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Today’s wedding has a certain je ne sais quoi that is off the charts cool for any wedding, let alone a fall one!  Jennifer Courtney & Eric Nelson’s main goal for their wedding day was to create an environment that was a comfortable fall celebration with charming southern details, what they ended up with was so much more!  Working with the wonderfully skilled and creative teams at Bloom, The Art of Flowers &  Bluebird’s Garage, a world was created featuring a Wednesday Hutch used to display the guest gift bags of chocolate covered peanuts, a gorgeous vintage desk used as a display for the guest book which whose drawers were overstuffed with unique & dark blooms, even an outdoor parlor setup which was perfect for Jennifer & Eric’s first look.  Each touch had a spot of Victorian sensibility to it which was punctuated by the wildly cool Victorian style animal oddity drawings which were used on tables as well as throughout the space.  Tables themsleves were decorated with a mix of generous blooms and still life arrangements of white pumpkins & gourds housed under glass domes.  Jennifer & her gals carried wonderfully deep & dark bouquets that perfectly fit the Victorian vibe, a mix of burgundy & ivory blooms highlighted with unique elements such as thistle & fern.  I cant tell you enough how much I am in love with Jennifer & Eric’s approach to a fall wedding.  I love the dark deep colors, the unique blooms & use of Victorian era elements.  Even a pumpkin or two, all skillfully crafted into a super gorgeous fall wedding experience!

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Novella of the Bride…

Wedding Buzzwords: Southern… Oyster Roast… Fall… Comfortable… Friendly… Sentimental… Warm…
Specialty Cocktail: No specialty cocktail. I {Jennifer} worked as a wine consultant at the time and it was important to both of us that our bar was stocked delicious wine from small, family producers made in the Old World style. We also stocked the bar with local beers.

Eric & I – are both from Suffolk and both are in the Hospitality industry- he’s a Chef and I, at the time, was a wine consultant…  We met, we fell in love, we got married…. 7 years later!

His Story:  “I worked in a restaurant in Portsmouth, the old Market Fare…I was a fill in chef and Jennifer was a server helping out (she worked at Bardo at the time and both restaurants had the same owners)…Jennifer had on hounds tooth shoes and I liked them…we connected, as we were both from Suffolk…I ended up getting “let go” and did not have a chance to see her for almost a month…one night at Barons in ptown I was fixing my thirst and Jennifer came in…well, I couldn’t remember her name so I yelled “market fare” across the bar (smooth, very smooth)…she came over we fumbled through small talk and then she gave me her number…I, being slightly smitten, broke the rules and I called her that night…we talked for hours on the phone and eventually set up a time to grab a drink or something like that…we or I fell for her quick…she was a little cautious…but eventually she fell for my charm…we have been together for close to seven years now and it has been an awesome ride.”

I wish we had a crazy story but the night we got engaged we had sushi at this place at the beach…I was nervous the whole time because I had a diamond waiting at the house…we got home and she had made a phone call to work, which was a common inconvenience…I went into the bedroom after the phone call and she was laying on the bed…I got on a knee and asked if she really wanted to spend her life with me (a little insurance) and she said yes, so I pulled out the ring and asked…a little shocked she said yes and that was it…we called our friends and family and the rest is the future.”

The Details: The theme was a comfortable fall celebration with charming southern details.  Special touches that helped us achieve this were:

*Vintage sofa (Bluebird’s Garage) with floral motif staged in the grass for the “first look” session & group shots
*Vintage desk (Bloom, The Art of Flowers) with flowers pouring out of the drawers staged to the hold the “guest book”
*Guest Book was a collection of cheeky post cards by Sugarboo Designs (www.sugarboodesigns.com) with whimsical sayings framed. Guests signed the blank sections.
*Ceremony music, Derek Smith played “Apple Blossom Time” as the bride’s mother walked her down the aisle. This was a nod to her late maternal grandparents.
*Bride carried her grandmother’s handkerchief with blue stitching as her “something blue”.
*Oyster Roast Cocktail Hour took place on the deck with view of the Nansemond River at sunset. The deck was staged with rustic wooden double rocker, stacked army trunks which were used as cocktail tables and a vintage cart for the cigar bar.
*An antique hutch (Bluebird’s Garage) was used to display the wedding favors- small paper bags of Chocolate Covered Peanuts from Planters Peanuts Shop in Downtown, Suffolk.
*White pumpkins under glass cloches and burgundy dahlias in rusty urns were used as centerpieces.

We choose to get married in Suffolk as a nod to our hometown.  Suffolk is known for its peanuts, in particular, Planter’s Peanuts. The Obicis, Italian immigrants and founders of Platnter’s Peanuts, once owned The Planter’s Club and hosted many lavish parties there in the roaring ‘20s! Both Eric and I really appreciated the understated elegance of the simple clubhouse and thought it fit our concept of “a comfortable fall celebration with charming southern details.”

Bride’s Favorite Moments: “The “first look”… Encouraged by our photographer, Rebecca, it really was a wonderful way to share a private moment with my “soon to be…” It was so exciting and special to see Eric for the first time on our wedding day!  My mom walking me down the aisle with “Apple Blossom Time” being played on the guitar. It was the most sentimental element of the wedding and naturally Saying “I do!”

Vendor Love

Venue: The Planter’s Club | Wedding Dress: Alyne by Rivini | Bridesmaid Dresses: Alvinia Valenta | Shoes: Caparros | Hair: Salon Avanti | Make-up: Bombshells Salon and Spa | Groom’s Attire: Banana Republic – JoS.A. Bank | Invitations: Wedding Paper Divas | Music-Ceremony/ Cocktail: Derek Smith | Music-Reception: DJ Cornbread | Rentals: Bloom, The Art of Flowers –  Bluebird’s Garage | Florist: Bloom, The Art of Flowers | CatererCreative Cuisines | Dessert Bar: Creative Cuisines | Photographer: Rebecca Keeling Studios