Second post of the day WHOOO!
You guys. YOU GUYS. I am in love with this wedding. Lisa and Brian’s wedding was a true family affair, and I can’t wait for you to see it/read about it below. In fact I’d say it’s kind of the dream DIY wedding, if you’re someone who likes working closely with family members for extreme lengths of time in increasingly stressful situations, I mean. But something tells me this family has no qualms about quality time. I’m so big on the QT- it’s so f’ing key in our lives. But so yeah- wanna know what came of all that QT? Everyone happily chipped in their part in the couple’s big day, and with stunning results.
For example: her sister handmade their cake AND all the goodies you’ll see on their dessert table.
Brian’s brother brewed a signature beer for the couple, which the guests got to take home as their favor!!!; her dad, groomsmen and cousins hung the lanterns, trimmed branches and setting out chairs all morning. Her mother – a heavily gifted woman when it comes to creativity – had a major role in many of the details, and that just touches my heart more than you know.
But perhaps my favorite part? Other than this gorgeous gal and her admirable taste, of course? Her groom was like, legitimately involved. Like IN THE WEDDING. In fact, he was “passionate” about certain bits. Amazing.
So once you’ve scrolled through the whole affair – which was sent in to us by Duchess and the Rabbit - isn’t she AMAZE? - I’d love to know what you think of grooms these days having more of an involvement in the wedding details. Is this similar to your experience? Do you love it when the guy is into the details? Let’s talk about it.
..’til then, enjoy the pretty pictures. :)
love. these anthro mugs. the love has never wained. not once.
NICE, Lisa’s-sister-Michelle. ↑ You available for my wedding? ;)
Check out the film! By Josh Tallo from Bitter Jester Creative Inc…
Ok, NOW! Check out the full write-up from the lovely bride, Lisa:
We picked our venue, Katherine Legge Lodge, because we loved the historic 1920’s house and the beautiful woodland it is surrounded by. It gave us the opportunity to have the outdoor wedding that we wanted while also having an indoor option in case it rained. We were able to utilize the whole venue and had an outdoor ceremony under the trees, cocktail hour in the living room of the house, a tented dinner and finally dancing in the upstairs ballroom.
We didn’t have a specific theme for the wedding – we were just inspired by the venue. I love old things. I collect vintage clothes, and thrift stores and flea markets are my favorite places to shop. The 1920’s lodge and the surrounding woods were exactly what we were looking for. They informed the vintage feel and natural summer colors – green, white, pink and yellow. I wanted everything to feel natural and relaxed so all the flowers and vases were different, the boys wore their own suits and my girls wore mismatched dresses – I just told them to pick a shade of pink.
The whole wedding was a labor of love from our family and friends. My sister Michelle made our delicious cake and baked everything on our overflowing dessert table. Brian’s brother is a brewer and he created a beer especially for our wedding, it was a Belgian Blonde Ale infused with lemon peel & rum-soaked planifolia vanilla beans. A bottle for each guest ended up being the coolest wedding favor.
My dad, the groomsmen and my cousins were amazing – they were hanging lanterns, trimming tree branches and setting out the ceremony chairs all morning.
My mother is the most amazing artist and a problem-solver extraordinaire. DIY is a lifestyle for her – she can do anything. She sewed white pillows for the patio, painted clay pots and planted flowers in them, bought bushels of flowers from the market to do all of the centerpieces and the bouquets. She helped me scour flea markets and thrift stores for old white and green vases. Oh, she spent many evenings making tissue paper flowers. I couldn’t have had such a beautiful wedding without her.
My husband was so completely excited about the organization and planning of the day. He is passionate about music so he found our DJ and planned the most wonderful soundtrack for our ceremony, booked the super cool Rio Bamba band for dinner and asked his amazing friend Josh to create a music video of the day. Brian rented lighting for the dance floor and made sure all the twinkle lights went up in the tent. He really made everything so easy and fun. On the day of our wedding we felt so loved and really happy that we were enjoying something so special – something we created with the help of our family and friends.
Lisa’s write-up reminds of me of that fact that when we talk about weddings, naturally a big focus is placed on how everything looks in the end. The pictures that span a single day’s time are what’s left of everything, aside from the marriage license. And obviously, the pictures are one of The. Best. Parts. But sometimes I wish we could document the whole experience; what got us to that day, start to end. So we can really take stock of it, and love it for everything it was, and is, now. All of the interactions, the moments, the disagreements, the realizations that you love one another more than you did before those disagreements, the hard work, the elation, and the family and friends. Don’t you wish there were pictures of everything? I guess that parts up to us. Really pushing ourselves to remember, and to document, those moments that happen before the wedding day arrives. Cause rally, isn’t it those little things? that life ‘s about?
Yeah, I’m pretty sure it’s the little things.
Aright so… stay calm, stay cool, and try to remember that it’s all about the little moments! :)
Also, take more pictures in life. The moments go so fast! (I really need to take my own advice.)
xoxo - Alison
Photographer: Duchess and the Rabbit / Venue: Katherine Legge Memorial Lodge / Catering: My Chef / Beer: Tim Marshall, Solemn Oath Brewery / Cake and dessert table: A Sweet Table / Band: Rio Bamba / Dress: Vera Wang from Belle Vie Bridal Couture / Jewelry: JCrew / Suit: Hugo Boss / Cinematography: Josh Tallo from Bitter Jester Creative Inc