If you’re loving the current trend for all things Victoriana, then you are going to love today’s wedding! If the bride’s vintage wedding dress doesn’t have you swooning, then her floral crown topped veil and rich fall florals surely will. Brimming with olde world romance it is a vision of Victorian loveliness…..

Sidney and Dane met, at a wedding no less, whilst working in England just before Dane returned to his hometown in Colorado. For more than two years the pair dated the old fashioned way, exchanging handwritten letters and voice recordings before Sidney moved west to where Dane resided. But it took just 24 hours of being together for Dane to realise Sidney was the one, and after just one day in the same time zone he popped the question!

After tying the knot in a small, family-only church ceremony the couple wanted to celebrate with their nearest and dearest so set about inviting 220 to commemorate their union in Louisville, Kentucky – Sidney’s birthplace. Guests were treated to the most beautiful Cathedral blessing and a reception decorated to resemble “Miss Havisham’s parlor in Great Expectations” with food meant to create that feeling of “a home-cooked winter supper.” Sidney says “We cared most about making people feel comfortable, loved, and most of all included in the very exciting and momentous decision.”

Their stunning Stationery suite was inspired by William Morris’s “Strawberry Thief” motif and designed by Hound Dog Press….. don’t you just love those colours?

Sidney’s wedding dress was vintage. In fact it was the exact same gown her Mom wore to walk down the aisle! “I liked the idea of wearing something with history,” Sidney says. In fact she kept everything about the gown the same except the colour which she changed, dying it in coffee and tea to bring out the vintage detail. A fur stole, also from her Mom’s closet, and a green sash were the perfect finishing touches to tie her Victorian look together.

Sidney’s bouquet of protea, roses, olive branch, Japanese sweet pea, fringe tulip, seed eucalyptus, lisianthus, and tarantula amaryllis was created by Jaclyn Journey. She also created Sidney a floral crown of ranunculus, roses, and wax flowers reminiscent of the one worn by Queen Victoria on her wedding day.

Sidney completed her look with custom pearl-drop earrings and a lavaliere pendant worn down the aisle by many brides on her Mom’s side of the family.

Dane looked dapper in a blue Harris Tweed suit, which he paired with a vintage green tie, and a boutonniere of carnation, chablis spray rose, privet berries, and seeded eucalyptus.

Sidney’s bridesmaids chose their own jewel-coloured patterned dress from Modcloth and each carried a beeswax candle surrounded in olive branch, seeded eucalyptus, garden roses, ranunculus, amaranthus, and astilbe to “light the way” for the bride’s walk down the aisle  – how lovely is that?

Sidney and Dane chose the historic and beautiful Christ Church Cathedral for their ceremony, which saw guests enter through this exquisite embellished arched doorway.

Because this was actually a blessing, the couple actually tied the knot a month earlier, they chose to talk down the aisle together. “Even though it wasn’t our actual wedding, we still wanted to make the ceremony feel significant and special for those attending,” says Sidney. And there’s no doubt from these photos that there was all the reverie and emotion of a wedding!

The cocktail hour and reception was held at The Pointe, a factory-turned-event-space decorated with an assortment of antique furnishings and cherished family treasures such as candles, vases, and glassware. Still-life and landscape artwork borrowed from a local theater hung on walls to create an eccentric ambience. The room was set up to resemble grandma’s attic, or as the bride’s mother puts it, “Miss Havisham’s parlor in Great Expectations.”

A mix of round and farmhouse style wooden tables from Essential Details and covered in white linens gave a relaxed yet elegant feel. The centrepieces were assorted brass candles, fruit, and dutch master inspired floral arrangements of garden roses, poppies, fringe tulips, protea, scabiosa, carnations, sweet peas, privet berries, hyacinth, and geranium leaves.

The couple chose a simple yet beautiful four-tiered vanilla cake with buttercream frosting created by Sweet Surrender, which their florist adorned with fresh flowers to compliment the centrepieces.

The couple chose a leather-bound album from Crearting for loved ones left heartfelt notes in.

A local bluegrass trio, Fresh Cut Grass, played whilst guests enjoyed their appetizers and sipped on a selection of bourbons from a tasting station.

Sidney and Dane swayed under the string lights and greenery to John Lennon’s “Real Love.”

Such beautiful photos by Whitney Neal, don’t you think? I especially love the black and white portraits, they have such warmth. A big thankyou to her for allowing me to share Sidney & Dane’s big day with you here. If you love it, and her photography, as much as I do, you can see more of it here over on Whitney’s website www.whitneynealphoto.com. And don’t forget to follow her on Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest

And of course a huge congratulations to the newlyweds Sidney & Dane! If you’re smitten with their Victorian infused big day, you might want to take a peek at this historical affair and this Fall styled wedding shoot – the dress is Victoriana heaven and the bouquet simply divine!

Amy

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Credits

Photography ~ Whitney Neal Photography // Wedding Dress ~ Vintage (the bride’s mother’s) // Bridal Jewelry ~ Vintage // Floral Design ~ Jaclyn Journey // Hair ~ Hali B & Co // Makeup ~ Kristie Hicks // Wedding Stationery ~ Hound Dog Press // Wedding Cake ~ Sweet Surrender // Bridesmaid Dresses ~ Modcloth // Ceremony Venue ~ Christ Church Cathedral // Reception Venue ~ The Pointe // Catering ~ Wiltshire Pantry // Rentals & Decor Hire ~ Essential Details, Lancaster Court China Rentals; All Occasions Event Rental; Ballou’s Rental; Actor Theater // Linens ~  La Tavola Fine Linen // Guest Book ~ Crearting // Band ~ Fresh Cut Grass // Officiant ~ Jady Koch // Videography ~ Molly Roberson // Calligraphy ~ Rachel Fisher // Transport ~  R&R Limo