my wedding, circa 2015.
photographer: Clean plate Photography
My wedding anniversary is also, essentially, my wedding stationery business anniversary. My wedding was, like so many, the catalyst to starting this business. I have always been an artist, even though I felt weird calling myself that. Now at 33 years old I finally feel more confident saying it. I AM AN ARTIST! Ok calm down.
As an artist, it seemed only right to design my own wedding invitations. Of course I made SO. MANY. MISTAKES. like not putting a stamp on the rsvp envelopes??? I had literally no idea what I was doing - I just wanted to paint my own artwork. The font choice was terrible. The list goes on. But you have to start somewhere and look back and smile at the progress, right? Plus, I think it all came out pretty adorable regardless of all the mishaps!
We got married on August 29, 2015 at the Brooklyn Winery! I knew I wanted a city venue because of the incredible graffiti that I was all. about. for the pictures! BK winery stole our hearts the second we walked through the door and saw the vintage wallpaper and all the different rooms. I would do it all over again the same way but maybe just add the stamps to the return envelopes…
It was absolutely essential to me that every detail of our day felt authentic to who John and I are as people and as a couple. There was no tradition, no rules, no pressure to please. We did exactly what we wanted. We wore what we wanted. We picked the flowers we wanted and the venue we loved and we even went rogue with our wedding “cake”…
When the coordinator asked me if I wanted anything special for the walk after the ceremony, I thought of bubbles! I wanted our nieces and nephews to have a fun job which became, shooting the bubble guns! And they had a blast plus the photos came out SO COOL!
I designed these funky little floral tags for our place cards and each one had a feather attached! John and I have always really loved feather decor on both our accessories and home decor. John even has a feather tattoo! How stunning are the Brooklyn Winery’s menu cards?? Definitely part of what inspired my wedding stationery designer journey!
Our florist killed it. Rebecca Shepherd is a magician with flowers. We discussed a vision and she showed me inspiration that I approved - but the actuality was 10000000 times better. I actually learned how important it is to hire vendors you trust from my experience with her! I loved her work so I knew she wouldn’t disappoint and she certainly surpassed my dreams. I designed these sweet little table number hang tags to put on each iconic bottle of Brooklyn winery wine for each table. It was very “Stephanie, circa 2015” and even though I cringe at my painting ability back then, it still holds a special place in my heart because you gotta start somewhere! And this was my beginning before I really even knew it.
And for dessert. At this point you have to know how much I love dessert. And you may not have known but PIE is one of my top faves!!!! I love cake. Don’t get me wrong like loveeeeee cake. But it was a summer wedding ad my favorite baker had peach pies so there was just not competition. Apple and peach for the win. Everyone loved the unique experience! Plus BK winery puts out such a gorgeous spread with all vintage teacups and teapots and coffee urns. It felt very old English in the middle of Brooklyn.
I know what it’s like to plan a wedding and I know it can be stressful! We planned our wedding in five months because I’m a control freak and didn’t want to wait a whole year for a summer wedding. The trick? Make decisions that feel right and don’’t think too much about it. You saw a band and loved them? Book them. There’s always going to be another band, photographer, florist, etc who you love. There’s no one right way. There’s just the way you do it! Be at peace with each decision. If something feels wrong, don’t do it! If everyone opinions are stressing you out - don’t ask those people what they think! If they tell you anyway, let them but don’t take it to heart. People can’t help themselves but at the end of the day, it’s not their wedding. It’s YOUR day. Make it feel like you.
Thanks for reading!
xx Stephanie
