There are a million reasons I adore this wedding. It could be that the gorgeous bride and her Marine-turned-WWE wrestler are high school sweethearts. But there’s also an heirloom lace bible inscribed with wedding dates of the bride’s family, the lush, romantic florals, and Alice In Wonderland-inspired touches like teacup centerpieces, playing card table numbers and playful quotes. What I really love, though, are the photos from Michelle Lange and the sweet video from Scott Montague. Go down the Rabbit Hole and see it all here.
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From the beautiful Bride… With three years to plan a wedding, one would think…easy, right? While Steve and I have been together for 10 years and engaged for three, I had come to learn that planning a wedding was anything but effortless.
With so many options and so much time, I did not realize how much my personal style would change during the planning process. Eventually, I decided to follow some of my own personal advice: “Be yourself.”
I had been collecting teacups and teapots over the course of the wedding planning process, and I knew that I wanted to incorporate them into the wedding somehow. At some point I came across an Alice in Wonderland quote and I quickly realized that I had found my inspiration. Piece by piece, each detail had fallen perfectly into place.
I purchased vintage mirrors from Etsy and wrote different “Alice” quotes on each. The teacups adorned the cocktail hour tables and dinner tables, each with a whimsical and romantic flower arrangement. In shopping at a flea market a few months back, I stumbled across vintage books with pastel colored spines that I knew would be another special touch. My best find was a 1946 copy of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. I had the book displayed open to the title page that had the title of the book written in beautiful old-fashioned calligraphy and a colored image from the novel. I used gold keys to hold each place card and vintage playing cards served as the table numbers.
I knew that I wanted the style of our wedding to be vintage, romantic, and whimsical. I quickly fell in love with the design of modern calligraphy, however I was not in love with how time consuming and costly it could be. This was one element I refused to give up, so the next best thing was to teach myself. I hand wrote many of the signs that adorned the space as well as each place card and wedding envelope. They certainly were nowhere near professional calligraphy, however I knew that it would add a personal touch to the wedding, flaws and all!
One of the most personal touches at the wedding happened to be a family heirloom. A beautiful lace bible had been passed down to all of the women in my family to use on their wedding day. My mother carried it down the aisle with her, and I signed our names and wedding date inside under all of the names of the couples that came before.
While every detail of our wedding fell beautifully into place, the best part of the day was seeing my husband so emotional at the end of the aisle. It reminded me what our wedding day was truly about. Love and joy emanated from every corner of the room, and that is what the guests remember the most from our wedding. That is what makes a wedding great: love.
From Michelle Lange… Sarah & Steve’s wedding this past May had some adorable accents from Alice In Wonderland, including vintage teacups, teapots, books and Alice In Wonderland quotes. I had the pleasure of meeting Sarah and Steve two years ago at their engagement session. These high school sweethearts have seen their fair of long distance love, with Steve a US Marine Corps combat veteran and now a WWE/NXT superstar in Florida and Sarah teaching in New Jersey.
Photography: Michelle Lange Photography | Cinematography: Montague Films | Floral Design: Anna Rose Floral And Event Design | Wedding Dress: Justin Alexander | Cake: Palermo's Bakery | Invitations: Ashley Buzzy | Bride's Shoes: Badgley Mischka | Bridesmaids' Dresses: Bari Jay | Makeup: MakeUp by Samantha Linn | Hair : Melissa Daloia Co Luxury Hair Make Up | DJ: POSH Entertainment | Groom's Attire: Men's Wearhouse | Venue: Ryland Inn | Bridal Boutique: St. Pucchi | Event Decor: The Paper Walrus