Hi there,
Our wedding turned
out to be exactly how we imagined it, from the violins to the carefully
glue-gunned flowers, it was magical.
So I wanted to share a little bit on
how I created our very own vintage fairytale.
To start I found the perfect Prince he he! Which wasn't easy
let me tell you, but he was worth the wait!
First we looked for a location that could embody the simple
elegance and romance we needed, and Shadowbrook was it. Plus Craig has been
going to SB since he was little; it was also where we had our 1 year
anniversary. Their rock wall was the perfect backdrop for our ceremony. There
is also a moment when guests can look up and see the bride walking towards the
ceremony space. Pure Magic!
We wanted a small, formal wedding during the day with plenty
of appetizers, candy and drinks. It was my idea to incorporate a fairytale
twist, Sleeping Beauty, and lucky for me Craig is a trooper! I tried to not go overboard but I carefully thought of each
detail and the meaning behind it. Keeping to the colors blush, ivory, powder blue, sage and gold.
My dress was Champagne
instead of blush (apparently my paleness looks awful in blush) and my 3 bridesmaids were in dresses with softened colors to
represent the three fairies, with the groomsmen bow-ties matching of course.
Our "naked cake" was lightly frosted from a light pink to blue and
made by the Shadowbrook Chef on staff.
Each table had confetti made from old
fairytale books and music, spinning spools and pumpkins to add to the theme.
Craig was in charge of the rings, hand-fasting and tuxes. I
didn't know what any of them were going to look like which was fun! He ended up
picking out the most perfect suits for this vintage fairytale. It was important
to us to create a romantic mood for guests. I wanted it to feel whimsical and
unique!
So Why Sleeping Beauty?
I grew up on fairytales and had always felt drawn toward
Sleeping Beauty. The colors of her dresses (blue to pink)....her adorable fairy
godmothers, the rustic prince and of course Maleficent. The idea of the
spinning wheel also held a lot of meaning...time...life etc.
I also loved the idea that this princess waited sleeping for
her prince to save her. I felt that I woke up the moment Craig and I met. We
both knew that we had finally found each other, the person we had been
searching for.
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Here is a little bit about each wedding detail, I had to
give credit to some awesome Etsy shops, family and vendors. This wouldn't have
been possible without them.
For our set up Craig and his group of men worked hard to
match my diagrams and set up each table. I love that my brother and father
worked on the candy bar! So sweet!
We got a few of the key pillars of every wedding done early: photographer, music, flowers and videographer. Each added so much to the
over-all feel and atmosphere.
Our Photographer Adriane White had the dreamy style we
wanted. Plus our friends had just had her photograph their wedding and they
said she was a ninja! Thinking about it...I can't even remember seeing her at
the ceremony ha ha! She took some beautiful shots of us all and was really calm
and super sweet! http://www.adrianewhitephotography.com/
Videographer Devi! Devi Pride was recommended to us and she
was equally as sweet and created a lovely highlight reel of our day! www.devipride.com
Music: Dancing on Strings a three string band from Kelly
Productions created the mood... soft, elegant and magical. The bridal party walked down the aisle to Bittersweet Symphony and my dad and I to the Wedding March. They even learned
the Sleeping Beauty Waltz for our first dance! hferreira@kellypro.com
Flowers from Sarah Pink of Pinks Petals. She was experienced
with SB and diligent about getting us the right displays and flowers. I
actually let out a sharp gasp when mentioned that milk glass was a possibility!
So pretty!
Fabric Bouquets: I never liked the idea that your wedding
flowers wilt and die after your big day. I wanted to have my bouquet forever! I
know that lots of brides have them dried or preserved but I didn't want it to
lose its beauty. Plus these were just too lovely to pass up. I did search around
for different types of bouquets....paper, felt, fabric, broach....until I found
Lauren.
She creates really beautiful work and at a reasonable price. She sent
me photos of her process, kept me up to date and wanted my input. She was
wonderful! I also had her make the boutonnieres and corsages. Check her out:
www.etsy.com/shop/TeacupBridal
Then it was on to decor and everything else under the sun!
Invitations by Dawn-botanical were all the rage that
initially I wanted to go with a watercolor floral wreath design...but upon
discussing with Craig, we picked these....with gold foiling. They were inexpensive
as far as invites go and there was a lot of variety.
My Mori Lee Dress came from Trudy's in San Jose...not the best service but my dress
was lovely and made me tear up. It was def not what I had in mind. There was a
struggle to feel confident in a strapless dress he he! We had it bustled at
Blossoms in Dublin, CA. My mom made me some light shoulder
"straps", purely for my own insecurities but they made it even more
dreamy. Plus I was working out...shout out to the girls at Barre! No back-fat
here! http://www.thebarrecapitola.com/
Bridesmaids wore Dessy dresses from Trudy's as well and all
suites came from Men's Warehouse.
I asked my mom to make my Garters; she is really crafty and
likes to sew. I was so happy when she said she could! Truly making them extra
special!
I asked my Dad if he would want to make our ring holder. Of
course he said yes and even made us a few options to pick from! We went with
the smaller more circular round. I'm going to have to add both the garters and ring-round into a shadowbox.
Hair and Makeup by Meg! I met with a few hairstylists and
they were either way too expensive or didn't give off the best vibe. When I met
Meg she was so relaxed and confident. She even practiced some looks, on a
model, to see if I liked them. On the day of she was so calm and didn't mind
working in our small kitchen, (she is freelance).
Meg also added in some pins I had gotten and we added some
babies-breath later on.
Lashes: I actually won a set of lashes from a drawing the
Barre Studio was doing! So awesome! Olivia Barney is the sweetest and really
gave me some dreamy lashes! simply.skin.liv@gmail.com
My Shoes: Another item that seems so easy but it took me
forever to find the right heels. I wanted something that I could still walk
in...SB has a lot of stairs! So I settled on a low heel sandal by Betsey
Johnson in her Blue collection. Purchased on Amazon
Wands: I made these myself but 12 were from Save-On-Crafts.
It was fun making them but it took a bit of time. Lots of glue-gunning and! Jack really wanted to help
too LOL! So much ribbon!
Wand Sleeves from Foryourparty. I looked up sparkler
sleeves...because that is usually what they are used for and found this great
site. They were easy to design and order. Ours said Let Love Ring! http://www.foryourparty.com/
Heart Garland
from LaMiaCasa and Mailbox Happiness were just adorable, I had to have them! They added a really
delicate feel to the greenhouse room and candy table. Word of warning: they get
tangled very easily. Try to keep them in their paper holders until you need
them. These ones were also meant to be unfolded or fanned out but I don't think
the guys knew about that lol. www.etsy.com/shop/LaMiaCasa and www.etsy.com/shop/MailboxHappiness
My bf/bridesmaid Amie made this pretty chalkboard sign for
me. She has the neatest handwriting I have ever seen!
Tree Rounds from Save-On-Crafts added a bit of rustic to our
tables, matching with Shadowbrook.
I did add on flowers and things to the signs via glue-gun. I
wanted some to stand up so we found some stands at the dollar store!
Confetti from Tree
Town Paper. I felt a
little guilty about ordering theses, as they are made from books but they
turned out to be one of my favorite pieces. The Etsy shop owner worked hard to
find old fairytale/Sleeping Beauty books and even found some music sheets to
use as well, from the Sleeping Beauty waltz.
I love them and still have most of
the confetti. I plan on adding them to our wish jar and a shadowbox with other
keepsakes. www.etsy.com/shop/TreeTownPaper
Spools from Amazon: Don't you love Amazon...you can get
almost anything there! I decided that I wanted to make another nod to Sleeping
Beauty and have a few spools on each table.
Big shout out to Michael's! You are my favorite craft shop!
Thank you for the stickers, flowers and paper he he! For our guest book, we
wanted to give guests the option to create a page, so stamps, stickers and pens
were available. It was fun to look through after the wedding.
Candy: SUGAR Store in Santa
Cruz. They were so nice and really helpful when
picking out their candy. Plus we got a discount!
Glass Jars: We casually accumulated glass pieces over a few
months from Ross, Marshals, Save On Crafts and/or the Dollar Store. We also got
gold scoops from Amazon.
Candy Bags: We went back and forth about how to properly
give guests their candy and landed on little baggies with sticker closures.
Super cute and guests seemed to like them. www.etsy.com/shop/StampsJubilee
Notes from Marrygrams and smittenpaperboutique. Craig and I
wanted to give family members/wedding party thank you notes and personalized
notes on the day of. I also made one for Craig which resulted in one of my
favorite pictures. I love his smile!
For each Bridesmaid I got them delicate bracelets that have
a branch/leaves on them. They seemed perfect for our fairytale. I also found
hangers with their names. It's hard to see in the shot of all of our dresses
hanging together with we all have personalized hangers. So adorable! Love these
ladies! www.etsy.com/shop/LilyAndLouise and
https://www.etsy.com/shop/weddinghanger2015
Cake Topper: We couldn't decide at first...I wanted cute
bunnies he he! But we landed on a simple wire topper that says Happily Ever
After. www.etsy.com/shop/rlhcreations
Ms. Raquela! My mom's cousin Raquela sang a personalized
song for our father daughter dance. We had no idea that she was going to change
some of the words in "I loved her first"....but she did and we cried.
Thank you for that moment Raquela!
I hope I didn't miss anyone!?
Creating this wedding took a lot of time and planning but it
yielded the fairytale we so desired. Friends and family helped out so much,
mainly with set up and break down. My Aunt Carrie even helped move the day
along via microphone and sass! She rocks!
To everyone, we are ever indebted to you. Thank you!
______________________________________________________________________
And then as quickly as it began... it was over and we were
driven home in the Shadowbrook car! We waved goodbye to our family and friends
while they jingled their wands. It was such a special day!
And thank you for reading. So much planning for almost a
year...for one day! Weddings are crazy and kind of surreal but worth it. xoxo
-Bunny/Mrs. Murray
A nice older woman came up to an unassuming desk and we handed her our vouchers. She briefly explained some things about the castle and grounds, then gave us a map and our room key. Then she instructed someone to help us with our bags. Dinner was almost over but she assured us that it was an Irish 9 pm...so we could come back down and still be fed! he he
Our room was simple but big, with an updated bathroom. The mirror was heated so it wouldn't fog up and there was a heated towel rack...something I never knew existed!
The mattress and sheets were comfier that I thought they might be, for an older bed, but it did squeak he he! Perfect for newlyweds! And of course there were chocolates!
One thing we both loved is that they had their own glass bottles for water, such a better alternative to plastic! Plus we got to take one home, it now sits on our nightstand. 
We made our way back down the stairs, past old paintings and stuffed-river otter toward the dinning area.
The dinning room area was warm and inviting with lots of wood and more paintings.
A young waiter took our drink orders, explained the menu and brought us freshly baked bread. He was so sweet and honestly wanted to make our meal experience wonderful! 
It was warm, inviting, friendly, romantic and just beautiful! Almost surreal how lovely it is! Please check it out!
