Whimsical New Hampshire Wedding

A red feathered veil for the bride, a bridal party in bright assorted colors, and a jaw-dropping Carolina Herrera wedding gown — these are just a very few of the reasons why we love this wedding from We Are the Parsons so very much. Bride Erica picked six eye-catching colors — lime, papaya, lemon, poppy, fuchsia, violet — and asked her wedding party to put together their outfits around them, and we can’t get enough of the gorgeous effect!

From the bride, Erica: We really wanted it to be not only about the two of us, but also about our friends and family. We focused a lot on the ceremony and involving several of our friends and family members, requesting that they each contribute something unique and original (a story, a song, a game, a performance etc). We wanted to recognize each person individually, which is one of the reasons why we integrated so much color, with each of our friends and family members wearing their own color of their choice.

We chose to hold the ceremony and the reception at Erica’s family home because it’s such a special and unique place on the ocean off the coast of New Hampshire, it holds so many wonderful memories for both of us (as Ben and I have been together for 8 years and have spent a significant amount of time at my family home) and we wanted to share that with our friends and family. We also love to have fun and the costume/Polaroid photo guest book was a way for our friends and family to take part in the free-spirited nature of our relationship.

The save-the-date card was a essentially a DIY project (excluding the printing). I had been envisioning the ceremony site with all of our colorful flowers and the water and jumping rocks in the background, and our beloved dog, Zora, of course. All of this was inspiration for the design of the save-the-date. The artwork for the invitation and the ceremony programs was also an original piece of my artwork, though something quite old (from high school) that I’ve always loved. There was no way I could choose just a few colors for our palette, which is what led to the rainbow affect.

I also collect textiles from all around the world (working in international development) and was inspired to integrate colorful textiles and prints into our decor. Domestically, I have been drawn to Amy Butler fabrics for the past several years, which I have used to sew baby quilts for my girlfriends’ children. In the end it was the colorful, retro, yet tribal designs of Amy Butler that made it onto our table tops for added color and flair. I also used these fabrics for the name-card holder that we hung from my family’s cherry tree at the entrance to the reception area. One of the most exciting design elements was the inclusion of the star lanterns. I collected these from a number of websites (as well as from my travels around the world) and we created a drop-ceiling effect above the dance floor with tons of paper star lanterns that really added life to our evening.

See Also

A Bold Berry-Colored Vallejo Wedding

Any advice for brides planning their weddings now? My advice really depends on the kind of celebration each couple is looking for. First though, I really feel that any advice should not be targeted to only the bride, but also should include the groom. Weddings are about the couple and should be planned and carried out by both members of the couple to the fullest extent possible (despite the rolling of eyes and the clashing of ideas). While I may have done a bit more of the planning, our celebration was wonderful and special because Ben was involved in a great share of it. I’m also very detail oriented and like to be very involved in all elements of the planning, so my advice to couples like me is to give yourself plenty of time. I also think that our celebration was so much more meaningful for us and our family and friends because everything was tied so closely to us; our home, our neighborhood, our special places, special vendors, etc.

Wedding Music:
Processional: “All Is Full of Love,” Bjork
Recessional: “Over the Hills and Far Away,” Led Zeppelin
My father and I took dance classes together for several months before the wedding. I asked him to choose the song for our dance, and being the classy man he is, he chose Frank Sinatra, “The Way you Look Tonight.” It was such a special dance for both of us, particularly because he really never dances and would ordinarily shy away from such a public display, but we absolutely rocked it!
Ben and his mother, on the other hand, danced to a more modern tune, which Ben’s mother also chose. Apparently Ben was (as a joke) really “into” this song by R. Kelly in high school, which his mother remembered well. When asked which song she wanted to dance to for the wedding, she chose this one, and it was a sight to be seen!

Wedding Location: New Castle, New Hampshire / Wedding Photographer: We Are the Parsons / Wedding Venue: Private residence / Wedding Planner: Blissful Beginnings / Wedding Flowers: The Flower Kiosk / Wedding Dress: Carolina Herrera / Wedding Shoes: Stuart Weitzman / Bride’s Earrings: L’elite / Bride’s Hair: Lena Hartford of Hair That Moves / Wedding Caterer: The White Apron / Wedding Cake: Gail Spivey / Ceremony Music: White Heat Swing Orchestra / DJ: Slam Patten / Wedding Invitations: Bride and groom and Gus and Ruby Letterpress / Transportation: Sea Coast Trolley