Southern Weddings

Sarah K. Chen sent us what are, quite possibly, some of the most lovely and most unique couple shots we’ve seen in awhile!  Check out the spin action on Jessica’s 1950’s-inspired tea-length frock from Priscilla of Boston.  (Am I sensing a hint of dress envy in the blogosphere?)  Let’s all take a minute to marvel at this dream dress before moving on to the reception photos… sigh.

Tell us about finding your wedding dress: Once I decided that I wanted something vintage-inspired, and tea-length (so I could show off my shoes), the rest was pretty easy. My mom and older sister live in Denver, and it was really important to me that they be a part of the process, so we checked out a few places when I was there visiting. To be honest, I was pretty discouraged at first because there were so few short dresses to choose from. But then we made an appointment at the Priscilla of Boston salon. I had already spent hours drooling over the dresses on their website, and the salon did not disappoint! I told my consultant what I was looking for, and that I wanted to keep it under $1500. I tried on a few dresses from the Vineyard collection and narrowed down to 3 that I liked. Everyone always says that when you put it on you’ll just “know,” but I don’t think that’s always true. There was no “eureka!” moment for me, but that night, while I was trying to fall asleep, my dress was the one that I kept picturing myself getting married in, and it just felt right.
Describe your wedding flowers: Curt is a big fan of succulents, and they were a perfect fit for our venue, so it was a pretty easy decision. We collected and harvested our succulents over the course of about 6 months, and Curt potted most of the arrangements himself (we have a bunch of them around the house now). Originally, we were planning to make all the bouquets as well, but I was pretty nervous about having to pull that off. Thankfully, Jesi stepped in and totally made our vision come to life. My mom and I met her at the flower district in downtown L.A. a few days before the wedding, and we got ALL the flowers for about $200. No joke! Jesi made an all-succulent bouquet for me, and the bridesmaids’ bouquets were kale, baby’s breath, and plum-dyed eucalyptus leaves. It was a little risky but I’m so glad Jesi talked me into it! Everything was amazing. We also got spider mums, dahlias, and a bunch of greenery, and put loose, simple arrangements into all the glassware we had collected. Simple and easy, but absolutely perfect.
Describe your wedding cake: We knew we wanted a more eclectic dessert display, so we collected a bunch of cake stands and had a few friends and family members make their signature treats. I even managed to bake a carrot cake (Curt’s favorite) the day before the wedding. But Melody of Sweet and Saucy made us a seriously show-stopping cake. She designed it to look like a block of wood, and it was so realistic that our guests didn’t believe it was cake! It was delicious, too! If you’re ever in Long Beach, stop by her shop for a buttermilk cake pop! Mmmm…
Were there any wedding traditions or new ideas you included in the wedding? I included “something old/new/borrowed/blue” in my accessories, and we combined traditional vows with the ones we wrote. But most things were very non-traditional: I walked down the aisle to “Here Comes the Sun” (a friend of ours played a beautiful acoustic version on the guitar) and we all danced back up the aisle to MGMT’s “Electric Feel.” We served a BBQ buffet with tri-tip, pulled pork, and mac n’ cheese, and our bar featured locally brewed Hefeweizen and a huge batch of sangria that I had made the day before. Instead of a guest book, we had a “kissing booth” mirror where our guests (even the guys!) but on bright lipstick and left us a kiss and an autograph. And the DIY photo booth, with all the crazy props, was a huge hit!

There may be no better accent color than a rich, jewel-tone purple.   From the bride’s shoes to her bridesmaids’ swanky, self-selected dresses and textured bouquets (designed by the lovely and talented planner Jesi Haack), purple definitely reigns supreme in this California wedding from super-star Sarah K. Chen.  Of course, Emily would tell you her very favorite part about this wedding is the bride’s chic birdcage veil, but I’m still hung up on the lovely purple details dotting Jessica + Curt’s California nuptials.  Check out those purple ostrich pumps from Michael Kors!  More (much more!) to come!

How did the two of you meet?  Tell us your story.  We met in high school!  We took a lot of “smart kid” classes together, but always had very different groups of friends.  It wasn’t until our senior year that we figured out we’d been harboring secret crushes on each other, and everything just sort of clicked into place.  We’ve been together ever since!
Describe the proposal: Throughout high school and college, I was always involved in musical theatre and busy rehearsing for one show or another. During our last year at UC San Diego, a few of my closest friends and I put together a production of I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change. It’s a really sweet show about all the different stages of relationships: dating, marriage, kids, etc. and love in general. Curt came to the Friday night show and, by the final bows, he had decided that he wanted to ask me to marry him. With both of our families coming into town the next day to see the show, he had to move pretty quickly. He called his parents at 2:00 am and told them his plan. Early the next morning, he got my parents’ blessing and then set out to scour San Diego for the perfect ring. He picked one, got it sized, and purchased it all in the span of a couple hours! My friends, family, and cast-mates were all in on the surprise, and I was completely oblivious. Closing night went perfectly, and after the curtain call, the other 3 actors suddenly walked offstage, leaving me standing there alone. Curt walked up on the stage, took my hands, and told me that he was absolutely certain that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. I was in complete shock. He got down on one knee, pulled out the ring, and said, “I love you, you’re perfect, will you marry me?” Of course I said yes!!
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Unique, DIY and Delicious!
What was the design inspiration for your wedding? My amazing coordinator, Jesi Haack, really helped me figure this one out. We had tons of elements we wanted to incorporate and lots of crazy ideas, but no idea how to make them all work together. I didn’t want the wedding to be “theme-y” but we needed some kind of unifying concept. So we focused a lot on the juxtaposition of old/new, natural/man-made, and even ugly/pretty (like flowers made out of newspaper). We mixed eclectic, vintage glassware with modern succulent arrangements, and took a big fallen tree branch and covered it with pearls and paper leaves. The vintage modern aesthetic was a perfect fit for the venue, which had a great mix of old and new. We were so thrilled with how everything came together!
What was your favorite design element of your big day? The florals and the succulent arrangements.  Since I had an all-succulent bouquet, we planted then in a pot after the wedding so I could keep them forever!  How many brides get to say that?

We’re back with even more from Chelsey + David’s nautical nuptials!  When this wedding landed in my inbox, I was instantly drawn to the glossy, vibrant cake stand and too-cute cake.  Surprise!  The cake stand was made by Chelsey’s Dad, and the cake was made by her Mom!  Family members, friends, and the couple were also responsible for the graphic design elements, the welcome crossword, the centerpieces, and the favors, among other things.  Pink Orchid Weddings was on hand to pull all of the fantastic details together as the day-of coordinator, while a tent on the grounds of the Moosehead Maritime Museum (207-695-2716) provided just the blank canvas design-minded Chelsey was looking for.  Once again, a huge thank you to Erica Lyn and & Unlimited for sending these images our way! 

P.S. Want even more Chelsey + David?  Check out her posts as Mrs. Gloss on Weddingbee here!

Tell us about finding your wedding dress: I found my dress at the Filenes Annual Running of the Brides in Boston.  I tried on A LOT of dresses that day; it was like a speed trial for dress shopping and it was exhausting.  I had five girls with me, including my mom, and they ran around for hours collecting dresses for me to try on, needless to say the one I ended up with is the only one I picked out myself!
Describe your wedding flowers: I absolutely loved my personal flowers, I felt they were both romantic and modern.  I chose a lot of flowers that were very structured and ordered, but all mixed together so they looked soft and delicious.  
Describe your wedding cake: I wanted a modern feeling cake that meshe with the relaxed feel of our wedding.  I came up with the design from a combination of other cakes I had seen, and in my quest for perfection decided we would make the cake ourselves.  In the end, we chose a lemon cake with lemon icing and scattered blueberries.  My Dad handmade the three cake stands and we painted them a bright glossy yellow.
Were there any wedding traditions or new ideas you included in the wedding?  During the ceremony, we requested that everyone toss a rock, on which I had written our names and wedding date, into the water and make a wish for us and our future.  One sound I will never forget is all those rocks ‘plunking’ into the water.  We also had a s’mores bar set-up because many of our guests were from out-of-town and it would be a crime to come to Maine and not partake in some marshmallow roasting!
Did you write your own vows?  If so, what was your favorite phrase, verse or line?  
We elected not to use traditional vows and instead composed them from others we had heard and read.  My favorite line would have to be the first:
“I Chelsey, choose you David, to be none other than yourself, loving what I know of you, trusting what I do not yet know.”   
What’s next for you as a couple?  What are you looking forward to in the future?  We are looking forward to buying our first home and welcoming our first member of the family, a puppy!

Congratulations to Chelsey, David + their brand new puppy!