Wedding Magic in the Details

Weddings, like ballet performances, are supposed to look effortless. However, any bride who has planned her own wedding knows that in reality the journey to the alter is anything but. For me, the twelvemonth road was packed with decisions of all shapes and sizes, most of which were obligatory. Luckily, designing, developing, and creating the wedding details were not only the most self-expressive part for me and my husband, they were what gave our wedding that magical, personal touch.

The Theme

It was Trent who first suggested a literary themed wedding, of course I instantly loved the idea. We wanted to incorporate our shared love of literature but were conscious of doing so in a tasteful way. Initially deciding that each table would have its own book as a part of the centerpiece, we then spent months deliberating which 13 among the many we adore should be chosen. Eventually, and with relatively little bloodshed, we developed a list we were both happy with.

Our final list:

Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
The Alhambra by Washington Irving
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Walden by Henry David Thoreau
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Master and Margherita by Mikail Bulgakov
Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, bridesmaids table
For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway, groomsmen table
Princess Bride by William Goldman, bride and groom’s table

Escort Cards & Place Cards

Trent suggested that instead of a traditional seating chart, our guests would be told which book belonged to their table. Naturally, I wanted that to be shared with our guests through a card catalogue. Each card would have the guest’s name, the book title and author, table number, and a quote from the book. And, Trent added, each quote would be unique for that person. All very great ideas, but it was clear that we would need help.

This is the part of the story where loved ones swooped in and helped us manifest our vision!

Selecting nearly 100 quotes across 13 books is no quick and easy feat. Bridesmaid and dear friend, Shawn Vanness, did not hesitate to help us scour our selections for appropriate quotes. In light of the occasion, Shawn managed to pull hopeful quotes from even books like Moby Dick.

With the help of our very talented friend and neighbor, Sarah Spencer, our vision began to take form. Gifting us her skills in the field of all things wedding, Sarah developed a suite for us which included fonts, colors, designs, our own crest and so much more. Within minutes of sending her our list of quotes, she had it converted into a file that was ready to print.

It was a labor of love, slicing each card into the size that would fit into our makeshift card catalogue (actually a vintage sewing drawer), but one I would do again. Though the books were paired to the person, the quotes were assigned at random. Trent and I read each one aloud as we sliced and sorted them alphabetically, laughing at the coincidentally perfect pairing of them all.

The last piece of the puzzle was the place card. For these, we wanted to use library cards. I suppose I could have found a way to print on them, but I opted to do it the hard way and hand stamp them. Time consuming, yes, but so incredibly special and undoubtedly my favorite detail of the day. Creating the escort cards and place cards was actually rather fun, especially the parts that involved friends. The final result was exactly as we dreamed.

Save the Dates & Invitations

In line with the literary theme, Trent suggested our Save the Dates be in the style of a bookmark (for which, we all know a tassel is a must.) Sarah loved the idea and once again her talents and kindness helped our ideas become a reality. She directed us on where to source the perfect tassels, paper, envelopes, ribbons, and all the other little things that I never realized went into creating Save the Dates and Invitations. I handed her raw materials and she transformed them into something marvelous!

Here are a few details I loved the most about our invitation suite:

Save the Dates

They were printed on seed paper. Once recipients were done using it as a bookmark, they could plant it in the yard and something would bloom from it!
Sarah created wax seals with gold flecks, giving each Save the Date something unique.
The green tassels, of course.
The warm ombre colors and green palette played into our wedding colors.
Sarah designed a crest using a T and R for Trent and Rachelle.

Invitations

Sarah designed a green, book-like invitation. I loved the black, velvet ribbon running down the spine on the inside.
She printed our crest on vellum paper that was wrapped on the outside.
Inside, the invitation, details card, and rehearsal dinner information were inserted into pockets.
The paper Sarah selected had slight hints of either green or rose that played into the font colors, which were once again highlighting our wedding colors.

Envelopes

After all the work Sarah was doing to make the inside gorgeous, I knew the outside needed to respect that by matching in quality. For the Invitation envelopes, I hired a local artisan to do the calligraphy. Highly recommend. It really showcased the elegance of what was in store at the first glance.

Now my favorite part in the process was selecting and placing the stamps. For these, I turned to Etsy and mixed my selections between vintage and modern. Careful to meet the postage requirements, I used a unique stamp combination for each guest. The result was wonderful.

The Save the Dates and Invitations were undoubtedly an amazing feature on our wedding journey. One that aligned with our theme, hinted at our wedding colors and aesthetic, and showed each guest that their inclusion in this event was meaningful to us. Sarah’s attention to detail was beyond impressive and her willingness to share her talent with us as a wedding gift was an unexpected blessing. Our invitation suite was elevated above what we even knew to hope for.

Guest Book

Though Trent and I knew we wanted something nontraditional for our guest book, we were not quite sure what exactly to do. But the moment I spotted a collection of postcards featuring bookstores from around the world, I knew. Using one of the extra antique drawers I sourced when hunting for a card catalogue, I thought it providence when the postcards fit perfectly. We had so much fun reading them on our honeymoon!

The feedback I heard along the way indicated to me that each guest appreciated the beauty of the details. From Sarah’s carefully crafted invitation to the personalized escort card, it was the details that brought our wedding to life, even before the event took place.

Through the generous assistance of friends like Sarah and Shawn, our wedding was so beautiful. What began as an idea between me and Trent materialized into the literary wedding we dreamed of. Despite the constraints of planning a wedding during Covid-times, these details helped us retain the magic. We loved every second of it!