Simple Photography from a Backyard Wedding

Mr. Q and I recently had the pleasure of attending my dear cousin's intimate backyard wedding. He and his wife planned their day around their favorite things: bright colors, dreamcatchers, rock music, and family. As our gift to the couple, Mr. Q served as wedding photographer and I lent my creativity to editing the images. Here are a few of my favorites.

Real Wedding: Rustic Elegance at Explore Park

This past weekend I had the pleasure of helping with a wedding in an absolutely beautiful location: Virginia's Explore Park on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The wedding was extra special to me because the bride is my BFF Breeze's younger sister and since I've known her for 20 years, I love her like she's my own sister too. She and her groom actually met at Breeze's wedding and everyone there could see that it was love at first sight.

Photo by my sister-in-law Autumn

The wedding ceremony took place in Mountain Union Church, a reconstructed Greek Revival church and schoolhouse from the 1880's. The bride was given away by her grandfather, who later said in his toast that it was the happiest day of his life because both of his granddaughters are so happy. Special touches included vows written by the bride and groom and a tree ceremony with readings from both of their mothers. The couple became homeowners last year so knowing that the tree will be planted on their homestead was a sweet touch.

The reception was held in the Chestnut Ridge Room in the Arthur Taubman Center, a modern building designed with 18th century style in mind. The bride and her bridesmaids filled the room with special touches including a puzzle guest book and chalkboard relationship timeline. The wedding colors were coral, cobalt, and gray, and everything came together through the use of repeated textures - "tree cookies," chalkboards, burlap, and lace. Photographs were also a major decorating theme for the reception.

We created this sweetheart table with antique chairs from the couple's home. The drink holders are from Kirkland's - I couldn't resist picking them up when I saw the burlap!

The bride's best friend is a photographer who created this "LOVE" art on a hike through the woods. The bride adores owls, so we had to get a few feathered friends in on the decor!

The centerpieces included a "tree cookie" cut from the bride's grandfather's farm, a cobalt wine bottle from a local vineyard wrapped in lace and filled with baby's breath, a burlap-wrapped glass soda bottle filled with cobalt and blue flowers, and a tiny Weck-style burlap-wrapped canning jar filled with an LED light and glass marbles. Each table also had photos of the bride and groom at similar phases in their lives (and in poses that basically proved they are soulmates).

The couple are known as avid environmentalists who love hiking, camping and attending music festivals, and their plates and cutlery were 100% compostable. The dinner buffet included wraps, veggie slaw, and fruit salad from a local café. 

This rustic, elegant wedding at Explore Park was one of the most unique and creative weddings I've attended - it was certainly a labor of love for friends and family, and the bride and groom have never looked happier or more in love.

clicks of note: I am a universe wrapped in skin..

get your week off to a colorful start...

• Here's a sneak peek from my friend Mandi's sweet rustic wedding in a reconstructed 1880's church on the Blue Ridge Parkway this weekend... full recap coming on Wednesday!

LISTEN.

• Joy Williams hasn't slowed down since the breakup of the Civil Wars - her new album Venus comes out today and I am so excited for it. Can we all declare "Woman (Oh Mama)" our new anthem? I'm linking up today with Musical Mondays at My So-Called Chaos.

SWOON.

• Check out this cute state cake topper at Emmaline Bride.
• Cool fireworks wedding invites via Oh So Beautiful Paper.
• Landlocked? Escape with this California inspiration shoot.
• Last-minute Independence Day ideas on my Pinterest.

SMILE.

• BuzzFeed girls take on Victoria's Secret swimsuits and poses.
• An interesting visual of creatives' daily routines from Podio.
• Hadley Freeman's ode to 80's movies, via the Guardian.
• I really needed Megan's essay on embracing the in-between.

FLASHBACK.

• Last year I shared a random Sunday Social, rounded up some stylish patriotic picks,  and collected creative escort card ideas for romantic weddings. My family kicked off our Williamsburg vacation
• Two years ago I participated in a Sunday Social all about movies, found some lemon yellow poolside essentials, geeked out about SYTYCD, shared my favorite mixed-berry cobbler recipe, and shared some patriotic wedding inspiration.
• Three years ago, I shared Independence Day wardrobe inspiration, party decor ideas, and round-ups of dessert recipes and side dishes.
• Four years ago, I was working on last-minute wedding projects.

clicks of note: please let me back in your heart...

get your week off to a colorful start...
LISTEN.

• Colbie Caillat is the go-to girl for laid-back, feel-good songs.  I'm currently obsessed with this Jackson 5 song because of the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack, but I think I might like Caillat's version better than the original.  I'll be linking up with Musical Mondays at My So-Called Chaos.

SWOON.

The Lilypad Cottage

• Bridal Musings rounds up 2014's stylish celebrity weddings.
• Loving Craftberry Bush's sweet, artistic holiday home tour.
• Lilypad Cottage's black and white Christmas decor is so chic.
• Southern Weddings features a pastel Tennessee farm soirée.

SMILE.

• It's official: Marsala is Pantone's 2015 Color of the Year.
• Is SNL's Star Wars trailer better than the real thing?
• Can I teleport to London for the holidays, pretty please? 
• My Christmas inspiration for this year is all on Pinterest.

FLASHBACK.

• Last year, I wrote a bit about why Christmas is so complicated for me, rounded up my favorite holiday party dresses, put together my wishlist, counted down my all-time favorite Christmas movies and songs, and reviewed A Mad, Wicked Folly.
• Two years ago, I shared some ideas for easy holiday parties, rounded up my favorite emerald green wardrobe and home picks, and put together gift guides for the geeky girl and manly men in your life.  I also counted down my 12 favorite Christmas movies.
• Three years ago I rounded up homespun holiday decor ideas. 
• Four years ago, when we were very newly engaged, I shared our love story.

sunday simplicity: where all love is.

Vanilla Photography via Southbound Bride

“For where all love is, the speaking is unnecessary” 

―  from Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

A Classic Winter Blended Family Wedding

I wanted to share a few photos I took at my friend Kendall's wedding last weekend.  She had a very classic winter wedding at a local venue, The Woodland Place, that has a rustic style.  The wedding colors were navy and white.

This wedding was unique because it blended two families, so Lee wasn't just making vows to Kendall but to Bre as well.  Our middle/high school Biology and Government teacher, who is also a minister, performed the ceremony and included a section where Bre sang "You Are My Sunshine" and Lee promised to take care of her.  I teared up and Mr. Q even got goosebumps, it was such an emotional moment.

I loved the pictures I caught of Kendall and Lee's first dance - their facial expressions said it all.  I loved the twinkling branches on the altar and the swags of fabric added a lot of light to a space that can unfortunately be really dark.  I found myself wishing we'd brought our big DSLR camera because of the low light, but I was able to clean up the pictures I took with my point and shoot until I was pretty happy with them.

Lee's best man was his Air Force roommate and Kendall's was her younger sister.  I loved the classically elegant wing tip collar on the groomsmen's shirts and the long navy dresses the bridesmaids wore.  Each bridesmaid's hair was styled in a different way that reflected their personalities.

One of my favorite details at the wedding was the sand ceremony, which Kendall and Lee did after the garter and bouquet tosses and cake cutting.  Their parents had already added their jars of sand before the ceremony, and Kendall, Lee, and Kendall's daughter Bre each added their own touches to the artwork.  I thought it was a very sweet way to represent the blending of two families and loved that it gave Bre a chance to participate and have some fun.  Side note: isn't Bre's hairstyle adorable?  It's a bow made of hair!

Overall, Kendall and Lee's big day was beautiful, sentimental, and fun.  As far as I knew, it went off without a hitch.  I am so happy for these two as they begin their life as a family.

Recap: A Rustic Burlap and Mason Jars Fall Wedding at Douthat State Park

Shantilly Lace Photography

A few weekends ago, I had the pleasure of helping my best friend Breeze pull off her dream wedding at Douthat State Park.  It was the rustic, country wedding she'd hoped for, with lots of burlap, mason jars, and vintage goodness.

Breeze's grandmother crafted a special gift for her using one of her wedding programs, doilies, twine, and naturally distressed wood from the family farm - it made for a great photo op alongside the engagement photos displayed on the guestbook table.

 Josh Quinn Photography

Having the ceremony and reception in the same place added to the wedding's rustic country atmosphere.  The picnic shelter at Douthat State Park was the perfect venue and I love the way Breeze's vision came to life.

Breeze collected an assortment of vintage and antique blue Mason jars and new ones that she dressed up with burlap and ribbons.  She filled each vase with mini pinecones and an arrangement of daisies.  Silk flowers won out in the end for easy transport to the state park, and the clear vase arrangements doubled as favors for guests' families to take home from the wedding.

 Shantilly Lace Photography

The dress code for the wedding was "come as you are."  The bridesmaids' dresses were inspired by the navy blue sash on Breeze's David's Bridal dress - we found them at Rue 21 of all places and spent a Saturday on a wild goose chase driving around Southwest Virginia and calling all of the stores in the state (and some in North Carolina and West Virginia).  While I wouldn't recommend sourcing bridesmaids' dresses at a Juniors store, in this case they were too perfect to pass up and the bride was in love at first sight.  Each bridesmaid wore her own cowgirl boots.  We walked down the aisle to "I Hope You're The End of My Story" by the Pistol Annies, a song that perfectly describes this couple's relationship and love for one another.

Groomsmen wore jeans, cowboy boots, and navy blue polo shirts to match the groom's blue and white plaid shirt.

The guy in the awesome cowboy hat is the groom's godfather, in case you're wondering.

The setup area for food and music - guests were served chips and salsa before the wedding, which was replaced by a cupcake buffet.  The wedding was catered by a local barbecue restaurant and the menu featured the bride and groom's favorite comfort foods - pulled pork, barbecue chicken, macaroni salad, coleslaw, and baked beans, with sweet tea and lemonade.

The DJ was none other than my husband, Mr. Q.

 Southern Touch Photography

Breeze and I have been best friends since sixth grade. I am so incredibly blessed to have her in my life. She is my rock, she's my sounding board, she can always make me laugh, and she always tells it like it is. She reminds me to be myself and not worry about what other people think. She is such a strong woman and I am so happy that I got to help her plan her special day and be one of her bridesmaids.