It’s vendors like Rose of Sharon who have shone a beautiful light on a state I had never given much thought to (until I moved there) – Arkansas. The weddings Rose of Sharon send our way out of the Natural State have me falling for the beautiful natural elements of the state, and this wedding from Photo Love is no exception. The stunning backdrop is one thing, but the DIY soiree at hand is the kind of thing dreams are made of.
From the lovely bride… The natural beauty of Northwest Arkansas is something I was excited for my out of town guests to experience. Justin proposed at the peace fountain on campus and we thought it would also be a beautiful place to exchange vows, when the leaves were at their peak.
I wanted to be reminded of my wedding day down the road by different cues like scent and color so I incorporated herbs like lavender and sage. I picked swiss-dot fabric and my mother made my wedding gown. I used the dot theme throughout the décor. I included succulents and wheat for texture and southern charm and added billy balls for shape and a pop of color.
One detail that truly made the wedding mine was having all of my friends and family make it to Arkansas from New York the same week they were hit by hurricane Sandy. Flights were canceled and some of my friends’ lost their houses but they were still there for me! Having them by my side made it even more special, knowing what it took for them to get here and how lucky we are to have them in our lives.
Pretty much everything was DIY. My mother is an amazing woman and made the dress of my dreams for me. Both of my parents inspired me to take the DIY approach. I made the decorations and the clutches and hair bows for my bridesmaids. One of my bridesmaids is a super talented floral designer and she did the mason jar arrangements. I actually worked at her shop for a little while and knew what flowers I wanted to use. For the big arrangements, bouquets, boutonnieres, cake and my hair piece I worked with Althea at Rose of Sharon by building Pinterest boards and she brought our ideas to life, everything looked even better than I could have imagined! The day went by so fast. Old Main Lawn was glowing with fall colors and the sun was in the perfect position. My maid of honor surprised us with a video she made with slide shows and mini-interviews from Justin and I that she had asked us to do during my bridal shower (which now makes sense) she showed the video during the reception and it was really emotional, it was such a beautiful gift from her heart.
From Rose of Sharon… Kristen and Justin requested flowers in yellow, green, white and lavender. They decided to create their own centerpieces and asked us to design the personal flowers. Kristen loved the small textured flowers such as Solidago, Limonium, and Seeded Eucalyptus contrasted with the larger Succulents, Ranunculus, Cushion Mums and Billy Balls. She also wanted to incorporate lavender–both the color and the flower. These flowers blended nicely with the natural beauty of their venue.
Photography: Photo Love | Florist: Rose of Sharon Floral Designs | Cake: Rick's Bakery | Shoes: Payless | Caterer: Bordinos | Makeup Artist: Luxe Beauty | Hair: Metropolis | Tuxes: Mr. Tux | Wedding Venue: The Garden Room | Bridesmaid's Dress: Ruche