French Country Chic Themed Wedding

Happy Monday ladies, I hope you had a lovely relaxing weekend? Moi? Oh yes! I had a veeery lazy one which was well, bliss of course. Today’s wedding is one of my most favourite of all time and ridonkulously pretty.

Racquel and Elvin married in Maryland and had a French Country Chic Themed Wedding. I absolutely adore the styling and the use of colours, peach, yellow, white and green. Racquel was an incredibly chic bride {loving the blue eyeliner and nails} and Elvin looked very ‘An Officer and a Gentleman’. I know you’re going to love this wedding, so let the swoonfest begin! Words by Racquel.

Elvin is an officer in the United States Army. Before he deployed to Afghanistan in 2011, he proposed to me. We planned for a summer wedding back home (we were living on the west coast at the time) in Maryland. The wedding planning was left primarily to me and it was arduous. But, we managed to pull off the wedding of our dreams. We’ll be honeymooning in Australia this December – we can’t wait!

© 2012 Joyeuse Photography

We chose our venue because it not only fit our French Country chic-themed wedding, the Antrim catered enough space for the reception, and could house our large wedding indoors AND outdoors.

My bridal shop was participating in Brides Across America, and it just so happened that, because my fiancé was deploying to Afghanistan at that time, I scored a FREE wedding gown! I love this Carvalli dress because it has a tulle pleated skirt, which is a favorite look of mine & it matched my bridesmaids’ dresses.

Tahni Candelaria-Holm of Joyeuse Photography was our photographer – We hit it off right away. We trusted her eye because of how she’s able to capture the “magic” in everyday things. We knew she’d be able to photograph everything beautifully on our big day, no matter if it was a very special moment or just a unique view, we were excited to see where her artistic vision would take her.

We wanted flowers that fit our French Country theme – peach, yellow white, and green. The florist, Randy, suggested garden roses and we were amazed by their beauty – I think they’re my favorite flower now!     

I walked down the aisle to “Concerning Hobbits” by Howard Shore (from “The Lord of the Rings”).

Elvin and I like everything vintage and I’m particularly fond of the Marie Antoinette style. We researched the internet for inspiration and found that the shabby chic style is what we like best. 

We chose a little French bakery to supply our cake and desserts for the reception. We liked the variety they offered and the way their colorful display would look with the reception décor. Everything was a hit – we got loads of compliments on our choice from our guests.

Our first dance was to “Never Let Go” by Hanson.

If I could impart any words of wisdom to future brides, I’d say do your research well in advance and have a budget in mind because the spending can get out of control very fast. Create an inspiration board (pinterest) of the things you like. DIY projects are a fun way to save money and have your family/friends pitch in to help with the planning. If you don’t plan to hire a coordinator, I’d suggest you consider an on-the-day-coordinator at least because you will not want to deal with the extra chaos on your wedding day. Also, surround yourself with people that don’t stress you out.

What a super pretty and stylish wedding, and doesn’t everyone look like they had so much fun?! Racquel and Elvin make a gorgeous couple and I’m really proud to share their beautiful day and beautiful images on the Want That Wedding blog. Do leave some love ladies…

WEDDING AWESOMENESS CREDITS >>>>>>>

Photographer: Tahni Candelaria-Holm of Joyeuse Photography

Venue: Antrim 1844 in Taneytown, Maryland

Event planner: Strawberry Milk Events, Julie Savage

Brides…

Dress: Simone Carvalli, purchased at Jeanettes Bridal

Accessories: Veil: Erica B Studios,

Shoes: Badgley Mischka

Grooms…

Suit: U.S. Army White Evening Mess Uniform by Marlow White

Bridemaids…

Dresses: Rachel Pally, Zappos, & Macy’s

Accessories: Bracelets – Otis B Weddings  

Hair & Make-up: Sylk Cosmetic

Florist: Wicked Willow

Videographer: Blue Sky Films

Cake: Sweet Hearts Patisserie

Music: DJ Gordon of Absolute Entertainment

Rings: Hearts on Fire

 

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