As I thought about how to write this blog post, I chose to
pick out the special details Laurissa wanted to
include when we first sat down and decided on the few things that she
really wanted. The main thing that she
was hoping for was to keep it simple and not too “foofy”. She and David wanted the ceremony outside
along with the reception…so, once that was secured, we made a list of the
basics and went from there...with a few little things that were kept as a surprise. What is a wedding without a few secrets?
A special gift from her Daddy: Years ago, on a trip to Guadaloupe, we visited a lace factory. I didn't really want to buy anything, but when my hubby spotted a delicate laced handkerchief, he immediately decided he wanted to buy it to give to Laurissa on her wedding day. {My poppa pulled out his hanky for me as I started to cry right before I had walked down the aisle.} So, it was tucked away...so well, that I had to hunt it down. I gave it to Laurissa as she was getting ready...and it was a very precious moment. It was tied around the stems of her wedding bouquet...
The Bride's Bouquet: The color scheme for the bridal party flowers
was white and creams. With that settled on...and with roses and hydrangeas being the flowers of choice, I really wanted to do something special for her bouquet. "Lambie pie" was a term of endearment for our babies, so, with that in mind, I planted one creamy white hydrangea called LITTLE LAMB. It was babied and watered with much care and with all of the hot weather and it blooming super late, I was afraid it wasn't going to make it, but on Thursday morning when I went to salvage what I could...every.single.head was gorgeous and perfect. I left one itty bitty bloom and carefully cut and packed the stems into a cooler to keep them fresh and wonderful. I felt like God knew how much I wanted those stems for my little lambie pie. God is in the details!
The Wedding Flowers: We planted and grew lavender, hydrangeas,
white roses, rosemary, mint, and boxwood.
My dear friend, Kristin and my mother-in-law also planted hydrangeas for
us…which was such a gift of generosity...and then due to lots of hot weather a few other sweet friends gave us free reign to shop their gardens. What would we do without friends!
The Flower Girl
Basket: This was my lunch basket as a child, Laurissa’s lunch basket for
picnic’s to bear country and to the lake when she was a toddler…and it was the
flower girl’s favorite when we would go for picnic lunches together. So, it was the perfect choice. Nestled inside were dried flowers collected over
the years from bouquets given to Laurissa from her Daddy. We also included flower petals from my
wedding bouquet, and petals from flowers given by David. A mix of the past and a few kept aside for a flower
girl basket in the future.
The Ring Bearer
Pillow: This was updated from our wedding.
I removed the dried baby’s breath and burgundy ribbon and pins. It still looked pretty good 23 years later,
but it needed to be freshened up a bit.
It was updated with white and cream satin ribbons. I stamped the ribbon with their wedding date
on one ribbon cascading down and on the other one, I stamped the new last name “CURTIS”
marking the name for the next generation…
The Wedding Veil: This belonged to my bff and it went perfectly with her dress. Simple and elegant.
The Wedding Shoes: Our casual beach girl who wears flip flops year-round and wishes she lived at the beach stepped it up a bit and wore platinum flats that were just right for the occasion. No changing of shoes necessary as they danced the night away!
The Wedding Jewelry: Her pearl necklace was a wedding gift from my hubby to me 23 years ago...and her earrings were a gift from two of her best friends.
The Canning Jars:
David’s mom had a huge collection of over 300! Yes, with five boys, she did a lot of
canning. So, with what I had collected
and been given {Thank you, Tina and Carolyn} we had plenty for decorating!
The Cupcakes: One of my favorite things to do is to
create a “signature cupcakes” for special occasions. Something unique to mark a special event…be
it a baby shower, a birthday party etc.
The love birds L.O.V.E
vanilla cupcakes, so, after quite a few practice batches, their very
favorite cupcakes were finally just right for THE BIG DAY. I wont tell you how many POUNDS of butter we
went through until we got it right. :}
The Wedding Cake: I am sure that cupcakes would have been
just fine as far as cake went, but when you run out of cupcake liners at o dark
thirty and are on a baking roll…you don’t stop.
I decided a wedding cake was in order.
Also, just days before, my momma had gifted us with their cake server
from their wedding. It still had the
original flower bouquet attached to the handle which was creamy ribbon and
white lily of the valley with a hint of the exact same green we were using for
David and Laurissa’s wedding. PERFECT!…yet
another special touch to link another generation to the next. They had just celebrated their 47th
wedding anniversary which is a legacy indeed.
Needless to say, the tall wedding cake was a must!
The Cheesecake and
Strawberries: Another favorite of
the bride and groom. The cheesecakes
were purchased from Costco and topped with freshly sliced strawberries. Twenty boxes to be exact!! :}
Nuts: Riss has always been our “sweet and salty”
girl, so instead of having all sweets…she opted for little cups of mixed nuts
which added a bit of old-fashioned to the reception. Remember the good old days when weddings
meant cake, punch, nuts and pastel-colored mints?
The Red Vines: Since the wedding was for families and
quite a few young children, they wanted something fun for the little ones to
munch on…so red vines were perfect.
{Just don’t send your red vine addicted hubby to Costco. Three large tubs are way more than enough for
a wedding of over 400!}
The Hershey's Kisses: Another favorite. We had a vintage penny candy jar filled with kisses. The framed sign read..."Kisses from us to YOU!" The kisses were also scattered on the tables for a bit of whimsy.
The Drinks: Lemonade was requested. It is hands-down David’s very favorite…and if
you have been a bloggy reader here for very long, you know lemonade is a Pearson
family favorite, too. So, lemonade it
was. Just plain ol’ lemonade…with fresh
mint, lemons and limes, of course! To
carry the color theme we served limeade as well as lots and lots of water.
The Straws: I was one of those moms who always had
straws. It was a small little splurge
that made meals a bit more fun…it is kinda a hallmark in our home…sooo striped
green and white paper straws were a MUST!
The Gift Table: One of the gift tables was a bargain
find. It was snatched up from a friend
before it was sold at her garage sale.
One man’s junk is another man’s treasure!
The Dessert Table: An old vintage ladder was hung in the trees above the dessert table and both candle chandeliers were hung on both ends to light the table at twilight. {Thank you, Sarita, Kristi and Scott!}
The Vintage White Lights: Oh.MY.GOODNESS! When you are trying to figure out lights, electrical outlets, and extension cords, you need some major help from best friends who can be patient with you for THE DAY. My bff, her hubby and my hubby worked on this "minor project all.day.long...amongst everything else they were helping with. All I can say is if you are trying to keep a wedding HANDMADE for charm and simplicity, you need friends who will help you to think when you just can't think anymore, friends who will be assertive enough to politely ask the dance floor workers to pretty please center the floor under the lights once the project is well underway, friends who can change a wedding program "just one more time" and basically, friends who love you and help you unconditionally. Byron and Bunny. We LOVE you!
All pictures were taken by Jeanie Francis Photography
