When the Bride’s family owns and operates Mustard Seed Gardens you know that her wedding day will be filled with all sorts of magic, especially with Bobbi+mike behind the lens and Rewind Documentaries behind the camera. Lori Solomon – Boldly Chic Events spared no darling detail, like those perfectly pink blooms by Design Group and that sweetheart cake by The Topping that deserve a second look here.
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From The Bride…My family has owned Mustard Seed Gardens for the past 9 years, so our choice in venue was never a question. Originally a property for us to accommodate another business, MSG has, in most recent years, molded into one of the premier wedding venues in Indianapolis. Working hand and hand with virtually every bride we accompany, needless to say, not only have I see many weddings, but I’ve also seen a plethora of ideas. Choosing the ceremony and reception site was easy, picking a style, theme, and an inspiration that I hadn’t seen before…now that was the tricky part!
Due to a large number of guests which would simply make our Olde Barn too crowded for a reception, we knew right away we would be having a barn ceremony, with an outdoor reception, (originally slated to be under our canopy of lights, finally settling on a tent due to weather, which I will touch on shortly). Inside the Olde Barn, beautifully crafted from the 19th century, you can see exposed beams from the original structure which hold everything in place. There had been ceremonies in the barn before, so we again faced the challenge of finding something authentic. In came the idea of our “big reveal” room. A small enclosure, only 4×5 feet, at the rear of the barn, which I sat prior to the ceremony. Blending in to the existing framework, I don’t think any guest realized, that the woman of the hour had literally been sitting in there, awaiting the special moment while they filtered past, hurrying to their respective seats. The room was flanked on each side of the doorway by two, 4 foot tall vases which houses a massive display of flowers. Maybe the only indication of my presence behind those doors. The “reveal room” for lack of a better term, was my father’s idea. A symbolic idea for which he would walk down the aisle during the ceremony and open the doors to a waiting daughter. The moment couldn’t have been more perfect. Aside from the ‘reveal room’ we wanted our primary focus to be at the altar. An old ladder hung above our heads as we stood facing each other. Draped with flowers, greenery, and various candles, created a beautiful scene at the altar. The hanging ladder was nothing new to our property, but the way in which our florist designed it, left no detail and amount of elegance to be desired. Behind us and our pastor sat a vintage table topped with a gorgeous centerpiece of flowers, as well as a gold platter which held a single glass of wine and a small loaf of bread. My husband and I decided that we wanted communion to be the first official moment we spent together.
After the ceremony we made our way to the back part of MSG to take photos. While we took pictures, our guests were able to socialize and enjoy refreshments and hor d’oevres on our newly designed patio area. My family designed the stamped concrete foundation for cocktail hour just weeks before our big day. We placed various vintage wine barrels around this area which were used for the purpose of tables. Topped with a solid glass oval and each housing a beautifully crafted centerpiece.
The flow from the ceremony to our reception was an easy one for our guest. With everything being right there on the grounds, our guests didn’t have to go far to find their way to dinner. Our table arrangements were beautifully etched in cursive font on a vintage mirror. As I mentioned before, our original idea was to have an open air reception outdoors, under a canopy of lights which would be strung high in a tree and spider webbing down, crisscrossing above our guest’s heads. As one can imagine, weather was our only concern. Although our wedding day couldn’t have had better weather, the same cannot be said of the the days prior. Due to the rain earlier in the week we were forced to construct a tent in order to keep the grounds dry. It wasn’t what we originally wanted, but we both can say without a doubt that we wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.
Inside of our tent couldn’t have been more beautiful. Our centerpieces featured various gold vases and gold candelabra’s atop with garden like flowers. During our planning process, we searched the city for vintage pink depression glasses. We found various size vases to use for centerpieces but we also found pink wine glasses which we intermixed with crystal wine glasses to give our tables an eclectic look. We had our menus custom designed which we placed on top of each gold rimmed plate. We tied a pink ribbon around each menu and placed a sprig of willow eucalyptus to add texture and greenery. Our table numbers were made out of acrylic which were tucked nicely into the floral arrangements. We also incorporated framed table numbers to again add to the eclectic look. Each table was very romantic!
We didn’t go your traditional route where the entire wedding party sits together. Many of our groups had spouses and children, we felt it more of a convenience to sit near or with their family. So a small sweetheart table was the primary focus and the place in which we sat. Atop our table sat our sweetheart cake and a massive display of flowers that began in a large cluster on top and cascaded off the edge down to the ground. Mixed with flowers matching the colors of our wedding, the centerpiece was astonishing. We also sat in two large wing-backed chairs which made for a unique and cozy seat option.
Dinner was served and our meal was presented first. First came a refreshing spinach, strawberry and candied walnut salad with a strawberry champagne vinaigrette followed by the main course, a duo of Filet Mignon and chicken with a smoked Gouda and potato side along with some asparagus. After dinner our guests were able to enjoy various desserts. We chose small pie shooters which were gooey, crumbly creations housed in a shot glass and accompanied by a very small spoon. Miniature cupcakes and small macarons also were incorporated, each consisting of our favorite flavors and colors of our wedding, blush and gold. Next to our dessert station was a self-serve coffee bar. A large metal “tree”, (for a lack of better terms) held each mug for guests to better serve themselves. Guest could choose between regular and decaf coffee, as well as choose between varieties of flavored creamers which we placed in vintage milk bottles.
Music and dancing, laughter and singing all could be seen and heard for the remaining few hours of the reception. One particular detail that we decided was an absolute must was the presence of a late night snack for our remaining party goers. A hard menu decision for us, we finally settled on miniature cheeseburger sliders with a self-serve condiment station.
Time was drawing to a close, but not before a little surprise for my husband. I arranged for a small sitting area to be set up, just outside the tent and snack station, under the canopy of light which hung from the trees. The sitting area would be a spot where the remaining guests could each enjoy a cigar. As we looked back at the evening, we both agreed that, even though the night was inevitably drawing to a close, the time sitting at the cigar bar was one of the more special moments of the entire evening. We were finally able to relax, and enjoy a special moment with a small group of close friends and family that had remained till the end.
Sadly, our send off. A bitter sweet moment it was. Happy to be beginning the journey of our lives together, but sad to end the celebration. Having coordinated several weddings on our property, I had been accustom to a number of send-off techniques. But we wanted something we hadn’t seen before. After many hours scouring the web, I found candle lit balloons. The balloons housed a small LED light which made the sphere glow a softly that was truly remarkable at night.
Photography: bobbi+mike | Videographer: Rewind Documentaries | Coordination: Lori Solomon - Boldly Chic Events | Florist: Design Group | Wedding Dress: Essense of Australia | Cake: The Topping | Bridesmaids' Dresses: Amsale | Catering: Mills Catering | Makeup: La Dolce Salon And Spa | Hair: La Dolce Salon And Spa | DJ: Event One DJs | Suit: J.Crew | Groomsmen's Attire: Jos. A. Bank | Officiant: Mark Wright Hazel Dell Christian Church | Bridesmaids' Dress Shop: Bella Bridesmaid | Ceremony And Reception Venue: Mustard Seed Gardens | Dress Shop: The Wedding Studio | Papery: Interprintations | Rentals: A Classic Party Rental