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To start with, I wanted to share some of the details that our guests probably didn't notice, but made me happy nonetheless.
I had a custom dress tag made and sewn into my gown for a little pop of "something blue." I once read that it is a nice touch to have something showing the date of your wedding in a photo somewhere, and I thought this was a quick and inexpensive way to do it.
Some other accessories that I personalized where my garters. I bought an heirloom garter from GarterLady on Etsy, and had a custom toss garter made (also from Etsy here) to surprise my groom. One thing we'll never agree on is our taste in NFL teams, but I decided to marry the two rivals just for the occasion. (Go Steelers!)
I had a hard time settling on shoes to wear, because my taste is more expensive than my wallet could justify. I really wanted a hot pair of Jimmy Choos, Manolos, Louboutins (you get the idea) but with all of the other expenses I had, I decided it wasn't a necessary expense for one day. I found a cute, simple pair of Kate Spade pumps (Gwen, I believe?) for a steep discount and added some bling in the form of vintage shoe clips (also an eBay find!). A little close up of the heirloom garter, as well as my shoes.
These shoes were very comfy and my feet didn't hurt for a minute the entire day! Aaaand they're dyeable! If I ever want to dye them black to wear more often, I can! I wanted a little more of the something blue, so I added some blue rhinestones to my shoes in our first initials. 
And now for the bracelet. The coveted Haute Bride bracelet. This baby made me so happy. So many guests complimented me on this, and it really sparkled in church under the lights and stained glass. I bought it from another bride that wore this on her big day, and think it was worth every penny. My sister begged me not to sell it afterwards, because she wants it to be her "something borrowed" someday. I couldn't bear to part with it anyway.
Next a close up of our bouquets to remind you what they look like. Mine was a huge lush, white bouquet filled with ranunculus, lisianthus, eskimo roses, hydrangea, and freesia. The bridesmaid carried black magic, black beauty and american beauty roses with some red orchids and little accents of pepperberry. I saw a bouquet in Martha Stewart weddings book that was handed down to me by one of my bridesmaids, and knew I wanted the ladies to carry something very similar.
I surprised each bridesmaid with their first initial on the wrap. 
Skipping ahead to the ceremony...
We got married at a church in the parish where I went to grade school. It has very high ceilings and a 150 foot aisle. On our budget, we couldn't do much with the decor here because you really need a lot of decor to make an impact in a space this big. For the church doors, which you would see just before I walked down the aisle, I went with simple white carnation wreaths adorned with a light champagne ribbon (also some Martha inspiration).
My mother actually made these for me out of faux carnations. We bought up the entire supply at various Michael's stores and now I have these to hang in my home someday. I think they turned out great, and we were able to save some money by going faux! My mom also strung up some wooden letters, stenciled a damask pattern on them, and voila! Instant door decorations for the church's exterior doors.
This next detail, our aisle runner was a labor of love. I really wanted a personalized aisle runner if nothing else to decorate the church. The custom versions I found online were droolworthy, but the price was too steep for a 150 foot aisle runner that would essentially end up in the trash after being trampled on all day. I found a runner online and decided to hand paint it myself. I think it turned out quite nicely if I can toot my own horn for a minute. (Coincidentally, I have had some requests to make these for other brides. If you want one, or know of a bride that does, you can check out my link here).
See that monogram? I had a graphic designer make it for us, and am so glad that I did. I got a lot of mileage out of it! If you were a guest at our wedding, you saw it on everything. I put it on programs, favors, napkins, popcorn bags, on the dance floor, water bottles to go in our guest bags, etc. I liked having this monogram as a common thread to weave throughout the decor.
Here are the mini program booklets that I made with the monogram on the cover. They're quarter page sized, and were also a labor of love. Sad to say that I don't have any pro pics of the inside, but I added little "tears of joy" packets on the inside cover. They were a hit!
Last but not least, our DIY unity candle. Some vellum, a little fun in Microsoft Word, an inkjet printer, black ribbon, and a Xyron machine resulted in this:
This was one of my first DIY projects with the Xyron- I became obsessed soon thereafter. Just ask my bridesmaids that helped me assemble the oodles of paper goodies used at the wedding.
Hope you like what you saw! One last post of reception details to come and the recaps will be done!
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