I want to become a society lady Rockin' a new rock?!

Today, I am finally having the chance to share my very own wedding with you! If you haven’t caught up, you can see our first two posts shot by Jen Huang, here and here. We left off with the conclusion of our ceremony! Afterward, we offered guests “Swan Mimosas” which was frozen juice in the shape of swans, served alongside OneHope sparkling wine.

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We also set up a “guest book” station where guests were asked to fill in a “mad libs” style postcard with questions like, “Mr. and Mrs. Ball be ______________ in 10 years.” 

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While guests sipped on mimosas and filled out our guestbook, they waited in line for our receiving station. On the other side was a bevy of cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. Our parents (pictured below) along with our siblings stood with us to welcome family and friends. This was such a personal way to greet each of our guests and we preferred this over the alternative of greeting tables during dinner. Plus, it meant we actually had a chance to enjoy dinner!

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While guests waited for their chance to greet us, they found their escort cards, calligraphed by Victoria Hoke Lane.

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One of our dear friends helped us create a custom cocktail menu, and even helped us make all the ingredients in advance! The drinks were so delish and our guests RAVED about them. A few have even become signatures in our home when friends visit.

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We had a gorgeous seating area thanks to Found Vintage Rentals.

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Our designer, Cortnie, had the idea to create an oversized chandelier from vintage paper bells. We intermingled lights in the bells for a glowing effect as the sun set. 

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One of the fun details we included in our stationery was the menu option. Guests chose from a vegetarian or chicken option using the discs included in their invitation suite.

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Our wedding feast was beautifully presented by who we think is the world’s most exquisite and creative catering company, Roomforty. We think of them as a restaurant that comes to you, and I cannot begin to tell you how wonderful our food was. Guests dined on Bibb lettuce salad, Jidori chicken confit with vegetables, ravioli, and ratatouille. To this day, we still receive compliments! Take me back! 

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Our menus were letter pressed by Gus & Ruby Letterpress and designed by MaeMae & Co. The napkins were a mix of fabrics (some of which were custom designed by MaeMae & Co.) which we had sewn by Borrowed Blu

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Our tables were beyond beautiful! Vintage glassware and plates were provided by Borrowed Blu. The lovely swan planters were filled to the brim with flowers by Lauryl Lane.

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Our custom wedding crest was printed by Wedding Chicks onto fabric and transformed into napkins for the bridal party.

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After our introduction as husband and wife, Bryan got to saber the first bottle of sparkling wine!

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It was a special moment dancing with my dad, who had just finished chemo in time for our wedding.

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Seriously. I love our swans. You need to see another.

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For our favors, we had a “Ladies and Gents” favor station. For the ladies, we provided tea and allowed them to create their own custom tea blend. For the gents, we provided tobacco pipes and tobacco from Kentucky. It was fun seeing everyone enjoying their gifts from us as we progressed into the evening festivities!

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Our crests were printed onto fabric thanks to Wedding Chicks, and then turned into pillows for guests to lounge on.

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A few days before the wedding, our cake vendor pulled out last minute. I was so disappointed, but once we let the idea go, donuts became the next best better thing. We had our FAVORITE donuts brought up from our local spot, and we ran out as soon as we offered them to guests! No surprise!

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Of course, one of our favorite parts of the entire celebration was the party! Our DJ, Bobbito The Chef, brought the house down! The only time guests left the dance floor was to snap a photo with Mobile Photobooth.

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The memories of our wedding day are so incredible, especially thanks to our dear friends, family, and wedding team! The sheer coordination it took LVL Weddings & Events to make the wedding day happen so smoothly is the reason I will forever insist that all brides hire a coordinator! We are seriously so thankful to our crew and hope you loved reliving the day with us as much as we did! Be sure to check out all of our vendors and resources below!

Vendors:

Photography: Jen Huang // Location: Sunstone Vineyards & Winery // Event Design: Cortnie Purdy Fausner // Event Coordination: LVL Weddings & Events // Flowers: Lauryl Lane //  Stationery: MaeMae & Co. [design]; Gus & Ruby Letterpress [letterpress printing] // Calligraphy: Victoria Hoke Lane // Videography: Elysium Productions // Catering: Roomforty [food]; Straight Up Cocktail Service [cocktail service] // Tabletop Rentals: Borrowed Blu // Furniture Rentals: Found Vintage Rentals // Linens: Napa Valley Linens // Photobooth: Mobile Photobooth // Event Rentals: Signature Party Rentals // Music: Bobbito The Chef // Hair: Beauty-Full by Molly; Lady Dianna // Makeup: Amy ClarkeBeauty by Melina // Donuts: The Donuttery (714-847-7000) // Honeymoon: Ever After Honeymoons

Fashion and Resources:

Gown and veil: Kirstie Kelly // Groom’s Accessories: Hugo Boss [suit]; David Donahue [tie]; AllSaints [shoes] // Groomsmen bow ties: The Tie Bar // Flower girls’ Dresses: Le Petit Tom; Stella McCartney; Nordstrom // Custom Monogram Napkins: Wedding Chicks // Paper parasols: Luna Bazaar // Crest Boutonnieres: Little Pink Studio // Bridesmaid Robes: Plum Pretty Sugar // Swan Planters: Terry’s Village // Paper Bells: Party Pro // Striped Donut Favor Bags: Amazon // Striped cocktail trays: RSF Designs // Striped Bow Bags (bridesmaid gifts): Rectory Crafts

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We’re picking back up with our wedding story today, shot by Jen Huang! If you missed our first post, you can catch up here! Our ever so sweet flower girls were one of my favorite details! With lots of florals and sweet details, these little ones stole the show!

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My planner, Cortnie Purdy Fausner, called me up one day while we were planning and had me racing to the computer! She had spied a vintage swan pull toy on Pinterest and as luck would have it, the antique beauty was available for purchase! Without another thought, we nabbed the swan, and coordinated to have it shipped from the seller–in FRANCE! In our email correspondence, the seller told me that they were delighted to send their sweet swan to America, where it would go on new adventures! (The same sweet swan is now sitting in our nursery, waiting for the delivery of our daughter, who is set to arrive at the end of May! The swan is indeed ready for all sorts of new experiences!).

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A poster presented all of the groomsmen’s color-coordinated bow ties from The Tie Bar on faux crests. The ties were theirs to keep; they also received copper mugs since as a group they’re known for their fondness for Irish Mules.

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For Bryan and his groomsmen, we opted to let the guys pick out their own black suits. With minimal instructions, the gents looked fabulous (and much better than they would have if we had opted for ill fitting rental suits!).

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I wanted their boutonnieres to be more unique than the floral standard, and was lucky enough to find these embroidered crests which were the perfect (and low key/affordable!) touch!

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My gift to Bryan on our wedding day was a handmade pipe, picked out by our friend who lives in Kentucky! It went perfectly with our favor station that you’ll see later on in today’s feature!

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Our bridal party was quite the party, and SO MUCH FUN!

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Our ceremony took place in the front of the villa. We decided to start fairly early so we had plenty of time to enjoy our reception. Because we had to bus in our guests over the course of two trips, we provided an heirloom olive bar for snacking, and some fun activities, such as a “Celebration Station” containing a buffet of noisemakers. The wedding programs asked guests to choose their favorite to hoot and holler when we were pronounced husband and wife.

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We chose a very hot day in July to get married, and were lucky enough to have nabbed paper parasols from Luna Bazaar. They saved the day!

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My aunt and uncle from Georgia were there for the celebration, and we asked my uncle to officiate our formal ceremony. His southern accent was the perfect touch.

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To go with the theme of celebration and music, our ring bearers preceded us down the aisle with drums that they played, while our flower girls rang bells down the aisle! My brother-in-law surprised me with a song that he wrote and arranged for the walk down the aisle (my sister walked down to the same song!).

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Preceding the vows, our wedding rings were passed along a few yards of green-striped ribbon so that everyone assembled could touch and bless them before they reached the bride and groom. This was a sort of ring warming ceremony, and it worked beautifully! It meant so much to us to have our guests play a small role in the day, and to have the importance of their presence acknowledged.

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For our ceremony, we chose the Old English declarations for our vows, and added this Bible verse, which we spoke in unison: “Entreat me not to leave you, or to return from following after you, for where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. And where you die, I will die and there I will be buried. May the Lord do so with me and more if anything but death parts you from me.”

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Check back in later today for even more from the big day!

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Vendors:

Photography: Jen Huang // Location: Sunstone Vineyards & Winery // Event Design: Cortnie Purdy Fausner // Event Coordination: LVL Weddings & Events // Flowers: Lauryl Lane //  Stationery: MaeMae & Co. [design]; Gus & Ruby Letterpress [letterpress printing] // Calligraphy: Victoria Hoke Lane // Videography: Elysium Productions // Catering: Roomforty [food]; Straight Up Cocktail Service [cocktail service] // Tabletop Rentals: Borrowed Blu // Furniture Rentals: Found Vintage Rentals // Linens: Napa Valley Linens // Photobooth: Mobile Photobooth // Event Rentals: Signature Party Rentals // Music: Bobbito The Chef // Hair: Beauty-Full by Molly; Lady Dianna // Makeup: Amy ClarkeBeauty by Melina // Donuts: The Donuttery (714-847-7000) // Honeymoon: Ever After Honeymoons

Fashion and Resources:

Gown and veil: Kirstie Kelly // Groom’s Accessories: David Donahue [tie]; AllSaints [shoes] // Groomsmen bow ties: The Tie Bar // Flower girls’ Dresses: Le Petit Tom; Stella McCartney; Nordstrom // Custom Monogram Napkins: Wedding Chicks // Paper parasols: Luna Bazaar // Crest Boutonnieres: Little Pink Studio // Bridesmaid Robes: Plum Pretty Sugar // Swan Planters: Terry’s Village // Paper Bells: Party Pro // Striped Donut Favor Bags: Amazon // Striped cocktail trays: RSF Designs // Striped Bow Bags (bridesmaid gifts): Rectory Crafts

This is without a doubt, the hardest post(s) I’ve ever had to write! How does a gal sum up her wedding? How does a wedding blogger sum up her wedding? We were so beyond overwhelmed with such an incredibly beautiful day, without a doubt possibly only because of the talented and generous community of wedding friends that contributed to making it happen. Are you ready for our story all shot so beautifully by Jen Huang?

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To start, after the whirlwind of engagement and our engagement party died down, the first item on the to do list was find a location. Our good friends over at Roomforty introduced us to Sunstone Vineyards & Winery and we immediately fell in love. Bryan and I went up to Santa Ynez for the weekend to visit and were completely overwhelmed with the beauty of Sunstone and the charm of the surrounding area. We immediately said yes! The area was a perfect spot to invite guests up for a “destination” style wedding, that was only a few hours drive from most of our family and friends.

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Because I had a close circle of talented friends, it was easier for me than most brides to decide on our vendors. My dear friend Megan of MaeMae & Co. and I had already been hatching plans and dreams for the big day. Her designs were a significant part of the overall look of the day. My other dearest friends, Cortnie Purdy Fausner of The Venue Report and Lauryl Lane were on board for design and florals, respectively. Along with LVL Weddings & Events as my coordinators, we began what felt like a very daunting process to plan Bryan’s and my wedding. But oh the fun we had!

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The vision began with our stationery, which included a custom crest that Megan created for us. I’m absolutely obsessed with crests and being the English Literature buff that I am, I even did some research on our family mottos! Bryan’s last name, Ball, which is of Old English origination, had the family motto “Coelum Qui Tueri” which means, “Heaven to those who dare.” The words struck a chord for me! We chose the lion to represent Bryan, and the swan for myself, and used these themes throughout the entire day! Because we felt like the venue had a french feel to it (particularly because much of the stone that makes up Sunstone is from France!!) we decided to add small french details and wording throughout the day. All of our gorgeous day of paper was letterpressed by Gus & Ruby Letterpress. The paper was so beyond gorgeous and overwhelmingly lovely! Our invites arrived in 8″x10″ green envelopes with dramatic gold calligraphy by Victoria Hoke Lane.

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That’s an original Mrs. Box! It was the first one we had created!

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When it comes to flowers, I’m an absolute snob. I was so beyond lucky to entrust my dear friend, Lauryl Lane with the task of adorning the day with fresh blooms. We ended up with a July wedding date, and I had known going into it that my favorite flower, peonies, would never be available! July is the worst possible month for these beauties. On the day of the wedding, Lauryl brought my bouquet to me and I literally burst into tears! Not only was it beyond what I could possibly have imagined, but she somehow managed to find peonies! Apparently she called growers all over the world (literally–that’s no joke) and found a few bunches that were flown out for the occasion!

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My dear friend Amy Clarke did my makeup for the big day Amy Clarke and I couldn’t have felt more beautiful! My bridesmaids were gifted with the striped bow bags that I commissioned from a designer on Etsy. I filled the bags with robes from Plum Pretty Sugar and homemade bath products (one of my few DIY projects!).

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My dress and veil were designed by Kirstie Kelly and I had two pairs of shoes because at the last minute, I couldn’t resist nabbing the green striped ones!

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Me with my beautiful sisters. 

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I had a large but gorgeous bridal party! Ten beautiful women to be exact: two from high school, one from college days, two from “work”, two new sisters-in-law, and three sisters! My three sisters and my dear friend Megan stood in as my matrons of honor!

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My bridesmaids each chose their own dress! They were given the direction to find something blush, grey, metallic, or neutral. I had a chance to shop (either online, via text message, facetime, or in person) with each of them and it make the dress process super fun! 

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We are onto day two of sharing my own personal wedding experience. Before we jump into the big day tomorrow, I wanted to share with you my incredibly gorgeous bridal shower thrown by my three amazing sisters, and my bestie Megan Gonzalez of MaeMae & Co. Megan designed TONS of fun paper details for the big day, starting with a custom invite suite:

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The theme that my sisters, Megan, and planner Jocelyn of 1703 Event Studios came up with was “Kissing the single life goodbye!” Appropriately, everything was kiss themed and so much fun!

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Found Vintage Rentals provided a blush pink settee that was the perfect spot for me to open gifts, and Morgie Porgie Puddn Pie made incredibly cute lip shaped cake pops that were such a thoughtful touch!

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My dear friend, Lauryl Lane, did the flowers for the wedding AND our shower! She is such a talent and I was between crying and beaming at how much I loved the flowers! 

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Guests were greeted with peanut butter cup favors with wrapping that read, “Pucker up, Buttercup” on the outside.

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Megan also created a huge seating chart, photo back drop, and a mad libs style card for guests to fill in. This was one of my favorite details!! Guests were asked fill-in-the-blank questions like, “If you want to spice up your evening, I suggest ______________.” It was fun to read the variety of answers, from G to R rated! Guests also included a polaroid snap of themselves in front of the backdrop to go alongside the card. I absolutely LOVE going back over these and reading them. It is such a sweet and personal memento from the day! 

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My sisters got together with my brother-in-law to plan an incredibly thoughtful luncheon full of all my favorite treats. Each element of the food was labeled as salty, sweet, tart, etc… I think my favorite treats were the Lemon Tartlettes with crystallized lavender sprinkled on top. Whoa. 

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ONEHOPE Wine who also provided the sparkling wine for our wedding toast, brought in some bottles of their delish Brut that we used for toasting! 

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 The specialty drinks were dressed up with striped paper straws topped with paper cutouts of hot pink lips made by Bake Me a Party.

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Above, a shot of Megan, and below, my three sisters. These four gals were my Matrons of Honor on the big day!

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Above is the custom backdrop Megan designed, and below is a sweet shot of the table linens from La Tavola Linens. I’m such a sucker for black and white stripes! 

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Below is a shot of my sweet flower girl, Brooklyn! 

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Our darling friends at Fiore Beauty came and created a lip and lash bar for guests! It was so much fun!

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My mom gave an incredibly embarrassing, funny and sentimental speech! I loved it!

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I’m not sure how it happened, but I promise you there was no dress code yet somehow my entire bridal party showed up in hues that matched the theme of the day. 

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Photographer Emily Blake was on hand to capture the day! It was so much fun and I’m so thankful for such an incredibly beautiful and thoughtful day to hold in the memory of my heart!

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You can see more of the details where these images were originally feature on Martha Stewart Weddings!

Stationery and Design: MaeMae & Co. // Event Planning: 1703 Event Studios // Flowers: Lauryl Lane // Photography: Emily Blake // Linens: La Tavola Fine Linen // Cake Pops: Morgie Porgie Puddn Pie // Sparkling Wine: OneHope // Lip and Lash Bar: Fiore Beauty // Rentals: Chiavari Chairs for Rent; Found Vintage Rentals; Signature Party Rentals // Paper Straws: Bake Me a Party

You guys. The time has finally come!! I get to share MY OWN wedding with you all! Because Martha Stewart Weddings chose to feature our wedding in their recent issue of Real Weddings, we’ve had to keep the big day under wraps! Now it is finally time to share everything with you in person!

Bryan and I became engaged in September of 2012 (how is it possible that is has been that long??). You can read a little about our engagement story here. Before starting wedding planning, my parents hosted a fall inspired engagement party for us, which you can see more of here! After the holidays, it came time to start the wedding planning process, which was crazy! We’re going to be sharing my shower and wedding with you over the next few days and tell you all about the details, but we thought it would be fun to start off with the event that kicks off the wedding planning process for most brides–finding the perfect dress!

For me, finding a dress was a huge challenge. I wanted too many things!!! After several outings of dress shopping (and honestly feeling pretty exhausted by the daunting process of shopping) my friend Leila of Be Inspired PR recommended Kirstie Kelly. Leila told me that I would actually be able to meet with Kirstie in person, which was such an exciting prospect!!! Most of the gowns I had tried on up to that point weren’t quite the one because I felt the need to tweak each design to make it perfect for me. Kirstie, whose gowns and designs are absolutely gorgeous, ended up being the perfect fit. Not only was she an absolute delight to be around, but she was just as excited about the idea of creating something a little more couture for the big day. It made the experience so much fun and my dress could not have been more perfect.

Thanks to Couture Motion Pictures, we actually had a chance to document the process in video form! So that is what I’m beyond excited to share with you today! I get all sentimental watching this and can’t believe it has already been almost two years since we said I do! You can see more of the article and interview about the making of the dress at Martha Stewart Weddings, along with my 5 tips for finding the perfect dress!

Be sure to check back in tomorrow and Wednesday as we continue all the fun!