landlocked bride

This month’s real wedding feature comes from A Girl with Pearls & A Boy with Toys.  Jen, take it away!

From Jen:

The morning of the wedding, the girls all woke up a little before 8 a.m. to head to the salon. The sun was shining and we all knew it’d be a beautiful day! With 8 girls (myself, my mom and six bridesmaids), we needed the extra (wo)man power! While waiting, the girls snacked on coffee and mini cereal packs. We were out of the salon by 11-11:30 a.m., went back to my mom’s house and she had a friend/caterer there to make us all sandwiches. After that, the girls got dressed, then they helped me get dressed.

My dress was a few thousand dollars with a fully beaded strapless top and a silk handkerchief-style bottom…Wow; that sounds snobby huh? Well…not really…I only paid $499! That’s right, ladies; I got my dress at Filene’s semi-annual Running of the Brides in Boston! (And it was one of the most memorable experiences of my life!) I absolutely loved my gown; but trust me, it didn’t always look as good as it did on my wedding day. So, the dress I ended up loving and picking was about 8 sizes too big! Luckily, I found a fabulous seamstress in town who worked pure magic on it to transform it to the perfectly fitting beauty it ended up being.

Our ceremony was held in the church I grew up attending, in Warren RI. It was incredibly special to have our ceremony in the same church in which I was baptized. We had a Catholic ceremony without mass, and had our parents each do a reading. Our florist placed a large arrangement on the altar, and decorated the pews with flowers and pink ribbons. After the ceremony, we had baskets of bubbles that were handed out to guests for our exit. Each of the containers were attached to tags I made that said “Love is in the Air. Jen & Jay 9-5-09”.

On the tables, we had white linens with light pink napkins. The napkins were neatly wrapped around the menus I created. The centerpieces (half tall, half short) were also a DIY project. Each centerpiece had mini candles around it to give them a nice spotlight. For table numbers, I had bought clear and silver frames and made the numbers in pink and red and mounted them on cardstock. I created all of the place cards using actual place cards and covering them with scrapbook paper in different shades of pink.

Our reception venue served strawberry and cream layer cake, which came with the package we chose, so it seemed silly for us to go out and order another cake. Instead, we ordered a mad hatter “dummy” cake. It was 4 tilted layers of hot pink, light pink and white fondant over styrofoam. Our baker also made a small cake in the same style that Jay and I could cut and feed each other.

All images courtesy of Zenobia Photography Studios

Since Jay is a DJ, music was incredibly important to us at our reception. To kick things off right, we had every member of the bridal party walk in to the reception to a different 1 minute cut song. They each made up their own little cute dances and it was SUCH a hit! For our first dance (which we took dance lessons for) we chose “Thank You for Loving Me” by Bon Jovi. For our parent dances, I danced with my Dad to Rascal Flatt’s “My Wish,” and Jay danced with his step-mom to Leanne Womack’s “I Hope You Dance. And, the best part about the dance party? Jay got to DJ! He spun about 4 songs and the dance floor was PACKED! It was such a fun, unique part of the night!

Vendors:
Reception: Quidnessett Country Club; Photographer: Zenobia Photography Studios; Videographer: Wedding Stories; DJ: All 4 You; Florist: Flowerthyme; Makeup Artist: Kristin Greene; Hair Salon: Vanity Salon;  Limo: Prestige Limo;  Rehearsal Dinner: Jacky’s Galaxie; Rehearsal Dinner Dessert: Holly’s Cookies; Cake: Something Different Cake Couture; Tuxedos: Carl Anthony Tuxedo; Bridesmaids Dresses: David’s Bridal; Wedding Dress: Filene’s Running of the Brides; Seamstress: Rosa Medeiros; Music Video: Kevin Lee Studios

We can’t forget about the dress. Sara was able to really customize this part of her wedding, and follow it up with a fun (semi) Trash the Dress at the City Museum.

From Sara
I bought my veil for $20 on eBay; I was appalled by the prices of these things in the bridal shop. My friend’s mother (as a wedding gift) made my hairpiece – It was stunning.

Images courtesy of Kevin Martini-Fuller Photography and Danny Reise Photography

After the wedding, I still wasn’t quite ready to give up the dress. Katie Roberds and I spent an unseasonably warm winter day at the City Museum after the wedding. It was a blast and I have some really beautiful photos to boot!

All trash the dress images courtesy of Katie Roberds Photography

I think I tried on 100 dresses. I was getting discouraged… until one fateful day at Clarice’s Bridal on Hampton. The staff was incredibly nice and described to me how the dresses can be customized. Which only makes sense… if you are ordering a dress so it can be “custom made for you,” why not get it EXACTLY how you want it? My Casablanca gown had a full order page of changes (no beading or buttons, different neckline, different type of pleats on the skirt, corset back, etc.) and I was as happy as a clam with the results.  And, I happen to be selling it for one lucky girl on Bravo Bride.

Image courtesy of Kevin Martini-Fuller Photography

In addition to the entire wedding being a fun event for their guests, Sara and Dustin had some great hook-ups for their photography, the paper goods and wedding website.

From Sara
We are so lucky to have friends with unbelievable talent.

I have a degree in photography, so obviously having a great photographer was super important. My old Professor from university, Kevin Martini-Fuller, came from Elco, Nevada for the weekend. I also hired Danny Reise for the photojournalistic shots. And our friend and fellow college classmate, Katie Roberds, shared her amazing talent as well. (My advice would be to reserve more time than you would ever think would be necessary for photographs and if you are choosing one place to splurge, the photography would be it.)

John Vogl of the Bungaloo created and hand printed our save the date band posters and Tori Mathis of Paperkeet did all other papery wonderfulness (invites, signs, table names, escort cards, programs, etc.).

To keep guests up-to-date on the wedding plans, Dustin, who is a web designer, created a great little website for all the guests. A good chunk or our guests were coming from out of town or out of the country and we wanted a way for them to get a feel for our city and the people in the wedding before they even got here.

And, for all the readers wondering where all of their details came from and who their vendors were, here are the deets (with comments from the Bride):

Bridesmaid Dresses: JS Boutique, Nordstrom
Bride’s Dress: Custom Casablanca, Clarice’s Bridal
Groom and Groomsmen’s tux: Calvin Klein, Men’s Warehouse
Bride’s Shoes: Nine West and Rocket Dog (flats for dancing, of course!)
Rings: Summit Jewelers (highly recommended!!!)
Ceremony and Reception: Rialto Ballroom in the Centene Center for the Arts
Hotel for the Guests and Wedding Party: Moonrise Hotel
Rehearsal Dinner: Eclipse at the Moonrise Hotel
Photobooth: Photobooth STL
Shuttle Bus (for to and from the hotel to the venue): Best Transportation

All Images courtesy of: Kevin Martini-Fuller, Danny Reise and Katie Roberds

**Stay tuned tomorrow for details on Sara’s dress, accessories and Trash the Dress session.**

The first ever Landlocked Bride Real Wedding feature comes straight from a St. Louis bride herself.  Sara contacted me expressing interest in sharing her Midwest soiree, and I couldn’t not share it with you all.  Instead of me trying to tell the story, I will be letting the brides tell you the stories.

From Sara
Getting ready was a really great and special time with my mom and sisters. I was calm and relaxed. We all did our own makeup. My friend and hairstylist came to do our hair. As soon as my mom laced up my corset, it hit me. I was so freaking excited to see Dustin and felt so beautiful I started jumping on the bed. So. Much. Fun.

Our ceremony and reception took place at The Rialto Ballroom, which is on the top floor of the Centene Center for the Arts and Education in Grand Center. The over-sized patio was a perfect fit to have our ceremony for 150, and guests could file straight into the ballroom for the reception. We didn’t fully realize till we got the photos back how great the city skyline looked from up there. Very Urban Chic.

We rented a photobooth for the evening and asked each guest to leave one for us for our guestbook and take one home (which also doubled as their favor). The images were priceless. Something about closing that curtain while the flashes are firing off really makes even the most reserved of guests come out of their shell. And, we made little buttons to go on each place setting. Each one was unique with the same phrase “I love you more than…” I love you more than Family Guy. I love you more than cotton candy. I love you more than Fredbird. I love you more than Vespa Scooters. I love you more than full moons…

All Images courtesy of: Kevin Martini-Fuller, Danny Reise and Katie Roberds

I am looking to feature more real weddings on the blog, but I need your help.

Would you love to have your wedding featured? Or, maybe you know someone who would love to have their wedding featured.  Let me know (brit at landlockedbride dot com)!

So, what would this “real wedding” post include?

- Display photos from your day
- Discuss the details (vendors, decor, etc.)
- Share your feelings from the day

In this New Year, my goal is to feature more Midwestern brides on the blog – to give you readers a better connection to the world of the Midwest wedding industry.   And, I want to make sure I’m keeping you all coming back!

Happy New Year!

As promised, here are photos from Miss Cowboy Boot’s wedding. Not only did she marry in my favorite state (Colorado), but they lucked out with GORGEOUS weather. Plus, it helps they had a beautiful setting.

You don’t need to focus too much on the details when you have a backdrop like theirs, but they did not miss a beat anywhere. From the screenprinted maps on handkerchiefs, to the cute little bags for the guests.

All images courtesy of Tec Petaja Photography

Back in mid-October, Colorado-based photographer, James Christianson flew out to Cape Girardeau, MO to shoot the wedding of fellow Colorado photographer, Laura Dombrowski.  Oddly enough, I had flown out to Colorado that same weekend to visit with a good friend (who happens to be James’ intern).  Laura is from Missouri, but attend school in Denver and stayed (Yes, I’m very jealous).  James recently posted shots from her wedding (which are gorgeous).  Also sprinkled in this beautiful post of pictures are some shots from Michelle Huesgen of Untamed Heart Photography, who was James‘ second shooter, and a friend of the bride. And, note – this is one picture-heavy post. Enjoy!!

I’m pretty sure that dress is the Romona Keveza I had my eye on for a long time. Love the one shoulder look and the LOVE the ruffles.

The bride and groom opted to do their first look with no one around (which I highly recommend – it gives you two some alone time).

I absolutely love that Laura’s bouquet was a pomander of billy balls!

And, how gorgeous was their ceremony location? It was on a golf course in Cape, and guests were driven out to the hole by golf carts (adorable)!

And, let me just plug the fact that I loved that these two walked down the aisle with both of their parents. Such a great idea.

And, if you’re wondering (because I probably would), Laura is the creator of these fun save the dates!

Thanks to James Christianson and Michelle Huesgen for their gorgeous photos!

Today wraps up my feature of Grace’s wedding.  You can check out the previous posts here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4.

In creating the tables scapes and floral arrangements, Grace was looking for something simple and laid back, just like her. She found a planner, Tricia Huddas, who used the team at Garden on the Square to create her simple floral arrangements. Each of the arrangements were placed into jars and bottles from The Paris Market and then laid out on each of the reception tables.

I’m a huge fan of somehow finding a way to reuse the bridesmaids bouquets.  One way to do that is to have empty vases filled with water on the head table.  This allows the girls to place their bouquets in the vases once they arrive to the reception, and voila! You have an instant floral arrangement.

Grace took this to a new level by having her bridesmaids bouquets placed around the base of her wedding cake, an idea that I l-o-v-e, love.

All images courtesy of Belathée Photography via Design*Sponge.

You can check out more details from Grace’s wedding on her blog, Design*Sponge, or check out the Fall 2009 issue of Martha Stewart Weddings.

To create the escort cards, Grace used vintage wallpaper.  The wallpaper was scanned in to be duplicated and printed out on on tags.  They were attached to the petticoat dryer with clothespins.

Using the same wallpaper pattern, the Martha Stewart Weddings team assisted Grace in making notecards for guests to leave notes for the couple. They did not have a traditional guestbook, so the notecards were used instead, and guests placed them into the planter they put together.

All images courtesy of Belathée Photography via Design*Sponge

Since Georgia summers can be hot and humid, Grace decided to have fans made for her guests to use.  She used side profile photos of her, Aaron and their two cats, and Julia Rothman turned them into green silhouettes, and added their wedding date.  They were then printed out and attached to wooden sticks to make fans.

Favors for the guests were a throwback to Georgia’s roots.  They included grits from a local farm, as well as a recipe for Shrimp and Grits.  The grits were packaged in a paper bag, and the recipe was attached to the bags with a fabric button from busy beaver button.

Grace had some vintage handkerchiefs left over from the invitations, so she decided to use the remainder of them for her table numbers.  She had numbers screen printed onto each handkerchief and then wrap and tied them to a bottle of water.

All images courtesy of Belathée Photography via Design*Sponge