Overall theme for Ceremony and Reception
Bride’s Comments: “The overall theme was whimsical with a touch of rustic glam. I wanted to show off the natural beauty and elegance of our venue, while highlighting my love for anything rustic, antique, or vintage. From the moment we stepped foot on the property we fell in love. It’s really a magical place.”
Describe the Bride’s Wedding Dress & Shoes
“My wedding dress was by Mary’s Bridal in Huston, Texas. It has a sweetheart neckline, all over lace detailing and form fitting silhouette and was exactly what I had envisioned. The quality, sophistication and detail of my gown was outstanding. It was also a plus ordering from a US company; my gown arrived exactly on schedule!
“My shoes were by Badgley Mischka. They were the most beautiful shoes I’ve ever worn.”
What did you give your bridesmaids as a gift?
“I gave my bridesmaids matching floral robes to get ready in, pearl-like jewelry (each a different style) and a white pearl accented hanger for their dress. I wrapped their gifts in a keepsake box, tied with lace ribbon.”
Wedding Planning Tips & Advice
“I received lots of great tips and advice from fellow brides throughout the planning process but the best advice that was given to me, was just two weeks before the Big Day. Yep, two weeks prior. I was getting a facial and the esthetician suggested that I take a few moments on that day to look around and just take it all in because it would fly by and be over. On our wedding day, as we were finishing a wonderful dinner, I looked around at the setting in complete awe: a Victorian mansion wedding reception area that was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. All of our closest friends and family laughing and smiling. The full moon in the horizon. The candle light, flowers, the music, everything. The day was finally here and it was the happiest day of my life and I was spending it with our closest friends and family. It was like a dream and I was living it.
“My advice for any brides-to-be, is to take time to soak it all in; being engaged, planning the wedding, the Big Day itself because it all goes by so fast and it’s so easy to get wrapped up in the details and stress of planning. Think of it as a once-in-a lifetime journey and you will begin to appreciate and treasure the whole process.
“Also, make sure to go on wedding-free date nights with your fiancé! Take breaks from it, you’ll be glad you did. Being a DIY bride, Pinterest was my best friend and my worst enemy! I found hundreds of great ideas and wanted to do every single one of them. Be realistic with yourself and try to select your absolute favorites. At the end of the day, your wedding will be beautiful, even if you didn’t have those hand painted Mr. & Mrs. chair back signs.”
Wedding Music
“From the very beginning I knew I wanted instrumental music to be played before and during the ceremony. We picked our favorite love songs, new and old ones and asked our DJ to play the instrumental versions. I wanted our ceremony to be intimate and romantic. To me songs without lyrics are incredibly romantic. My dad walked me down the aisle to one of my favorites, A Thousand Years by Piano Guys (originally by Christna Perri). We then happily walked away as the newly Mr. and Mrs. to I Choose You by Sara Bareilles; A fun upbeat song, which set the tone for the rest of the evening.”
What wedding favors did you give your guests?
“We filled mason jars with caramel popcorn that we ordered from a well known mom and pop store in Omaha, Nebraska, called Vic’s Popcorn. Who doesn’t love hand crafted popcorn? It made for a fun late night snack for all of our dancing guests.”
Wedding Flowers
“I love flowers! All different types of them. In fact, I may have gone a touch overboard with what I wanted when it came to flowers. Thankfully, we had a great florist that worked with us for months and helped us select flowers that would hold up well for a warm summer wedding and that wouldn’t break the bank! We chose garden roses, cabbage roses, lisianthus, scabiosa, dusty miller, silver brunia and spray roses. For my centerpieces, I bravely opted to put them together myself, with the help of a few friends and family of course. They consisted of football mums, hydrangea, snapdragons and a few others listed above.”
Groomsmen Gifts
“The groom put together a box for each guy, which consisted of personalized cuff links, an engraved flask with each of their favorite baseball teams, black and grey argyle dress socks, a cigar, and a small bottle of Fireball whiskey. Let’s just say Etsy was a much loved site in our household.”
Where did you go on your Honeymoon?
“We stayed home instead. We stayed at a bed & breakfast as husband and wife. We ate way too many waffles, went on an afternoon movie date, and simply enjoyed spending a few easy days together as newlyweds at home with our fur baby (dog). We are planning for a honeymoon/vacation trip next year.”
