Mar 20, 20194 min read

Shabby Chic Garden Wedding

Updated: Mar 19, 2020

Happy FIRST DAY OF SPRING EVERYONE! I hope this season brings positive and exciting change in your home life, work life and spiritual life. Today I thought we share another beautiful wedding today, as it is WEDDING WEDNESDAY on the blog!

We are bringing Laura back onto the blog aka,Weekend Gypsy, about her "Shabby Chic Garden Wedding" in Miami. Laura and Mateo were married on November 5th 2016, at a private residence with acres of beautiful lush lands (ground plan below). I'm starting to notice that all my friends I've featured thus far have been DIY Brides, which makes sense why we are friends lol! Laura is a DIY Bride in every sense of the phrase. Aside from the regular picking color palettes and themes, she made her own invitations suite, hanging floral wreathes, these adorable ribbon wands for when they walk down the aisle, golden cake topper, coasters, her own make-up and hair and then every aspect had groups of friends DIY'ing floral bouquets, floral arrangements at the altar, cakes, food etc. Everyone, with Laura and Mateo's direction, was all about DIY and community.

The night before, I went over to the venue to help with florals and also pick out florals for their cake. I had the honor of making their cake and this required fresh blooms. Laura and her crew had an assembly line organizing and prepping all things. That's the beauty of doing a wedding or any big party at a private residence, especially when it's one of your best friend's homes. Everyone is doing there job, the energy is vibrant and finally everything is as prepped as it can be until the finally touches tomorrow afternoon.

Then, like any event, Murphy's law kicked in. A few hours before their wedding, the sky decided to unleash some major rain. What was unfortunate was the ceremony and reception were all outdoors. All the table linens, chairs and floors were soaked... I remembered driving in and seeing the beautiful blush and watercolor tones of the linens and hung decor looking a little heavy. Regardless of the rain everything still looked beautiful. There was a tent and it was the area where the food and cake and some of the seating was set. It was enough for guests to gather underneath should heavy rain happen... After I finished unloading the cakes and the cake stands, I walked over to the guest house that Laura was in. She looked beautiful and despite what had occurred she was glowing, she was confident and she was ready to get married! Rain wasn't stopping her or her future hubs or any of the guests arriving. As I left her bridal quarters, the photographers began to take photos and any detailed shots to have for the bride and groom. That same vibrant energy starts to come back as the couples closest friends and family begin to grab towels and dry off any and all things wet. That same sense of community is back and any little defeat felt had vanished. Guest are beginning to arrive. The weather is holding up, with a couple scattered showers here and there, but here is why you have to invite the people who you love and support you. The guest were there for them and no matter the weather conditions, they all showed, they all helped and they all adjusted and they all cheered and roared for the doting couple and LOTS AND LOTS OF DANCING!!!

It didn't rain again, there was a short sprinkle when they kissed at the altar and that was pretty magical if I might add!

Please enjoy a Q&A with the BRIDE of her favorite moments and a little advice for any "Bride-to-Be". Plus detailed photos below of their beautiful wedding and vendors lists....

What was your favorite part about the planning process?

All the quality time my mom and I spent sitting at the computer on Pinterest and going on coffee/shopping dates looking for decor and supplies. What was your least favorite part in the planning process? The 2 days of random dress regret I felt after I placed the order for my dress LOL it was like a freak out moment because I knew I had committed and there was no going back. But it was my dream dress in the end and I wouldn’t have had it any other way haha. What are your top 3 favorite things about your wedding day? The calm I felt while getting ready (even when it was pouring rain outside). Somehow I didn’t stress over it, which is unlike me. I just felt so peaceful and chill. Like nothing was going to affect my mood.Walking down the (mud)isle with my dad and seeing all our friends and family together in one place!The first 15 minutes after the ceremony ended and it was just the 2 of us soaking it all in. Literally we were soaked! Haha What was the most surprising thing you enjoyed about the wedding and/or wedding process? The way that the rain caused everyone to be soaked and have dirty feet, but still drink and dance and laugh the entire night. It’s still something that gets brought up in convo on random nights with friends/family. An unforgettable time. What would you change or tweak? Can I say the weather? Haha because that’s really the only thing I can think of that was the cause of anything needing to be changed. I would have called the photographers/videographers to come earlier and get shots of all the decor while everything was still dry haha. Any advice to give to any “Bride to Be”? Do YOUR wedding YOUR way. If something doesn’t feel right for you and your fiancé, nix it from the “schedule” and don’t worry about what anyone else is going to think/say about it. Also, have a plan B if you are having an outdoor wedding - additional tents on standby & umbrellas are a good idea ;)