The talented team at Amorology never ceases to amaze us with their insane creativity and viral-worthy designs, we can always tell just by the photos when a wedding has been designed and planned by them. Today’s gorgeous wedding at Prospect House is every modern bride’s dream who isn’t afraid of a little pop of color. Don’t miss out on the full gallery captured by Sophie Epton Photography to see every last detail of their day, including an hourglass escort display that’s so cute we can’t even handle it.
From the Bride… We met each other 10 years ago when I sat next to him on the first day of our macroeconomics class. I arrived fashionably late to class, and the only seat available was next to him in the front row! A few years into our relationship, I decided to fulfill a lifelong dream of joining the Peace Corps. I packed my bags and moved to a remote village in Cameroon. He supported me every step of the way with daily phone calls and monthly care packages. It was during this period of our lives when both of us realized how much we love and appreciate each other. In the middle of my service, he took me on a trip around Europe that ended in a picture-perfect proposal in front of Trevi Fountain.
After 10 years, it feels like we’ve lived 100 lifetimes together. This feeling set the tone for the day, which was filled with personal details such as juju hats, woven baskets, ceramic water pitchers, and delicate watercolored details. With the help of the brilliant team at Amorology and our amazing photographer, Sophie Epton, the entire day was a dream.
A ton of thought went into our invitations! We wanted an invitation suite that was fun, unique, and personal. After Caroline from Lovely Paper Things learned about the juju hats hanging in our living room from my time in the Peace Corps, she came up with a brilliant idea of a “juju hat” invitation suite. When it laid flat, it was an invitation with all our important information, but guests could turn it into their own juju hat art piece by fluffing the ends.
The trifold itself was a beautiful, personal work of art. Inspired by our theme of “100 lifetimes together” and African mudcloth, each box represents a different part of our relationship (past, present, and our hopes for the future). There are tacos and limes from our first “date” when we drove to Mexico in the middle of the night, a deconstructed golden gate bridge for our time in San Francisco, and symbolism for our hopes for the future (happiness, love, growth, and wisdom). The envelope liner contained beautiful watercolored images with more personal details (“bug” is the groom’s nickname for the bride, and the flower is a symbol found on a popular print in West Africa ironically called “fleur de marriage” or wedding flowers.) The juju hat sat inside the trifold which was reminiscent of opening a care package.
Since writing letters and notes was always an important part of our relationship, we enclosed a well wishes card for guests to share their thoughts, favorite memories, and advice. By providing the cards in advance, we hoped it would encourage more sentimental, heartfelt notes, which it fortunately did! When they arrived, guests were asked to place cards in a ceramic water pitcher.
For our escort, guests found their seats from different shaped hourglasses tied with small calligraphed tags with guests’ names and table numbers which sat on brass and wood trays and stands. They were placed upon a modern wood table under gold vinyl on the wall reading “I’d choose you in a hundred lifetimes.” They were so popular with our guests, we didn’t have any leftovers!
Our wedding was a three-day event to allow more time with our friends and family. The night before we invited guests for “coffee and cocktails” at the coffee shop that we used to frequent in college. The day after the wedding we hosted a casual brunch at our Airbnb.
We had an intimate wedding ceremony which was limited to immediate family. In the months leading up to the wedding, we wrote our mutual wedding vows that we recited together. In fact, we had three sets of vows: one mutual, and vows to each other. Following our ceremony, we had a private picnic where we read our personal vows to each other, and I gave him his wedding present: a children’s book of our story illustrated by Loren at Four Things Paper. (We collect children’s books every time we visit a new country or place).
There were nods to Cameroon, a country that I hold dear in my heart: five juju hats adorned the walls behind the head table and a mixture of kola nuts and cinnamon sticks were placed on each guest’s plate to welcome them. During times of celebration in Cameroon, families and friends dress in outfits cut from the same cloth, called pagne, as a way of expressing support and solidarity. We loved this idea, so Caroline designed beautiful custom scarves and pocket squares as gifts for our ceremony guests. Even our wedding cake was designed in full mudcloth with the symbols specifically chosen to represent our favorite adventures together (camping next to the Nyiragongo volcano in the DRC, Christmas in Cameroon, and our waterfall adventures).
In addition to the custom fabric, Caroline from Lovely Paper Things beautifully carried the personalized design from our invitations into the programs, menus, signs, and a watercolored map. The groom’s favorite detail from the wedding was his “aioli bar” – complete with a dozen aiolis and a calligraphed sign of a popular quote from the groom: “Can I sample all the aoilis?”
We are forever grateful to the amazing design and planning team at Amorology. They were with us from the very beginning and saw every detail through to the very end – We can’t thank them enough for all their help finding us the best vendors and executing the design perfectly on the wedding day.
Photography: Sophie Epton Photography | Videographer: Lauren Maria Films | Wedding Planning + Design: Amorology | Florist: Clementine Botanical Art | Stationery: Lovely Paper Things | Catering: Pink Avocado | DJ: Hype Rythm | Wedding Venue: Prospect House | Cake + Desserts: Feathers & Frosting | Ceremony Musicians: Terra Vista Strings | Cheese Station: Antonelli's Cheese Shop | Custom Napkin Design + Rentals: Hostess Haven | Food Truck: Pueblo Viejo | Lawn Games: Austin's Best DJs & Photo Booths | Linens: BBJ La Tavola | Partial Coordination: Eclipe Event Co. | Wedding Rentals: Birch And Brass Rentals | Wedding Rentals: Loot Vintage Rentals