Classic and Whimsical Pom Pom Wedding

I received exciting news last night, that an article I helped contribute to was published today on One Wed. It is all about “7 Outdoor Wedding Themes That Embrace Their Natural Elements” and it is a must read!  Today’s post is entitled Classic and Whimsical Pom Pom Wedding because the bride actually used pom poms for her wedding decor.  It is such a cute idea that I have never seen before and it was all captured by Meredith Bacon Photography.

Overall theme for the ceremony and reception

Bride’s Comments: “The two words that came to mind, when I started planning my wedding, were classic and whimsy. It was an outdoor wedding, so I wanted it to be fun, while at the same time be classy enough to feel like a wedding. I wanted to tie those two together by including just enough bold and handmade items, like the the poms poms, with several classic elements, like the gold tones in all the bottles.”

Wedding Floral Arrangements

“Posies & Poms (aka: both my mom’s and my business) Although I wasn’t much help because I was finishing up other details –  my sisters, mom and bridesmaids did an incredible job. We had succulents, peonies, roses, dusty miller, hydrangeas, wax flower, baby’s breath, and spider mums in all the flowers. They were beautiful!”

Describe the Bride/Bridesmaids’ Attire

“When I first got engaged, I wanted to get my dress off Etsy or at a boutique, so that my dress would be unique and one of a kind. My mom and I were having a tough day a few days after he put a ring on it, and she said, ‘let’s just go try on wedding dresses at David’s Bridal to get some ideas.’

“My dress was the third one I tried on. It was tulle with little polka dots all over it. It was long and flowed and I felt like a princess the moment I put it on. It needed a little oomph so we went to a fabric store and I sewed my belt together.

“My veil was found at an antique shop. After a few alterations, I’m so glad I wore it because it was the perfect finishing touch.

“For the bridesmaids, I picked out a few paint chips from the store and had them pick out their own dresses in those colors. I chose a 

Best advice you received while planning your wedding?

“The best advice I received was from my friend who had just been married right when I got engaged. She said, “Make sure to bless those around you. Everyone expects your day to be all about you, but if you can shock them with making it about them, they’ll feel so loved and valued.” I wanted our wedding to honor all the people who made it there to celebrate us. In doing this, I felt so celebrated and relaxed on my wedding day.”

Guest List

“We invited everyone we knew. It was a destination wedding, so we knew not everyone would be able to make it. We invited 200 guests and our final guest count ended up being 110 people.”

Was it difficult to narrow down your guest list?

“We really didn’t have to. We knew most people wouldn’t be able to make it since I am from California and he is from Alabama. Most of our mutual friends live in Texas, since that’s where we met so we wanted to cater to close friends mostly.”

Ceremony Music

Processional & Bride’s Entrance: “You’re Beautiful” – Phil Wickham, Interlude: “Jesus, Savior, Pilot Me” – Michael Pieper, Recessional: “I’m Gonna Be” – The Proclaimers

Highlight from the ceremony & reception

“Our officiant did an excellent job explaining the purpose behind marriage and holding us accountable to what we were entering into in front of all our friends. Another highlight from the ceremony were my stinkin’ cute niece and nephew walking down the aisle. She was a pom girl and he held a sign telling Cole that I was next to walk down the aisle. For the reception, one of my highlights was when our wedding party made a tunnel for Cole and I to run through, while we entered the reception hall. Also, my dad and I surprised everyone with a choreographed dance instead of the traditional father daughter dance. We practiced for weeks and it was awesome!”

What was your budget? Did you go over or stay under?

“Our budget was $8,300 and we tried our very best to stay under that. I think all in all, we went about $1,500 over with last minute details. We ran out of alcohol because we didn’t expect our guests to enjoy cocktail hour so much, so last minute we had some groomsmen go get more alcohol. In the end, we wanted it to feel like a party so those little costs didn’t matter much to us.”

Wedding Favors

“My parents own a crystal engraving business, so they engraved little glass boxes and filled them with scrumptious chocolate and coconut truffles.”

Wedding Invitations

I designed them and had them printed. My mom was the brains behind using the kraft paper behind the scalloped cream paper.

Any challenges you faced planning your wedding?

“One of the toughest things was making sure everyone who was helping me felt like their opinion was validated. I am such a go-getter, so I had an idea of what I wanted already. It was easy for me to say no to things without really listening to what their advice was. I learned quickly that the people who were involved were more important than me making sure every detail was perfect.”

Tips to share with brides planning their wedding

“I looked up so many catering companies and while they are all incredible, I found I could save money by ordering food from a restaurant and hiring staff to serve it. Instead of the average $30 a head with a caterer, we spent $10.25 on Rudy’s BBQ which suited our outdoor, casual wedding best.”

Where did you go on your honeymoon?

“We went to an all-inclusive resort called Secrets Vallarta Bay in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. It was magical. I could order 3 desserts, try them all and only eat my favorite because it’s all inclusive.”