Romantic Pennsylvania Wedding

For me, the sweetest part of this wedding from Lauren Fair Photography is that the bride and groom danced the night away in a restaurant that not only belongs to the bride’s father, but is also named after her. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that every bit of this wedding is styled to perfection by the bride herself, with a bit of help from floral gurus Lilies and Lavender.

From the bride, Arielle: Alex and I envisioned a beautiful, romantic style with a vintage touch. We wanted to create an atmosphere that was intimate, personal, elegant and fun – a celebration where our guests arrived in their “Saturday night best” and ended up on the dance floor wearing flip flops celebrating the night away. Being foodies we also wanted our guests to be treated to an incredible culinary experience. We knew immediately that my family’s picturesque restaurant would be the perfect place to bring our wedding vision to life. Cocktail hour was held inside the beautifully appointed, historic stone building that houses the restaurant. We moved outside to the restaurant’s idyllic garden area for our romantic tented reception. For dinner, we feasted on the restaurant’s delicious cuisine which has been voted best in our county!

We choose a color scheme that included varying tones of blush, peach, creams, & subtle gray. I’m an event planner by profession and have a natural love to create beauty using celebrations as my medium. My mom is a visionary & has a great eye for design; together we had the joy of designing the whole wedding. We brought our vision to life by researching & hand picking vendors that complimented our style. Our gorgeous flowers were grown locally by Lilies and Lavender a small, sustainably managed, cut flower farm. The owner’s love for organic, garden style floral design resonated with my vision. Kate, the owner, artistically designed lush, romantically inspired centerpieces and bouquets. Round pedestal vases over flowed with her peach/apricot ranunculus, blush peonies, cream colored stock, light pink astilbes and delicate sliver lamb’s ears. What a statement they made on the tables!

The beautiful bouquets used the same flower varieties but were accented with deep coral colored poppies. The bouquets were hand tied with complimentary colors of long, streaming satin ribbons. (We traveled over 90 miles to find a store that carried the exact color of ribbon that we desired). We scoured flea markets and antique stores in search of vintage mirrored vanity trays to hold our guest seating cards. The old glass bottles that we found secured a stem or two of flowers that mingled amongst the vanity trays. Meticulously we sought fabric of lace and silk for the handmade table runners. The silver plated candle sticks that we used lent an additional element of romanticism as the flames from the candles flickered as they graced the reception tables. A family friend hand painted slate wedding signs for us; the signs added a sweet personal touch! To enhance the charming atmosphere we placed floating candles in the birdbaths that adorn the gardens and pillar candles along the garden pathways.

The best moment of the day was marrying my husband; the second best moment was arriving at our reception and seeing the restaurant and the tent. We were in awe. It was an amazing experience to see our months and months of planning come to life. Everything came together so beautifully, it was breathtaking, a moment we will never forget. Alex and I are grateful and thankful that we have parents that were so supportive and who worked together to make this day so special for us! After receiving overwhelming compliments on the beauty of the property, we are excited to be opening up the restaurant as a wedding venue for other couples to enjoy.

Any advice for couples planning their weddings now? Have fun and really embrace the whole planning process. Use it as an opportunity to work together with your soon to be husband, solve problems together & compromise… all skills that will come in handy for your marriage. Put your heart & soul into the planning & enjoy every minute of it. But ultimately remember a wedding is a party, not a performance. If at the end of the day you are married to the one you love, then everything went perfectly. Your love for each other is the most important thing!

Wedding Music:
Processional: “When I say I Do,” Matthew West
Recessional: “One Thing Remains,” Jesus Culture
First Dance: “Making Memories of Us,” Keith Urban
For our ceremony music, two of our dear friends who also happen to be very talented musicians, played the acoustic guitar and piano.

Wedding Location: Sellersville, PA / Photographer: Lauren Fair Photography / Floral Designer: Lilies and Lavender / Event Design: Bride / Day-Of Coordination: The Most Perfect Event / Ceremony Venue: Ridge Valley United Church of Christ / Reception Venue and Caterer: Arielle’s Country Inn / Wedding Dress: Allure / Hair and Makeup: Daneene Jensen and Associates / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Belsoie / Groom’s Suit: Allure / Wedding Cake and Desserts: Sweet Ruminations / Wedding Music: Jumper Band Philadelphia / Transportation: Secrets Limo / Shuttle: Hagey Coach / Wedding Invitations: Invited by You