Recently, thanks to the lovely Eleni and her Bloggers Say I Do series on Love 4 Wed,  I had the pleasure of re-imagining my big day! 5 years after getting married (and with 4 years of having my own wedding blog) I got the opportunity to let my imagination run wild, and create the wedding of my dreams – infusing it with the latest trends I love and putting right all the things that went wrong the first time round. It was such an interesting, and not to mention fun, exercise that I thought you might like to see it too……

The Wedding Style

It is almost impossible to choose just one! If I had to though it would be completely different to our day, which was vintage glamour and quite formal (it was a New Year’s Eve celebration after all). I would choose instead a relaxed wooded wonderland wedding. Not, as Mr E suggested with us dressed as elves! But rather an elegant woodland affair, with a little splendour, no small amount of charm and an abundance of romance.

We were married in England, where the weather can never be relied on whatever the season. But now we live in New Zealand the possibilities are endless! A Spring wedding blooming with blossom, a Summer wedding bathed in warm sunlight or a Winter wedding against a backdrop of snow-capped mountains…… every season is beautiful here, but by far my favorite is fall, so it would have to be an early Autumn wedding in April.

Photography ~ Rebecca Goddard via Love My Dress

The Color Palette

I would keep the color palette neutral and natural, to allow the beauty of the season to sing. But with a splash of dusky blue, a highlight of pale pink and perhaps a pop of cranberry red.

Bouquet ~ Simena // Place Setting ~ Michelle March via Magnolia Rouge

The Wedding Dress & Shoes

My dress would have to be lace and long sleeved. I got married before the Kate effect, but as a vintage loving gal I have always adored sleeves and they are so utterly perfect for an Autumn wedding. Oh and it would have volume! We had an intimate wedding in a small venue, which meant I was limited to slinky dresses that would fit the narrow aisle. For a woodland wedding though my dress could be as big as I want…. I’d also wear a veil (to hide my tears as I walk down the aisle) and a vintage wax flower crown – my Nan wore one on her wedding day and I love their delicate beauty.

I am not exactly sure what shoes, something flat, perfect for dancing in….and something I love! I was persuaded to buy some rather traditional bridal shoes for our wedding because the shoes I wanted were deemed inappropriate for my dress. Now I know better than to go with anything other than what you love for your wedding!

Crown ~ D’Arcy Benincosa via Style Me Pretty // Wedding Dress ~ Emily Riggs, Photography by Erich McVey // Bridal Flats ~ Emmy London (see the whole beautiful collection here) // Lace Bridal Shoes ~ Bella Belle Shoes (swoon over the full collection here) Photography by Rachel May

The Wedding Ceremony & Reception Venue

The ceremony would be within an aisle of trees, with mismatched chairs for seating, an aisle arch and doors for me to walk through. I’ll never forget that first glimpse of Mr E at our wedding, the moment was so special it is definitely something I would want to re-create.

The reception would be relaxed, with the most magical lighting!

Woodland Aisle ~ Bryce Covey via Style Me Pretty // Seating ~ Steve Steinhardt via Style Me Pretty // Aisle Arch ~ Caroline Tran via Style Me Pretty // Reception ~ Lara Hotz via Chic Vintage Brides

Wedding Cake

Why would I choose a cake now I know about dessert tables?! Anyone who knows me knows I read a menu starting at the desserts! So, I would have a dessert table overflowing with everything yummy – cheesecakes, flapjacks, custard filled doughnuts, carrot cake, macarons….. with a more traditional cake as centre stage of course – Mr E loves fruit cake!

I couldn’t decide on a cake topper for our wedding, so we went without, but I know just what I would want for a vow renewal! A custom cake topper, that included Bodie (our spoodle puppy), and which I could keep forever.

Dessert Table ~ Caroline Tran via SMP// Bespoke Wedding Cake Topper ~ Lollipop Workshop

Wedding favors

Our wedding favors would be beautiful wool blankets to keep our guests cozy – I love the idea of favors that can be taken away, used every day and cherished.

Rahel Menig Photography via Wedding Chicks

Entertainment

For entertainment we would have a giant chess set, that later would become the dance floor on which we could dance all night, like crazy things, to the Mumford and Sons style folk band! With fires burning through the night we might need to break for a while at midnight to re-energise with hot chocolate and toasted marshmallows!

Couple ~ Jonas Peterson // Band ~ Jose Villa via SMP

Honeymoon

This is something Mr E and I missed out on first time round, possibly my only regret! So I would definitely want to make up for that. Living in New Zealand we’re now spoilt for beautiful beaches and scenery, and so for a honeymoon we would look for something different… something cultural and with plenty of historical beauty….. Like a grand tour of Europe, similar to those taken 100 or so years ago, taking in the Amalfi Coast, Monaco, Bruges, Paris, Dubrovnik… oh and finish at the Norwegian Fjords! All the places we never got to visit before moving to the other side of the world.

Italy ~ Leo Berne

So, what do you think of my dream wedding? In reality though….I wouldn’t change a thing! For all the little things that went wrong, or those things I wish I had done (like remember a nice hanger for my dress, get to know the photographer before the day, and make sure we knew where our mother’s bouquets were), or wish we had done differently (such as getting a photo of my brother and I with my Mum and Dad, and spending more time with Mr E’s wonderful Granddad) it was perfect, just the way it was!

Now if I can get Mr E to agree to a vow renewal…… then it’s a different story!

If you enjoyed this little re-imagining of my big day, pop over to Love4Wed and take a peek at some of the other bloggers – it is a source of endless inspiration and so many stylish wedding ideas! Tamika’s (of Bajan Wed) is one of my favourites, I just LOVE the place setting she chose. And if you love her style as much as I do, you will definitely want to pop back tomorrow because guess who is making a special guest appearance right here on Chic Vintage Brides!

Amy

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