I met Melissa through some mutual friends about a year ago and was immediately struck by her amazing sense of style and fun, bubbly personality!! A few months after meeting her, she contacted me about helping her with her wedding. Melissa said that she wanted an outside opinion on all of her ideas and a little help reigning in her wildly talented imagination. I know first hand that narrowing down ideas inside a creative mind is a maddening task, so I couldn’t wait to jump in and help out.
I was initially just hired to help her with graphics, but we soon realized that we should carry the invitation ideas into all design aspects throughout the wedding…so Melissa added design and coordination to her contract (the way I wish every contract went!!) We started with the invitations and the rest of the graphics grew from there to create a sparkly, sophisticated, and incredibly fun invitation suite!
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Briana and Brian, the amazingly talented and incredibly sweet husband and wife photography duo behind Macon Photography, began shooting while the bridal party got ready. The guys were dressed classically cool in bowties, checkered shirts, and converse all stars. I literally thank the Lord everytime I am blessed with a bridal party that likes to buck tradition and really show off their sense of style!!
The girl’s dresses and jewelry were so sweet and sophisticated….and the design of the upper half of their dresses mimicked Melissa’s (details only a designer would pick up on haha) Of course, Melissa was a total hottie in her sexy/playful mermaid gown!
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Melissa’s jewelry was fabulous…as expected.
As were the bouquets created by Black Iris Floral Events… Melissa even tied strands of sequins to her bouquet once it was delivered!
It was refreshing to see a bridal party that was not only gorgeous all the way around, but that also consisted of less than 5 people on each side. Bridal party sizes are getting out of control these days!!
Here’s Eric and Melissa at their “first look”…something I HIGHLY recommend as a wedding planner. It gives you time to get the pictures you want (and paid for) so you don’t leave your guests waiting for hours after the ceremony! Another photography tip, MAKE SURE you have a list for the family pictures to give to your photographer or wedding planner. Writing down the names of the people who will be in each individual picture and ordering those pictures in a smart and organized way will make your life (and everyone else’s) muuuch happier. In Eric and Melissa’s case, the first look allowed them to get pictures in before the rain started and the organized family pictures allowed the bridal party to enjoy part of cocktail hour!
Folklore claims that rain on your wedding day is good luck……..well, these two are one LUCKY couple. It rained a little bit during the pictures, but once they got to the venue for the ceremony, the skies literally fell out. Thankfully the Yacht Club at Marina Shores has a beautiful (thoroughly covered) deck!
For the ceremony, Black Iris Floral Events made two large arrangements that framed the aisle. We also laid sparkly wands on each chair for guests to wave at the newly married couple as they walked back down the aisle…..which the majority of the guests forgot to use -__- BUT they were cute, and that’s all that matters!! Here’s a cell phone picture of the wands…there were guests already seated once the photographers got there but they were too fun to not share!
The ceremony began with a tree planting ceremony (love!) and ended with the sweetest hand written vows that had even yours truly, a non-crier, in tears.
The ceremony ended and cocktail hour began…where the guests were served Orange Crushes in custom pint glasses!!
After cocktail hour, guests were lead to their seats by this lovely escort card display of gorgeous garland circles (made by the amazing Cara Cauldwell of Perpetual Motion).
Inside, the guests tables were decorated with black and white striped runners, teal vases, gold branches, and gold sparkle table numbers. The striped straws each had a teal or gold flag on them, indicating whether the guest would be eating chicken or beef. We are alwaysss looking for creative ways to let the catering companies know who’s eating what!
The head table showcased gold glitter vases (recognize those from the Valentine’s shoot?!), driftwood, mercury glass, and coral. Divineeee.
The cake, created by Incredible Edibles, was encrusted with gold sparkle sugar cubes and coral flowers…..so stunning!!
This gorgeous arrangement was in the entry vestibule, welcoming guests into the event while hinting at the décor inside.
A huge thank you to all vendors who helped make this day spectacular!!
Coordinator/Designer/Graphics/Rentals- Style by Design
Photographer- Macon Photography
Venue- Yacht Club at Marina Shores
Catering- Cuisine and Company
Florist- Black Iris Floral Events
DJ- Astro DJ’s
Cake- Incredible Edibles
Officiant- Michael Tungett
Makeup- Samantha McDonald
Hair- Hair Graphics
XOXO
