Searching for the perfect intimate venue with just the right rustic undertones, Raquel Carrington & Gerard Alleyne fell in love with The Lake House at Bulow as their own special wedding spot.  Raquel & Gerard shared a very special first look moment under the weeping willows & we hear it wasn’t just the giant trees that were weeping!  Situated back in woodsy South Carolina, the Lake House offers a private island  ceremony spot just a short wooded pier walk across the waters.  Wanting to keep to an old tradition, our sweet couple sealed the deal by jumping over a broom!  The private lake atmosphere was only enhanced by the soft color palette of the beautiful blooms & the clever driftwood centerpieces on each table.   Guests were treated to a sweet tooth selection of treats & a gorgeous cake, equally as rustic & lovely as their surroundings!

Vendor Love

Venue: The Lake House at Bulow | Wedding Dress: Allure Bridals | Bridesmaid Dresses: Alfred Angelo | Hair Stylist: Paper Dolls Wedding Hair & Makeup | Makeup Artist: Finishing Touches | Florist: Frilly Bloomers Florals | Caterer: Hamby Catering & Events | Baker: Wild Flour Pastry | DJ: DJ 6’6 | Rentals: Ooh! Events | Event Planner: MOD Events |Photographer: Reese Moore Weddings

*A Note from Shauna Autry Photography

“Before Mara and Andrew’s wedding I only had a chance to meet with the bride. When I arrived at Mercury Hall on the wedding day Mara’s sister approached me and said, “Just wait until you see Mara and Andrew together they are so loving towards one another.” She was absolutely right and you could feel the love in this vintage inspired DIY wedding. The bride and groom made the day so smooth, special, and laid back. The wedding had a very vintage feel with it’s neutral color palette that included creams, grays, and light pink. The flowers were simple and white and displayed in elegant table settings made using vintage tea kettles, books, and candle holders. The wedding was filled with touching surprised from the bride to the groom, including a vintage car for transportation, a flash mob, and a pancake snack. The whole event made me feel like I was in the novel The Great Gatsby, with a little flair. It was simple, heartfelt, and beautifully put together.”

What Storyboard Likes…

Feelin Kinda Sunday- I dont know about you, but I am loving the idea of a reception venue that has gorgeous Baptist church influences!  Mercury Hall seems like a unique location allowing you to have that slightly naughty feel of partying in a church!  From the color block stained windows to the vaulted white wood ceiling, I have a crush on Mercury Hall!

White On White- While white is most certainly the signature of the classic bride, this wedding in particular has a sweet white finger print throughout.  Starting with our lovely bride who is indeed beautifully styled in a slink white Nicole Miller gown with complimentary white birdcage veil, we next move on to the simple white florals that perfectly punctuate this sweet fete.  Mercury Hall’s white wood space perfectly fits into this white washed theme while the white on white cake brings the whole neutral feel home.  White is not just innocent, but beautiful.

Easy Breezy BM Style- There is something about the overall feel of Mara’s girl’s that bring a real well styled casual feel.  The girls, while looking absolutely lovely in their dresses, have a comfortable happy sense about them & it shows all the way to their  bright smiles.  Dressing your girls in ensembles that make them happy too leads to an even better wedding day all around!

Vendor Love

Venue: Mercury Hall
Dress Designer: Nicole Miller
Hair Stylist: JCO Salon
Florist: Central Market
Cake Designer: Brides Table
Cinema: Jackson Adair
Photographer: Shauna Autry Photography

When a wedding is a group effort, it truly is that much more special to the couple.  Such is the case for Tanya Gutierrez Vazquez & Eli Vazquez, whose family members & friends all came together to make their wedding day as customized & true to who they are as a couple as could be.  Having a natural vintage hipster vibe, our gorgeous couple embraced this very feel from everything from their choices in fashion, transportation, to the lovely Hoosier Grove Barn where our couple was married.  Both sides of the families helped, making the dinner & desserts, while friends pitched in with the music.  Tanya & Eli’s local pastor officiated the wedding, while friends & family gifted Tanya with various brooches which she combined into her hand made brooch bouquet.  Our sweet couple let who they are lead them & did not deviate, leading to a gorgeous wedding day celebrating exactly who they are as a couple!

What Storyboard Likes…

The Emotions- The emotions are an unsung hero in this wedding feature.  The love & joy that Tanya & Eli hold  for one another is so evident it practically jumps off the page at you!  We love the multiple pictures where Eli looks as if he could not wait one more second to kiss his sweet bride, while she has that certain gleam in her eye when almost bashfully at times looking back at Eli.  Their emotions are a standout start to me & I love how much I as the viewer get caught up in it!

The Groomsmen- Whether these guys are naturally hams {we’re prone to think so!} or just doing an ace job of playing the part, these boys came to play when it came to picture  time!  We love a good bridal party who isn’t afraid to really make the portrait session something memorable, taking the opportunity to hoist up the groom on their shoulders, hold our groom back wide eyed, even jump a bit for joy.  We give big props to the boys, you brought it!

The Fashion- From start to finish our vintage hipster couple covered all the bases & we couldn’t be bigger fans of the outcome!  We love everything about gorgeous Tanya’s fashion choices from her pill box hat birdcage veil, to the the perfectly fitted lace dress.  We must say though, our favorite touch just might be the bracelet heavy arm party she’s rocking, though the ”Toms” altered owl shoes are pretty hot!  Eli’s simple easy going suspender chino look is an old school classic & we love that the groomsmen paired perfectly, while the bridesmaids were dressed in easy breezy mix matched summer yellows.  Each area of fashion was allowed to be unique, while smartly chosen themes tied it all together.  We looooove it!

Vendor Love

Venue: Hoosier Grove Barn
Photographer: Estanislao Photography

Often the write up from a photographer/designer is so good, there really is no point in my interjecting my own words!  I will say this before I give the floor to Lucy of Lucy Munoz Photography, I adore this styled shoot for so many reasons.  It is indeed rustic vintage glamour &  a wonderful way to showcase that you can have a country wedding, yet still be glamorous!

Lucy of Lucy Munoz Photography:

“The concept for this stylized wedding shoot was a laid back farm feel with a touch of vintage glamour  I knew the location had to be at Heaven’s Ranch in Chino Hills, CA because it provided the perfect backdrop of an unpretentious surrounding that exuded a warm rustic feel. I want to thank Janelle Copeland and Fabiola Gomez from The Cake Mamas for the amazing wedding cake they did (did I mention it took them 15 hours…but the way it turned out–I’m smitten!!). I love the way they incorporated those vintage ruffles and the silver accents. And the flowers! Oh the flowers– they are by Andria Ibanez from Divine Blooms and Designs. I loved the use of the tin, turquoise, and lace. The flowers looked so farm rustic and gorgeous! Because we love rustic details in a wedding we decided to do something fun with place cards. No more reading to figure out where you’re sitting. These guests will look for their photos that they previously uploaded and sent to the bride and groom. Pictures were then attached with a ribbon on an apple that could later be given to the farm to feed the horses (yes, that’s edible ink). We also love that guests don’t have to walk around aimlessly looking for table numbers because they can recognize the people they will be sitting next to. We couldn’t get enough of the Shakespearean quotes that dangle from the rose tree. We especially adore the miniature ice creams that beckon the guests to read and eat something sweet. After riding horses and running through fields our models Angelica Torres and Kyle Reed really made us feel just how magical a farm wedding could be. We knew we would turn to Nancie Serrano, from The Flawless Team, to create an incredible look for our models. She used a fresh modern twist on a vintage inspired look, that was both muted but glamorous. All in all this shoot was everything we had intended–Love, farm, rustic, and splendid….yes indeed.”

Vendor Love

Florist: Divine Blooms and Designs
Makeup Artist: Flawless Team
Bakery: The Cake Mamas
Event Venue: Heavens Ranch LLC
Photographer: Lucy Munoz Photography

Weather is possibly one of the most stress worthy elements to planning a wedding.  Being at the mercy of mother nature herself,  each couple does the best that they can with the weather cards that they are dealt.  Jenna Steele & Sean Hunt’s Lewisburg, West Virginia wedding was very much at nature’s mercy, raining off and on throughout the day.  In one of life’s funny little quarks, just as soon as they made the decision to move the wedding inside, the skies parted, allowing the outdoor ceremony to still take place.  The Swift Level Farm provided an awesome backdrop with the couple adding touches of yellow & gray, working with the vintage rustic feel of the farm’s grounds.  One special thing about weather however, is that it makes for some pretty amazing photographs as you can see in the 2 panoramics were a breathtaking sunset occurred, complete with fog coming in from a nearby creek!

*Sadly the site can not accommodate panoramic photographs in the glory they should truly be displayed.  Please click on the above image to truly get glimpse of how stunning this is.

*Sadly the site can not accommodate panoramic photographs in the glory they should truly be displayed.  Please click on the above image to truly get glimpse of how stunning this is.

Vendor Love

Ceremony & Reception Venue:  Swift Level Farm
Photographer:  Daniel McQuade Photography