Saga and Jake were married in a very european-esque garden ceremony while drizzly mist set the tone for some pretty fantastic photographs by the always-fabulous Jillian Mitchell. The inspiring floral influences ranged from a gorgeous ceremony structure, to a sweet floral crown to the bride’s breathtaking Francesca Miranda blue floral gown.
What made the wedding special and unique?
We created our ceremony from scratch, combining Episcopalian/Quaker upbringings with our love of theater, communal singing, and fairy tales. Our dearest friend and mentor married us. We wrote our own vows and read them aloud to each other for the first time. Our friends played the music and read our chosen texts (taken from plays and poetry). It was a drizzly, misty day, I had bronchitis and had been in bed for 5 days before. Weirdly that didn’t dampen the joy at all, and made it more memorable.
Tell us about the gown and where/how you found it!
I was a real wedding dress anthropologist. I tried on maybe 100 for the fun of it; in fancy Park Avenue boutiques, New Jersey outlet malls, bohemian Soho shops. In the end, I knew I didn’t want a traditional white dress. I saw my dress in a magazine, called the brand, and tried it on at Kleinfeld’s in NYC. It was perfect.
What were some special details of the day?
What was the most memorable part of the day?
Having my maid of honor throw my skirt over my head as we pulled up to the house; stragglers were still arriving and she didn’t want me to be seen. The beautiful ceremony written/conducted by our friend/minister, Ken. Scavenging in closets at the house for a cardigan because it was so cold and wet. Heart-shaped grilled cheeses being passed on the (very sweaty) dance-floor. Our mothers making the speeches and killing it. Seeing everyone you love in one room. Wow.
Shoes: Somehow I ended up with 3 different pairs of shoes.
1) White heels with neon pink soles by GINA London. This was a lucky find– one of a only a few made for designer Nicholas Oakwell and super on sale, with only one size left!
2) Ballet shoes (the dancing kind) for the ceremony, onto which I had sowed little buttons and written my late grandmother’s words.
3) Yellow wellies. The emergency shoe for our rainy day.
Jewelry: The pearl earrings my dad gave my mom for their 30th anniversary.
My mother-in-law sourced some beautiful mix and match vintage china plates. We put them on white-wash farm tables with ink blue and white linen table-cloths/runners.
My mother is from Finland and we had Finnish touches (gravlax and karelian pies for hor d’ouevres, blue/white palette). We were living in London while we were wedding planning and adopted some British flair like Pass the Parcel: a game where you collectively unravel a streamer ball to reveal prizes within. Recipe for an instant party.
Tell us how you met and became engaged.
Jake proposed to me in the middle of a freezing winter in Minnesota, where we were living at the time. He got down on one knee in a room of gold leaf at the Walker Arts Center. The museum was closing and they shut off the lights as I was screaming “what?! what?! are you serious?!” They did a write up.
Photography: Jillian Mitchell // Flowers: Aurora Botanica // Dress: Francesca Miranda // Shoes: GINA London made for Nicholas Oakwell // Suit: Custom Gieves and Hawke