August 3rd, 2019- The Best Day Ever!

I started planning my wedding at 5 or 6 years old, looong before Dillon slid into the groom slot (in those days it was filled with Danny Zuko from Grease). I think every little girl likes to gawk at pretty dresses and imagine being princess for the day, but it always went so far beyond that for me. I was using crayons to draw centerpieces while asking what particular types of flowers were named. I distinctly remember going on a field trip in elementary school where my mom told me I could pick out a magazine to read on the bus. While I’m sure she was thinking more along the lines of Highlights, I excitedly grabbed a copy of BRIDES. As the years went on and my hobbies evolved, picking up graphic design, watercolor painting, antique collecting, photography, party planning, and cocktail mixing- the wedding obsession stayed very real. I’ve played many roles in other people’s big days- photographer, day-of-coordinator, stationary designer, bridesmaid…and now it’s finally my turn!

After replacing Danny Zuko with Dillon Martinez (who is equally cute, even without the leather jacket), the millions of ideas I’ve had over the years started to feel less significant. My relationship with Dillon is easy, natural, laid-back, light-hearted, and curious. We both love to try new things and tend to gravitate toward the unconventional. Once we finally got engaged, I took a step back and realized that a good portion of the “vision” I had was based solely on my own aesthetic preferences. I asked Dillon to sit down and brainstorm things that were important to both of us for our day, and I have to say that where we’ve landed together has me SO excited. Our wedding will be whimsical, unexpected, upbeat, and most importantly– incredibly personal to us. In this post I’m going to share elements I’m inspired by for our general vibe and decor, as well as some photos of us taken at our venue last weekend. That’s right, we finally have a venue! And its good. Like, really good…

The Venue

I had always known this would be the hardest thing to check off the list. If you didn’t catch my drift in the intro… I’ve done a lot of wedding research. Like, years worth. Which you would think would make picking the location a breeze… yeah, not so much. Every venue that I came across I was like “been there, seen that, could list 10 wedding blogs that have featured it.” Dillon and I have waited so long for this day and I just really wanted to celebrate it somewhere that would feel a little more out of the box and unique to us. Here was our venue checklist:

Amanda:
Pretty natural light
Outdoorsy without feeling “rustic” (no barns)
Interesting and unique (no banquet halls)
Something that gives good vibes (bright and cheery vs. dark and moody)
Preferably ceremony and reception on-site

Dillon:
Less than 2 hours away
Something that incorporates nature
Lots of space, not claustrophobic
Ability to choose catering

We’re like, so easy to please… can you believe we had trouble finding a place?! 😉 After lots of eliminating, I really thought we had nailed it down to a tiny summer camp about an hour and a half away from us. Dillon and I went to tour it with my Maid of Honor, Meliss, and I was like, this has to be it. It’s the only place that satisfies everything on the list. Until I brought my mom into the equation and the idea of hosting an entirely outdoor wedding in unpredictable Wisconsin weather at a place that guests had to drive 90+ minutes to get to just about gave her a heart attack. I was bummed that she wasn’t into it and really dwelled on it for a few weeks not knowing where else to look.

I was venting about it while out to dinner with a friend who mentioned, “I know this sounds nuts, but a girl I know got married at Milaeger’s last summer and it was actually gorgeous. It totally made me think of you.” (Shoutout to you Emily, best suggestion I’ve ever been given!). For anyone not local, Milaeger’s is a garden center in Racine. It’s an actual store, like with aisles and cash registers and all, but also has some greenhouses out back. I couldn’t picture it until she showed me some photos from the wedding and I instantly had the “it” moment.

The next day I started calling every number I could find on the website to get ahold of the owner and within a few days had managed to find her. She wasn’t sure if they were open to hosting another wedding since the only one they had done was for a family friend and I basically begged via email until I got the response that they were in! A few weeks later we went to tour with our families and after that it was game over for me, I was determined to make this work somehow.

You guys, we have A LOT of work to do. Mileager’s is going to have to clear and clean the entire greenhouse between their growing schedule. The majority of the plants and shelves you see in these photos will have to be moved and the whole place will need a total scrub down to be event-ready. Dillon and I have to rent literally everything. I mean tables, chairs, dance floor, even bathrooms. Never in my life did I think I would spend hours researching “luxury portable toilets”… but here we are. And I could not be more excited about it all. I am so willing to put in the work for the outcome that I picture this little greenhouse giving us. It’s outdoorsy and laid-back for Dillon, bright, cheery and unique for me, and has a roof over our heads and is right around the corner for my mom. I’ll finally admit that she was right… even though it originally felt like she was crushing my hopes and summer camp dreams, the place that it ended up getting us is SO much better.

On August 3, 2019 (which just so happens to also be my grandparents anniversary) Dillon and I will be surrounded by our families, friends, potted plants and probably a few garden hoses, while we celebrate the years we’ve spent together and the future we’re building together. It feels so perfect!

Now for the decor inspiration!

Color

I was struggling to find a color palette that satisfied my rainbow-craving-appetite, while still feeling elegant and romantic. I want this day to feel fun for everyone involved, but I also don’t want it to feel like a kid’s birthday party. I finally stumbled across photos of this boho-vibed style shoot and was like that’s it! Every decor decision I’ve tried to make since I’ve referred back to the colors in these photos, so I guess that means I’m into it. Below are photos from the shoot, as well as some paint swatches I picked up for inspo and a sneak peak at a bridesmaids swatch 😉

Florals

I want the florals to feel loose, bohemian, warm and colorful. Here are some images I keep going back to, the one thing I can’t get out of my mind are those big white and yellow flowers bottom left that look like fried eggs. Apparently called “Romneya Coulteri”. How cool are they?! I’m also very into the current trend of hand-dyed ribbons hanging from the bouquet. I’ll look for any excuse to add more color to a bridal look.

Woven Elements

I’ve always been a texture person. Because of this, incorporating some woven elements into our decor seems to fit nicely. Dillon likes things natural and bohemian and I like things fun and whimsical, so the mixture of tassels and macrame work together while satisfying both of our styles. I’ve been teaching myself the basic macrame knots and intend on doing some DIY pieces for our decor. Stay tuned!

Vintage

This is a 347 wedding… did you really think I would make it through this without mentioning all things vintage?! You better believe I’ve upped my weekly thrift store visits to 2-3 times a week since getting engaged. Below are inspiration photos of particular pieces I’ve got my eyes on. Thrifting 200 vintage water goblets is definitely my most ambitious wedding idea so far, but I’ve already had a lot of luck! I’ve also been pushing through the colder months by day dreaming of hitting up all of the flea markets with Dillon this summer looking for bargain antiques *sigh* #myhappyplace

Craft Beer

Dillon is a huge beer snob. We have to do the bar through our venue and may not end up getting as many craft beer options as he would like, so I’ve been brainstorming other ways to bring it in with the decor! I’ve picked up a few cool growlers from thrift stores to use for floral arrangements and also love the idea of using beer caps and hopps in the boutonnieres!

Lighting

As the sun goes down in the greenhouse I really want to emphasize the idea that we’re literally dancing under the stars. We are working with the venue to do some string bistro lighting since there isn’t any light source once it gets dark, and I also plan to bring in a ton of candles. The vibe of the photos below is totally what I have in mind.

Alright, this has been the longest post ever, so let’s wrap it up quickly- On 8.3.19 Dillon and I will say “I Do” amongst the plants in a greenhouse with the best photo lighting you could imagine #important. There will be colorful and bohemian decor, vibey-lighting, and we will all have well-made cocktails while dancing under the stars. If it’s up to Dillon, the playlist will consist mostly of Luda and Notorious B.I.G… but that’s open for requests. Sounds like the best day ever, am I right?! 

Thanks so much for following along while I get my wedding planning fix! I could talk about this subject all day… or all over the internet. You can follow our updates on instagram at #347GetsHitched Counting down the days until then!

Xo Amanda