Welcome back, Pretty Little Wedding readers! We hope your holiday season was filled with family and fun. We’re excited to begin a new year of wedding features with you today, beginning with this sweet session.
Austin-based photography team Forever Photography captured Caroline’s classic bridal session at The Prairie by Rachel Ashwell—a bed and breakfast nestled on a rustic farm. With hair styling by Miranda McGuire, makeup by April Monroe and a vibrant bouquet by Stems Floral Design, this session took on a sweet and timeless style any bride can snag for herself.
Photography by Forever Photography.
With help from a bridesmaid and wedding planner-to-be, Natalie and Paul planned a wedding that they described as classic and traditional—on a budget. “We agreed that we wanted to spend as little money as possible on the wedding because it’s only one day, and it’s not worth getting into debt,” Natalie said. The couple tackled simple do-it-yourself projects and shopped sale racks to accomplish their goals.
Bridesmaids donned dresses found on sale from Banana Republic. And though the couple “knew it would be a large wedding, we still really wanted to make it personal and represent us,” Natalie said. Because Paul loves to read, the couple spray painted books for centerpieces, and added other gold accents, including candelabras, vases and candle holders, from thrift stores to fill out the décor. The couple also spray painted 32 encyclopedias, then scrapbooked their favorite memories on the pages.
Invitations: By the bride
Amy imagined her wedding to Gary long before she knew his name. “Starting at age 13, I have been collecting every Martha Stewart Weddings, Southern Living Weddings and Town & Country Weddings magazine,” Amy told to Pretty Little Weddings. “To put it lightly, I had a very specific vision in mind.” A team of talented Gulf Coast vendors—including Diva Productions, a talented member of Pretty Little Weddings’ vendor guide—captured her vision perfectly, she said. “The vendors executed my vision better that imagined, and everything was even more beautiful than the magazine pictures,” Amy said.
Amy, who is a dance instructor, and her father shared a special dance at the reception, twirling the dance floor to music from The Godfather. Guests were given a wood puzzle, bearing a picture of the couple, to sign in place of a traditional guest book. And Amy became an amateur calligrapher so that she could address the couple’s save the dates, invitations and escort cards herself.
Melissa and Tripp should have been relaxing in the Riviera Maya, but Tripp was wracked with nerves. “The whole time, Tripp was acting a little off,” Melissa told Pretty Little Weddings. “He’d wake up early each morning and want to take walks. On day three of the trip, he woke up really early and I told him to leave me alone and let me sleep in another hour or two. When I opened my eyes a few hours later, he was hovering over me. He said, ‘I just can’t wait any longer,’ and he placed the ring box on my stomach.” Nearly a year later, the couple wed in Melissa’s hometown of Katy, Texas.”We couldn’t see ourselves getting married anywhere but Agave Road in my hometown,” Melissa said.
Melissa and Tripp chose “earthy, natural colors that played well with our reception venue,” Melissa said. The dark blue, sage and ivory palette “was a very random pairing choice, but it ended up working beautifully against Agave’s orange exterior,” Melissa said. Bridesmaids echoed the color palette with Ann Taylor dresses and bouquets of dusty miller, ivory hydrangea and berries. Because the couple loves to travel, they named tables for their favorite places and celebrated their home together—New York City—by dancing to Frank Sinatra’s New York, New York, before exiting their reception.
Floral Design: Dream Affairs
Veil: Designed by the bride and a friend
