I’ve worked in the wedding industry for nearly 15 years and one thing I have loved witnessing is the ever-evolving idea of a fairytale wedding. Having a fairytale wedding doesn’t just mean big ballgowns and sparkly tiaras anymore. It can look like a myriad of things, from sleek, modern dresses to bold statements of color. As the idea of a “princess” has evolved, so has the idea of a fairytale wedding.
For Avalon and Preston, having a fairytale wedding meant incorporating a romantic color palette of pastel hues, soft, fluffy florals, meaningful details, and even balloons! It meant getting married in a meadow surrounded by the forest and 20 of their loved ones. It meant planning for private moments and taking precautions to help everyone stay safe.
If these elements sound similar to your own version of a fairytale wedding, keep on reading!
Avalon and Preston chose to have their destination wedding in Montana last August. Their wedding weekend kicked off the day before their fairytale wedding with their engagement shoot. They captured these photos in Lawrence Park at this time because they weren’t able to come out to Montana in the months leading up to the wedding. This worked out great though because they were able to squeeze in this time together before the wedding day. It also gave them a chance to get comfortable in front of the camera and time to bond with their photographer.
After their engagement shoot, they all headed back to their AirBnB, where they held a tree planting. This is a unity ceremony in which Avalon and Preston planted a tree together to symbolize their marriage and two becoming one. Sometimes, couples will include their family in the tree planting ceremony by having them help cover the tree base in soil. No matter how you do it, a tree planting is a beautiful and meaningful way to represent the new phase of your relationship!
On the morning of their fairytale wedding, Avalon and Preston arrived at Haymoon Resort. While they were getting ready for the big day, I worked alongside their amazing vendor team to set the wedding of their dreams!
For the ceremony, we set a square wooden arch with greenery and pink and white flowers. Their unity candle table sat in the center of the arch. We lined the aisle with pastel rose petals and attached little pink floral sprays to the chairs of the first row. After setting out their wooden welcome sign and a reserved sign for the first row, the ceremony site was complete!
The cocktail hour would be taking place by the venue’s Pond. There, we scattered high and low cocktail tables with alternating cream and lavender linens. We placed wooden boxes of flowers in the center of each table. Together with the string lights overhead, this made for a dreamy spot to start the celebration!
Last but not least, the reception would be held in the Pavilion. This space had a wood interior and the ceiling was vaulted like a tent’s ceiling would be. We decked out the ceiling with white, almost translucent, balloons. These created a fun yet still elegant atmosphere that all the guests (and vendors!) absolutely loved.
On one side of the Pavilion, we set up some cozy lounge furniture. We then interspersed round tables with white linens around the rest of the space. We made sure to maintain enough distance between the tables to keep with social distance guidelines. It was important to Avalon and Preston to keep everyone safe at their wedding, so this was one of the measures we took!
On top of the tables, we set hurricane candles of varying heights encircled by eucalyptus garlands. Each place setting had a clear, gold-rimmed charger with gold flatware and a lavender napkin tied in a knot.
Overall, all the décor details came together to give Avalon and Preston their perfect fairytale wedding. It was dreamy and romantic without being cheesy, and it set the stage for their big day.
After Avalon was all dolled up, she did a first look with her dad. I love when brides choose to do this father/daughter first look because it always evokes the most tender of emotions. This was especially important to Avalon because she would be walking down the aisle with Preston. So this was a chance to have a special moment with her dad on her wedding day.
Avalon also did a first look with Preston. When he turned around to see his bride all in white, a sentimental smile crossed his face before a tear or two leaked out. It was as if they were the only two in the world in that moment as they gazed into each other’s eyes.
Before they started the ceremony, they took turns reading their vows to one another in private. Reading your vows pre-ceremony is a great idea for couples who would prefer to exchange these personal words in private. Doing this can also save you from having stage fright, if you’re on the more reserved side.
Then, it was time to tie the knot! Avalon and Preston walked down the aisle together arm in arm before taking their places at the altar. During the ceremony, they held a unity candle ceremony. This entailed Avalon and Preston each lighting an individual candle and using them to both light one main candle in the center. Similar to the tree planting they did, this act is meant to symbolize the couple coming together in marriage.
Their pinnacle fairytale wedding moment came as soon as they were pronounced husband and wife. Preston kissed Avalon under their blush and white arch, reminiscent of a true prince and princess in a Disney movie!
As I mentioned before, it was important to Avalon and Preston to do everything they could to ensure their guests’ health and safety. Thus, all guests and vendors were required to wear masks and they even took some socially distanced photos. After these pictures were complete, guests broke for mocktail hour. This was an alcohol-free wedding for a very special reason: Avalon was pregnant! By just looking at her in her beautiful dress, her bump wasn’t very visible, but when she smoothed the layers of her dress down a bit, you could see her precious little one. It was so special that their future child could be at their wedding! Plus, just check out these adorable photos they got of their budding family. So sweet!
Once the reception began, everyone was ready to let loose and have fun! The festivities began with the newlyweds giving a welcome speech followed by two of their loved ones giving toasts. The rest of the evening was spent eating a delicious meal, indulging in even more delicious wedding cake, and simply enjoying each other’s company. Intimate weddings like this are so special because the couple can truly spend quality time with each and every one of their guests. That’s exactly what Avalon and Preston did until the night was through!
And they lived happily ever after!
Congratulations, Avalon and Preston! Your fairytale wedding was absolutely beautiful and looking back on it, I wouldn’t change a thing! Thank you for letting me be a part of your big day. I wish you and your precious family all the best!
-Katie
Venue: Haymoon Resort
Coordinator: Big Day Celebrations
Photographer: Dina Remi Photography
Videographer: On the Fly Films
Balloons: Fiddlestix
Florist: Conrad Floral
Baker: Cakes by Debi
Hair & Makeup: Melanie Hobus
Rentals: Empress Tents & Events // The Party Store
Caterer: Great Northwest Catering
Attire: Mimi’s Bridal
Paper Goods: Two Peas Paper Co
Linen: BBJ Linen
Big Day Celebrations offers full-service wedding planning, coordination & design services, and micro-wedding packages, so no matter how you envision your wedding, we will make it happen and have a whole lot of fun along the way!
Ready to get started? Drop me a note below and let’s do this!
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