P+K, Our Wedding

Happy 9 month Anniversary Phil! Last July we were married in Door County Wis, where I grew up. I wanted to share some of my favorite wedding day shots with you. Our awesome photographer was kind enough grant me permission to post some of the photos here. Her name is Carly McCray and if you have a wedding coming up I highly recommend her, she was wonderful to work with and told the story of our wedding day beautifully in pictures! I also wanted to share a few of my diy touches...keep reading!

We were married at St. Joseph's Catholic Church...Just blocks from the house I grew up in.

I wrote Phil one last pre-marriage love note and had is delivered to him before the ceremony.

I am one who is not naturally good at coordinating large groups of people. In the interest of simplicity and my sanity Phil and I had one witness on each side. My maid of honor was my best friend Laura and the best man was Phil's brother. Here is Laura, getting a lesson in bustling my skirt. Since we did not have a big bridal party we tried to find ways to involve the rest of the family. My brothers were usher...appropriate that they would greet our guests first as they were always there to protect me growing up! Gatekeepers in a sense! We had both sister-in-laws do readings as well as my godmother.

My little nephew and my Dad..known by the grand kids as Papa. I think this is a really sweet moment Carly caught with her camera!

Wow...what a beautiful place to be married and to offer our prayers for a long and happy marriage to God on our wedding day. We were so blessed to have so many people we love share the sacrament with us!

Mr. and Mrs.!

We invested in a tuxedo for Phil. It was important to us that his tux fit properly. I understand why people rent and I have no problem with that. We had a certain tailored look that we were going for that you just can't get with a rental. He looked so great...I will never regret spending a little extra on that!

We for to borrow my Dad's corvette for the afternoon! We snapped a couple shots and then drove around the corner to put the top up...my hair would have been totally wrecked...not that the humidity didn't eventually take it's toll on it!

 We brought Carly to Whitefish Dunes State Park...one of my favorite places in Door County...for some "just the two of us" photos. I think this was one of my favorite parts of the day. It was the only real one on one time Phil and I had after the ceremony. We had a couple hours to just be together and take in the fact that we just got married. I would not trade that time for anything...every bride and groom should get the chance!

Another pretty sweet fact is that Carly had never met the two of us or been to Door County before the wedding. We trusted her that much and it is a testament to her talent that she was able to get such wonderful photos that really reflect our personalities. 

In keeping with the "simplicity theme, I keep my dress really classic. I wanted something that I could look back at in twenty years that wouldn't seem too dated...or if it was dated that it would be dated in a good way...the way I look at my grandmothers wedding gown from the 1940's. I hope I was successful...time will tell. My dress was silk dupioni, sweetheart neck line. I did not have any embroidery or beading, just a sash tied in a sweet little bow at my waist and my favorite...pockets!

It was so fun to be on this beach, we felt like little celebrities, everyone was like "Look at the bride and the groom" A little girl asked her mom if I was a princess...I am not, but that is exactly what I felt like!

P.S. Get a load of Phil's suspenders...aren't they just like out of an old movie. I had no hand in this, Phil dressed himself and he did a smashing job of it! 

I wore a simple silk flower in my hair...cost me around 10 dollars...that's very satisfying for me when i see some hair pieces going for over $100.00. You could say that it was the money I saved on the hairpiece that I used to purchase my Swarovski Crystal jewelry. I had to sparkle, I just had to!

We stumbled upon The Harbor Fish Market and Grille in our search for a reception venue. There are not a lot of big reception halls in Door County and I hadn't been happy with the ones I had seen. When we stopped for lunch at this cute old tavern turned Door County chic eatery (after I had dried my eyes because I was racked with disappointment) I thought to myself "too bad I couldn't have the reception here"...turns out I could! The staff was genuinely excited, so friendly. My mind was at ease immediately!  

Earthy green and crisp white were the colors of the day. Keeping it simple! Hydrangeas were the featured flower...they are my favorite. Flowers were done by Flora out of Sister Bay. I wish these centerpeices could have lasted forever...I will just have to remember them in pictures!

The table runner is just burlap. I bought a bolt of it and cut it into looooooong strips. Our wedding planner and her team simply unrolled and cut each runner to fit each table. I chose burlap because of it's natural color and texture...that's something you can't find with purchased runners...plus this was way cheaper...better look for less money...I'm all for it!

For the candles...mason jars filled with green lentils, a votive, and a touch or lace around the top.

My friend, Brigitte, makes beautiful cakes and I asked her if she would make ours. I was a white cake with raspberry filling (Phil loves raspberry) I kept it very simple again...it looks so elegant there, I am lucky to have such a talented friend!

I found out later some of the little beads were missing before the cake had been cut...my little niece and nephew got a little impatient for a sugar fix I think...I can totally understand!

I made that little "Guestbook" sign with card stock, lace, and some burlap I had left over from the table runners. The lace is just from the craft store, but was meaningful as we were headed to Brugge, Belgium for our honeymoon...Belgium is known for lace.

Hand made "Cards" card :)

I also made that ribbon board in the background. There were lighted window boxes with stained glass in the background. They we really charming but did not fit with the feel of our wedding. So I made these boards that insert right into the frames. It worked out really well and I have been using them as memory boards in our house! You can see them here. 

See them in the background there, I think they blended in so nicely.

Door County Cherry Cobbler for dessert.

Our first dance was to"Fields of Gold" by Sting. Listen to the lyrics, it is such a beautiful love story...perfect for our own love story. Phil signed us up for dance lessons at Tempo Dance Studios in Madison before the wedding and we had a dance choreographed just for us. We were so excited (and I was a little nervous) so show off our moves to everyone.

Thanks to Carly McCray for letting be post some photos here. Please check out her website and blog. She has some of the best eyes in the state! We were so happy to snag her for our wedding!

And finally, thanks to our wedding planner Carrie Baldwin Smith who made the whole planning process smooth, fun and stress free. I think she was one of the best investments we made for the wedding. We were able to enjoy the planning and our day with her help!

You can also see more photos of our wedding featured on A Northwoods Wedding Blog.

Who is excited for wedding season??!!!! I know I am. How many wedding do you have to go to this year? Do you use weddings as an excuse to buy a new dress that you don't really need?? I do. I love being a wedding guest! How about you?

Are you planning a wedding and have questions about mine? Leave you inquiries in the comments section and I will tell you what I know!