Weddingbee Blog

Before I get into the events at the reception, let’s take a walk-through of all the little decorative details that greeted our guests. I know some of you live for these detail posts, so I’m sure you won’t mind this little long, scenic walk-through.

Several cocktail tables were set up in the main foyer, and on these we had our blue Mason jars, signature flowers, and some of my Grandma Bunting’s hand-sewn fabric hearts.

Skirting the tables was none other than, that’s right, bunting! My other Grandmother Bunting and Mother Bunting labored dutifully over all those sewn triangles, and they really added some pops of color to the space.

Our guestbook table was immediately on the left after walking through one of the main entries to the banquet hall. The guestbooks weren’t really books, per se, but prints of three original paintings I created specifically to serve as a holder for our guests’ signatures and messages. With a brief explanation sign to guide them, our guests signed along the white rings with the provided black pens. I wasn’t too keen on the idea of a guestbook that would be tucked away in storage post-wedding, so these three prints will decorate the walls of our home as finished artwork.

On the gift table, we had a birdcage card holder for people to slip their cards into.

I printed the two portrait illustrations I drew for our invitations and displayed them in vintage ornate frames I had bought off eBay. These were set in front of our respective seats at the head table and made for cute alternative bride & groom place cards. Of course, post-wedding they make for excellent wall art!

Remember our favors? They were set at each seat so people wouldn’t forget to take one, and Grandmother Bunting was so pleased to see the traditional jordan almonds. I like to imagine how many wildflowers were planted in our honor, too.

Though they weren’t originally created for the purpose of favors, a few of my guests asked if they could take home a hand-sewn heart as a keepsake and were delighted when I told them I’d love that.

The centerpiece for each table consisted of a combination of blue jars, milk glass, our signature flower blend of craspedia, hypercium berries, spider mums, and peonies, and the occasional colorful book stack and ceramic birds. Each centerpiece was completely unique, and our florist did a beautiful job of making each one look balanced and coordinated. The table numbers themselves were embroidered onto pennant flags that my grandparents made and assembled for us. And those polka-dot table runners you see? Hand-sewn by the same Grandma Bunting who made all the little hearts!

We had more colorful poms hanging from two large sections of the ceiling. In case you’re wondering, these are not the same poms as seen in our pom massacre.

I abandoned the faux chalk seating board I had been designing when I realized the chalkboard element didn’t really fit in with my vision anymore, so I replaced it with a new board I designed that used the same illustrations as our invitations. I had this printed on paper and mounted to foamcore, then stuck in an ornate frame found at a thrift store that Daddy Bunting painted white for us. We borrowed an easel from a friend, and just like that we had a classy seating board.

Our head table was set up on a slight stage. We had a larger variation of our bunting strung behind the chairs, with all the blue jars from our ceremony aisle dotting the floor of the stage.

I was really excited to see how our cake table turned out, and I was SO thrilled when we saw our cake on our DIY cake stand for the first time. The subtle texture was exactly what I had asked for, and the large peony blooms were so gorgeous.

Like all of the paper elements used for our wedding, I made the cake topper myself using our portraits printed on paper and a mini fabric bunting I meticulously assembled the night before. The best part is that I used all materials I already had on hand. The twine and paper was left over from our invitations, the fabric was scrap from our larger bunting garlands, and the wooden skewers were from the same bag I made photo-booth props with.

I wanted to keep the cake topper to decorate a planter in our home post-wedding, but unfortunately all three pieces were lost or thrown away in the fray of the clean-up. Our top tier also did not survive a mishap during clean-up, so I suspect they were all laid to rest together.

I’m sorry I don’t have any photos of the whole room with all the tables set up to show you, but I hope you’ll agree all the detail shots are just as amazing.

And now that you have a better visual of what our reception hall looked like, let’s FILL IT WITH PEOPLE NEXT!

*Marked photos are copyright Bryan and Mae Photography. Unmarked photos are personal or guest photos.

Follow the adventure:

• We had a fluffing party and rehearsed.
• I woke up and got ready with my girls.
• I step into the prettiest white dress I’ll ever wear.
• Mr. Bunting recounts getting ready at the Man Cave.
• Wishin’ and prayin’ and hopin’ and thinkin’ for perfect weather.
• I received the most important Post-it note. Ever.
• We race toward one another for our first look.
• Mushy-lovey photos ensued shortly after.
• We strutted our stuff as one big happy Bunting Bunch.
• Our guests started to arrive: welcome to our wedding.
• I went into hiding… and panicked.
• Our wedding party assembled on time, but the bride was missing.
• I arrive fashionably late in a horse-drawn carriage.
• We listen to a reading and turn to wave at our guests.
• We exchange our vows, which inspire both tears and laughter.
• Mr. Bunting slips on my wedding band, and I his.
• Collected sand and earth offer a twist for our Foundation Ceremony.
• Mr. Bunting just can’t wait any longer to kiss his bride!
• Our horse-drawn carriage takes us for a private stroll.
• Cookies were had by all, and they were as delicious as they were beautiful.
• Spontaneity hits and we throw all our poms into the air. Oh, and at each other.