You are going to love how much personalization there is in today’s handmade fall wedding from Caitlin Gerres Photography. The couple’s nicknames are Wolf and Bee, so there were several subtle nods to this throughout the wedding, like the pin in the bride’s bouquet and the tie pin on the groom. They also included a handfastening ceremony with fabric made from their two family tartans, which is such a sweet and meaningful detail.
We wanted to have a rustic fall wedding with sunflowers and navy accents. Sunflowers, October and autumn are Deb’s favorite, so it was only natural that it would play a role in styling the wedding.
Candy (Cody’s mother) had given Deb one of her mother’s hair clips and her glass jewelry box for her 30th birthday. In tradition of something borrowed, Deb asked to borrow the clip’s pair and wear both in her hair. The box was used in many of the detail photos on the wedding day. Deb also wore a pair of diamond earrings given to her mother by her stepfather who passed away. On Deb’s bouquet, an old handkerchief of her Aunt Mary’s was pinned, along with an angel pin from Deb’s grandmother Theresa. Deb’s bouquet had so many symbols for her Auntie Mary and her stepfather Mike as well as family tokens, to keep those who could not be present on the day close at hand.
We chose the renaissance court together after walking through the gardens and seeing how beautiful it was. Knowing that the rose garden would be included in our locations was a key point for Debbi as her stepdad passed away from complications due to Cystic Fibrosis (CF). CF has a story associated with it called The 65 Roses. Knowing he could not be with us on our wedding day, it was a way to surround us subtly with his presence. Another way was to have the ceremony musicians from And I Love her violins play an instrumental of “I Lived” by One Republic that was written based on CF patient’s struggles.
As we had already legally married at the courthouse in January, this celebration was the party we didn’t have prior to Cody’s deployment. Keeping the wedding very intimate and full of meaning was key. Small details of our story (the wolf and bee) were included subtly staying true to ourselves. Cody wore a wolf pin and whiskey cufflinks to match his whiskey barrel and platinum wedding band. Deb wore a bumblebee haircomb. The ceremony book, made by Evelyn of Letterlyn Studio, had wood covers with Wolf & Bee burned into the cover. The book had three sections; the first included stories we had written to each other about our travels, the second was our wedding ceremony script and the third section left blank with the title Adventures await so that we could fill it with our future adventures. We wrote the script after researching many ceremonies and wanted to include our Scottish and Irish heritage with a handfasting. Deb was able to find a place the sews tartans together to make a handfasting ribbon. Since both Cody and Deb are Scottish, Clan Anderson and Clan MacKenzie tartans were sewn together.
All the sunflower baskets and centerpieces were done by Deb. Most other details were bought on etsy, so that while they were not completely DIY, they fit the theme and feel of the wedding. Deb also made the earrings of her MOH, Caitlin, as well as for her friend and coordinator for the day, Amy. The blue vases on the center table were made by a local potter, FlydogCeramics, that Deb and Cody have gotten to know from their local coffee shop.
The best part was having so much meaning in our ceremony, by having Cody’s older brother run the ceremony as our officiant. Sitting as a family at one long table for dinner, watching friends and family intermingle and celebrate. Seeing everyone in the photobooth with whoever passed by it at the time. Our first dance in front of our families. Deb’s dance with her dad to Cinderella by Steven Curtis Chapman, which amazed everyone.
Photography | Caitlin Gerres Photography | Venue | Norfolk Botanical Gardens | Florals | Black Iris Floral Events | Cake | Flour Child Bakery | Catering | East Beach Catering | Paper Goods | Paper Beauties by Anca Milchis | Rentals | Distinctive Event Rentals | DJ | Hey DJ | Gown | BHLDN | Headpiece | Time Trinkets | Hair & Makeup | Behind the Veil Studio | Jewelry | Crystal Avenues | Shoes | Bella Belle | Bridesmaid Dresses | Adrianna Papell | Vow Book | Letterlyn Studio | Ceremony Musicians | And I Love Her Violins | Transportation | Truffle Shuttle | Shutterbooth Hampton Roads
