This wedding is a little vintage, a little Italian, a little bohemian… and I’m obsessed with it. It’s absolutely stunning and filled to bursting with so many heartfelt details the likes of which I’ve never seen before. But the thing I love most is the way Closer to Love Photography was able to capture the absolute love between these two.
From the stunning bride… Brian and I had an amazing time planning our wedding together over the year and three months before ‘I Do.’ Our inspiration was romantic, vintage Italian. We really strived to make our wedding a reflection of us as a couple. When looking for a venue, we were focused on finding something unique and romantic with a beautiful view. If I had my way I would have dragged everyone to Italy, but knowing that was not a possibility, the next best thing was a gorgeous vineyard. It really helped set the tone for the wedding of our dreams!
We chose to incorporate a lot of DIY details. We printed our save the dates with the Florentine symbol map of Italy painted in watercolor by our good friend and artist, Holly Bliss Rogers. We handmade and wax sealed envelopes for our Italian inspired invitations – design elements hand drawn by groomsman and talented artist, Nicolas Gibson. It was so important to have the hands of our family and friends in our wedding. We are so grateful for them using their incredible talent to enrich our big day!
The invitations were just the beginning. I insisted on making just about every detail, big and small, in the wedding. We made several trips to flea markets, craft stores and the hardware store over the course of our planning. It started with the table numbers, which was a big project – wood was cut, stained, hand painted and drilled to add vintage key plates and crystal doorknobs. The vintage romance look was enhanced by the work of our incredible florist. The mercury glass and vintage inspired vases we collected was enhanced by the beautiful floral arrangements with all their color and texture. I was completely blown away by the creative beauty Cachet Fiore came up with. They even arranged all the DIY elements in a beautiful display that really show cased all our hard work!
Beyond table décor, my biggest vision for the wedding was incorporating cork art. With the help of friends and family to collect, paint and cut corks, we were able to create three beautiful and large cork art pieces. They turned out even better than I had imagined. Corks were also incorporated in the Mr. and Mrs. Signs hung in front of the sweetheart table and served as nametag holders. As guests walked into the reception space, they could see the escort displays, which we painted and added lace to for a romantic touch. The attached escort keys served a dual purpose – guests were to write their “Key to a Happy Marriage” and return them to the guestbook box. We wanted to keep the skeleton keys from Brian’s family, and it is so meaningful to have a guestbook we can display in our house. The Irish handfasting knot was another very important piece made by our good friend, Eric Anderson. It had lace from both of our mom’s dresses attached and the Celtic knot to symbolize eternity along with the two lover’s knot which is the strongest for joining two lines together or “tying the knot.”
Some of the most important DIY projects to us were the little details. I had the most fun creating all the boutonnieres, with berries from our front yard and feathers, for my favorite guys. I learned a new wire wrapping skill to make the earrings for my bridesmaids as well. My garter was likely the most challenging – there were a lot of layers and I didn’t realize how difficult it was to work with elastic, but it turned out just how I envisioned. It has my signature feather attached – I had to be able to add a little bohemian, hippie (which I am known for) element to the wedding. I also created my cuff and hairpiece to add a little shimmer.
Something Old: Lace from my mom’s dress wrapped around my bouquet
Something New: My Maggie Sottero Bernadette gown and sheer lace booties
Something Borrowed: My Matron of Honor, Megan’s crystal hair pins
Something Blue: My great grandmother’s ring passed down to me by my mom
And a sixpence in my shoe…
The most important element of our wedding was love. We were surrounded by love from family and friends, which we hoped was evident in all the details of our special day. Most importantly, the deep, unending love expressed to one another through our written vows was the moment we will forever celebrate and cherish.
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Photography: Closer to Love Photography | Venue: Ponte Winery | Bride’s Dress: Maggie Sottero from The Dresser | Bride’s Rings: Affinity & CO Jewelers | Bridesmaids Dress: Wtoo by Watters from The White Dress | Groom’s Suit: Indochino | Groom’s Ring: Minter and Richter | Groom’s Shoes: Steve Madden | Groom’s Cufflinks: Kristin Victoria | Groom’s Tie Clip: Royal Countess | Groomsmen Suits: Alfani from Macy’s | Flowers: Cachet Fiore | Cake: Cakes-to-Celebrate | DJ: Chris Paul