Wedding Wonderment: The Reception Look

I would have been lost the day of the wedding without our fantastic florist and decorators at Blue Bouquet. If you are looking for an incredible florist look no further  They are one of the best in the city.

The thing I loved most about Blue Bouquet is they encouraged me to be as involved or as removed as I wanted to be from the design process. The things I wanted to be picky about (like the overabundance of pumpkins) they let me be picky about, but the things I didn't care about as much (types of flowers in the decor) they just went with something that would look good with the overall look. 

Isaac and I went hunting and found some vintage comic books to use in the decor to give it a fun flair and we even found a wedding one from Superman. So cute. The burlap was plentiful and mason jars were everywhere (all things I had requested in our consultation). It was so rustic and beautiful. And look at it lit up at night!

Their team spent so much time hanging string bulb from the rafters of the outdoor location to achieve this look. It was so worth it don't you think? A perfect soft glow. 

The desert table was a joint effort (and one of my favorite things of the day). I made the cinder blocks painted different colors (thank you pinterest), my Aunt loaned me the smaller of the tree stump cupcake holders, I bought the large cupcake holder and the cake topper via etsy from some fabulous sellers, the amazing Melissa Hill made my cupcakes and small cake for the top as a wedding present, and Blue Bouquet brought in the large apothecary jars and set the whole thing up. 

The cake was incredible. I found the cake holder on Tex and Paula's shop on etsy. They do amazing work. The wood was all untreated and smelled amazing. They had it to us just in time for the big day. The cake topper actually has a fun story behind it. I was browsing Offbeat Bride (a fantastic website for unique ideas) and they featured a wedding with this cake topper. I fell in love and commented asking where the bride had gotten it and she offered to make me one! Gasp! Her etsy shop is amazing, and I'm sure if you wanted a cake topper that was similar she'd be more than willing to make another. 

While Blue Bouquet did most of our decor, my mom's friend set up the front drive for us with the sign made by another of my mom's friends reading "Eat, Drink, and Be Married." It set the mood as people came in the front. 

Last was our incredible "guest book." I had the idea to imitate the up house with the thumb prints being the balloons but I'm no artist so I took my idea to one of my bridesmaids moms, Anna Poindexter, and she painted this for us. It now hangs in our bedroom as a reminder of all the people who love us and shared our day with us. 

Whew! That was quite the post. Here are the vendors:

Photography: Abundant Life Photography

Decor and Floral: Blue Bouquet

Cupcakes: Melissa Hill

Cake Stand: Tex and Paula

Cake Topper: Amanda Kaliski Alvarez

Wedding Wonderment: The Wedding Party

When it came time to choose our wedding party it wasn't very hard. Every single person in our wedding party has had a significant impact on one, if not both, of our lives. Many of these friends (siblings of course being longer) had been in our lives for over 10 years. 

After Isaac and I had our first look we got together with everyone to take pictures and goof off for about an hour before the guests started to arrive. I didn't know it at the time, but this was about the only time that whole day I got to spend with these important people and it was so sweet and fun. 

We even had a few visitors as were were taking shots sneak in with us. 

We decided we wanted to keep the dress pretty casual and cheep. Some of our wedding party was traveling in from out of town and we wanted to keep any cost we could down. I knew I wanted our colors to be bright and fun without overpowering everything and looking like a circus. I went to a fabric store and picked out fabric that was in the colors I wanted. Then I just sent the swatches to all my bridesmaids and they picked a dress in that color. I didn't like the idea of having all my bridesmaids in the same dress. I wanted to be able to see their personalities come out when I looked back on our wedding photos 20 years later. They all looked so beautiful.

 The guys all went out and got the same pair of pants (JC Penny) and just paired it with a white shirt and shoes they already had. I ordered the suspenders and bow ties together so they would all look the same. Don't they look handsome?

My favorite pictures were what we captured on the old couch we brought in for the wedding. This couch, fondly called the pit, had been in my family for 30+ years. My mom has pictures of all of us kids crawling, laying, wrestling, and playing on this couch. 

And most of our wedding party had partied on the couch on one night or another, watching movies or playing games in high school. 

It was perfect that it's last hurrah was with people that loved it dearly. 

Also, I can't get over how cute our two little flower girls and ring bearer were. Instead of throwing flowers, they carried a sign that said "Here comes the bride." Got the "aw" factor up for sure. 

Vendors featured:

Abundant Life Photography

Wedding Wonderment: First Look and the Dress

I've always been the nervous type and I knew my wedding day would be no exception, so I asked Mr. Snail early on if we could have a "first look" rather than waiting till I walked down the aisle to see each other. 

It ended up working out perfectly and I highly recommend it to all my friends who are getting married. It felt so much more intimate and it really capture the moment. I love the look on his face. 

It also gave me the freedom to cry and get all my emotions out (ok, not all, I still cried like a baby during our vows) before I greeted people. I had been so nervous the whole day but after that, having Mr. Snail with me calmed me down. It felt real. And it felt natural. I feel like part of the wedding day jitters have to do with not being able to be with the most important person before you make the most important decision.

It felt perfect. And it ended up being some of our favorite pictures as well. 

The dress is usually my favorite part of any wedding. I used to work at a bridal store and it cannot be expressed how much a dress can transform a girl. So when it was time for my beautiful dress I skipped back to my stomping grounds of Amore Bridal and Tuxedo. 

There are a few things I always told my brides when they were shopping with me: 

1) Know how to dress your body type

2) Just about anything can be altered, changed, or added to. Love the dress but want some straps? Done. Need a little more coverage up top or want a deeper sweetheart? Done. 

3) Any dress can be made into a corset back and you should do it. A corset allows you to gain or loose as much as 5-10 pounds (depending on how tall you are) before the wedding. And it makes you look skinny to boot. 

I knew with my big bust and hour glass shape I needed something that covered, had no waist line and fitted through my hips. This particular cut hides some areas that jiggles and gave me a teeny tiny waist.  

 I'm not a big sparkle girl so the muted beading and ruching was all the detail I needed. And the pop of tulle underneath gave it just a touch of whimsy and magic that I wanted. 

Amore really is one of the best places in Kansas City to shop for a wedding dress (or a Bridesmaid Dress or tuxedo for that matter) and I'm not just saying that because I worked there. They have an in-house seamstresses to take care of any alterations and they are fabulous. On my dress they added fabric to the top, put a corset in the back, and put in bustles (I think about 14). They really know their stuff and have a great selection. My dress was designed by Allure Bridals but they offer dresses by over 10 other beautiful and affordable designers.

Featured Vendors:

Abundant Life Photography

Amore Bridal and Tuxedo

Allure Bridal

Wedding Wonderment: Guys and the Ceremony Site/Details

When the guys were all set to start getting ready, Adam (one of our photographers) left his wife Wendy with the girls and zoomed midtown to the apartment that would soon hold both Mr. and Mrs. Snail. 

When I looked through the pictures the first time with Mr. Snail I teared up a bit having our little home in the background. 

It makes me wonder if Mr. Snail felt the same way looking at the pictures of my girls and I getting ready, like peaking into the others world. Both my bridesmaids and his groomsmen had been part of our lives for so long (I've known our best man longer than Mr. Snail) that their personalities were so apparent, doncha think?

Believe it or not, when we were first talking about guys gear, Mr. Snail was always pushing for more formal. I liked the idea of the guys keeping pretty casual and we eventually reached the compromise that we used. No suit rental, just ordered all the suspenders and bow ties offline and the guys got their own shirts and pants. We both were really happy with the effect and that way Mr. Snail didn't get too hot with a suit jacket. And let's not forget the epic boutonnieres that our fabulous florist, Blue Bouquet (more on them later), made for us. Superheros for everyone!

When we finally arrived at the venue, Faulkner's Ranch, I was completely floored. When we first toured the little pumpkin farm in Raytown, I was unsure. I had to book a venue with just mom and dad for help because Mr. Snail was in Virginia at the time. We really wanted a vintage and natural feel for our wedding, and while Faulkner's had the outdoor appeal, it also felt a little too "ranchy." I asked our fabulous coordinator Christine if we could play down the country and play up the vintage and together, with help from Blue Bouquet, they really came through.

Our ceremony took place by the small pond they have on the property in a large field. I asked Mr. Snail if we could have lots of pumpkins (no surprise there) and he obliged, stopping me at ordering a semi load of pumpkins (sadly, I'm being serious, there was talk of a semi load at one point.) Blue Bouquet started by lining the whole walkway with pumpkins and mixed traditional chairs with hay bale seating to give it a more casual feel. 

Easily my favorite part of the entire decor was the arbor we were married under. I had a very specific idea of what I wanted and Mr. Snail pretty much gave me free reign. I showed Blue Bouquet a picture of an arbor and they pretty  much made an exact replica for our wedding. I loved the effect of candles mixed with wildflowers. Everything about that arbor screamed fairytale to me. 

Vendors featured: 

Abundant Life Photography

Blue Bouquet

Faulkner's Ranch

Next installment: First Look and the Bridal Look

Wedding Wonderment: Girls getting ready

I've been wanting to share our wedding on here for awhile. Even though the pictures are up on facebook and it's been almost 5 months (wow) I love commentary to pictures. Plus, I was in love with our wedding, and I want to share the people that made it possible. 

So installment 1 - Girls Getting Ready

When we first started planning, one thing that was important to me was getting ready at my parent's house. They have lived there for 35 years and it holds too many memories for it not to be part of the special day. Especially since my childhood bedroom would be the backdrop for our photos.

The night before all my bridesmaids came over for an overnight. It felt like a giant girl slumber party and it gave a chance for the boy snail's sisters to get to know the other bridesmaids. It was a giggle fest of ridiculousness. 

We woke up the morning of the wedding, dad made mimosas and mom made a huge breakfast. Our incredible photographers Wendy and Adam from Abundant Life Photography arrived about 10 and we had a relaxing few hours doing hair, nails, makeup and a few dance parties. 

I was so fortunate that one of my bridesmaids, Emily Winders, works at a fantastic salon called Hair in Westport. She insisted on doing both my hair and makeup and I couldn't have been happier. So elegant, whimsical, and natural. 

When it was finally time to put on my dress, the backdrop of my parent's gigantic living room with high arching ceilings was perfect to capture the huge feeling of putting on something so important. 

For my something old/something borrowed/something blue my aunt lent me my grandma's pearls and garter, which has now been worn by my grandmother, my aunt, my cousin, and myself. 

It was such a fanciful morning and felt like the perfect way to leave my single life behind. It was nostalgic without being sappy and sad, and relaxing without being too devoid of excitement. 

Next up: Guys getting ready/the arrival and the venue

Vendors Featured: 

Emily Winders - Hair Salon in Westport

Abundant Life Photography

P.S. - You might have noticed I changed the general feel of the blog? What do you think? Keeper or kicker?