Vintage + Glam Appleford Estate Wedding by Love Me Do Photography

From The Bride:

“Our ceremony and reception were at the historic Appleford Estate. The estate is surrounded by an arboretum, with sprawling trees, boxwood-dotted terraces, a pond, and a greenhouse. Our ceremony was next to the pond, and the reception was on a tent-covered terrace that wrapped around the house’s stone exterior. Based on the venue, I named the aesthetic of our wedding “vintage glam” — a mix of vintage and rustic elements with an air of glamor. I wanted to incorporate natural elements like wood slabs and moss to reflect the surroundings, but elevate the look with pieces like gold mercury glass votives, cloches, and hobnail bud vases.

My husband and I are both writers and avid readers, and we wanted to incorporate that element into the decor early on. My mom and I began adding to our collection of vintage books as soon as I got engaged. These were the start of the “vintage glam” theme. We added in some additional vintage pieces (an antique watchmaker’s cabinet, a working typewriter, suitcases, birdcages, old family wedding photos) to complete the look.

To let the scenery be the focus, I wanted to keep the color palette neutral (mostly cream), with shades of green to play off the surroundings. I couldn’t resist infusing my love of gold, which became the accent shade (and the color of our cake, bridesmaids’ dresses, and linens). Although I wanted cream bouquets for both myself and my bridesmaids, I told Tanti (my florist) about my love of pink peonies, and she added a few blush ones to my bouquet to make it unique.

In lieu of a program, I designed a double-sided chalkboard that was placed at the entrance to the ceremony site. Other items I made myself included place cards; hand-lettered chalkboards listing signature drinks placed on each bar; cards for guests to write wishes and advice for us (in place of a guestbook); and hand-calligraphed invitation envelopes.

My personal style is classic but I’m drawn to over-the-top accessories and dramatic elements. My husband is more restrained. For that reason, I chose to add drama into my wardrobe (as opposed to the entire event). My ivory gown was lace with subtle sequins scattered all over, and crystals and beading added to the sash. I fell in love with it because of the organza petals sewn onto the bottom; they created texture and helped the dress make a statement. I also wore blush-colored feathered peep-toe shoes for added drama. I finished my look with statement earrings and bold accessories, because those are my signature looks.

When I went on a site visit with my vendor team two weeks before our wedding, the venue was being set up for another wedding that evening. Hanging from the ceiling of the tent were a few strands of vintage-style globe string lights. It was a rainy day, and the lights made the entire reception area glow. I fell in love with them, but decided to forgo them because we had already maxed out our budget. One of my favorite moments of our wedding day was walking into the bridal suite on the second floor of the house, glancing down at the reception area, and seeing those same string lights hanging in the tent! My parents had worked with my caterer to secure the lights and surprised me with them. They seemed like such a small thing initially, but they added such warmth to the reception.

Our wedding day ended up being unseasonably warm for late October; it was sunny and in the low 70s. Although we had a backup plan for inclement weather, I’m so happy we were able to take all our photos outdoors on the grounds, and have our ceremony and elements of our reception (cocktail hour, place card table) outdoors. We did a first look before the ceremony in the rose garden on the property, and did some portraits by the pond and another garden. Bridal party shots were done at the greenhouse, under an arbor of trees, and in the boxwood garden.”