When a lifelong friend and longtime bachelor calls you on April Fool’s Day and says… “I got engaged yesterday and I want to get married THIS coming Saturday AND we want you to plan the wedding”… the normal reaction is to bust out laughing. Which I did. But when he says he’s serious, it is time to jump on the planning ASAP. Here’s how I pulled together a beautiful, sentimental family wedding in only one week. And here are the photos to prove it.
When you have less than a week to pull together a wedding, you don’t have time to procrastinate and stress about the decisions you are making. You have to make decisions and move on… and that’s what we did. No time to sweat the little things! Trusting your planner is essential:)
I was the vendor for just about everything. I was the planner, the chef, the florist, and even rental delivery… just about everything. What I could not make, I purchased. The one vendor I did hire was the photographer, Mo Davis from Arden Photography. Mo is a rock star, capturing every moment and every detail. Advice to brides: don’t skimp on the photos. The pictures and the memories last a lifetime. AND I must thank my sweet friends Jared and Corey from The Sonnet House in Leeds, Alabama. Corey made the lovely bridal bouquet and boutonnieres… aren’t they beautiful!
For the decor, the couple wanted a rustic theme to fit the farm setting so we used bales of pine straw, pots of spring flowers, branches, burlap, moss, Mason jars, rustic lanterns, and lots of candles. The pine straw along with the flats and pots of spring flowers were used at the front gate and also for the ceremony site. The couple has already planted those in their yard to enjoy all summer long. We also did not want to have to worry with rental china so we opted for this eco-friendly recycled paper and bamboo place settings which were recycled again after the event!
We continued the rustic theme throughout the decor and for the food service. Wooden serving trays, cutting boards, bowls were all used. Charcuterie of cured meats, cheeses, and sausages plus grilled lamb pops were waiting for guests after the ceremony. For the main course, we kept it down on the farm with smoked pulled pork over organic grits and collard greens. For dessert, the two-tiered wedding cake was vanilla butter cream and filled with layers of homemade lemon curd and raspberry preserves. Since there was going to be a fire in the fire pit after dark, I made my signature s’mores with Nutella instead of a groom’s cake and also made plenty as favors for guests to take home.
Wishing a lifetime of happiness to my sweet friends… thank you for letting me be a part of your day! Thanks to my assistant Caroline, my grill master Brad, Lauren, Kristal, and Sohaila along with Mo and Jared and Corey from the Sonnet House in Leeds. You made this easy!