When you think of backyard weddings, you might think of a more casual affair. But just wait until you see this beauty. This wedding takes backyard weddings up to a completely new level of glam. With elegant design by Bellafare, every inch of this stunning soiree is prettiness defined, and thanks to all the beautiful images snapped up by Raquel Reis, we can enjoy every breathtaking moment here.
John’s parents have a house about 15 minutes from the church where I was baptized so it was the first and last place we even considered. We were SO lucky the church was available on the weekend we wanted given how little time we had! It was meant to be.
John gave his groomsmen tartan shoes as a tribute to his father’s Scottish heritage (we also had a bag piper for the same reason!). They were a surprise and everyone loved them! John’s parents walked down to the aisle to the Star Wars theme as a surprise after his dad had walked down the aisle to it at John’s parent’s wedding. We didn’t do our own vows because neither of us had any chance of getting through them without crying so we wrote each other notes to read before the wedding, which of course made me cry after I had had my makeup done. Both of my grandmothers were there (one who is 101!) which was extremely meaningful given that the rest of our grandparents are no longer with us.
One memory that sticks out is when I was too eager and said I do way before I was meant to. Driving to the church alone with my dad was so special and a moment I will never forget. I also loved that my mom was with me the whole day hanging out with my friends – she was up for anything and made me laugh the whole day. Our first dance to Wanted (by Hunter Hays) will always be one of my favorite parts our wedding because despite 200 people watching, it still felt like a private moment between us. And how can I forget my dad singing My Girl during the reception?? From his amazing voice, to his fatherly, but surprisingly great dance moves, to his ad libbing, he was incredible and a highlight of the whole night.
I wore a bracelet John’s parents gave me when we got engaged and one of my maid’s of honor’s diamond earrings, which I was totally scared of losing all night!
I thought I was being an easy bride by telling my two maids of honor that I just wanted a slate dress and that they could get it from wherever and they didn’t have to be the same. It ended up being such a pain for them and I felt terrible but they ended up in DVF gorgeous long navy dresses and looked incredible!
I didn’t want a big wedding party, so since I don’t have a sister I chose the two closest to it. My best friend from high school, McDonogh, was my maid of honor and my best friend from college, the University of Michigan, was my Matron of Honor (which I think is a silly distinction, but I guess that’s how to justify having two!)
I wore Jimmy Choo for the actual wedding, but my favorites were my red Valentino after party shoes, which sadly, I wore for about five minutes. Making sure I bought shoes that I would be able to wear forever was important, so no regrets. I’ve worn both since!
I think my favorite personal touch was the table names. John and I had been to Telluride numerous times over the four years prior to our wedding (and John for many more) and we absolutely love being there together so we named all the tables after our favorite ski runs, restaurants and bars (which was a surprise to everyone, even our parents). We had the names calligraphed on chalk board framed in wood so they are a perfect memento for us from the wedding. We have ours, “The Plunge”, a ski run on the mountain, in our apartment now. The other detail we spent a lot of time on was the music that was played by the string quartet at the church. They played everything from Bach, to Coldplay to Carly Ray Jepson. We wanted to make sure our guests were entertained. I’m just sad I missed it! (I walked down the aisle to Here Comes the Sun by the Beatles).
Décor The church on its own is incredibly picturesque, John’s parents house has an credible view of the water and we had a beautiful Sperry tent so we were pretty set from the beginning! I am obsessed with flowers so roses and tulips were essential and with lots of candles we had all we needed!
Photography: Raquel Reis | Event Design: Bellafare | Wedding Coordinator: Bellafare | Florist: Church Of Evangelical Faith | Stationery: The Printery | Catering: Robbins Wolfe | Tent: Sperry Tents