This celestial Art Nouveau wedding will leave you starry-eyed

Offbeat partners: Sarah & Blaine

Date and location of wedding: Our beautiful home in the country, Pittsburg, Kansas– 09/10/2021

Our celestial Art Nouveau wedding at a glance:

We tried to capture our essence by mixing celestial with vintage autumn and lots of velvet! We wanted the feeling of standing in a garden during the Harvest Moon under a million stars. I wanted to capture the romantic feeling of the Art Nouveau period, like an Alphonse Mucha painting.

We wanted to do something completely different while still keeping it classy and timeless. That also includes our color scheme. Our main colors were crimson, cranberry, black, and copper with accents of olive, cerulean blue, rust, burnt orange, peach, and dusty blue. Being a mixed theme it was rather difficult to find decor so I made everything from all the flowers, aisle decor, and wire and beaded cake topper to the invitations and giant 9ft tall paper moon photo booth that we built from wood scraps.

Everything was oozing with detail. Even though it didn't show up on film, everything was dripping in fairy lights including all the bouquets, our mirrored signs, to our aisle and archway and all the center pieces. We transformed our back yard and deck into a starry wonderland. It felt like you were floating among the stars.

My biggest splurge was my custom cape by Gibson Bespoke. My vintage inspired mermaid gown made by Omelie Bridal, which I found on Stillwhite and wore with Badgley Mischka ballet flats. I'm a hairstylist and makeup artist by trade, so I did my own hair and makeup. The boys wore denim, suspenders, and button downs. The girls wore velvet infinity dresses and flower crowns.

Tell us about the celestial Art Nouveau ceremony:

It was small and intimate with only about 30 guests. It started at 5pm so we could party on into the night. We opted out of a traditional wedding party but instead had just our children. My husband's best man was his son who has autism.

My Maid of Honor was my 17-year-old daughter. My father passed away 3 years ago, so I had my 11-year-old son walk me down the aisle and my 4-year-old was our ring bearer. My nieces were our flower girls.

My husband decided he wanted to “Rick Roll” everyone down the aisle, which set the perfect mood. I watched my husband gasp as he turned around to see me, both of us grinning ear to ear. We couldn't take our eyes off one another.

Our officiant, Deanna Hodges did an absolutely beautiful job. We gave her free rein on our nondenominational agnostic ceremony script where she talked about the cosmos and our spirits joining as one. We wrote our own vows. Mine being long and romantic and his being sweet and heartfelt with an ending that had everyone rolling. Both of us were choking up and fighting back tears, then laughing till it hurt.

Here are my vows:

My Blaine,  since we met  I've always viewed our relationship like a river. Effortlessly flowing together as the current takes us further and deeper down this path we call life. I didn't know a love like ours was even possible till I met you.

They say a soulmate isn't someone who completes you but is someone who inspires you to complete yourself.  A meeting of mind spirit and body with someone  who's strength, flaws and energy perfectly complements your own. It's not the excitement and chaos of feeling butterflies but yet the calm and  tranquility of a warm embrace when words wont suffice. A steady ground and a shelter in a storm. A point on a map when you are wayward and lost- a promise of a place to come home to for as long as you are here in the world. Like a stack of dominos I feel like everything in my life has lead me to you. My choices, my heartbreak, my regrets. Everything. When we're together, my past seems worth it, 'cause if I would have done any of it differently I would have never met you. 

Today I pledge to you what has already been yours for so long, my eternal love and devotion. I promise to give you the best of myself and to ask of you no more than you can give.

I promise to respect you as your own person and to realize that your interests, desires, and needs are no less important than my own. I promise to share with you my time and my attention and to bring joy, laughter, strength, and imagination to our relationship. I promise to always fight for you and what we have built together as we learn from one another, grow and evolve. I promise to keep myself open to you. To let you see through the window of my soul  into my innermost fears and feelings, secrets and dreams. I promise to grow along with you, to be willing to face changes and compromise in order to keep our relationship alive and thriving. To adapt with you as the seasons of our life together change. I promise to never leave you feeling alone, unwanted, and undesired and to always protect your heart as honestly and lovingly as I possibly can. I promise to love you in times of joy and times of sorrow, in times of failure and triumph and in sickness and health. To stand by you and comfort you when you feel doubt and despair with all I have to give and all I feel inside in the only way I know how: with honor, honesty and faithfulness completely and forever for the rest of eternity.

Blaine's vows:

I had no idea that a simple message would turn into a marriage. I wasn't looking for love but I found it in you. You make it so easy. Now not only do I get to marry the love of my life, but also my best friend.

The kids aren't mine by design but they will always have the support they need. I will be here to support you in your hobbies and goals. Pick you up when you fall. Continue to help you grow as a person as you have done for me.

I always had a fear of growing old, but with you it doesn't sound too shabby.

You and me… we're a team, baaabe… together we're going to create some awesome shit.

We followed this with the exchanging of rings and a Native American blessing. We were pronounced husband and wife and exited to “You Are The Best Thing” by Ray LaMontagne. We were so caught up in the happiness and euphoria of everything, we actually forgot our tree planting ceremony, but since it was at our home we did it just us two the following morning. We planted an apple tree right in front of our pond. It was truly the happiest day of my life next to my children being born.

Tell us about the celestial Art Nouveau reception:

We had a backyard reception where everything was covered in white lights and paper stars. Our table centerpieces were moon lamps sitting on vases that glowed with fairy lights and spilled onto the table. We opted out of traditional things, no toast, first dance, or garter toss (I still wore one I made and I did toss a bouquet). It was laid back fun with too much food and lots of loud rock music (compliments of Spotify premium), plus a bonfire where we were 420 friendly.

Instead of a guest book, we passed around a Polaroid camera and had a picture scavenger hunt. Blaine is also a talented photographer so it was fitting. As for food, we did it all with the help of friends. We made a grazing table and a cookie bar. I made 8 dozen cookies and macarons. We had a local baker make our cake (which we cut in private). It was a 3 tier mocha and butter rum filling and vanilla bean with chocolate butter cream.

For dinner we had smoked brisket, ribs, and Blaine's famous “kickass” meatballs, white cheddar mac ‘n cheese, mashed potatoes, herb roasted veggies, and bourbon baked beans. I almost opted out of favors but I found the most perfect seed paper moons to give out to everyone. We also danced to our song while no one was looking.

What was the most important lesson you learned from your celestial Art Nouveau wedding?

My biggest planning challenge was doing it all myself, but to be honest I loved it. I was completely in my element. Nothing's gonna go perfect but the day will happen anyway. The wind almost ruined my arch and blew over one of my hand painted mirror signs and broke it. I had to throw out my aisle runner because it was blowing away, and we completely forgot our commitment ceremony. I still wouldn't have changed a thing. Even though I worked my tail off and put my blood, sweat and tears in it (literally, I have a nice huge hot glue gun scar now), everything came out more beautiful than I ever imagined. All the tiny details added up and made it a day we will never forget. To us, it was beyond perfect.

Vendors behind this celestial Art Nouveau wedding:

• Photographer: Andy Neher Photography
• Cake: Sweet Designs Cakery
• Macarons: 309 Baking Co
• Bridal cape: Gibson Bespoke
• Wedding dress: Omelie Bridal
• Bridal headband: Atelier Lilac
• Earrings: Artikmod
• Bracelet: LuluSplendor
• Necklace: treasures570
• Flowergirl dresses and velvet ring bearer bow tie: ScholleDress
• Groom's suspenders: LarsenYard
• Maid of Honor dress: Bella and Bloom
• Boys' suspenders: crystalAmour

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