It’s #WeddingWednesday! As of today, Dan and I are exactly four months away from our wedding day. I have been planning our wedding for more than a year now, and I’d love to start sharing more of our plans, our inspiration, and what I’ve learned along the way on my blog each Wednesday. To start, here is a look at our wedding decor inspiration for a sophisticated, romantic, blush-and-gold wedding with English garden-inspired accents.
Our Vintage Tudor Wedding Venue
Since we became engaged, I knew that my first choice for our wedding venue was Michigan Shores Club in my hometown, Wilmette. The club is in the neighborhood where I grew up, and I always loved going there as a kid. Even better, it’s a short walk from the beach where Dan proposed. It has special meaning for us both.
Our venue is classic North Shore and its Tudor architecture is one of my absolute favorites. The second floor of the vintage building, where our reception will be hosted, has the ambiance of being at an old-world estate: It’s beautiful yet intimate. It doesn’t feel like a soulless hotel bathroom or wedding-factory banquet hall. I knew I wanted a venue with personal meaning to us and gorgeous design built in, which would require less decor. The space is beautiful on its own.
The ballroom in particular, where dinner and dancing will be held, inspired my vision for a romantic, English garden-inspired wedding design that would complement the Tudor style and look timelessly sophisticated.
Blush, Ivory & Gold with Black Accents
I have worked in a wedding-adjacent business (wedding shoes) for nearly five years, so long before Dan slipped a ring on my finger I knew I wanted a romantic and soft color palette with pink and gold for my own wedding. Blush and gold are everywhere now, but rather than being too trendy, I think the combination is a classic look that here’s to stay. It has remained consistently popular for more than five years now, and unlike mason jars and burlap, I don’t think it will look dated in 20 years. Soft neutrals and metallic tones never go out of style. Our primary wedding colors are ivory/white, blush, and gold, with black accents. The black will be used sparingly and likely just incorporated into our wedding paper.
Soft, Romantic Flowers and Garlands
In keeping with the English garden inspiration, our flowers will be soft, romantic and looser in arrangement with lots of greenery. Our long tables will be anchored by green garlands of seeded eucalyptus with white hydrangea blooms and low hydrangea arrangements. Our round tables will have tall candelabra centerpieces with hydrangea and garden rose arrangements with loose, hanging greenery.
Long Table Arrangements
I’m not a huge fan of round tables, because I feel like there’s more of a disconnect between the guests at round tables. The distance between all the guests feels wider, especially across the table, so it limits the group conversation. For this reason, I’ve always envisioned long rectangular tables at my wedding. They feel more intimate to me. I also love the drama they can add to the room when long in length, like our 30-foot tables will be. We’ll have three long tables with five round tables along the perimeter.
Lots of Candlelight
Nothing says romance like candlelight. I love candlelight and the warm, intimate ambiance it effortlessly adds to an event space. We’re not using up-lighting; instead, we’ll dim the venue lights low and adorn the tables with candles.
Vintage Decor Accents and Classic Style
I’ve always envisioned a traditional wedding. Our wedding decor will include vintage accents for classic style that will look timeless and sophisticated in our wedding photos for years to come.
These are the photos I’ve been going back to for inspiration as I dream up our wedding and make decisions about decor. Of course, our wedding will be a simplified version of the themes above, since all these picture-perfect weddings likely cost upwards of six figures, and our wedding budget is not quite that large. I’ll continue to share more details as our day draws near.
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