Yes I said Yes I will Yes

If there’s one thing that can cast a spell over our wedding-crazy hearts, it’s the thoughtful details sprinkled across a couple’s big day, which is probably why we have a big, sugar-sweet crush on Celadon & Celery. Celadon & Celery is a wedding planning and design team that combines shapes, materials, textures and innovative ideas to create beautiful events, and then throws in a little sparkle and magic to make sure the whole day is simply unforgettable.

Most of the energy in wedding planning goes into the reception, don’t you think? Between the table settings, flowers, and food, sometimes ceremony decor is overlooked or an afterthought. We’ve all seen beautiful aisles decorated with rose petals, hanging mason jars filled with wildflowers on shepherd’s hooks, and fluffy poms and hydrangeas hanging from pews, but today we’re going to take a look at some more unique ceremony decor options.

Theatre in-the-round was common in Ancient Greece and Rome but with its intimate feel and unique design, it’s no wonder couples have been choosing this setup for their wedding ceremonies! Each guest has an excellent vantage point, getting rid of that who-sits-where hierarchy and allowing everyone to feel more involved in the wedding. It seems to me that getting married in a set-up like this would feel cozy, warm, and filled to-the-brim with love and support!

So excited today to show off the last two Inspired Creations Contest submissions from this year’s Indie Wed!  First up, a beautiful “salvage chic” ceremony with whimsical ribbon details and gorgeous florals from Kio Kreations and Hazelton Photography!  The ladies used repurposed architectural posts, ribbons and lush floral to create an unforgettable arch focal point. To accompany this lush salvaged arch the bride’s bouquet was made of fresh flowers, berries, and ribbon flowers and guest chairs were tied with ribbon streamers.

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After we exchanged our vows…it was time to ‘put a ring on it’.

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{View all of Stephanie’s previous recaps here}

The tent at night? Absolutely gorgeous. Perfect backdrop for our toasts to start off the party.

As we were finishing up our portraits some of our guests were already starting to arrive!  Before they found their seats they were greeted by our thumbprint-tree guest book.

Because we had our wedding in a church, and a church with lots of rules at that, much of our ceremony – order of service, traditional vows, prayers – was already set. I didn’t really mind this; I’ve always loved and found comfort in traditions. Where we could put ourselves in the mix was in the readings and especially in the music we chose for the service. As it happens, Jon and I are both writers and musicians, so these were the perfect ways for us to personalize the ceremony.

To help ensure the dance floor was packed, we provided flip-flops with a sign informing guests to take one. This was a huge hit-nearly every woman was wearing them by midnight!

Our ceremony was 7 minutes long. I know that it was 7 minutes long because my Uncle recorded it and the entire video lasts 15 minutes. That means that it took longer for everyone to walk down the aisle than it did for the actual ceremony! It was short, sweet, personalized, and our good friend officiated. Perfect.

Upon entering the atrium after dinner, my husband and I (tried to) cut our cake.  Since we were already serving a vast selection of decadent pastries, our cake was simple and sweet (and delicious, of course).  It was decorated with silver frosting and adorned with a small brass African (Dogon) couple statue that we bought near Timbuktu, Mali.  Not only did we buy the statue just days before my husband proposed to me in Africa, but the Dogon tribe of Mali assume similar responsibilities to both men and women, hence most of their depictions of couples are near symmetrical.  Using it as our cake-topper was therefore very apropos.

After dinner, guests were invited back up to the 3rd floor atrium for dancing, drinks and dessert.  Unbeknownst to them, the room was transformed during dinner as the sweet table and lighting were set up by our amazing vendors, Oak Mill Bakery and MDM Entertainment.  As I mentioned before, we did not have any flowers or centerpieces for the atrium; rather, we spent money to have a large “African tree” gobo light projected on the great big wall, a dozen amber uplights around the room, and one heck of a sweet table for guests to enjoy until 2 am.  Guests mentioned to us several times our wedding had a one surprise after another around each corner!

One of the few trends I was adamant on having at our wedding were long tables, also known as “feasting” or “kings” tables.  It was one of the first trends I came across online soon after I got engaged; one I fell hopelessly in love with, and one I could NOT live without.  Pardon the oxymoron, but I dreamed of having an intimate dinner party with 200 guests, and feasting tables were a way to make it feel that way.  Although my wedding venue coordinator had placed only round tables in the dinner loft until that point, she worked magic and came up with a floorplan to make the feasting tables work.

My bridesmaids and I arrived at the church at 2:30pm, thirty minutes before our ceremony was to start, greeted by hundreds of people lingering around from the previous 1pm wedding (to my great dismay).  My DOC, Katie from Dettagli Weddings (fantastic, by the way), quickly ushered me inside to the bridal suite where I passed the just-married bride along the way.

I’m only sharing these pictures with you because they are hilariously awkward. I mean, I’m glad we have them to remember that we got to eat an amazing mini chocolate and peanut butter cake (thank you Polka Dot Bakeshop!) on our wedding day and that Brian was nice enough not to smush it in my face… but seriously, does anyone look cute in these kinds of pictures?

After the cocktail hour, everyone went inside and ate the amazing meal that the chefs at High Hampton prepared (seriously, one of the best meals I’ve ever had!). After dinner, my dad led off the toasts. His toast was touching and sweet, as was that of my lovely Maid of Honor, Meredith.