Wedding Theme Updates

Well, it turns out that Freddie's will be a no-go ... they won't let us have the entire restaurant, booo. So we're going to talk to Mercury Hall and Star Hill Ranch about booking for a Sunday wedding (all Saturdays are booked from here to eternity, it seems). So far Star Hill Ranch is the front-runner, and it is BALLER. It's an entire "old town square" out of 620/71, and it even has a little white chapel AND a windmill! Check it out at http://www.starhillranch.com/.

 

If we go this route, we're thinking about taking the vintage Americana theme one step further and make it a county fair wedding. Maybe some corn on the cobb and pie eating contests? =) If nothing else, there will DEFINITELY be a petting zoo. Screw the kids, I want to cuddle a baby goat! And the coolest thing is that we'd have the property from 8am to midnight, meaning we could have a fun day in the country and just have a good old bbq time.

Sooo ... I'm thinking I should stick to my vintage Americana roots and do red, white and blue. Not tacky bright reds and blues, but darker, vintagey reds and blues - like a 1940s county fair or carnival. Here's the photo that's my inspiration:

As such, we should start thinking about how we can reflect this theme in the bridesmaid dresses without going hokey. I'm thinking adorable sundresses that mix red/white/blue with yellow highlights and have a floral or other small to medium pattern. These are my two favorites (from my new crush, modcloth.com).

Do you ladies think you can find a flirty, knee-length dress that emulates this look? Don't worry about being too cold, either -- I think we're probably going to book the October 2nd Sunday if Star Hill Ranch is the winner. The only other option is November 13th, and that's just getting too close to the holiday madness. (PS, Caitlin you owe me big -- November 20th falls on a Sunday this year, and Dave really wanted to book it, lol.)

Oh, and I was going to create my own invites, too, which I thought could look something like this:

 

Cake Topper

Omg omg omg, I friggin LOVE this cake topper! If you see something like this, let me know!

Decorations

Now THIS is going to be the fun part! The theme of the wedding is "vintage Americana" -- so think 1930s church potluck. The venue we're trying to negotiate is Freddie's Place, a great South Austin burger joint with an amazing back patio area. Giant oak trees, twinkle lights, casual wooden tables and plastic chairs, a stage, a washer pit, a corrugated tin bar -- even a playscape for the kids!

 

I was thinking that for the tables, we want to keep things simple since the ambience is already so theme-appropriate. My current idea is to go junk shopping for old crates and cannisters, and we could use these to hold the condiments and paper towels that every table will need. I want something a little more colorful than these since the tables themselves are a weather gray, but you get the idea.

 For the stage area, I want to create a backdrop that will cover up the current mural on all three panels. I want to emulate the below look of an old country barn by painting canvases gray, using a wood grain tool to create a faux finish, and then maybe dry brush a coat of white. Then we can hang different colored pinwheels that emulate old gingham and calico fabrics (exactly like the pic below). And if it's not too expensive, we could even have quilt-covered hay bales lined up in front of the stage for seating!

 For the fun little bits, I've been getting great links from my girls Jennalee and Morgan. They gave me ideas for tissue paper pompoms (thanks Martha Stewart!), paper banners and hanging flower vases.

Feel free to add your own links!