There Were Sequins
And silk robes.
Bare toes on wood floors.
Curtains of paper cranes.
And a memory that caught my breath faster than a stockup sale on wine.
Fate has a way of circling back on a <wo>man and taking him (her) by surprise. –Big Fish, with edits by yours truly.
I met Abby when I was a kid. And by met I mean I saw her several times when I was laughing about farts and boys and bras with her older sister, Phyllis. Kid sister Abby rocked these cute glasses with a purple shirt and orange shorts. She was Jerry McGuire kid adorable. But not at a point in her life where she was ready for my dignified conversation.
Fast forward 20 years to my email inbox. In comes an inquiry from a sweet bride, who orders a cartful of flowers. Through Facebook I realize this Abby is THAT Abby – only she’s a glamorous she-babe now.
A glamorous she-babe with the shiniest, happiest, best-steer-attended wedding ever. Yes, there was a wooly steer. And don’t get me started on the mini pies because I have not yet fully recovered. All of this was captured by the ever-so-talented Sarah Libby of Sarah Libby Photography!
This is gonna sound lame, but the thing I was struck by most were all the smiles. I know, lame! But the joy I experienced that day is rare. Like 700 weddings and counting rare. And I think my darling Abby would appreciate me saying so.
The flowers used: Ranunculus, hypericum berries, nagi, gunni eucalyputs, stock, seeded eucalyptus, white football mums, and lisianthus
Budget: $300-$400
In her words:
My favorite part was when I first saw Josh as I walked down the aisle. We chose not to do a first look. I felt like the entire day (and the short 3 month engagement) leading up to that point was a lot of fun, but it went by so fast and it didn’t seem real. There were a few minutes I had alone to myself right before my dad got me. In those moments everything had a chance to start sinking in. My dad came and I took his arm. I walked outside and the moment Josh and I saw each other, it was like everything around me slowed down and it felt real. We locked eyes and didn’t break our gaze the entire way. Both of us could not contain our emotion and I loved seeing his face when he first saw me.
(I asked Josh what his favorite part was and his was the same. We both teared up again tonight just talking about the emotions we both felt…oh the feels!)
Flowers took from 4:30pm -12am (post prep). I think it was because of the # of people I had helping and what I did on my own.
I did prep myself and that took maybe 1 hour.
The bouts/corsages were the fastest – I had my aunt, mom, and sister to help on those. My sister-in-law and mother did the flower girl crowns. I did all of the bridesmaids bouquets. My sister-in-law did the bridal bouquet. She would have me help hold it and just make sure I liked the placement, but if she wasn’t there to “get” the look I wanted, it would probably have taken a lot longer!
Vendors:
Flowers: DIY’d by Abby Schmidt through Flower Moxie
Venue: Hillside Manor
Photographer: Sarah Libby Photography ( http://www.sarahlibbyphotography.com )
Coordinator: Social Events
Catering: Big Truck Tacos
Dress: David’s Bridal
Bridesmaids Dresses: All chose their own based on my color palette. 2 from Rent The Runway, 1 from TJ Maxx, 2 from Dillard’s, 1 from David’s Bridal
Makeup: Kimberly Brown
Hair: AnnElyse Salon
Desserts/cake: Sam Shinn (family friend)
Wood signs: Abby Schmidt Woodworks and Vinyl Mill (@abbyschmidt on IG, https://www.etsy.com/shop/VinylMill)
Origami Cranes: me
Keyword: flower wholesale market