(Samuel Crowe Photography)
When you envision a wedding day, I bet you think of blooming centerpieces, ivory linens that touch the floor, and a hot meal enjoyed at a large round table. You see the big, general pieces that come together; The elements that every wedding you’ve ever been to has in spades.
Now envision your wedding day. Does your heart zoom in on a specific song? What color is the ceremony? Does your partner’s voice crack as they say I Do?
When I think of my wedding day, the rush of those memories are anchored by the small things. Call me sentimental, but it’s true. My feelings are forever living in the personal details, and the big things blur into the background.
Like the grey cardigan I wrapped my bouquet in and crafted Ben’s wedding pocket square with. I wore it on our first date to dinner and a movie during my freshman year of college. I hadn't worn it in years, but held on to it through messy college dorms and tiny closets. I can still remember gripping the soft cotton and silver buttons as I walked down the aisle.
The idea came to me after my florist asked what I preferred my flowers be wrapped in. (Samuel Crowe Photography)
Speaking of walking down the aisle, hearing the song I chose will always take me right back.
For Ben and I, music is an important and emotional part of our relationship, and we wanted the songs played at our wedding to reflect that. I spent many hours searching for the right song for that ceremony moment to balance the romantic and happy feelings with a little touch of whimsical.
One day, I was listening to Jonsi and the theme song from We Bought A Zoo came on, which was the movie we watched the night that Ben asked me to be his girlfriend. I just listened and cried, because I knew that was the song I was going to use. It was absolutely perfect. I still can't listen to it without weeping.
Two of my best friends carried doors in front of me as I made my way to the aisle. Samuel Crowe Photography)
I’m not crying, you’re crying! (Samuel Crowe Photography)
Ben’s reaction was my favorite. (Samuel Crowe Photography)
For Ben, his favorite personal touch was our cake. Throughout the planning process, he was very laid-back, and he knew how much I enjoyed wedding planning. Anytime I would tell him a decision I'd made or a detail I wanted to include, he was on board. When it came to food, he half-joked about wanting Chipotle to cater our wedding.
There was no way I was going to let that happen--sorry Ben!--but I did want him to be involved and represented in the food in some way. He chose his favorite craft beers for the bar, and our cake was his absolute favorite flavor: Funfetti!
The best part? It was even gluten free so I could eat it! We treated our guests to a big dessert bar, but I loved sharing our cake just between the two of us.
Funfetti cake! Thank you, Michonda Weber from Weber Catering & Events! (Samuel Crowe Photography)
I made this cake topper too! (Samuel Crowe Photography)
And I can’t forget our place settings.
Some background: Writing letters has always been one of my favorite things to do, and Ben and I have written letters to each other since before we started dating. I also wrote Ben a letter every day for the six months before our wedding, and put them in a binder to give to him the night before our wedding, his gift from me.
The entire time we were planning our wedding, our goal was not just to get married and celebrate our love, but to also make sure our guests felt overwhelmed by how much we loved and appreciated them.
When we started to design our place settings, I just knew that we needed to write letters to all of our guests. Lace and kraft paper was very on trend back then (it was 2015...don’t judge!), and I spent hours upon hours sewing lace on top of pieces of Kraft paper with my mom and grandma.
Two weeks before our wedding, Ben and I sat down and wrote personal notes to our favorite people, which greeted them at their place setting. It’s still one of the sweetest memories I have of wedding planning, and it made me even more grateful for all the people that were coming to celebrate with us.
Each guest received a personal note from Ben and I! (Samuel Crowe Photography)
When I create personal details as your wedding stationer, I want each piece I design to not just give you joy on your wedding day, but to hold those memories for you, forever. When I look at my cardigan and photos of my cake, or think back to those letters, it’s like we got married yesterday instead of five years ago. I want you to be transported.
In my initial questionnaire, I will always ask you to share your love story, specifically your proposal. Then throughout our consultation, I carefully listen for the small details or things you mention that I could incorporate into your stationery and signage.
I’ll get to hear all the sweet details about who you are, what brought you together as a couple, and the stories that got you to this moment. And that means so, so much to me.
I recently designed day-of signage pieces for OJD couple Daneka and Allan. They were Harry Potter themed. Why? Because they love Harry Potter!
They weren't having a Harry Potter themed wedding, but still wanted to mix it into their wedding day in some way. I created a canvas for their gift table and a print for their signature drink that had nods to Harry Potter.
A little easter egg for guests who were looking closely. (Heather Schmader Photography)
The most important part of my design process is to encourage you to feel inspired by your own love story, celebrate your personality, and create little nods to your favorite things. I want you to get excited to make your wedding even more thoughtful and special and meaningful than it already is!
And while I'll be the first to admit there are some things I would change about your wedding, not once do I regret our personal details...even the lace and kraft paper!
Five years later, I look back and see a day that represents exactly who we were at the time: Young twenty-somethings, totally in love and ready to take on life together.
We treated ourselves to a photoshoot to celebrate our five year anniversary! (Kaitlin Powell Photography)
I asked my dear friends Bethany and Julie from Sapphire & Lace to make me a bouquet for our shoot, and of course they came through with the most perfect arrangement. (Kaitlin Powell Photography)
That is what makes an event not just a wedding, but your wedding. And those memories will last forever.
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