Sometimes all you need is a little whimsy to get your day moving in the right direction, and we’re ready to deliver. It’s a vintage carnival themed soiree and it was captured by Kate Miller Photography, which as you’re about to see, means big things loves. Big, beautiful things!
From the stunning bride… The sense of fun really radiates from all the artistic details of this colorful late summer wedding. Bright corals pop against the worn brown tones of the old Byron Colby Barn.
THE CEREMONY was held in a nearby park, next to a duck pond in a tiny white gazebo. Guests walked under an arch made from old wooden barn doors, where photos of the bride and groom were displayed, bride on the left and groom on the right. They were given burlap and coral ribbons with the programs attached to match the pink ribbons adorning the gorgeous ivy curtain and hand blown mint-glass chandelier. The couple sealed away a bottle of wine and two love letters in an old wooden crate, for them to open on their five year anniversary. (The groom had lost the cute painted hammers for the ceremony, so the maids scoured the barn for two dirty old hammers that they decorated to be ceremony appropriate. This was a surprise to the bride at the altar, and the couple cracked up laughing.)
THE WEDDING PARTY had their attire guidelines kept very lose. The bride and groom wanted them to feel their best, and wanted their ensemble to reflect the casual nature of the event and location. The ladies had a variety of corals to choose from, and the men chose between vests and suspenders. The groom’s suit was from Indochino, and the bride had a modified Paloma Blanca gown with some vintage-inspired shoulders built in. The bride and groom both decided to get a pair of their “dream shoes” resulting in some fun minty pumps to match the bride’s mint-on-teal nails, and some sexy wingtips for the groom.
Florals pulled inspiration from the foliage surrounding the barn, but also incorporated some mint succulents and brighter, more whimsical blooms.
The bridesmaid gifts allowed the women to choose from a variety of vintage brooches the bride had tracked down over the duration of the past year. She made sure to target brooches in non-mint condition – items that each had had love, previous owners, and most important, a unique story all it’s own. This was meant to symbolize the uniquely strong characters and personalities of the ladies in her party. The groomsmen each received a set of cufflinks tailored to their unique interest and personality as well.
THE COCKTAIL CARNIVAL was very important to the couple. They have a strong sense of fun, and childlike personalities. They wanted to encourage guests to tap into their inner child and enjoy their day by partying the way that the couple would want to party.
Three games were created, each with a prize: Put a ring on it had guests throwing wedding-ring-painted “rings” around old coke bottles to win a bottle of the grooms favorite craft beers, Heart Breaker invited you to throw vintage darts at a board of glitter-filled-balloons to win a cake pop from the bride’s favorite bakery, and A Real Knockout featured old cans to knock off of a wooden barrel to win some of Chicago’s famous Garret’s Popcorn. The booths and signs for these games were made and painted by the couple, as were the additional bean-bag tossing game and the giant jenga.
The carnival was full of vintage pieces including a technicolor sofa, a palette cart table and various seating.
The couple had custom cocktails – a Pimm’s Cup from the Bride, a Torched Olde Fashioned from the groom, and a Pie-Eyed moonshine champagne to represent the couple.
Mad lib style RSVPs were displayed (even the racy ones! yikes!) in order for people to read each others fun and funny submissions. It also to represented the presence of the folks that weren’t able to attend but wanted to share their best wishes.
THE RECEPTION was a big barn party. Guests were to pick up their placecard from an adorably fashioned little cabinet on their way inside. The place markers were made to look like small brass animals, but were actually plastic childs toys that had been painted with a metallic finish. Animals were chosen to match each of the guests personalities as best as the couple could. From there, guest could choose their own seat at the table number written on the back.
Florals were meant to look “casual” and almost “found,” matching the tone of the greenery that surrounded the barn. The couple spent a year collecting liquor bottles of various sizes, stripping the labels, and painting the bottles details metallic to match the place-markers (note the Makers Mark bottle with the gold wax drip, or the Four Roses bottle with the golden rose sigil) Also included in the florals were metallic dipped balsa roses and gold dusted peacock feathers to harken back to the bridal and bridesmaid bouquets.
The cocktail bar was in the expansively tall and echoey silo of the barn. Very dramatic.
The cake was a 4-tiered buttercream rendition of Chopped Hazelnut Pumpkin and Strawberry Lavendar Champagne, to represent a wedding day that was on the cusp of two seasons, summer and fall. The cake topper was custom built by a woman in Cape Town, who also made the couples dog, Bonsai, so that he could be placed sneakily chowing down at the back of the cake (a fun little easter egg for guests to find)
The dancing… well it got a little bonkers, a little moonshine-induced, and went on and on into the night. The sense of play must have really put people in a good mood, as the final remaining guests had to be drug off the dancefloor and shuttled to the afterparty. Mission accomplished.
Photography: Kate Miller Photography | Floral Design: Life Made Pretty | Gown: Paloma Blanca | Bakery: Luscious Layers Bakery | Suit: Indochino | Venue: Byron Colby Barn | Alterations: Mira Couture | Cake Toppers: Ladies & Gentleman | Cotton Candy: Spin Spun | Dance Lessons: Duet Dance Studio | Vintage Rentals: A La Crate Vintage Rentals