The Wedding: Details
16 Nov
If you’ve missed any of my previous wedding re-caps, check out the links below:
- The Wedding: Pre-Ceremony
- The Wedding: Ceremony
- The Wedding: Reception, Part 1
- The Wedding: Reception, Part 2
- The Wedding: Reception, Part 3
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Tonight, we’re getting into the details of the big day!
First up… the flowers…
Hydrangeas were our flower of choice & also served as the “theme” of our wedding. All of our stationary had a hydrangea print.
I’m not the biggest flower person, so I knew this was not where I wanted to spend the majority of our budget.
The bridesmaids & flower girl each carried a bouquet of light blue hydrangeas (the flower girl’s single hydrangea was cream). I loved how the light blue really popped with the purple dresses.
My bouquet was a combination of two shades of light blue hydrangeas, cream roses, & purple flowers that I can’t remember the name of!
I was worried about how the hydrangeas would hold up in the August heat, but they did surprisingly well. They started to droop a bit before the reception, but we got them in water & they perked right up again! 
We kept the altar arrangements simple; the florist created two “rounded” arrangements of blue hydrangeas for each side of the altar. I was very specific in stating I did not want “pointy” or over the top altar arrangements… just not my style! The florist mixed in some cream carnations. She advised not to spend the money on roses, because no one would get close enough to tell the difference… a good, cost-saving tip!
At our reception, we had Blumeboxes surrounding our cake!
The Blumeboxes were filled with water, & were customized (by me!) with each bridesmaid’s name.
As guests entered the reception, they picked up their place cards.
We kept things simple – the print on the place cards matched the rest of our stationary, & were labeled (with different colored dots) with each guest’s meal choice. This is a great way for the servers to know who gets what without having to ask!
Before guests headed to their seats, they were invited to sign our “guestbook,” which was actually a plate, painted with our names, the date, & of course, a hydrangea. The plate will be displayed in our home (side note: if anyone knows where I can find a sturdy plate hanger, please let me know!).
The tables were kept simple…
We selected dark brown chiavari chairs & went with ivory tablecloths, ivory napkins, & ivory seat covers. It’s a lot of ivory, but I loved the way it looked. The Foundry is a dramatic venue, & I thought it best to keep everything else subdued!
As you can see, we did a small hydrangea arrangement in a “bubble vase.” Each table also had a number (printed on our signature wedding stationary) & a note, explaining that in lieu of traditional wedding favors, Chris & I made a donation to our local Animal Rescue League. You can also see in the picture above, we had menus printed & placed at each guest’s place setting.
One of my favorite features of the wedding? Our candy bar!
I purchased the candy in bulk from a local candy company, ordered the tags from Etsy & acquired the glass containers from various sources! (Can anyone resist the deliciousness that is gummy sharks?!) As you can see, we kept the candy blue & purple to coordinate with our wedding colors!
Finally, as the evening came to a close, guests were invited to grab a cake to-go box for a late-night snack! (I even swiped one myself!)
The cake boxes were customized with our initial, names, & wedding date!
What do you think should take up the biggest portion of a wedding budget? We spent the most on our venue & food, which were definitely most important to me!
Love the color scheme- it must have tied the whole wedding together. I didn’t care too much about flowers either. My photographer took a good chunk of the budget and so did the food for the reception- yep the food was the MAJOR cost for us. Totally worth it, perfect day!
The photographer is definitely important, too!
I have never seen the plate idea before! How cute! That’s a really great idea and a great way to remember the wedding attendants! And I loveeee candy tables
Thanks! We liked that we would be able to display it as a reminder of the day!
I love the idea of a cake to go box! A great idea for those who are too stuffed to enjoy it at the wedding. I also love the idea of the donation instead of a gift. For my wedding I think food will be my biggest expense.
I knew I wanted the cake boxes because if I were a guest, I would be so excited to get a piece of cake to go! haha
I thought you wedding was beautiful! Although I don’t know if we signed the plate or not and I didn’t get a cake to go
I think I was too busy drinking and dancing-LOL!
Thanks Susan! That’s ok, as long as you had fun!!
Beautiful! I absolutely LOVE hydrangeas. I’m a big flower person, so I would say I’d probably spend the most on flowers, dress, and honeymoon. I think if I ever get married it will be a small wedding (like immediate family), so food wouldn’t be too big of an expense.
I completely forgot about my dress! haha That was definitely a substantial part of the budget!
Everything is beautiful!! I love the light blue with purple too. Such a cute combination.
Thanks Kim!
Very beautiful! Loved your flowers. I agree, the venue is quite important. Photographer as well!
Thanks Ashley! Definitely the photographer — it’s a once & done thing so they’ve got to be good!