
I knew I wanted to have my wedding at Emerson Creek before I was even engaged! I came to their fall fest to support my mom’s botique. The minute my sister and I drove onto the grounds my sister said “If you don’t get married here, I’m going to have to throw myself a second wedding!” Since that moment there was no doubt in my Emerson Creek’s venue was beyond perfect for our wedding. Their property is stunning, from the barn to the open fields- absolutely gorgeous! Since the beginning of our planning, Emerson Creek worked to make our vision for the wedding a reality. I could not have imagined a more perfect day!
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Wedding Photography: Breath of Life Photography | Wedding Venue: Emerson Creek Pottery and Tea Room, Oswego, Illinois | Floral Design: Barbara Fisher (Chicago) + Diana Johannesen (Mother of the Bride) | Event Design: Diana Johannesen (Mother of the Bride + Bride) | Event Planning: Lisa Schlesinger from Emerson Creek | Cinematography: John Bach Productions| Mr. + Mrs. Seat Covers: LynDe Designs | Cake: Jennifer Kliegl (Chicago) | Bow Ties: Grace Designs (Arlington Heights) | Invitations: Fresh Love from Yours is the Earth | Wedding Dress: Enzoani | Hair and Makeup: Sarah McGinnis from Pin Curls Salon | Cake: Jennifer Kliegl