Lauren + Ryan’s wedding invitation is a classic style with navy ink and a stunning monogram. Pro Tip: Be sure to order extra flowers and greenery for your photographer to use during detail photos like this one.
An antique ring box is one of our favorite details.
Every bride wants that perfect photo of her wedding dress and the last thing you want is an ugly plastic hanger. Many personalized hanger options are available online at places like Etsy, BHLDN, and more, but even a simple wooden one will do the trick.
Hair and Make Up by Lynsey Richardson
The bridal suite at The Sonnet House is not only large enough for large bridal parties but also offers a ton of natural light for fun pics like this one.
Lauren’s Mom and sister help her get ready before the big reveal to her bridesmaids. Are you planning on a first look with your most important ladies?
We also have a separate groom’s suite for the gentleman to use while getting ready.
Pro Tip: Carve out a little extra time for portraits of just yourself on your wedding day.
Dress: Made With Love from Village Bridal // Hair & Make Up: Perfectly Undone Beauty
Ryan’s boutonniere was made with white lisianthus, tree fern, & eucalyptus.
The front porch at The Sonnet House is a great spot for a first look. It’s private and most importantly – it’s shaded.
Ryan was just as excited as he looks, Piper Vine Photography captured the moment perfectly.
Lauren’s hair and make up was done by Birmingham artist Lynsey Richardson. She wore a Made With Love wedding gown purchased from Village Bridal.
Meet Caroline, a 1959 Jaguar from Coats Classic Cars.
Lauren’s bridal bouquet from Corey Daniel Florals was a stunner. Sahara roses, anemones, spray roses, sweet William, Italian Ruscus and multiple types of eucalyptus made up her beautiful garden style bouquet.
Coats Classic Cars
One of the pros of having a first look (taking photos before the ceremony) is that it gives you plenty of daylight for photos all over our property.
Opting for classic white drapery and a thin eucalyptus garland is the perfect touch for the back porch where most of our brides make the entrance to their ceremony.
The loose garden style bouquet that Lauren chose was super romantic and has already given inspiration to many of our 2020 brides.
Estate weddings hold a certain allure to them don’t they? Our goal is to make you and your guests feel as though you are entertaining in your own home, without the clean up of course.
Soft blush gowns, navy suits, and a creamy floral palette = perfection.
Lauren + Ryan | March 23, 2019
Navy is a neutral color meaning it goes with absolutely anything. It’s one of our favorite colors to see incorporated into a wedding palette. Did we mention everyone looks great in it too?
Lauren’s bridesmaids wore truth blush dresses from Bella Bridesmaid. Blush is a super popular wedding color which means different shades depending on the eye. Pro Tip: Ask for a swatch or sample of the dress color to show your floral designer so that everyone is on the same page.
Florals – Corey Daniel Florals // Bridesmaids Dresses – Bella Bridesmaid
Hidden Detail: Lauren’s mom, Debs, wore a cornflower blue custom made Mother of the Bride gown by a dear friend. If you look closely, you’ll notice how similar the lace of her dress is to the lace of Lauren’s wedding gown.
The entrance to your wedding ceremony is the first thing your guests will see upon arrival. A hand lettered welcome sign greeted guests. An overflowing garden arrangement in silver mercury glass accented the monogrammed silk guestbook perfectly.
One of our favorite Pinterest search terms is fireplace weddings. Why? Because we love all of the different options for decorating our fireplace. This eucalyptus wreath with a floral badge is breathtaking when combined with a garland but also stands well on its own.
Corey Daniel Florals has many styles of lanterns depending on your style and taste, but these wooden ones are some of our favorites to see on the fireplace mantel.
You have limitless options when it comes to aisle markers and these greenery wreaths can also be reused for reception decor. In this case they were placed on hi-boy tables along with the bridesmaids bouquets in mercury glass vases.
Fun Fact: Ancient Roman law required 10 witnesses to be present at a wedding. Bridesmaids and groomsmen had to dress just like the bride and groom to confuse vengeful spirit presences who might try to harm the newlyweds.
A penny for your thoughts, did you and your father (or whoever gave you away) have a quick chat while walking down the aisle?
Piper Vine Photography
The Sonnet House has three main locations for ceremonies and the fireplace is by far the most popular, see why?
Lauren + Ryan recessed to “Spring” by Mendelssohn which was played by a live string trio. Unsure of what to play for your ceremony music? We always recommend something upbeat for the recessional — you just got married after all!
There are no smiles quite like just married ones.
A stunning four tier wedding cake from Barb’s Cakes with a floral sash paired perfectly with our ivory rosette overlay with a champagne lamour table linen underneath. Remind you of something? It reflects the same nude underlay of Lauren’s wedding gown.
Ryan’s has a thing for cookies so instead of a traditional groom’s cake he went for Cookie Fix cookies.
Navy neoprene koozies with gold ink
Mini BLTs are one of the most popular items on our catering menus. Did you know that we provide a complimentary menu tasting for every single Sonnet House couple?
Lauren + Ryan’s centerpieces were a mix of florals in mercury glass compotes and geometric terrariums. Guest tables were draped in our champagne lamour table linens.
Since Mr. and Mrs. Nash’s reception was held on our back patio they were able to get double use out of the drapery and garland. Here they’re introduced at the reception for their first dance as husband and wife.
1959 Jaguar Mk.IX Saloon from Coats Classic Cars of Birmingham, Alabama.
It’s a new year, actually it’s a new decade and The Sonnet House is so excited for the upcoming year! Did everyone have an amazing holiday? We were all able to slip away for a few days and spend much needed time with our families, resting, and most importantly recharging to see what 2020 has in store for us. Right before Christmas we put the final touches on Elise + Sam and Carolina + Seth’s January weddings and know they will be here before we know it.
Shameless plug alert, if you are newly engaged and browsing photos on top of photos is your thing please make sure you are following us on social media! Our direct links are listed at the bottom but you know the routine, search The Sonnet House and you’ll find us pretty easily. Don’t forget that on our Facebook page we post weddings listed by date so that you can look specifically at April weddings, May weddings, October weddings, etc. It is where you’ll find 99% of our photos. Instagram tends to be where we post highlights, announcements, contests (I think we’re due for one, any ideas??) and of course some of our favorite ceremony and reception ideas. Happy Planning!
Now, all about Lauren + Ryan! We can’t even begin to tell you what an amazing couple these two are and how wonderful it was to work alongside them and their families. Lauren did a fabulous job working closely with all of her vendors not only making sure everyone was on the same page to bring her vision to life, but to make sure everyone felt as if they were personally a part of her and Ryan’s wedding day.
Birmingham wedding photographer Julie Johnson of Piper Vine Photography was the perfect fit for Lauren + Ryan personality wise but also as the person who would capture the most important day of their lives to be remembered forever. Julie’s relaxed yet detailed style of photography blends so well with the setting of The Sonnet House and we consider ourselves extremely lucky to work with her a few times each year. If you are newly engaged and still on the hunt for a photographer we know you won’t regret reaching out to Julie.
Lauren chose a stunning lace over sheer V-Neck wedding gown by Made With Love Bridal from Village Bridal. It was so unique and perfect for her style which is pretty common when our brides shop for their perfect dress at Village Bridal. Have you heard of them? If not, let us introduce you. They are a bridal shop like no other in the Birmingham area. Self-described as a bridal boutique for the free spirited bride and honestly we can’t think of a better way to describe them. You can also shop their entire collection online. That’s right. You can visit their website, shop by designer and see every single gown available to try on in the store (make sure to schedule an appointment ahead of time, like most wedding vendors they work by appointment only!) They’re located downtown in Five Points South and their dresses range in price from $1,300 – $3,375. Another great thing to consider is trying on sample gowns and this is the perfect time of year for keeping an eye open for sample sales where you can usually find that perfect dress for less than $1,500.
Corey Daniel Florals knocked another wedding out of the park when it comes to Lauren + Ryan’s beautiful March wedding. Their ceremony was held at our outdoor fireplace and their reception took place on the back patio. The bouquets were made with the most romantic blooms all in shades of white, cream and champagne. A multitude of greenery such as Italian ruscus, silver dollar eucalyptus, salal, and seeded eucalyptus added to the elegant garden flowers.
Barb Sullivan of Barb’s Cakes designed a four tier brushed buttercream masterpiece where the florals really shone. Textured flowers like anemones, Sahara roses, white snow berries, ranunculus, and seeded eucalyptus trailed from top to bottom and looked so great that many guests wondered if it was even real. One hundred percent real, folks. Guests had several choices when it came to feeding their sweet tooth. Instead of a traditional groom’s cake, Ryan opted for a medley of cookies from local cookier, Cookie Fix (Homewood, Alabama.) If chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, white macadamia nut and snickerdoodle aren’t your jam, rest assured — Cookie Fix has over sixty flavors available on their rotating menu so everyone is sure to find something they love!
While guests danced all night underneath the cafe lights on our patio to music from The Emerald Empire Band they also had a selection of libations to choose from. In addition to the standard beer and wine offerings, Lauren + Ryan surprised guests with a bourbon tasting. If you’re on the fence deciding between just offering beer and wine or providing a full bar, opting for a signature drink (or two) or a bourbon tasting is an excellent choice. Their friends and family were delighted and it’s definitely unexpected.
Once the reception was over, Lauren + Ryan beamed as the exited through a tunnel of dried lavender. Not only is dried lavender natural, it won’t plant or sprout in the yard causing a nightmare of weeds. We personally love it because of the visual. Although the reception exit often times gets overlooked in the planning process it’s a pretty special time of night. Everyone has big smiles and you are literally at the top of your happy meter. Exit photos are some of our favorites simply because of the candidness. These two newlyweds took it one step further and were driven away in a stunning 1959 Jaguar Mk.IX Saloon from the fleet over at Coats Classic Cars. This particular beauty is named “Caroline” and when rented lends herself well for beautiful wedding pictures all day long.
Thank you Lauren, Ryan, and your families for making sure we felt like family on the most important day of your lives. We enjoyed celebrating you, celebrating with you, and getting to know you. Congratulations!
Wedding Vendors Who Made it Happen:
Venue, Catering & Coordination: The Sonnet House
Florals & Decor: Corey Daniel Florals
Photographer: Piper Vine Photography
Hair & Make Up Artist: The Hair and Make Up Collective
Ceremony Music: Patti Pilon
Reception Band: The Emerald Empire Band
Bride’s Cake: Barb’s Cakes (Barb Sullivan)
Groom’s Dessert: Cookie Fix – Homewood, Alabama
Bridal Gown: Village Bridal
Bridesmaids Dresses: Bella Bridesmaid
Bridal Gown Designer: Made With Love
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