12 Jul

Oh to be married in the prior home of a famous author, surrounded by acres of lush gardens and a wide open landscape reminiscent of a European romance novel. Keeping their decor to a minimum, since their venue was an elegant Victorian home with rich details already, Willa + Mike did their best to represent the beauty of literary prose and romantic ideation. To individualize the day many of the important and special wedding details (like all the florals, grown by Willa’s mother) were carried out by family members or close friends, while W + M strove to mix traditions from both England and the states.

hand-stamped, vintage wedding invites

hand-stamped, vintage wedding invites

Willa on their invitations: I designed and hand-printed our invitations. Because we got married in April and in the Northeast, I wanted to bring spring as early as possible so I wanted to use seeded paper for our invitations. I also wanted them to have an old fashioned/vintage feel so I had rubber stamps made and hand pressed them myself.  I used a lovely old victorian style card paper, which I used the stamp to print on and then used the seeded paper to cut out cocoa bean shaped tags, which I tied around the invitation with hand-dyed cord that folded out into the shape of leaves.

hand-making floral arrangements

Above is one of Willa’s best friends making the stunning floral crown you’ll see her wearing below.

elegant sheath wedding dress

simple bulb boutonnieres and white satin wedding shoes

pink and white sweetpea and anemone flower crown

elegant flower crown

massachusetts countryside wedding

the mount estate in massachusetts

That house is straight out of a dream!

massachusetts country wedding

massachusetts country wedding

massachusetts country wedding

massachusetts countryside wedding

massachusetts country wedding

massachusetts countryside wedding

island-themed centerpieces

My mom and I grew all the centerpiece flowers at home. We had the most amazing heirloom amaryllis mixed with paperwhites to represent the seminal and yet explosive power of spring. We accentuated and added to each of the 13 pieces so that each one was different and unique. The amaryllis bulbs were also saved and given as gifts to special guests or those who were unable to make the wedding. 

gray linens and vibrant floral centerpieces

delicate leaf and floral wedding details

island-shaped wedding cake

massachusetts countryside wedding

the mount estate in massachusetts

Have we told you how much we love these wedding group shots? To see more of their beautiful wedding pop over to Heidi Benjamin’s blog.

Congratulations Willa + Mike!

Photography: Heidi Benjamin / Venue: The Mount / Catering: Simon-Carlucchi / Band: Soul Session / Bride’s dress: Kleinfelds / Invitation resource: Paper Presentation / Flowers: bulbs bought from White Flower Farm as well as local garden shops / Cake: made by mother of the bride

9 comments

8 Mar

We have such a good way to start the week, this lovely Monday morn. A few weeks ago Amanda and Kristina (hugely pregnant) and Danielle of Brown Paper Design headed up to Santa Barbara to meet Mr. Jose Villa at the Figueroa Mountain Farmhouse for our winter tablescape project. Let’s start by saying that the farmhouse is pretty darn amazing. And remote. You really really feel like you’re the only people out in those beautiful California hills. Second, OMG Jose Villa. He’s the nicest guy ever. We are so lucky that he loves shooting pretty things. And Danielle. We love Danielle.

Now, let’s start. We have some cute idee-ers for you all.

100lc_figueroa1

Winter in our part of California is clear and cool.

100lc_figueroa4

100lc_figueroa2

Danielle used paper whites, tulips and loads of pine cones for a simple, rustic vibe. We mixed in greys and browns with the weathered wood, plus some simple vintage textiles you can find at any flea/antique market, proving that you don’t need snow for things to feel cozy and winterful.

100lc_figueroa3

100lc_figueroa51

Blue hydrangeas and berries for a more colorful option. Plus vintage apothecary bottles (also from the flea market)… we were sold on the little numbers.

100lc_figueroa6

For favors we made English Toffee, which is a super yummy little treat for guests that goes perfectly with cooler weather. It keeps in the fridge for weeks so you can make it well ahead of time and package it just before the event. (You can see the recipe and tutorial on Lovely Morning, if you’re so inclined).

100lc_figueroa9

And perhaps our favorite detail, vintage clip-on earrings for placecard holders. There are endless options available at thrift stores and flea markets, they’re great mixed up with each other and they’re inexpensive. AND pretty darn cute, right?

100lc_figueroa81

Two lovely bouquets… simple tulips and paperwhites, and a more textured version with berries and a big velvet ribbon.

100lc_figueroa7

Thanks so much Jose, Danielle, and Gretchen from the Farmhouse! Such a beeeeautiful venue. And such talented peeps.

Related Posts with Thumbnails

28 comments