Debbie & Jeremy's Wedding

While the world was enthralled with the Royal nuptials across the pond, a very busy bee was wrapping up her own wedding details in California. On Saturday, April 30 Debbie and Jeremy tied the knot in front of 450 of their closest family and friends in Turlock, California.

Leading up to the wedding I kept telling people how excited I was for the Cotton wedding. Maybe because it was the first of this year's wedding season, or now that I'm engaged weddings are that much more exciting; but I think it was because I knew firsthand all the time, energy and creativity Debbie had put into making this day amazing!

 

The Cotton's ~ April 30, 2011

Turlock, California

Highlights and my favorite details:

Although it may be a little hard to see from the photos above, Debbie wore a gorgeous strapless gown. For the ceremony at the church, she had a lace bolero made (as seen in photo on the left). It was so classy and coming the day after the Royal Wedding, its like she knew lace sleeves were the next big thing!

Classic white Adirondack chairs, with button monogrammed d & j pillows, greeted guests as they arrived at the reception. If you look carefully at the flower pot you'll see the ampersand, sweetly tying the whole thing together. The chairs reside in the couples backyard!

In honor of the groom's favorite hobbie, the guest book was custom surfboard! Guests were invited to sign their names in the white space around their custom logo. See the completed surfboard here, which will now hang in the couple's home.

This charming chalkboard sign pointed guests in the right direction to dinner. I especially loved the flower arrangement in the bucket at the base of the sign. See how they were made here.

Throughout the reception there were gorgeous flowers everywhere. Below are a few of the different arrangements, with the bottom arrangement being the highlight. These lanterns were made by Debbie's talented brother. Take a closer peak to be further impressed with his handiwork (clearly craftiness runs in the family!). I loved how the flowers spilled out of the sides of the lantern.

{click to enlarge}

When it came time for toasts, we were handed a glass of champagne complete with floating blueberries!

In addition to making all of the centerpiece lanterns, Debbie's handy and thoughtful brother surprised them with this heart shaped sculpture with their initials. This sculpture will be placed in their backyard.

In addition to cake, there was a full dessert bar filled with candy, cookies, cupcakes and traditional Portuguese sweets homemade by the Mother of the Bride. Treat bags and boxes were available for guest to take treats home!

Who doesn't love photo booths? We took a few turns in the booth, but here we are on the dance floor posing with a few of the props. See my guest post here  if you want to learn how to make your own props!

 

When we checked into our hotel, we were handed a well crafted Out-Of-Town gift bag. I appreciated the large bottle of water and Portuguese sweets, but my very favorite was this personalized door tags.

Congratulations Mr & Mrs Cotton! Wishing you a lifetime of happiness. Thank you for inviting us to be part of your big day and allowing me to share my favorite details here.

Sign I made for Debbie & Jeremy's hotel room. The MOH added to the decor by creating a trail of cotton balls from the hallway into their bedroom!