A great event theme is all about the details. I had so much fun picking out all the little details for my “Woodland Faerie”/faerie-tale-themed wedding.
Pulling together a faerie tale theme coherently is trickier than it sounds at first. What do you think of when you think of faerie tales and the land of Faerie? I get a lot of different images with sometimes very different aesthetics. I think of European folklore, the Brothers Grimm, Mother Goose, Hans Christian Andersen, Disney Princesses, Edmund Spenser, Tolkien, the land of Narnia, Jim Henson’s Labyrinth, the Faerie realm of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, Shelley Duvall’s Faerie Tale Theatre, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I picture Rococo palaces, castles on a misty loch, and gingerbread houses in a German forest. Just “faerie tale” on its own evokes so many different types of imagery from different places and times. So trying to bring it all together in a way that creates a clear vibe can be tricky.
To keep with a clear vision, I focused on a scene from The 10th Kingdom in which royals from each Faerie kingdom all attended a coronation at a palace. (All of the kingdoms in this movie are based on different stories, such as Snow White, Little Red Riding Hood, and Little Bo Peep, with different aesthetics that are all still very clearly faerie tales.) So I kept imagining all these different kingdoms coming together at our venue (the “palace”).
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Table of Contents
Paper
There were so many different ways I could have gone with the save-the-dates because there were many on Etsy and other places that were clearly faerie-tale-themed and beautiful. But as it was a wedding and not technically a theme party, I didn’t want to go overboard here. No enchanted forests or magical tomes. Instead, I focused on my aforementioned vision of all the Faerieland characters coming together to the palace and imagined what a correspondence from the palace might actually look like. It would probably be simple and elegant rather than an overt reference to an enchanted forest. So I chose a save-the-date fitting that description in our primary theme color and included a photo of us in formal attire against a pastoral backdrop in our secondary theme color, to give just a hint at the vibe and level of formality instead.
Most of our stationery and other paper products came from Zola. Our save-the-dates, invitations and RSVPs, thank-yous, and table place cards were all from their Malta suite. Malta didn’t have table number cards, so we used Mirelia for those, because they reminded me of those books of faerie tales you would see in the intros of the old Disney animated features. And neither had a seating chart, so we used Josette for that, which again reminded me of a classic Disney animation. Honorable mention goes to their Leonid suite, as well, which we didn’t use, but was another favorite.
We also got some overlay wraps to go around the invitations, with illustrations of antiqued golden gates, and antiqued gold wax seals with rose imprints to close them.
I used Canva to make our programs, which I gave a medieval sort of look.
Dress
There were so many specific details I wanted all in one dress and was having trouble finding all together, so I started looking at options for custom dresses. Enter Elena Thomas from My Amazing Wedding Dress. It was such a fun process telling her all the features I wanted and watching them come together. Elena was amazing to work with, an excellent communicator, so kind and professional, and SO TALENTED! When I got my dress, I took it to a local tailor just to see what it might need, and it didn’t need a single thing. Just from taking my own measurements with the instructions she sent me, she made me a dress that fit flawlessly. All in just eight weeks, too! Wedding dress alterations are incredibly expensive, and I didn’t have to alter a single thing. THANK YOU, ELENA! I am sending every bride I meet straight to her from now on.
The first thing I knew was that I must have flower (preferably rose, since they’re my favorite) and vine details on the dress. That was something I saw years ago on Pinterest or somewhere that just looked so absolutely whimsical, I knew I would incorporate it. Every single Faerie tale aesthetic I could think of had some element of flowers and vines, and I knew it would be so unique and fanciful for a wedding dress. So I started from there and then chose each element of the dress individually–a semi-sweetheart neckline, off-shoulder “sleeves”, a lace-up corset, etc. I met with Elena on a video call, told her what I liked, and sent an email with photo examples from other gowns. In turn, she sent me a beautiful sketch and set to making the dress from scratch.
When all was said and done, I realized I had subconsciously put together almost the exact silhouette of Belle’s yellow dress from Beauty and the Beast!
And the perfect dress required long gloves, of course, so I grabbed a pair of those to match.
Shoes
These shoes from JJ’s House reminded me so much of Cinderella, without being literal glass slippers. The lace reminded me of magic swirling its way up the shoes, and looked so elegant when worn.
Catering
I had such a great time working with Chef Cary’s Cuisine! They were so thoughtful as we conversed via email leading up to the wedding, and the coordinator at our venue mentioned to me that they were their favorite ones to work with. We had guests with special dietary needs whom they were easily able to accommodate. The staff were all so professional, courteous, and on the ball. And I had numerous compliments on how delicious dinner was! They also did a beautiful job with setting up the tables. I wanted big, long tables like you might see at a medieval feast. And to match our colors, we went with dusty rose tablecloths and dark green napkins.
They also tended bar and cut cake for us, and made sure at the end of the night that we got some extra food and cake to take back with us! (This worked out great for me, because I didn’t have a chance to take more than a bite of my cake that night!)
They served a signature cocktail recipe I gave them–the “Blushing Faerie” (a play on “blushing bride”, meant to resemble our theme color). We selected our own wines (I highly recommend Wine Warehouse in Atlantic Beach for this task, as Mark really knows his stuff), and in addition to the standard list of varieties, I also chose a few country wines (at the event, I referred to them as “Faerie wines” for fun). The idea for this was of fantasy villagers making wines out of their gardens.
I made this on Canva in the same style as our programs and found the perfect frame to put it in, which turned out to be such good quality for the price that I am going to buy several more.
Cake
Since it was Christmastime and it fit the theme (and was my number one favorite flavor option), we had a gingerbread cake. For the toppers, I found a gold stag and doe that went perfectly with the raw wood platter, barely-there icing, and sugared rosemary sprigs like a dusting of snow in a forest. Sweet Peach Confections gave great advice when planning the design and were so kind and easy to work with. Also, the cake was absolutely delicious!
Florals
Our bouquets were made by Petals, A Florist, who, again, were excellent communicators and able to translate exactly what I described to them into the perfect arrangements. I wanted a wild look with things like cattails and thistles, gathered around pink roses, like someone had just gone strolling Elizabeth Bennett-like through a field or enchanted forest and collected all the things they’d seen growing there.
Hair & Makeup
My makeup was done by the talented Lauren Amodeo, whom I had worked with many times before and who knew my features and what I liked well. (She’s the one did my makeup for my Elaine Benes and Daphne Moon costumes!) Lauren is based in Jacksonville, but if you like her work, she will travel!
My hair was done by Rebecca with Brushworx, who worked with my photo inspirations and the ideas I have to give me this beautiful sort of tumbling chignon look with a tight braid going up the side. Rebecca and Mel (also from Brushworx) did the hair and makeup for my bridesmaids and mom, as well. They made us all look so lovely, and helped make our morning so fun and relaxing! I also had a really fun trial with Brushworx before the wedding. I was interested to note that there were exactly 39 bobby pins in my hair the day of the trial and again the day of the wedding!
Jewelry
I knew I wanted a ring that was either Elvish or Celtic-inspired, if not vintage. We found Doron Merav in Israel who makes both of these styles, and I swear I want every single thing he makes. I found lots of woodland/nature-style rings online, but none of them compared to Doron’s in the astounding level of detail. The way the twigs are carved, they look like actual twigs preserved in metal! I couldn’t find anything else like them anywhere. I also really wanted a sapphire. Doron was very helpful in pointing us to exactly what we were looking for on his website.
Continuing with the vine-y theme running throughout everything, my tiara, earrings, and necklace were all made by Howling Moon UK.
Centerpieces
I’m not sure what first sparked the idea of the lanterns for the centerpieces, but I went looking for the most old-fashioned, burnished-looking ones I could find, intending to fill them with fairy lights, and discovered these on Wayfair. Then as I was seeking the fairy lights, I stumbled upon the light-up strands of pink roses.
Bridesmaids
I had the bridesmaids get their dresses from Azazie because I remembered the convenience of their showrooms for sharing your thoughts and favorites with the bride. I created a showroom with the most fairytale-esque dresses I could think of and then had them choose their favorites so everyone was wearing something different. I felt it gave them a more “wild” and natural look to not be dressed all the same, and I think it helped them all feel confident in dresses that flattered them.
I also decided long ago (before the actual engagement) that I wanted to give them all tiaras to wear on the day. The way I envisioned this thematically, we were all Faerie princesses attending the royal ball together. It was my ball, yes, but they were guests of honor and I absolutely wanted them to be seen as such. We were all princesses for a day! And I’m so stoked with the way that whole look turned out. I had a lot of fun pairing up four different tiaras with four different pairs of earrings, all by different makers, and they chose their favorites.
From left to right above, they are wearing:
To keep them warm in the winter, I also gave the bridesmaids matching faux-fur wraps that I thought just looked so fantasy-esque! (For some fun photo ops with them outside, I also got myself a faux-fur white cape.)
Groomsmen/Dads
One of our groomsmen recommended Menguin to us for tuxedo rentals, and we are so glad he did. Menguin lets a groom go in and select the exact items he wants the male wedding party members to wear. We had our four groomsmen in one and both our fathers in another. The website was so easy to use and gave us custom links for each person, putting everything they needed in one spot. They got their bow ties and pocket squares on Azazie to match the bridesmaids’ dresses. And the guys looked very dashing.
Handfasting
I had never considered adding a handfasting to the ceremony, but someone thought it would go perfectly with the theme, and mentioned that Kate and William did one in their wedding. That and the whole Celtic vibe sold me. I’m a big fan of Joanie Madden, and she plays a song called “The Twisting of the Rope” that I thought fit just perfectly here! Our cord was made by Branwyn at NightshaydeandSayge, who was so sweet in helping us choose something that fit the whole aesthetic. I wanted some flowers and vines braided in, and she had just purchased some flowers when I contacted her with the idea of doing just that! She went back and forth with me looking for exactly the right ones and just the right colors to go with our theme, and happily experimented for us. I also loved all of her customization options, and we requested some burnished Celtic Trees of Life for the ends. If you’re looking for a one-of-a-kind handfasting cord or ribbon made just for your theme, I recommend her for sure!
Guestbook
I looked at a lot of beautiful guestbooks on Etsy, but this one with its vintage French design so reminiscent of Marie Antoinette won me over. It had that faerie tale castle vibe I was after, and I loved the design on the inside, as well, and that it was customizable! We were able to put quotes in there, as well as a photo on the back. Once again, the customer service and communication was excellent here. We really got lucky with so many great vendors!
I also loved this one with a Tolkien sort of aesthetic, so I ordered one as a gift.
Party Favors
Pilot makes really nice rose gold versions of their G2 Limited. I created a design with our names and the date on it and we gave everyone a pen with the design on it to commemorate the occasion.
Flower Girl
I think the one big thing that really tied our whole theme together was putting the flower girl in shimmery pink faerie wings and having her enter to a song about magic and wishing for dreams to come true. We found her a floral green dress similar to this one that mimicked the vines of my own, and a flower crown to go with her wings.
Venue
Rhodes Hall was so accommodating to our every need. Their coordinator, Caroline, was quick with an answer to every question and made me feel so confident and at ease with everything. We changed our minds about the other venue we had been considering fairly late in the game, and Rhodes Hall was able to work with us and still get us in on the same weekend we had been planning, with less than a year to go. That’s rare with wedding venues, which often need to be rented at least one and a half to two years out!
I wanted a place that would feel magical both inside and out. There were quite a few places we looked at that were gorgeous either indoors or outdoors, but just kind of plain on the other side. We wanted our guests to feel enchanted no matter where they were standing. Plus, when you choose a place like Rhodes Hall (particularly when the halls are all decked at Christmastime!), there’s not much you really have to do for decorations. Ambience is basically handled for you by virtue of its already being a castle.
Music
Our DJ was Jaelen Brown from SiFi Entertainment, and he did an excellent job and had a fun personality that meshed very well with mine, so I knew he was a good choice! I had put hours–probably adding up to weeks, really–of work into curating my own playlists, because initially we were planning to skip having a DJ. So when we finally realized we needed one, I was paranoid that they would not be able to or want to use the playlists I’d already spent so much time on. But the company and Jaelen both put my mind at ease and told me this would not be a problem at all. SiFi has a portal where you can put your entire schedule and requests, as well as links to any individual songs or playlists you’ve made. This made organization and planning easy.
See the music selections here, with links to my curated playlists!
Photography
For the pictures, I was after a painterly, fine art kind of look–a blend of moody and romantic, with lots of backlighting, a mix of candids and dramatic poses, and a background that played a real part in the scene. So when I made my inspiration album for the photographer, I filled it not just with other wedding photos, but stills from film and television that had that cinematic quality–The Lord of the Rings, Downton Abbey, The Phantom of the Opera, Disney’s Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast…perfume commercials. This is the kind of art I love to make.
You’ve seen their name all throughout this post on the photos, but as you can see, Brad at Forevermore Media did a magnificent job! I knew the photos were massively important, as they were what we would have to carry with us as memories of this special day, and that we absolutely could not skimp here. So I started my search for the right photographer by going to World’s Best Wedding Photos and looking for people who had experience shooting in castles or similar venues.
Brad was so nice and fun and easy to work with (I heard the same comments from family who were grabbed throughout the day to be in photos), and he and his assistant, Carlos, were on the ball with everything all day. I would love to be able to work with Brad again.
I’d also like to give special shout-outs to the other photographers who made it to my finals list, because from my communications with them and seeing their work, I also think they would have done amazing jobs. It was a really tough call, and I wish I could work with all of them someday! They were Rune Havn, As the Crow Flies, and Daniel Aguilar.
Videography
We had the honor of being the very first wedding shot by our very talented friend Chase Hartman from Hartman Creative. Chase has many artistic abilities and is amazing at videography, so when I found out he hadn’t done a wedding before, I jumped at the chance to be his first and practically begged him not to take on another wedding before ours just so I could claim that privilege forever! I see and hear about his work daily, and his inspiration and ideas, as well as his dedication and drive to constantly improve himself, so I know one day we’ll be able to say, “Oh, yeah, we know Chase–we were just the first wedding he ever shot. No big deal or anything.”
If you enjoyed this, you can find more details and photos from our wedding here.
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