Hi! I'm Taryn, a writer, designer and soon-to-be-bride from Atlanta, Georgia. Sit a spell with me and catch up as I plan the wedding of my beer-loving, confetti-throwing dreams to the wonderful Mr. Williford.Pomp and Ceremony: A Backdrop for Our Vows
Have you ever looked forward to dessert? Who am I kidding, of course you have. But have you ever looked forward to dessert so much that you rush through your meal? You just mindlessly gobble up your meat and potatoes because you know there’s a cupcake waiting for you as soon as you finish? The dinner—the whole reason you’re sitting there at the table in the first place—just becomes an excuse to gorge on sweets. I don’t want that to happen to our wedding ceremony.
Rooster and I are saying “I do” outside on the patio of our brewery venue in a short secular ceremony which will only keep our guests from their beers for 20 minutes. We’ve put so much attention and focus on the party that happens afterward, it would be really easy for us to forget about celebrating the ceremony. But that part of the day where we exchange vows, no matter how short, is still going to be the most important 20 minutes of our lives. We’ve put a good bit of thought into the words we’re going to say to commence our marriage, and I want to make sure the space where we say I do is full of its own proper splendor, too.
Monday Night Brewing via Groupon
First, I’ll set the scene. This is the patio at Monday Night Brewing. Our plan is to set up the ceremony at the far end of the space, with the tree canopy becoming the backdrop in front of which we’ll exchange vows. The red benches you see scattered around the patio in the photo above will be our primary seating, supplemented with a few vintage wooden benches we’re renting from Blue Eyed Yonder to fit all our guests.
The trees offer some beautiful scenery. But to better frame our ceremony, I want to create a backdrop we (and our officiant and bridal party) can stand in front (and it will definitely be something I DIY). It just looks so great in photos to have something framing the action, too. Keeping in mind our wedding style and theme, here’s some of my favorite inspiration.
Geometric backdrop by French Knot Studios and shot by Izzy Hudgins, via Ruffled
Wax paper backdrop from this Style Me Pretty wedding, shot by Gabriel Boone // Tutorial here
Scroll from this Style Me Pretty wedding, shot by Tammy Horton
Graphic quote backdrop via Jonas Peterson
In addition to a ceremony backdrop, I would love to accessorize the seating area and aisle somehow. Floral arrangements set to line the aisle at each bench would be beautiful, but I don’t want to blow our flower budget out of the water. We need something we can plan in advance without spending too much cash. Add in the fact that the floor is concrete (so sheperds hooks are out) and the benches are backless (can’t hang pomanders), and you see we’ve got a bit of a challenge. Still, I think we can find something that works.
Green Olive Photography
I love these balloons, but we can’t really raise them high enough with the string lights overhead.
Lialah + Daniel’s Wedding on Green Wedding Shoes, shot by Simply Bloom Photography
Maybe an aisle runner is the way to go? A glittery one?
Glitter aisle runner by Bash, Please, shot by Max Wanger on 100 Layer Cake
I’ve got a lot to think about, and only a little time to get started—these could potentially be some of our biggest wedding DIYs. Any ideas? How did you handle ceremony decor?
One Year of Being Engaged and We’re Finally Speaking the Same Language
Yesterday marked one year since the day that Rooster got down on one knee at Disney World. It was our fourth dating anniversary then, which makes this one our fifth. Dating anniversaries seem to lose their spark, though, once you have a wedding anniversary on the horizon. We didn’t do much last night to mark our fifth year of loving each other. I don’t know if it was the hustle of planning a wedding or the strain the bash is putting on our wallets lately or just that we have bigger and better things coming up soon, but neither of us felt like making a big deal of our fifth dating anniversary or our first engagement anniversary. We just had a quiet night at home, exchanging I Love Yous in our own languages.
Engagement Session by Matt Andrews Photography
There’s a relationship book by Dr. Gary Chapman called The Five Love Languages. I’ve never read the book, but a friend turned me on to the concept: We all have different ways we like to express and receive love from our partners. Chapman boiled it down to five languages of love:
- Words of Affirmation
- Acts of Service
- Receiving Gifts
- Quality Time
- Physical Touch
You can take a quiz or have your partner take a quiz to discover your love language, although you might already have an idea at what love language you understand best. Mostly because it’s the language you’re most likely to speak in yourself. Someone who loves to hear verbal I Love You‘s is likely to dish them out all day. The thing is, that might not be the best way to actually show love to your partner. You have to learn what their love language is, and learn how to speak it. If you’re compatible, great! Go on getting each other gifts and making each other happy! Rooster and me? We couldn’t be more incompatible.
I’m a words of affirmation and physical touch girl. He’s an acts of service and receiving gifts guy. Each of us ranks the other one’s love languages among our lowest importance. I don’t feel loved when Roo does the laundry. I feel loved when he hugs me and says “I Love You.” He, on the other hand, is deeply touched when I go out of my way to do something around the apartment or bring him a little treat or trinket that lets him know I was thinking of him. It’s been a struggle to learn to speak each other’s languages. But over the years, we’ve worked together to communicate our affection better. It’s even become a joke as we re-visited our love languages recently.
“I love you so much, Hen.”
“Me too. I’m going to go vaccum.”
So tonight, on our last dating anniversary, I tidied up the apartment and made Roo’s favorite meal, while he showered me with sweet words and affection. And it was perfect.
What’s your love language?
Bands A Make Her Dance
Juicy J is a prophet. Bands do, in fact, make her dance. A happy dance. I’m in love with my engagement ring, and I’m even more excited to get a wedding band on this finger. What it will look like, well, that’s still to be determined.
Rooster and I recently began shopping for our wedding bands. In his laid-back-dude fashion, Rooster picked his band out in about 2.4 seconds at one of the first shops we went to and bought it on the spot. It’s tungsten, and very modern and simple with a little bit of a brushed detail.
Brushed Tungsten Carbide Bevel Wedding Band, Kay Jewelers
I, on the other hand, like to take my time (I’m picky) and really comparison shop (so picky) to find exactly the right thing (picky, picky, picky!). My engagement ring is a simple beaded white gold solitaire. I love that it’s dainty and modern, but my favorite thing about it is the texture. I love my diamond, but I love seeing the white gold beads’ metallic shimmer, too. At first, I thought about going with Ritani’s matching wedding band. It has the same beaded texture as my engagement ring. But after looking at photos online, I decided I wanted something that looked a little mismatched for more visual interest.
Ritani Solitaire Diamond Beaded Engagement Ring & Beaded Wedding Band
Just like trying on dresses, I think trying on rings is a surprising experience for a lot of people. What you wanted when you first started looking might be totally different once you actually see how the different styles actually work on you. If you’d asked me months ago, I would have said I wanted a rose gold micro-pave eternity band (I want a simple band I can wear on its own if I feel like it). But you know what? I tried one on at Kay when Rooster grabbed his band, and I was underwhelmed. It just looked so… boring. I added another ring (a twisted milgrain style) to make a stack, which definitely upgraded my position to a solid “whelmed.” It was lovely (I truly do love a good ring stack), but I didn’t know if it was something I wanted to wear for the rest of my life.
So I kept shopping. With no real clue of what I wanted in a wedding band, I was open to trying on everything. Rings with lots of diamonds, rings with no diamonds. Tall rings, small rings. Thin rings and fat rings. I even tried on this crazy pair of rings that each looked like a beaded crown. It was interesting. But it wasn’t my ring. The front runner for a long time was (and might still be) an Elma Gil ring I tried on at one of our first stops. It’s a beautiful band that’s part of an engagement set, and features diamonds separated by horizontal bars of white gold. I loved how the rocks added some extra bling to my left-hand set, and the gold bars played off the beads on my engagement ring’s band. They looked beautiful together, but since I forgot to take a photo, you’ll have to settle for an awkward mockup.
It was beautiful, but also a little bit of a splurge for us. In the context of the whole wedding, I’m definitely willing to go over budget on the one thing that I’ll have long after the day is over. But I was confident I could find something I liked for less cash. So I kept looking. Specifically, I wanted to look for a wedding band with baguette diamonds. I couldn’t find any styles I liked in stores, but I had an idea in my head that I wanted to find: An eternity band with baguette diamonds set horizontally, end-to-end. I couldn’t find anything quite like what I imagined. But when a girl has an idea in her head, it’s not easy to change her mind.
I reached out to the boards, where @nadnuk came through with a list of links to horizon baguette bands, one of which I really liked. It was from an Etsy seller called Rosado’s Box. After a quick glance around their shop, I found a ton of beautiful, unique wedding bands that I loved (and engagement rings and sets, if you’re a waiting bee). I could gush over every ring Rosado’s Box makes; I seriously think I found my jewelry soulmate. Plus, everything in their line is made in America with recycled metals and fairly traded gems. There’s only one problem: I want to try them all on.
After exchanging messages with shop owner Shirley, I learned that Rosados Box is a line started by Love & Promise Jewelers, a brick-and mortar store in Chicago. But without the extra cash or persuasive skills required to convince Roo we need to take a trip to Chicago just to try on wedding bands, I’m going to have to make up my mind on this one without trying them on. And thankfully, we have Photoshop.
First up: The Baguettella Horizonal Baguette Eternity Band. This is the one that brought me to Rosado’s Box. I love how horizon-set baguettes are kind of unique, and I think this one could be really stunning in person.
My next love was the Petite Bubbles Diamond Eternity Band. I think the shape of this one could play off my engagement ring really well. It almost looks like a set. Except, I don’t want a “set” at all.
Then I spotted the Medio Size Bubble & Breathe Almost-Eternity Band, and it’s slimmer sister, the Petite Bubble & Breathe Almost-Eternity Band. Both of these are really gorgeous, and I love how the “breathe” segments kind of look like my e-ring beads. Without seeing them on, it’s hard to know which band design will be a better fit. I want something that’s slim and dainty, but I’m definitely down to add more sparkle to my left hand and I think the Medio band will better show off the texture and design of the Bubble & Breathe rings. (The Petite band also comes with a warning that it’s delicate and should be warn with love; not sure if a clumsy gal like me should be worried about breaking it.)
The Photoshops help, but it’s still impossible for me to really know which band is the best fit for me and my engagement ring ( especially since my scale could be way off here). I’m leaning towards one of the Bubble & Breathe rings, but I don’t know which size is the right scale for my taste. And still, I can’t get the horizon baguettes out of my head. And you remember that Elma Gil ring I fell in love with first? Well I still love it. If it were $1,000 cheaper, I would have it on my hand right now. But I think I could love one of these Rosado’s Box rings just as much if I had the chance to see it in person. Like I said before: In rings, as in dresses, you never know what you’ll like until you try it on.
Have you ever ordered jewelry online? Did you buy a wedding band without trying it on? Any pitfalls or concerns I should have? And if you’re so inclined… help me pick a ring!
Prepping for the The Georgia Bar
You law school grads just winced at that title. But I promise this is a happy post. About booze!
Planning your beverage options for a wedding is never easy. You have to decide what to drink, and more importantly, who’s going to pay (You? Mom and Dad? The guests at a cash bar?). But since Rooster and I are getting married at Monday Night Brewing, our decision making process was a little easier than most.
Photo by Caroline Fontenot, via her blog Back Down South
Open vs. Cash Bar
We knew from the start we’d host an open bar for the wedding. Even if we had to limit the variety of spirits to a few signature cocktails, there was no way our lush and lovely friends and family would let us live down a cash bar. I understand that the expectations of booze change from family to family and region to region. But we were wined and dined at all of our married friends’ weddings, so this is our turn to return the favor.
Where’s it Coming From?
Since our wedding venue is actually a brewery, you might imagine that we’ll be drinking freshly tapped beer straight from the tank. But you’d be wrong. Since Georgia laws prohibit breweries from selling anything larger than beer tasting samples, we’re actually providing all of the booze for our wedding ourselves from outside sources. That will include plenty of Monday Night beers (from our own kegs, so we can serve up more than 5 ounces at a time), plus red and white wine, and liquor for mixed drinks and shots. The ice and mixers (soda and juice) will be provided by our bartenders, Raising the Bar.
What’ll Ya Have?
The Beer: Monday Night Brewing has some awesome beers, and I’m excited to have our out-of-town friends and family come try their brews. Rooster’s favorite is the Eye Patch Ale, a really drinkable citrusy Indian Pale Ale (seriously, it’s the IPA that got me to love IPAs). Mine is a tie between the Drafty Kilt (a dark-looking but light-tasting slightly sweet scotch ale) and the Fu Manbrew (a Belgian-style wheat beer brewed with ginger). Three kegs will definitely be enough for a guest list of 90 people, but MNB just announced a new year-round brew, Nerd Alert Pseudo-Pilsner (which is technically an ale). We’re considering adding Nerd Alert to the mix because we think it might be a drinkable option for our guests who might not like the more adventurous beers (we’ve yet to try it), but 4 kegs is definitely way too much.
Purge ATL
The Wine: To keep with the local Southern theme, I have it in my mind to serve only Southern wines and spirits, but finding the right drinks is proving to be a little difficult. We’re set on serving one white and one red wine, hopefully for around $10-$12 per bottle. After a little Googling, it seems like the best choice for a versatile white is Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio, and good crowd-pleasing reds are Cabernet Saugvignon or Pinot Noir. The problem is, I can’t exactly find local wines of those types. The best fit seems to be the North Carolina Biltmore Estate’s Cabernet and Chardonnay Sur Lie. I guess our next step should be buying a few bottles of wine and and tasting them until we find what we like (wedding planning is hard). Anybody have any $10 bottles of wine they love? Should we stick to the Southern thing or expand our horizons? Will anybody care but us?
The Spirits: Our full bar will be stocked with five spirits: Vodka, Gin, Tequila, Rum and Whiskey. Rooster and I both love vodka, so I already know we’ll serve our favorite, Tito’s Vodka from Austin, Texas, at the wedding. For gin, I’m thinking of going with the highly-rated Southern Gin, from Georgia. And for Whiskey, it’s gotta be Jack Daniels, right? Tequila and Rum are a little more difficult to find in the South (ok, impossible), so we will have to expand our horizons here. What’s your favorite affordable tequila or light rum?
Plat du Jour
How much of each?
This is a tough question. Conventional estimates say your guest list will drink close to 20% liquor, 15% beer, 65% wine. But because I know our friends and family (and because the wedding is at a brewery), I think we’ll have a lot more beer drinkers. At some point soon, we’ll have to sit down and do the math on this and start buying up our liquor and wine. I want to have enough for everyone, but not so much that we’ve killed our budget on beverages.
A Page from The Floral Playbook: Our DIY Game Plan
Thanks to a tight budget and my stubborn desire to splurge on a photographer and a great venue, we knew we’d have to cut corners on some aspects of the wedding. One of the easiest line items to cut was hiring a florist. Flowers just didn’t seem so important to me or to Roo, in our grand vision of the day, so we thought the bouquets and centerpieces were a great option to DIY instead of hiring a pro.
Mrs. Balloons’ beautiful DIY wedding bouquet.
I’m aware of the challenges we’re facing by not hiring a florist. Flowers are living things, and we run the risk of them wilting or dying since we can’t (or maybe don’t know how to) give them the proper attention. We’re also giving up the opportunity to have truly amazing florals at the wedding. No matter how much I learn and practice, our DIY flowers will never be as great a pro. And I definitely swoon over lush bouquets and showstopping centerpieces. I just know on the list of what’s important, centerpieces are near the bottom (though I’m sure I’d be singing a different tune if our venue wasn’t already full of so much character).
My biggest concern, though, has to be timing. The morning of our wedding, I just want to sip a mimosa, nosh on some Chicken Minis (a la Mrs. Bicycle) and have somebody else do my eyeliner. I don’t want to run around like a hen with my head cut off scouring farmer’s markets for flowers, then race back to the suite with barely enough time to put cut stems together into centerpieces. That sounds like a really good way to make sure I start my wedding day off stressed out and anxious (with crooked eyeliner).
So here’s my plan for our bouquets and centerpieces: A combination of potted plants and mail-order stems.
Centerpieces
I don’t mean to be a broken record, but our brewery venue already has tons of character. Our goal with the ceremony and reception decor is to just add little bit of “this is kind of a big deal” wedding flourish to a place we already visit at least once a month with friends for beer tastings. Plus I’m a big fan of modern, minimalist table decor anyway. I intend to use lots of potted succulents in different white ceramic vessels. The big advantage here? I can prepare our centerpieces weeks in advance.
DIY from Jon and Nicole’s wedding on Green Wedding Shoes, shot by FStop Inertia
I have a black thumb, for sure, but I can definitely manage to keep a succulent alive for a month. I hope transportation will be easy, but I really love the look of those tall potted succulents above, which might pose a challenge trying to get them there in one piece.
(Side note: I’m positive those are these thankfully affordable candlesticks from IKEA, with a little DIY painted flair.)
For some variety, I also intend to add a few small plush arrangements of cut stems to our tables and around the reception. Where will those flowers come from? I’m hoping online. I want to use a mail-order flower delivery service to send cut blooms to me (either at my apartment or the hotel, depending on logistics) a few days before the big day. Then, the morning of the wedding, my bridesmaids and family will put together a few simple arrangements. Really simple arrangements.
Adam Floral Design via Elizabeth Ann Designs, shot by Hugh Forte
My short list for mail-order flowers is Fifty Flowers, Flower Muse, Blooms by the Box and Grower’s Box, though I’d love to hear any reviews or real experiences (both good and bad) from the hive.
Bouquets & Boutonnieres
In addition to the extra centerpieces, I envision my bridesmaids and I making our bouquets from the big online flower order, too. I’m confident enough in my composition and maker skills to put it together (with plenty of help from online tutorials like this one—though my bouquet certainly won’t be Godzilla-sized like Brittni’s).
Paper & Stitch
I’ll also have my new wedding mantra—”good enough“—in my back pocket. Although I am considering getting a tattoo on my hand that says “Flowers aren’t a priority” to get me through the morning.
And the guys’ boutonnieres? Those we’re buying from a florist. I think I’ll have enough to worry about.
Do you think I can do it? Any DIY advice for me, hive?
