Black and White Striped Wedding
Okay, so I know it is practically summer (might I add that I love how the days are getting longer and longer) and this is undoubtedly a fall wedding, but there are so many unique decor ideas that I just had to share. It’s a little Kate Spade meets The Nightmare Before Christmas with a punch of color and a whole lot of creativity. The black and white striped wedding theme is perfect!
A thank you to the lovely bride, Sarah, who was gracious enough to answer in some questions about her wonderful day and how she pulled it off.
Bride’s Comments
What was the overall theme for the ceremony and reception?
“We wanted the day to be fun and relaxed with a little whimsy and glitz to make it a real celebration, so this was the essence of our theme. It ended up being old Hollywood/vintage-meets circus-meets modern, all rolled into one. After first, we chose black and white stripes as a base, and everything else snowballed from there. I chose a bunch of items that I thought were pretty and weaved them together to make it cohesive – a little backwards in the process but amazingly it all came together in the end.”
Did you have your wedding invitations made or make them yourself?
“We made them ourselves! They took forever but in the end were well worth the effort. We designed them ourselves, hand stamped the gold confetti (on the invitations and response cards), made our own envelope liners, created and painted a custom map, designed the monogram stamp and embossed all the tags by hand.”
What was the best advice you received when you were planning your wedding?
#1. Get a videographer – A couple who had recently gotten married told us that a videographer is a must, even if you get the most basic/cheapest package. We had a tight budget and a videographer seemed like an added luxury — but we’re so glad we listened. Pictures are a wonderful keepsake, but a video lets you relive it all over again. It all goes by so quickly, we’re glad we can travel back to that day anytime we want.
#2. Incorporate a new scent – During the wedding weekend and throughout our honeymoon, I wore a new perfume (Dolce & Gabbana “The One”) which I had never used before then. I find that scents can leave a strong imprint on your memory. Now when I use it for special occasions and date nights, the scent transports us back. It will always be my “wedding perfume.”
Describe the bride/bridesmaids’ Attire
“The bridesmaids all choose their own dresses, so they are from everywhere. My dress was made by a small boutique designer, which I had found at Marry & Tux in New Hampshire.”
Any tips to share with brides planning their wedding?
“Planning a wedding is exhausting and can be all consuming – start early! The more decisions or DIY projects you can check off towards the beginning, the better! That way you can enjoy the days leading up to your wedding instead of rushing to finish your to do list (this was my plan, which didn’t happen so much for me but I have faith in you!)”
What were some challenges you faced planning your wedding?
“I found that DIYs might not always be the most cost effective option. All the supplies add up and it might take more than one try to get it right and an even more important factor to include in your calculation besides money, is time. I tried to do it all and if I were to do it over again I think I would choose a few meaningful DIY projects and ‘outsource’ the rest.”
How many guests were invited?
“We had a great turnout, especially since it was on a Sunday. We invited 108 people and had 97 attend.”
Was it difficult to narrow down your guest list?
“We wanted to celebrate with everyone and our motto was ‘the more the merrier!’ But, we quickly realized that adding one name seemed to lead to ten more. When each person equated to a high price tag, the easiest way to keep the budget in check was to limit the guest list to our closest friends and family. We used a basic rule to help us keep our numbers down: if you’re coming to our wedding we shouldn’t have to be introduced to you, which limited a lot of plus ones.”
What were the highlight from the ceremony & reception?
Ceremony highlight – “The vows! We both wrote our own vows and in our own way essentially said the same thing. At one point we both referenced the same inside joke about time zones (We’re seriously random).”
Reception highlight – “At the end of the night we released 20 wish lanterns into the sky. Not only was it beautiful, but it also made us pause and really enjoy the moment.”
Which pieces of music did you use during the ceremony?
Processional – Home, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros
Brides Entrance – All of My Days, Alexi Murdoch
Interlude – None
Recessional – You Make My Dreams, Hall & Oates
Entrance – Some Nights, f.u.n.
First Dance – Sweet Disposition, Temper Trap
Fun song we had to play – Thriller, Michael Jackson (from the night we met, Halloween!)
What types of flowers did you have?
“We had all different kinds of flowers as we wanted the arrangements to be as eclectic as the wedding itself. I went with my mom to the flower warehouse and we went nuts picking out all different kinds of hydrangeas, dahlias, spider mums, snap dragons, roses, snowberries and many others in hues of pink, orange and white.”
What was your budget? Did you go over or stay under?
“Our budget was $27,000 and we miraculously stayed right on par with that amount. This was a difficult task with me at the helm but it was a Bryan’s mission that he did not take lightly! (Good thing someone was on top of it). We came to that figure by doing research and asking around, but naturally less would have been even better, Boston is expensive! Our most significant savings was on the flowers, which my incredibly talented friend, Elayna, did for us. We got all of the flowers from a wholesale market and Elayna arranged everything, including our bouquets. We bought some mason jars and rented a bunch of small vases from Ultrapom.com. In the end we spent maybe a quarter of what we would have spent if we had used a professional florist.”
Where did you go on your honeymoon?
“Santorini, Greece – it was unbelievably perfect!”
Vendors
Photographer: M.Studios
Cake Designer: Konditor Meister
Event Venue: The Red Lion Inn 1704
Meredith
Despite her dreamy wedding blogger lifestyle, Meredith's day job is running ClassicVeils.com and a full-time mom to an active toddler. If she could, Meredith would spend her days taking cruises, helping animals in need, and watching Big Brother!
