When I was putting together these photographs, I began looking for what we always look for…details. And indeed the details are lovely. But what I ended up with, were the people. The madly in love, glowlingly gorgeous bride and groom. They make me happy. And after reading the bride’s story (they actually exchanged vows in private, while their family watched from afar) you can see just how happy they make each other. And thank you Jessica Gold Photography for shooting it so beautifully. More here + lots of cute details!
From Jessica Gold Photography… This wedding is so comforting and heart-warming! Let’s begin with the setting, Lauren and Josh decided to get married at her mom’s house, lakeside on the boat dock. The reception took place in the backyard, under the trees and cafe lights at night. It was a beautiful spring day in March, and as the sun was setting over the lake, the setting couldn’t have been more romantic.
I love the non-traditional aspects of Lauren’s wedding. The main one being her ceremony. Other than her officiant (and the photographer), she only wanted her and Josh on their dock. They weren’t even miked! They wanted their wedding vows just to be the two of them, just heard by each other. The guests got to watch from the backyard while Lauren and Josh shared their intimate ceremony upon the boat dock.
The florals were a neutral palette of whites, creams, greens, and succulents. Lauren wanted an organic color palette to compliment the setting of her mom’s backyard, which also tied into the reception decor. As for the decor, Lauren and Josh wanted to give their guests the opportunity to enjoy and scenery and the essence of their setting. The tables laid out across the backyard were decorated with rustic and organic centerpieces adorned by wood pieces, succulents, greenery, and lanterns. Along the edge of the lake were lines of lanterns, and by nighttime, they lit up to give the setting the romantic feel it deserved. To top it off, Lauren and Josh had mini cupcakes for their guests to enjoy at the reception.
All in all, Lauren and Josh wanted a wedding day that reflected their personalities, and their perfect non-traditional wedding was one for the books!
From the Bride… Even after 10 years of dating, Josh and I still knew we wanted it to feel like it was different and only ours. We felt like something laid back, inviting, and outdoors perfectly described us. We chose my parents’ house on Lake Conroe as the picture-perfect venue, as we had spent some amazing summer days on the lake and couldn’t get enough of the sunsets. We wanted everyone to feel like they were in their own backyard, and to feel relaxed, and more like they were at a party than a wedding. We didn’t have a lot of traditional aspects, but we chose the things that meant the most to us.
We chose to have a private ceremony on the dock with one of our best friends officiating. We felt as if these vows were sacred and so meaningful that we should only be saying them to each other. It was such a touching moment to only hear Josh and I and the waves of the lake in the background, while all our friends and family watched from afar.
When I look back on our wedding day, I remember the overwhelming amount of love Josh and I felt the entire day from not only ourselves, but from everyone. We had one of our friends’ record acoustic songs for our ceremony, family that made our white washed bar and custom corn hole game, and had all our best friends help us with the DJ playlist so they were dancing the whole night! We are so lucky to have such an extraordinarily supportive group of friends and family that truly made our day flawless.
My advice for future brides would be to don’t forget to HAVE FUN! I spent most of my wedding on the dance floor with my friends and family. It’s okay to not speak to every single person on your wedding night. I also credit a lot of the success of our wedding to our amazing vendors. We truly let them have creative freedom and we had faith that they would do what they do best, and I believe this makes for a less stressful experience.
Photography: Jessica Gold Photography | Event Planning: Event Solutions | Floral Design: Floral Events | Cupcakes: Cookies by Design | Bride's Shoes: BHLDN | Bridesmaids' Dresses: Nordstrom | Hair & Makeup: Sunkissed And Made Up | Venue: Private Residence | Bride's Dress: BHLDN