Of course my story starts with the very first wedding I created a vision for; my own! All the way back in 2018 I was happily displaying the designs and creations I had built over the last year of engagement. It was all the details coming together that gave me an overwhelming sense of peace and purpose. (Of course having my person with me was incredibly awesome, too, but that’s not what we’re talking about here)
I had free reign to make any design choices I desired and then also the luxury of creating them!
Story
As you may or may not be aware I am born, raised, and bred in North Carolina. But I had, at that point, done a fair bit of traveling up and down the east coast. A few western states here and there but nothing further than the Mississippi River. That was until my partner came along who is from California and flew me for the first time to visit his family on the other side of the country. Now I also come from a teeny tiny family. Once I started compiling a list of people who would be attending I learned very quickly that his was not. He has family all over the United States and that sparked the first idea that kicked off the rest of the planning for our wedding.
It may not be the most unique theme but I stuck to a travel inspired event. I designed the Save the Dates to look like a boarding pass. The invite itself was a passport. And I stuck with a simple but flexible color scheme of gray, white, pearl, black, and midnight blue – the color of my dress.
Elements & Details
While I absolutely would have been happy doing a courthouse ceremony I wanted to give his family a moment to celebrate together. Ultimately my vision for that became our plan. That included as small of a guest list as we could manage and my soon to be in-laws backyard. (It’s an almond orchard and was absolutely perfect)
With such a small and intimate crowd and venue I wanted to stay true to that for all of the event’s details. This was our day and it was important to me to handmake as much as possible from that first moment with the Save the Date to the small adventure notebooks everyone took home at the end of the evening.
A few specific details were most important to me as I spent the better part of two years planning it all:
- Invitation Suite
- Decor
- Favors
Invitation Suite
The latest wedding Pinterest boards all feature a welcome board in one form or another that typically includes the couples names, the date of their big day, and a saying whether that is a hashtag to encompass the event or a phrase that kicks off the party!
For Lindsay we were striking that balance again of keeping a welcome sign but twisting it in a modern fashion. We brought back in a dark color palette to set the mood and added a slightly spooky saying to nod at the October date. The entire framed piece together gives off a vibe of pristine edginess (which perfectly encapsulates Lindsay if we’re being totally honest).
Decor
Due to this being an outdoor event I really wanted to landscape to be the shining star. That helped narrow down what it was I needed.
In order to set the tone for everything a welcome sign was a must. To keep that outdoorsy relaxed environment I went with a rustic sign painted all white with a low, but not too low, contrast of gray for the lettering. All hand painted to emphasize the casual vibes.
This same aesthetic carried over to the rest of the signs. I had another encouraging guests to take a polaroid for themselves and one for us to add to our guest book. True to the over arcing travel theme I brought with me a vintage hardshell suitcase to collect everyone’s well wishes and a cute party banner with ‘cards’ written across to capture attention.
I searched high and low for the perfect cake topper. While I was not able to craft it I did end up thrifting an adorable photograph holder that was a small, decorative bridal looking camper. In it I featured both of the photo strips I had included in the Save the Date and invitation. Our ‘then’ and ‘now’ pictures fit perfectly and added such a sweet touch.
Last but certainly not least our backdrop included just the right balance of whimsical and travel. Giant rosettes made of maps from across the United States as well as paper lanterns and twinkle lights framed our big moment. If I had to do it all over I think I would’ve added a paper plane garland or a collage of postcards. Overall though, it was everything I wanted!
Favors
Deciding on what to send guests off with is always a much bigger undertaking than it seems like it should be. For every wedding I’ve worked on since it has validated for me the frustration I felt during this process as well.
At the end of the day though when something fits well it fits perfectly. I knew I wanted to steer clear of any permanent trinket. I tend to favor function as much as style in this area. So something each individual would have a use for but wouldn’t necessarily hold on to for the rest of their lives. Consumable was tricky though for us given multiple dietary restrictions. As well, many of the guests were flying in so it needed to be as small and light as possible.
With travel in mind I jumped to possibly doing luggage tags but nothing was hitting the mark. Instead I focused on the adventure aspect of travel and settled on a small notebook! I had the tools and skills to personalize them with an adorable saying, wrapped in twine with a white pencil to pair it with, and a small upcycled gift tag made out of the same maps the rosettes were. It ticked every box and all of our guests were able to now write down fun memories or at the very least have an extra pad of paper around to jot quick notes down.
