Try as I may, there is no way I could keep this wedding short. It’s sweet… oh it’s beautifully sweet, but I couldn’t risk you not visiting the beautiful gallery from Dani Leigh Photography, so I tried to pack as many stunning shots as I could into this post. But please, don’t let that stop you from visiting the gallery! It’s filled to the brim with beautiful blooms from Romance of Flowers, lovely ‘maids all in a row, and a couple so beautiful you won’t be able to tear yourself away.
From the stunning bride… The best part of planning a long distance wedding is truly trusting in those that are there to make your day special. James and I were so lucky to have amazing individuals there with us from our wonderful parents, to our amazing florist: Victoria, our new friend and photographer: Dani and our unbelievably talented band: Bachelor Boys Band.
I have always been a homebody, and my parents never thought I would last when I decided to venture to college in Madison, Wisconsin from Baltimore; to their surprise I happily endured my four years. James, a Madison local, and I met in the spring of 2007 and knew from the start there was something different about our relationship. It was not until the following fall, with some fairly obvious coaxing on my part, that James relented and asked me on a date; from that moment forward, we have rarely been apart. Our relationship has survived through five moves in Illinois and a cross country move to California, because of the calm that James brings to our lives and support from our friends and family.
James proposed on the beach in Half Moon Bay, California and we immediately realized that while difficult, a traditional hometown wedding was what we desired. With that decision, we began a whirlwind of living long distance for seven months, wedding planning, and starting our lives in California complete with purchasing our first home and beginning new jobs.
Every aspect of our wedding was beyond our wildest dreams. My Mom handmade table numbers, runner for the head table and painted picture frames, while my Dad made the place cards and made sure the timeline was perfected, even providing small laminated cards for those who wanted them on the day of.
James and I have been to numerous weddings, but still had no concept of the organization required to plan a wedding without a formal wedding planner. Many of our big choices were simple, our venue choice: Evergreen Museum and Library was a place I drove by on my way to school growing up, Victoria Clausen is an amazing floral designer who I was lucky enough to help at weddings and my mother still works for. We chose Dani Leigh Photography for her beautiful lighting and wonderful personality. From the beginning I knew I wanted blush pinks and navy blues. In my meetings with Victoria I provided her the colors that I did not want, but completely trusted how she, along with my mother and our family friend and photographer for Victoria, Kakki Morrison, would oversee and complete the wedding look. Evergreen is a beautiful place that deserves to be enhanced rather than overtaken, so we worked with our venue, the beautiful brick walls and wooden carriage house. Many of the aspects of the wedding were chosen for their small price tag but big impact: the wooden farm table for the head table, the unique table cloths for cocktails, dinner and dancing, the lights above the dance floor and the paper flower balls providing a backdrop for the band.
From start to finish we had so much support and so much faith in everyone that was with us on that day or provided us with beautiful memories. I have heard that, when the wedding is over, some brides are sad. While I could be distracted from feeling sad by a 10 week old puppy, James and I prefer to have the memory of our wedding and love to reflect on how special the day was and how lucky we are to have had such a perfectly flawless wedding.
Photographer: Dani Leigh Photography | Floral and event design: Victoria Clausen Floral Events | Bridesmaids dresses: Garnish Boutique | Caterer: Linwoods | Makeup: Amanda Ritchey Bridal & Beauty | Band: Bachelor Boys Band | Bridal gown: Garnish Boutique | Ceremony and Reception location: Evergreen Museum And Library | Linens: Tabletoppers | Robes: Modern Kimono