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Romantic Southern garden party: Mary + Jonathan

January 19, 2012

Mary and Jonathan were married at the historic Rucker Place, a turn of the century home tucked away in the middle of bustling Birmingham, Alabama. They stayed true to their roots and planned an intimate Southern garden party to celebrate their marriage. Such a pretty celebration, and it really captures the spirit of their relationship. These two haven’t spent more than 8 hours apart since their first date!

vintage hankie invite

Mary relied heavily on Etsy wedding artisans for her decor, which is always a fabulous way to go. Even if you’re not the person crafting each piece of your wedding, with an Etsy seller you know that someone is putting time and love into pieces you’ve chosen to decorate your day. Her hankie Save-The-Dates came from Benign Objects, and the sweet hoop below from Elephant Stitchery.

garden ceremony flowers

To help with planning, Mary stopped by an event at Lowe Mill Arts hosted by White Rabbit Studios. There she met her invite designer, her letterpress studio, her photographers, and her DJ! It’s always great to choose vendors who know each other and love working together. Makes the entire event feel so much more cohesive, and you can bet that your creative professionals are going to love planning your wedding.

bagatelles bags

Even Mary’s bridemaids’ gifts followed her easy theme. And guess where they’re from ladies… Mademoiselle Bagatelles! As in the most cutest clutches ever that just so happen to be on sale in our Pop-Up Shop right now! (Get them for your maids at a discount while you can.)

garden ceremony

Aren’t the lacey hoops pretty? Mary made them herself, and as she says, they’re super super easy (don’t even need a tutorial!), but they add a really nice element to your decor.

garden ceremony

They served fried green tomatoes and Southern cocktails on the wrap around porch of Rucker Place. Love the whimsy and sentiment!

balloon gift station

Isn’t that a cute vintage hot air balloon? Such a nice element to their guest book table.

milk glass vase

Mary and Jonathan are big time music lovers and carefully chose the music they wanted to hear during their big day. After months of thinking, they finally settled on Otis Redding’s “That’s How Strong My Love Is” for their first dance. Thought we’d share some of their other choices too, because it’s so nice to see what other people chose, isn’t it?

New Slang by The Shins, All My Stars Alligned by St. Vincent (Seating)
Wedding Bell by Beach House (Bridal Party Procession)
Sea of Love by Cat Power (Bridal Procession)
All You Need is Love by the Beatles (Recessional)
My Girl by Otis Redding (Father/Bride Dance)
In My Life by The Beatles (Grooms Mother/Groom Dance)
Sugar, Sugar by the Archies (Cake Cutting)

reception flowers wedding cake

Mary also shared some very sage advice on the DIY wedding planning process:

“It’s easy to get overwhelmed with ideas from all of the beautiful weddings that are on the internet. Choose things that you really love and feel best represent how you and your husband-t0-be want to experience your day. Sit down with your vendors, send them pictures, and be up front with everything so they can best help you achieve your vision.”

So super sweet, you guys! Thanks so much for sharing your day and big congrats to the two of you.

Venue – Historic Rucker Place / Photography, Video, and DJ- the fabulous White Rabbit Studio team / Wedding Gown – James Clifford / Bridesmaid gowns- Dessy Collection / Cake, Sweets Table, Guest Book, Cupcake in a Jar Favors- Proper Measures / Embroidered Initial Hoop – Elephant Stitchery / Love Always Banner- Nice by Caitlin / Flower Girl Dresses- US Angels / Handkerchief Save the Dates- Benign Objects / Invitations- Designed by Benign Objects with letterpress by Green Pea Press / Flowers by LSL Event Design / Bridesmaids gifts- Bagatelle clutches  (Bonus! They’re on sale right now in the Pop-Up Shop!)