Happy Valentine’s Day to all the lovers, best friends, and chocolate addicts out there! You know we like to celebrate love every day here at GWS, but we can’t deny there’s a bit more excitement in the air today! We’ll be hugging our dear ones close, sending off sweet notes, and maybe even indulging in a bit of self-love (hello, bubble bath + wine), but we have to begin by sharing some love for YOU! We’re thrilled to not only be your resource for inspiration and fashion, but to get to know many of you, put your artistry + talents on display, and most of all, to share you’re incredible stories of love. Thank you for reading, sharing, and ooohing + aaaahing with us along the way!
Now, speaking of love stories…
If you haven’t seen the movie, About Time, do yourself a favor and go get lost for 2 hours in the Rachel McAdams-led romance, then come back here for a backyard wedding that will make you wish you could travel back in time to witness this colorful union firsthand!
Kaylyn + Brandon met when they were 17 (aw!) and bonded over video games and all things comic book related. Ten years later, the friendship evolved to a romance straight out of a movie. Brandon took Kaylyn back to where his mother lived when they were teenagers – the first place they ever hung out – and proposed on a walk at lake nearby. Together, they planned their intimate backyard wedding in less than 4 months!
Kaylyn tells us, Our wedding was directly inspired by the movie, About Time. Hands down the most romantic movie we’d ever seen together and one of our top favorites! The decor of ribbons, cupcakes, the processional and recessional music, our first dance song, and even the red of my dress were all part of that. The day itself was intimate and full of so much love. I’ve never felt anything like it. So many details came together last minute and the day went out without a hitch! I know I can speak for both Brandon and I that it was the most amazing, magical day of our entire lives.
Let’s have a look at all the colors + romance, photographed by Love by Serena!
Doesn’t she look like a million bucks? You need to hear the story in the bride’s own words below (talk about serendipity!), but Kaylyn spent a grand total of $40 on the vintage wedding dress of her dreams!
My favorite detail to talk about is the dress! I knew I wanted to incorporate red into my dress, paying homage to "our movie," and at the time I wasn’t sure how I would do it. I stumbled upon my wedding dress while at a vintage expo and I fell in love! I tried it on and it just fit perfectly. I walked out of the dressing room in it to find my friends and people around me just stopping and gasping. (I think I started crying at that point.) I spoke to the girl whose booth I had found it at and she told me a ton of people had tried it on that day, but it didn’t fit anyone. Of course, I figured it was fate. I later read that, when selecting the red wedding dress in the movie, it was a specific choice for Rachel McAdams' character. They wanted it to appear as if she just found it in a thrift shop and fell in love. I was over the moon that it turned out to be the exact way I had found mine.
I was only a little worried about how Brandon might react to a dress with such vibrant color... but once we had our first look and I saw the look on his face, my worries were quashed.
Isn’t this happy bouquet by Steelcut Flower Co. just perfect??
We love how Kayla’s bridesmaid styled the bride’s hair with a pretty pop of red + pink!
*That look!*
Kaylyn created this colorful ribbon backdrop for the sweet ceremony, held at their grandfather’s private farm in Frederick, Maryland.
Processional: About Time Theme by Nick Laird-Clowes
Recessional: How Long Will I Love You by Jon Boden, Sam Sweeney, Ben Coleman
First Dance: The Luckiest by Ben Folds
The girls wore white lace dresses that they found on Amazon!
Looking for a way to cut costs for your big day? Kaylyn recommends temporary wedding bands:
We had temporary bands for our wedding day, as we just didn’t see bands as an urgent thing to have. Brandon still hasn’t gotten his permanent band because he loves the temporary one!
Brandon’s brother owns Cafe Nola, a popular spot for organic eats and coffee in Downtown Frederick. They closed to the public for a couple of hours to host Kaylyn + Brandon’s wedding dinner!
We’re totally in love! Congrats to the bride + groom from all of us at GWS!
photography: Love by Serena // venue name: Grandparents’ Residence – Private Farm, Frederick, Maryland, USA // event design: DIY // planning: DIY // florals: Steelcut Flower Co // wedding dress: Miss Charm City // wedding dress boutique: Miss Charm City // hairpiece: loose floral snippets from Steelcut Flower Co // bride's shoes: DSW // bride's ring: ByLaris // bridesmaid dresses: Kaylyn simply requested "white and lace" - bridesmaids found random dresses on Amazon.com // hair stylist: Paige (bridesmaid) // makeup artist: DIY (Kaylyn) // groom attire: Express // handmade details: DIY Ceremony Ribbon Backdrop - ribbon sourced from Michael's and put together by Kaylyn and Paige (bridesmaid) // catering: Cafe Nola // cake: Cakes to Die For // desserts: Cakes to Die For // music: DIY Playlist // officiant: Ruth Hannah
Thanks so much for this sweet feature! Kaylyn and Brandon’s wedding was truly such fun to be a part of!
I LOVE the use of color throughout this entire post. The way the colors, the reds especially, flow is amazing and ties everything together so nicely! Another thing I love about this particular wedding is how it starts in the woods and ends up in a really adorable urban setting. SO GREAT!
Such a fun wedding.
Beautiful and simple – love the flowers.
I love this theme, and the pictures are stunning! best wishes to this couple!
Love the theme! Looks like you two had a lot of fun.
I love this wedding. simply and full of love… Congrats !
This looks just beautiful !
♥♥♥