I am so excited to share with you a few details from the reception of my sister and new brother-in-laws wedding. When discussing the over all feel they wanted it was described as “Whimsical Woodsy” {okay, those may have been her words} and an anthropoligie-esque feel. From the venue to the decor it was most certainly whimsical- the stunning bride and groom were the icing on top! It was a such a beautiful day.
The ceremony and reception took place at a historic village museum in Dallas, Texas. They were married under large trees on a hot June day- but not too hot 😉 The reception was held in a glass pavilion on the centre of the grounds.
Their colors were gold, ivory and blush with hints of mauve- and plenty of greenery to balance everything. I went for a visit a month before the wedding; we discussed the vision for the centre pieces, and the look and feel they desired for the reception. Rachel wanted succulents, greenery, roses, peonies, dahlias… a woodsy vibe with plenty of fresh stems, without things feeling too rustic or country. Their photographer Anna Smith captured all of these beautiful images, and while I know this post is about the reception- I had to share a few shots from the day.
When I pinned her flower crown on it took my breath away, and of course I just started crying my eyes out. My sister and one of my dearest friends was getting married! What a stunning bride she made.
The florist {named Kim} was wonderful- she did all of the bridal party bouquets, boutineers and flower crowns. Aren’t they amazing?! My mom was instrumental in arranging all of the rentals and additional decor elements. The tableware, cutlery seating, and linens set a beautiful stage.
When I arrived for the wedding just under a week early, my mom and sister explained that there was a change of plan. They wanted to “DIY” all of the flowers aside from the wedding party. I will admit I momentarily felt intimidated about doing the centre pieces- but I quickly got over that and realized it was a dream come true! It was a little slice of heaven to shop for all of those flowers and then go crazy on the cutting floor “playing.” My sister Kristin was an incredible help and has a wonderful eye. We couldn’t have done it without her! 
{PS- the arrangement above was made by Rachel and her good friend Nina, who were afraid to do any arrangements- but I said they had to try at least one! Didn’t they do a lovely job?! They went on to do several more}
Rachel had several friends who were able to supply the wood slice slabs, glass vases and logs for the day. Rachel and I spray painted additional vases gold and had to hand brush the tall ones blush to get the right color. Yes- we were very detail oriented 😉
The table cards came from Michaels- all of the succulents were purchased at Lowes and Home Depot. The flowers came from Central Market {oh how I wish they had that store in Canada!}
The tables were balanced but not identical. We reserved the majority of the logs for the head table as they made a stunning statement while allowing for a clean visual of the bride and groom.
So how did we do these log arrangements you ask? WET Floral Foam! I had never used floral foam before, and I was a little bit nervous. We soaked it for 2 days before- and did the arrangements on a Friday night. The wedding was not until Sunday. It really is best to do your arrangements a few days before- as everything just opens and fills out so nicely. I was so nervous the foam would be dried out and we would have sad droopy flowers Sunday morning, but they looked amazing. Phew! Floral foam is my new favorite thing!!
In the centre of the pavilion we hung the same lanterns that I used at my sister’s shower.
They chose a naked cake, layered with vanilla, chocolate and red velvet. Yummm!
I really could just keep going, but I think it’s time to wrap this post up! It was a beautiful day, and I simply loved being witness to it. It was a lot of work to pull together, but it was fun work- together as a family, and I couldn’t be happier for the new couple! When I look at some of these photos, knowing all of the behind the scenes- I just can’t believe how lovely it all was! I will be back to share some photos of the bridal party another day.
-Miss Ash