We were more than ready to get some food in our systems when the speeches were finished. I don’t have many pictures of our food (everyone was too busy eating it), but here is our menu, made from plywood and my new favorite medium, chalkboard paint. Our coordinator made it pretty with her the beautiful lettering.
One thing I haven’t mentioned previously is our decision not to have a cocktail hour. Well, there were cocktails, but not hors d’oeuvres. When we planned our wedding day, we expected our ceremony length and the drive to the reception to take us just shy of when we wanted dinner to begin. With this in mind, a full cocktail hour seemed unnecessary. We decided to prioritize dinner by providing two entrees for each guest instead. I’m not sure whether this was the correct decision, since I worried all night whether our guests got too hungry waiting for dinner, but hopefully our spread of food made up for it.
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Photo by BM M
I loved that we got to have biscuits as a nod to Mr. Pony’s Southern upbringing. We had a bucketful of butter and a trio of honeys from Savannah Bee Co. to top them off.
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Photo by BM M
Mr. P and I chose to have a sweetheart table rather than a head table for the entire wedding party. This way, our wedding party was able to sit at nearby tables with their dates rather than being separated from their companions or on display.
Mr. Pony and I ate quickly so that we could visit every guest table during dinner. It was very important to us to visit with each and every one of our friends and family that had traveled near and far to celebrate with us.
Photo by Uncle B
Photo by Uncle B
We couldn’t escape without taking a few extended family shots, like this one with all my maternal cousins (minus one!).
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Photo by Mama Pony
And this one of the Pony brothers and their cousin.
Can you tell they are family?
We weren’t the only ones visiting friends at other tables—GM S and MOH E went to visit the tables of our other law school buddies.
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Photo by Friend J
We were taking a while to get through all the tables, and some of our smaller guests were antsy to get the dance party started. Who could blame them, really?
Photo by Uncle B
Photo by Uncle B
Are you planning on visiting or eating during dinner? Anyone else skipping cocktail hour in favor of something else?
All photos by Jamie Grant Photography unless otherwise noted
Catch up on the Ponies’ tale here:
The food looks so good! We also ate really quickly to chat with our guests.
Oh my gosh, I would have devoured those biscuits and honey!! I have to admit, I was really all about the food at our wedding.. definitely made a point to stuff my face during dinner, ha! To be fair, I made my rounds and said hi to almost everyone at our cocktail hour!
Yep, craving for biscuits now.
Not making rounds is not an option for us, it’s a must. A few years back a cousin did not make rounds at her wedding and people still talk about how rude it was.
Mrs. Pony, I’ve read through all ure recaps and your wedding was beautiful. I’m about 6 weeks out from my wedding and reading these have calmed my nerves and given me more excitement.
Ok your menu is making my mouth water! Everything looks so delicious! I want to eat it all!
Aww your menu looks amazing! i love the pictures of your extended family!
We are up in the air if we will meet with all the tables – hopefully we can eat our dinner at meet with at least half of them!
You had me at pulled pork, my dear. 
And those delicious trio of honeys!
Since we were able to hang with everyone during cocktail hour, we left everyone to enjoy their clambakes and bbq’s in peace
We’re having a cocktail hour for multiple reasons, the biggest of which is that we will have so many guests/tables that we likely won’t be able to get around to every single one without it taking multiple hours. We plan to utilize the cocktail hour to mingle with as many people as we can to give us some cushion.
Those biscuits are to.die.for. – YUM!
Mrs. Pony, Bloomington, IL Age and Occupation: 25, Attorney Fiance's Age and Occupation: 34, Attorney Engagement Date: March 22, 2010 Wedding Date: September 2011 Venue: Mackinaw Valley Vineyard; Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts About Me: I found my Southern counterpart in law school and since he popped the question last March, we have been busy graduating, job searching, bar taking, and wedding planning. My loves include must see TV, magnets, quotes, anything green, my car, fun socks, the Cubs, and my Mr. Together we love wine, playing outside, and exploring the world together. Stay tuned to see our Midwest wedding full of Southern charm, vintage flair, lots of DIY details, and a whole lot o’ wine.
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