Lauren and Cory’s whimsical French circus wedding theme came from the bride’s imagination. She wanted their wedding to be quirky and fun, yet timeless and elegant. “I wanted to keep everything as organic and simple as possible but with a slight nod to the oh-so-quirky”, Lauren explained. “I used gold animals that I DIY’d for the escort cards and table number holders which added a bit of whimsy and playfulness to the whole aesthetic. Our theme was Whimsical French Safari!”
“It was a pretty perfect and wonderful day but we had a few little hiccups right before the ceremony”, she continued. “It turns out that there was a wildfire along the freeway and the traffic was pretty bad. In the end, everyone arrived safely and we only started a tad bit late. It was just so bazaar to hear all the whispers but no one wanted to let me in on what was happening!”
“I absolutely loved our first look moment and the ceremony was very special. Our family pastor married us and we had some wonderful friends sing and play the guitar which made everything so special and intimate.”
“We were on a tight budget but our priorities were food, flowers, and photography”, she said. “However we ditched a lot of the ‘extras’ that some people feel they need to have to save money. I didn’t do programs or menu cards, and I designed my own table numbers. I coordinate weddings and I always see brides work so hard on having all these ‘things’ for their guests, but when it comes down to it, these extras can get overwhelming and sadly most of them go unnoticed in grand scheme of the day.”
“The only thing we would do differently if we were to do it over again, is to have a grand exit of some kind at the end of the night”, the bride concluded. “We wanted to stay to the end to enjoy being with everyone but it was hard to pull ourselves away after the event was over and we saw friends and family helping to tear down the event. We should have left on a high!”
“My advice to other engagement couples would be to keep things simple and expressive of your unique personalities. Try to not let all the thoughts of what you should do or what is expected of you overwhelm the purpose of such a joyous day! As long as you love everything, everyone else will too!”
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