A Novel Idea: Tammy & Aaron's Pride & Prejudice Wedding

We were so honored to have our pride and prejudice wedding featured yesterday on Style Me Pretty where Abby pointed out that not all beautiful weddings have to take place outdoors in an open garden setting. It is possible to bring the charm of outdoor weddings inside even in the grandest of ballrooms!!

When our bride Tammy came to us with a love for books and tea and a passion for poetry and all things vintage, a pride a prejudice concept quickly began to develop.

Robin Mathis of Twigg Botanicals did an incredible job with Tammy's flowers. Her bouquet was full of texture and pops of contrasting color to really make it stand out. While the bride was out taking pictures, somehow her bouquet was misplaced and picked up by housekeeping! Yes, if you can believe it to be true, the bride's bouquet went missing! Luckily, Robin was on site and whipped up another bouquet that was just as equally gorgeous just in time for the ceremony!

Brightly Designed created the programs for Tammy and Aaron. They really fit in perfectly with the feel and looked like little books themselves.

Etsy seller and friend, PinCushionPrincess custom made the ring pillows for Tammy's two adorable ring bearer nephews.

The ceremony took place among the rose gardens at Rancho Bernardo inn and under a romantic draped trellis. The bride was escorted down the aisle by her father and music that played from a beautiful white baby grand piano, as a nod to her love for music as a pianist herself.

In lieu of a sand ceremony, the couple poured water into a birdbath adorned with floating flowers to symbolize the joining of their love.

Tammy had a large group of friends that were special to her and wanted to incorporate them into the wedding. We suggested having all of her friends pick out a dress within a color sample she could give them. The end result turned out great! The girls all looked beautiful and were able to wear something they felt completely comfortable in.

Following the ceremony, guests were greeted by bookcases filled with a beautiful array of fabric covered books in complimentary floral patterns and ticking stripes that we had gathered. No two books were the same which added an element of surprise and an additional conversation piece for the guests! On the spine of the books read the guest's names and the title escorted them to their tables.

Karisa Winkel of Pretty Handsome Paper did the escort card labels, quotes and poems throughout the reception. I love the way the paper labels look on the fabric-wrapped books.

Neatly tucked in each book was also a hand made fabric bookmark that served as favors made by the groom's mother of the corresponding fabrics we had found.

Both Tammy and Aaron's favorite poem is Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein. We wanted to incorporate the poem since the wedding had such a beautiful literary feel. Other poems and quotes of love, novels and tea were scattered throughout the room for guests to enjoy.

To personalize the day even more, Wedding Dresses of the past (such as the bride's mothers) were also displayed in front of a custom made fabric backdrop and amongst a table of family photos...next to a sign that read "a good book has no ending."

The head table was absolutely stunning. Robin of Twigg Botanicals really worked her magic once again. The loose, flowing style of the flowers added yet another soft touch.

Peaches pinned with scrolled place cards sat upon mixed patterned vintage china welcoming guests to their chairs.

The centerpieces sat atop jewelry boxes replicated to look like stacks of classic novels (these were later to be taken home and enjoyed by guests as a memoir of the wedding). Silver urns and trophy vases filled with fruits and flowers such as peaches, peonies, and dahlias offered a softness to the room and seemed to jump off the canvas of an old English still life painting. China tea cups accented with Peonies and roses added to the table and invited guests to the tea station.

The custom built tea station added an element of fun and tastiness. Shelves were filled with pastries, tea cakes, scones and other delicious treats. Silver urns offered different flavors of tea, like earl grey, English breakfast and lavender.

After an evening of dining and decadent desserts the couple shared a surprise choreographed dance. Family, friends and the bridal party joined in for an enormous production. The Image is Found really captured how much fun everyone had with it.

Although grand in number, with over 300 guests, it still felt as if it were an intimate event and a party that Jane Austen herself would have been pleased to attend! Thanks again to The Image is Found for these amazing pictures. Best of luck to Tammy and Aaron as you start this new chapter together!