Wedding Crashing: Rustic Farm

Calling all brides-to-be:  get your pinning trigger finger ready, because THIS is how you a rustic farm wedding with class.

You guys remember our friends Max and Whitney?  Well on May 18, 2013 we were honored to be invited to their wedding at the groom's parents house in Unionville, PA.

The ceremony was held on the front lawn with the house and beautiful courtyard as a back drop.  On the day Max proposed, the smell of lilacs filled the air of their front porch, and they paid tribute to this fragrant memory by having lilacs everywhere- including the mason jars with tea candles that lined the aisle.

Max and Whitney chose a self-uniting ceremony and had their good friend Sara act as an officiant.  The ceremony was so beautiful and intimate, I felt honored to be present for this moment.

photo via Jenna Walcott Photography

photo via Jenna Walcott Photography

Whitney looked... stunning.  There is no other word to describe it.  Her dress had everything: the mermaid style bodice was covered in lace and rhinestones, with feathers peaking up from her modified sweetheart neckline.  The skirt has big ruffles of silk organza.  She kept her jewelry simple, but added the perfect amount of drama with a gorgeous diamond cuff and a cathedral length veil.

photo via Jenna Walcott Photography

Her bouquet was the most beautiful bouquet I have ever seen and contained peonies, succulents and , of course, lilacs.



Her bridesmaids were given carte blanche in picking a dress; the only rules were short and neutral.  Without consulting the bride or each other, these five ladies picked dresses that played off each other perfectly.

photo via Jenna Walcott Photography

We need to talk about the favors.  If you are looking for those nasty Jordan almonds, look elsewhere.  Each guest got their own mason jar mug to carry around with them for the rest of the night.  They had chalk board paint on each one, so you could scribe your name to your glass.

You guys, mason jar mugs.  So yeah, this happened.

#mydreamcometrue.

Instead of the traditional guestbook, they set up a photo station for guest to have their picture taken, and then write  a little note in a photo album.  It was a great way to remember each guest on the day

I loved this heart shaped cut of wood.  This is a beautiful memento of the day to be displayed on a mantle or bookshelf for years.

One of the personal touches was the actual beverages provided for the evening.  Max is a brewer for a local brewery, so clearly a beer aficionado.  Max was given the opportunity a while back to go to Belgium and learn brewing techniques from Jean van Roy at Cantillon Brewery.  In honor of their special day, Jean sent a few kegs of their limited gueuze as the toasting beverage.  

The owner of Farrente's Meats is a close personal friend of the groom's father and did the catering for the wedding.  They provided the most amazing appetizer I've ever had:  tomato soup with grilled cheese croutons.  

The reception was held under a tent directly next to the ceremony area.  Throwing tradition to the wind, they chose a family style seating plan-- which lead to us getting to meet new people!

photo via Jenna Walcott Photography

The table linens were a simple and crisp white cloth with a burlap table runner. Mason jars and vases were filled with lilacs and roses of all colors and rose petals were scattered about.

We were serenaded by The Blue Method, a local soul funk band that is a favorite of Whitney's.  

After the first dance, the party got started

When Whitney is around, there is always dancing..

As the sun started to set, sparklers were handed out to guest to add to the magic of the night.

Maximus and Taintess,
  Thank you for inviting us to your special day and into your lives.  We feel so blessed to call you our friends.  We wish you more better than worse, more health than sickness and more riches than poor, but I know regardless of your situation, you will remain steadfast to each other.  For you have found a life companion in each other.

Love Always,
  JEGs and Lady Lumps

Wedding Crashing: Very Pinteresting

 On July 21, 2012 I was very honored to be bridesmaid in my best friends wedding.

The ceremony and reception took place in the Currents Ballroom at the Adventure Aquarium in Camden, NJ.  The ceremony decorations were minimal and your eye wandered to the beautiful ceiling that looked like ocean waves

The bride and groom, Connie and Joey, obtained a self-uniting marriage license which allows a couple to get married without having a third party officiant.  Instead of a member of the clergy, our friend Phil stood in front of family and guests and spoke kind words about the couple.  He even appropriately added a quote from Superman.

Connie's dress was show-stopping.  The bodice was ruched organza with a shell-like detailing along the sweetheart neckline.  Her A-line skirt was a sea of flowing ruffles.  She customized the dress by adding a jeweled strap to one shoulder, making it both romantic and modern. Her long black hair was pulled back just at the crown, while the rest fell in soft curls.  I was so proud of her for not pulling it back in a ponytail, like she often does.  

The bridesmaids wore matching Grecian-style dresses in Wisteria.  Our one shoulder strap had a floral detailing similar to the ruffles on Connie's train.  We held simple bouquets of silk hydrangea.

The gentlemen looked sharp in their crisp black suits with ties and vests to match the ladies' dresses.  The groom wore all black.

In lieu of flowers, the men had boutonnieres of crystals that showcased a Superman emblem.  Can you guess Joe is a fan of super heroes?

The answer to that is Yes.  Yes he is.

Joe is also a huge fan of movies; a former Blockbuster employee, his collection of unopened DVDs is the envy of all who see it.   As a nod to his love of movies, the escort cards were designed to look like ticket stubs.  Tables were named after a movie that came out in each year of their life.  

The corresponding table not only had the movie's name, but also a picture of Connie and Joe from that particular year!

The centerpieces were simple hurricane vases with flowers and a floating candle.

Not a whole lot of fuss because you didn't want to distract from the pièce de résistance.. the shark tank.

That's right, as guests walked into the reception area, they were shocked to see the entire back wall was the aquarium's shark tank (Mr.Wonderful  not included).   It was kind of bad ass.  The guests also had exclusive access to other exhibits of the aquarium, including the shark tunnel.

After the couple danced their first dance to Michael Morrison's version of "Sway", we sat down to a buffet dinner.

Can we discuss the cake?  It was provided by local baker, AndieKakes and it was gor.  ge.  OUS.  I have never seen such a beautiful cake.  It was four tiers with beautiful edible sugar flowers.  I wish I could tell you the flavor, but I was too busy drinking cosmos and running around the shark tunnel to notice they served it.  Whomp whomp.  

  

The whole event was beautiful, down to every pin-worthy detail.  Connie and Joey, thank you for allowing me to be a part of your day. I love you both so much and I wish you a life time of love, tolerance and happiness.  

xoxo,
  Amerbutt

It's Conniepalooza!

My best friend is getting married.  Tomorrow.  

This is epic news because Connie has said she never wanted to get married.  Then, in December, she and her boyfriend of 12 years, Joey, announced their engagement.  She asked me to be a bridesmaid, and of course I accepted.  After all, she was my maid of honor.

Two of the other bridesmaids, Erin and Jamie and I got started planning her bridal shower.  After much searching (and fighting with the owner), we got a fantastic deal at the Brick Hotel in Newtown, PA.

 (before I continue, I need to mention that I forgot my camera.  All of the bridal shower pictures are 100% stolen from Jamie's facebook page)

When it came time to plan the details, I knew I wanted to make things pretty:  soft peaches, pinks and yellows.  I figured if I could make this look like a Pinterest board, pin-happy Connie would be pleased.

Our dear friend, Erin, flew in from Atlanta and helped us with the plans

For favors, we went with cake pops.  Everyone loves an edible favor, and they looked like fun to make.  And believe me, after killing three bottles of moscato between the three of us, they were a lot of fun to make.

Beside the favors we had a scrap booking area.  Connie loves to scrap book, so we felt it was appropriate for everyone to write down a memory of Connie or Joe.  We provided stickers, markers and other crafty accessories

We played three games:  The first was a simple game of as the guest arrived, we had the write down their birthdays and wedding anniversaries.  The guests with the date closest to Connie's birthday, Joey's birthday and their impending wedding date one a prize.  The second game was a He Said/She Said that I blatantly stole from here.  The top two guest with the most correct answers got prizes.  The third game everyone was given a clothes pin, and if you said the word "wedding" "groom" or "bride", some was allowed to steal your clothes pin.  The final prize was awarded to Erin's mom, who was mighty cut throat with this game.

In an attempt to save money, I ransacked my mason jar collection and made two different prizes.  The jars marked "Love Yourself" included miniature hand lotions, body sprays, nail file, nail polish and cozy socks.  The "Grow Love" jars had gardening gloves, a packet of flower seeds and some top soil to start.

Our centerpieces were smaller mason jars wrapped in twine filled with fresh cut flowers.  A game card was set at each chair, along with pencils in a baby food jar wrapped in twine.

Joe's family celebrates with cocktails

the excited bride enters

 All in all the shower was a great success and Connie was  showered with lovely gifts and wonderful company

 ...and Jamie and I celebrated that we pulled the whole thing off.   

For the bachelorette party, I hosted a small cocktail party before we headed out to Woody's in Philadelphia.

damn the fuzzy picture!

 Went with a theme of fabulousity by pairing turquoise and gold.  I set out a light fare of roasted red pepper hummus, bake brie and chicken bites with a merlot ranch dipping sauce.

 I set up a martini bar with all the fixings and included the recipes for three popular martinis:  dirty, cosmo and apple martini.

 Among our group of friends, we don't really do all the bachelorette paraphernalia;  no lighted penis earrings, or shot glasses, or t shirts with check lists.  We do, however, require a penis cake.

 Everyone mingled and got to know each other for about an hour or so, and then Connie preformed the penis cake bris

Not gonna lie, that was damn good cake.  Funfetti for the win.

The rest of the night was filled with  drunken debauchery.  There are pictures floating around, but I don't need the world to see.  Just know that there was dancing, vodka and a very sexy shot guy I kept calling Clark Kent walking around in his skivvies.  It was a good night.


So here we are Ms. Chung, it's the night before you wedding.  A day that I never thought I would see, and I am still getting used to the fact it is happening.  I am so excited for tomorrow to see all your planning come to fruition.

Many happy years to you and Joey,

xoxo
  Amerbutt.