Good morning gorgeous ones and happy March! As we enter the month that brings us glorious Spring, we can almost officially kiss goodbye to Winter, dark nights and sub-zero mornings. I for one give that a huge high five! I am so done with being cold and can’t wait to see the back of winter woollies!
We’re really feeling the spring vibes on the blog this morning, as we share the outdoor nature centre wedding of beautiful couple Lauren and Michelle. This stunning pair of boho babes absolutely rocked their free spirited, gypsy style festival wedding, wearing revealing low-cut, laced-back dresses with overflowing foliage bouquets, chic rustic signage, gorgeous decor and reams of romantic snapshots, captured by Jackie McGinnis.
Our main wedding goals were to be barefoot, outdoors, and to make everyone feel our love for each other. We wanted to inspire them and make them realise how important they are to us.
Featuring a woodland ‘ferns and arrows’ theme, their love is totally authentic and beautifully intimate in this outdoor forest wedding, set at the tranquil Lichterman Nature Center in Memphis, USA.
Wedding dress designer Samantha Stokes submitted this fabulous forest wedding to us, and we’re so glad she did. We absolutely love her work and the way the boho design shapes Lauren’s figure. Amazingly, neither of the girls had any part in choosing dresses for each other, and were totally amazed at how incredibly similar they’d dressed on the day.
Here’s one half of this stunning soulmate couple (Lauren) to tell you all about her union to wife Michelle….
Cosy Living Room Engagement
I worked with an independent ring designer that I found on Etsy called Erica Freestone – she’s incredible! I went through several different proposal scenarios in my head….top of a mountain as we love to hike, down on one knee during a trail run, after a.nice dinner…..and in the end, I just settled on proposing on a very normal day at home with feet up on the sofa beside our dogs!
Memphis Forest Wedding
We were married at the Lichterman Nature Center in Memphis, Tennessee. Michelle is from Memphis and I am from St Louis which is almost a 4 hour drive. We knew we wanted to be barefoot and get married outside; the Lichterman was the perfect place for all of that. It’s full of hiking trails and has a beautiful pavilion which we used for the reception.
Flower Crowns and Sentimental Jewellery
We wore gorgeous flower crowns made by Lynn Doyle Flowers and Events. Our dear friend Ella did our hair and makeup, I wore my mom’s blue sapphire ring and Michelle wore her grandmother’s bracelet.
Ferns and Arrows
We’re not flower people, so instead we went for simple foliage and greenery as Michelle LOVES the smell of ferns. She also loves arrows, so our theme became ferns and arrows.
Captivating Ceremony, Red Chariot and Unity Box
We wanted people to walk away feeling inspired and captivated by our ceremony. We didn’t have a bridal party, so we included our families throughout the ceremony. Our siblings read two readings, my beautiful niece came down the aisle in a red chariot wagon and my sister-in-law played the ukulele and sang. Our friend officiated the wedding and our parents and grandparents placed items, letters and pictures in a box which made our unity ceremony. To help everyone feel like an important part of the day, we also performed a ring passing ceremony – it was beautiful.
Minimal Decor, DIY Candle Holders and Handmade Guest Book
We went for minimal decor as the space was so beautiful as it was! We used our love for greenery and arrows as inspiration, and used candles to give the space the most incredible light. The candle holders were mason jars adorned with lace and made by us. We also made our own programs, guest book and signage, and our friend made an awesome ring box.
We also made our own invitations – we took an eclectic approach and used semi-custom templates (that we found on Etsy) and printed them on recycled paper. We kept everything very minimal.
Our florist, planner and saving grace on the day was Michael Doyle from
Lynn Doyle Flowers and Events in Memphis – he really helped us and took care of so many things. He was absolutely incredible.
Boho Girls….
You wouldn’t believe it if we told you as you can see how similar our dresses are…..but, we didn’t shop together or plan for them to be similar at all! I fell in love with a dress by Samantha Stokes – within less than an hour of searching for boho gowns online, I came across mine and knew it was the one – I loved it as soon as I saw it! It featured the most beautiful lace, it was such a flattering fit with wonderful lines – it was classic, timeless and just plain beautiful!
Michelle joked about finding a $100 dress, because she thinks expensive dresses aren’t necessary. She knew she wanted a low back, halter cut and found her dress by Miribridal on Etsy. It was slightly over her budget, but we loved how it looked.
Subtle Photographer and Beautiful Pictures
Our photographer was Jackie McGinnis. She was incredible and I wish we lived closer so that we could be friends! She was so responsive and took the time to meet us and see our venue prior to the day. She made us feel so comfortable and took the shots we needed without the entire day being disrupted. She captured the best moments of the night and created beautiful pictures for us whilst making us laugh and feel beautiful
Memphis BBQ, Waffle Bar and Stunning Cake
Our cake was made by Brandy Marter who is Michelle’s friend. She owns Bed Rock Eats and Sweets in Memphis and makes amazing food (not just cake). She is known for her gluten free, protein waffles – she also set up a waffle bar at the wedding and it was a HUGE hit!
Authentic Memphis BBQ
We had a delicious Memphis BBQ supplied by Central BBQ – they are the very best around! We had a casual dining experience full of pulled pork, chicken wings, slaw and green beans. Our guests got creative and took advantage of the waffle bar for a fun plate of chicken and waffles!
First Dance
Our first dance was to ‘All I Want is You’ by Tristan Prettyman – it’s such a fun, bright and cheerful song. We love a good cry, so we kept the first song nice and lighthearted! The lyrics are so great; they are all about wanting to be everything for the one you love, to be close to them and keep them as happy as possible.
Our wonderful friend and partner of Michelle’s brother, James, helped with the AV of the event. We hand selected all the songs and supplied him with the playlist.
Favourite Moment
Every moment was incredible, however I’d have to say the best moment was during our final song at our reception just before we shut the place down. The song was a cover of ‘Africa’ by Weezer. Our guests formed a circle around whilst we danced and everyone belted out the lyrics. The memory still gives us chills!
Any Advice?
Discuss your shared goals and vision for your wedding with your partner. Prioritise and make sure that your budget and planning align with those goals. We knew we wanted a simple and economical day, so we did a lot of the hard work ourselves. We really wanted to make our guests feel loved and appreciated, and that sometimes doesn’t have to cost anything!
The Line Up
Photographer: Jackie McGinnis; Venue: Lichterman Nature Center; Lauren’s Wedding Dress: Samantha Stokes; Michelle’s Wedding Dress: Miribridal; Planner and Event Manager / Floral Arrangements: Lynn Doyle Flowers and Events; Caterer: Central BBQ; Waffle Bar: Bed Rock Eats and Sweets; Engagement Ring: Erica Freestone
Beautiful Images, love your style