When I first read Jodi + Kurt’s interview, I was blown away, y’all! Kurt, who has a background in the culinary arts, catered their entire wedding! He woke up early on the big day to put together a delicious family-style meal, keeping things light (but hello, delicious) with butternut squash soup, artisan cheeses, bread and a variety of toppings. The couple took “homemade” to another level, making their soup from squash they had grown on the family farm and serving home-brewed beers! We love how the vintage and shabby-chic details come together into a comfy family gathering. Thanks again to Stephanie Williams of This Modern Romance for sharing!

We love how simple but beautiful these leafy and wild arrangements look in vintage jars and tins!

Jodi + Kurt’s pie hutch is a favorite in the office. Since the newlyweds aren’t big fans of cake, their family and friends all contributed a pie to the dessert selection.

Aren’t those piggy-stamped muslin bags adorable as favors? They hold bacon gingersnap cookies that Kurt made using leftover bacon drippings instead of oil. Who else is hungry?

Describe some of the decorations or décor elements you used: Most of our decorations were handmade by our stylist, Lynn and me. Lynn hand-embroidered a lot of the details, including most of the signs placed around the wedding. She sewed all of the linens we used for our wedding, including table runners and napkins and made several chalkboard signs, including a large menu sign. Our favors were “Bacon Snaps.” Kurt basically made a gingersnap cookie and used bacon fat instead of butter. We placed them in muslin bags with a pig stamped on them. They were placed in old cheese boxes on top of my dad’s great-grandfather’s roll top desk. Being photographers, we had to have several photography-related sections of our wedding! One station was our “snapshot” station. We set up a tall shelf and placed several vintage cameras all over it for guests to pick up and take instant pictures during the reception. We also had a photo booth. We used an old bed sheet as the backdrop and hired one of our photographer friends to operate the booth. Our cheese table was also a labor of love! Kurt made the sawhorses for the cheese table and we found an old Johnny house door from the farm to set the cheese on. Lynn made embroidered tea towels with the words “jam & honey”, “bread” and “cheese”. Each cheese had its own sign. Another station we set up was our wash station! Since I wanted cleanup after our wedding to be as organized as possible, Lynn came up with the wash station for our guests to deposit their dishes in after they ate. We set up several galvanized tubs with signs specific to each tub and set out an old washboard found on the farm. We made a clothes rack that hung a “dirty dishes” towel and two Anthropologie dishtowels.
Describe your wedding cake: Since Kurt and I aren’t big fans of cake, we wanted to do something a little bit different and have homemade pies instead. We absolutely love pie and it was so special to have our friends and family help make some of our favorites. We had about 20 of them that were all placed on an antique hutch.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? Next, we are photographing couples in love and helping their day go as smoothly as possible. In the future, we’ll be waking up beside each other and loving each other every single day.
What advice would you give to someone planning his or her wedding? Book your photographer first! Stephanie and Isaac were the first vendor we booked. Actually, I contacted them the day after I got engaged. They were my dream photographers and I had to see if they were available. Lucky for us, they were! We absolutely adore them and their work. We knew having gorgeous images would really be the only thing that lasted from our wedding. We couldn’t have had a more perfect pair to photograph it!

Photographer: This Modern Romance // Videographer: Josh Gooden Cinematography // Designer: Sunshowers and Rainshine // Venue: Family farm in Mount Crawford, Virginia // Florist: JMFlora Design // Pie Baker: homemade // Caterer: groom // Bridesmaid Dresses: J. Crew // Bride’s Dress: Monique Lhuillier // Hair Stylist: bride // Makeup Artist: Erika Nixon // Bride’s Shoes: J. Crew // Bride’s Jewelry: earrings by Ten Things // Groom’s Fashion: J. Crew // Groomsmen Fashion: J.Crew // Rentals: Classic Party Rentals and Central Virginia Rental // Linens: Griffith Bag Company // Cameos: Poppy Loves Paris // Fabric: A Garden of Roses and Lonestar Quilting // Favors: groom // Officiant: Troy Pearson // Band: Shenandoah Travelers

Love this wedding? You might love these:
Sarah + Dan’s colorful barn wedding full of antique goodies here.
Jenn + Barret’s vintage and rustic wedding here and here.

This wedding is vintage rustic perfection. I’m loving the juxtaposition of the giant wood tables with the delicate floral pattern on the china–perfect for a wedding at a botanical garden, right? While couples often go the extravagant route with weddings, Jennifer + Barret showed off their personalities with small details, like the Polaroids strung in the reception area, chalkboard menus on each table, and the yummy cupcakes, courtesy of Buttercream Cupcakes. We’re even bigger fans of the cake-eating moment captured by Love Me Do Photography and the so-in-love look the couple share in the photo following it.

Tell us about finding your wedding dress: I saw a photo of my dress in a magazine and knew it was perfect for me. I found a store that carried it, tried it on, and I said yes. It was that easy. In a world with endless options, I always feel its best to go with what you know, so I didn’t bother confusing myself!
Describe your wedding flowers: When you get married in a botanical garden, there’s no need to compete! Plus, I think it’s crazy to spend so much money on flowers for one evening. We picked out very twiggy, delicate wild flowers, as well as some herbs for the boutonnieres and lilacs for the bouquets. I wanted everything to look natural and reflect a very whimsical and wispy feel.
Describe your wedding cake: We both hate wedding cakes and, again, were astounded by the pricing. We had our local cupcake lady make us a batch of red velvet with cream cheese frosting, chocolate with butter cream frosting, and vanilla with butter cream frosting. They were fantastic!
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? To be honest, my biggest challenge was overcoming my philosophical issues with the financial investment for such an occasion. While an occasion like this certainly warrants a worthy celebration, it is very easy to get carried away and lose perspective. A wedding is a very symbolic event about what happens afterward, not just about what happens that day. Both Barret and I made every effort to ensure we were able to have a wedding that reflected an attitude of celebration with appropriate restraint.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? It is difficult to pick one as the entire day is so special. I felt the most anticipation about seeing Barret for our “first look.” But for me, having my father perform the ceremony was very meaningful.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? Barret and I are quite settled in our jobs but are looking to sell our home and move a bit closer to his work in Delaware. We plan to make Wilmington, DE the next hip spot, if anyone wants to join us!

I love delicate and feminine details. Jenn + Barret’s ceremony, shot by Love Me Do Photography, is just that. Since the two were married in Bartram’s Garden, the couple chose to go with wispy wildflowers to avoid a floral overload. I personally love that Jenn chose lilacs to carry down the aisle. They’re not a flower you see in weddings often and they stand out fabulously next to her lace Monique Lhuillier gown without overpowering. More things I love about this wedding? The unexpected source for the bridesmaids’ dresses. The satiny gray dresses the girls donned (and with attitude!) are from H&M, but they match perfectly with the rest of the wedding’s vintage details. One last thing to note–how cute are the flower girl and ring bearer?

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. Barret and I are a Match.com success story! We were both urged to join by our friends after Barret moved from Atlanta for his new job at the University of Delaware and after I was politely scolded for hanging out with married couples and working too much. We gave in. I totally submitted myself to the process and went out on a limb and sent him a message. We emailed and talked on the phone for about a month and soon enough, we had our first date at a University of Delaware football game! Nine months later we were engaged!
Describe the proposal. Barret proposed to me at the beach in Charleston, South Carolina. I had a feeling something was up that morning as he seemed a bit nervous. When we arrived at the beach, Barret seemed hell-bent on going to the pier. I kept trying to sit down and he kept saying, “Why don’t we go to the pier?” This made me nervous, but I went. I made us sit down on a bench on the pier, which I think complicated his plan for a one-knee proposal. Fortuitously, some dolphins were swimming by and so I said “look, dolphins!” Barret seized the moment to grab a “camera” from his bag, which turned out to be a vintage cocktail ring with diamonds and sapphires, which Barret’s father had used to propose to his mother. When he opened the box, I could see how nervous he was. He had forgotten to take off his sunglasses and looked down at me through them and asked, “Will you marry me?” I was so surprised at the ring (we had picked out a different ring a bit earlier that I liked) that I said something like, “That’s not my ring! But yes! I will marry you!”
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Intimate, merry, warm
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: Barret’s favorite detail of the wedding was the bluegrass band. They really set the tone for the evening and made everyone comfortable. My favorite detail of the wedding was the farm tables. I think they made for a very intimate, dinner party-like atmosphere while bringing a lot to the whole aesthetic.
What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? Barret did all of his schooling (BA, MA, PhD) in Atlanta, GA and Greenville, NC, and my mother was raised by a cattle farmer in Kentucky, so we both have an affinity for the South. I think the whole wedding was meant to reflect the charm we both sense from Southern living, thus the blue-grass band, the quilts and lawn-games, the farm-tables and family-style dining. The evening was meant to feel warm and relaxed and intimate, like the dinners I remember having at my grandparent’s house in Kentucky, and the fun Barret had with all his friends during school.

It’s my turn to take the helm of our Ask the Experts column, and today I’ll be answering three questions from three lovely readers!

First up is Allie, who wrote:

“I absolutely loved your blog post on cowboy boots! I am from Indiana and am getting married this October on an old historic farm. So my question is what do you or your readers think of using hay bales as seating for the ceremony? It will be taking place on the front lawn of the old farm house with the reception in the barn. We are trying to keep things very rustic and casual.”

Image credits, from top to bottom: Love Me Do Photography via Green Wedding Shoes, Tec Petaja, and W. Scott Chester via Southern Weddings

Allie, we are all for using hay bales as seating — how perfect for the farm fresh wedding you’re planning! There are a few things you’ll want to keep in mind:

– Nice hay bales can actually be expensive (they are food, after all!), so I’d inquire with a local horse farm to see whether they’d be willing to lend you a few bales for the day rather than buying them. You might have to pay a bit more to have the farmer cart the bales to your site and then haul them away afterward, but I’d say that would be money well spent.
– Hay is stiff and itchy, and can be uncomfortable to sit on. To ensure guest comfort, I’d recommend accessorizing the bales with quilts or blankets (something with some heft). You can go super casual and simply drape the fabric, or tie it off at each end for a more polished look. We’ve also seen long boards laid across the tops of bales, which might not be the most comfortable option for a long ceremony or reception, but would cut down on poking hay.
– Keep in mind that some of your guests might either be allergic to hay, or have back problems. It would be a nice gesture to offer some alternative seating — a folding chair or two at the end of each row should do the trick.

Readers, if you’ve been to a wedding with hay bale seating, we’d love to hear about it in the comments! How did it go?

Our next question comes from Robin. She writes:

“Hi ladies! I love the website and have been using it constantly while planning my wedding. Something that has been on my mind lately is escort cards. Should I do one per couple or one per guest, and do I need to do them for the wedding party, as well?”

Image credit: Cooper Carras Photography

Hi, Robin! In my opinion, you can absolutely use one escort card per couple! Not a problem at all. Whether you do cards for the wedding party is up to you, but I would say that you should — I’m sure your guys and girls will be able to figure out that they’re supposed to be up front, but adding in a few extra cards for them requires minimal work and expense on your part and could cut down on questions and confusion at the reception! Plus, some people (most likely the girls!) like to save things like escort cards as a souvenir, particularly if they have their name written out in beautiful calligraphy.

Our last question comes from Erin, who writes:

“I was wondering if there are any current traditions on the first homemade meal a bride makes for her new groom? This may seem a little old school, but I LOVE to cook–and despite how much my fiance likes to cook, I have been widely known to go Betty Draper on him, kicking him out of the kitchen, giving him a beer, and telling him to watch everything he’s missed on the DVR. Anyway, I’m getting courthouse married in just under three weeks, before the fiance deploys, but we’re having a ceremony/reception in September 2012 as well. I was wondering if anyone had ideas, tips, or “been-there, done-that” stories about the first homemade meals they’ve made for their new husbands so I can get pointed in the right direction for my less-than-three-weeks-away wedding!”

Image credit: Smitten Kitchen, a veritable treasure trove of delicious recipes!

Readers, I’ll largely leave this one up to you! What’s your favorite meal or dessert to enjoy with your hubby or fiance? Leave a link or comment below! I have to admit that I don’t do much of the cooking in my house — John loves to cook, so I simply get to enjoy most of the time! I will say that my favorite meal he makes is Giada de Laurentis’ Chicken Piccata with Jacques Pepin’s green beans. How about y’all — any advice for Miss Erin?

That’s it for this week’s installment of Ask the Expert! As always, feel free to email your editors a question at any time.