Sometimes the most heartwarming wedding moments come from handwritten vows, handmade details, pets as wedding party members and a focus on family and friends.
Chelsea Conn and John-Michael Ryall met in law school at the University of Memphis and fell for each other during a trip to San Francisco in 2012. In May of 2015 John-Michael popped the question quite unexpectedly. βWe got engaged on a Thursday evening, which isnβt the most usual day for an engagement,β explains John-Michael. βI am notoriously bad at keeping secrets and surprises.β He planned for a big weekend proposal, but the ring was burning a hole in his pocket, and he popped the question when they returned home from dinner at Porcellinoβs.
This unconventional proposal led to an equally unconventional wedding in September of 2016. The couple took a total DIY approach to their big day, and both families came together to make the day spectacular with charming details. We are simply smitten with this casual, thoughtful and intimate affair!
PinTwenty-five guests attended Chelsea and John-Michaelβs intimate outdoor ceremony.PinThe beautiful Blecken Pavilion is in a more secluded area at the Memphis Botanic Garden. βOnce we walked through the gardens and saw the pavilion we knew it would be perfect for our intimate ceremony,β says John-Michael. βThe surrounding trees also provided some much-needed shade on a surprisingly warm September day.β
PinChelsea and John-Michael specifically chose venues to provide a relaxed, informal setting for their loved ones.PinThe family of fourPinFor the reception, the party expanded to 75 and moved to Chef Kelly Englishβs The Second Line restaurant adjacent to Overton Square. The layout of the old Victorian-style house-turned-restaurant made for the perfect intimate reception venue. Guests mingled freely throughout the dining rooms, bar and outdoor patio.PinThe day before the wedding, the bride and groomβs mothers, grandmothers, sisters, cousins and friends gathered to make all the floral arrangements. The ladies had so much fun recreating the prototype the bride made to show how she wanted the table top arrangements. Buckets and buckets of wonderful flowers β hydrangeas, spray roses, eucalyptus leaves β all went into the assembly, along with love from the women closest to the couple.PinClever and old school, Rolodex cards were provided for guests to sign instead of a traditional guestbook.PinFrost Bake Shop provided the three-tier Neapolitan-style wedding cake with each layer a differing flavor β vanilla, chocolate and strawberry β topped with buttercream icing.
PinHog and Hominyβs famous peanut butter pie was served in single-serving glass cups.PinGuests were welcomed to the reception with Chelsea and John-Michaelβs cocktails of choice β Sazerac and Dark and Stormy. And John-Michaelβs sister Susan designed the food and drink menus to mimic The Second Lineβs existing ones.PinGuests feasted buffet-style for three courses of Kelly Englishβs most tantalizing New Orleans-inspired dishes including Natchitoches meat pies, fried Gulf oyster poβ boys, chicken and andouille sausage gumbo with cornbread, shrimp and grits, βfancy-ass slawβ and spinach Madeleine.PinThe bride and groom steal a kiss at the indoor bar.
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