Real Weddings: Katie + Justin

Katie and Justin’s wedding is the perfect combination of vintage inspiration and handmade elements, with birds, birds everywhere! Katie designed all of the elements of the wedding herself, and chose a color palette of pinks and peaches to complement the lodge-style details of Clearwater’s beautiful Carlouel Yacht Club.  The result is wonderfully soft and elegant.

All of the lovely images were captured by Pilster Photography.

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About their ceremony, Katie shares:

“When Justin proposed to me, he never got down on one knee. Throughout our engagement, I always gave him a ‘hard time’ about it, and joked that he should finally get down on one knee during our ceremony. Well, he definitely surprised me when, after our officiant had him place my wedding band on my finger, he got down on one knee so he could slide my engagement ring back onto my hand! All of our guests let out a collective ‘AW!’ and I couldn’t help but laugh at the sweet gesture!”

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Katie designed the ceremony programs using a whimsical bird motif to match the decor.

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Katie and her mother sourced all of the vases and figurines that graced the venue.  My favorite detail of the wedding is the gorgeous mantel that served as the ceremony altar, which was filled with candles, roses, and ceramic birds.

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The reception had so many gorgeous details, including baby’s breath centerpieces, more beautiful bird figurines, and pintuck linens lovingly handmade by Katie’s grandmother.

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The card box was a vintage mailbox, handpainted by Katie and Justin.  In addition to the adorable birds and birds nests scattered around the venue, Katie found several “Love” signs and used them in her centerpieces and decor.  Moss-lined wooden trays held escort cards, and Katie and her  family constructed a manzanita branch wishing tree for the guest book.

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The precious bird cake topper was created by Etsy seller Vintage by Crystal.

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Justin and Katie met while walking their pups on the beach, and they wanted to include them in their special day!  One of the ceremony readings was the poem “Falling in Love is Like Owning a Dog” by Taylor Mali, and the wedding favor was the chocolate/peanut butter treat “puppy chow”, made from scratch by her aunt and grandparents.

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Justin and his father constructed a “picture wall” photo booth that was a huge hit during cocktail hour!

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How cute is Katie’s grandfather?  He was a highlight of the reception with his dance moves.

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Katie, thanks for sharing all of the details of your wedding with us! Ya’ll can find Katie writing over at Ruffles and Truffles, and all of her planning process is documented on Weddingbee – she’s Mrs. Buttons!

The following Etsy sellers and Clearwater, Florida wedding vendors contributed to Katie and Justin’s wedding:

Photography – Pilster Photography
Venue – Carlouel Yacht Club
Florist – The Bride’s Bouquet
Day of Coordination – Weddings by Eventions
Stationery – 4th & Folded
Gown designer – James Clifford, purchased from CC’s Boutique in St. Petersburg, Florida
Bridesmaids dress designer – J Crew: silk chiffon Juliet, Sophia, and twist tank
Hair and makeup – Camposecco Artistry
Accessories – hair flower made by the bride
Shoes – Bridesmaids: Enzo Angiolini Mielee pump, Bride: Linea Paolo (both from Nordstrom)
Bakery – Cakes by Nomeda
Linens – Pintuck linens handmade by Katie’s grandmother
DJ – RJ Vida
Transportation – Jolley Trolley/N.Y. Cab Co. Beach Taxi
Monograms – Foxglove Design
Cake topper –
Vintage by Crystal
Bride’s rings – Michael M Collection
Groom’s wedding band – custom fingerprint ring by Fabuluster
Ring bearer pillow – Busy Buttons
Garter – Florrie Mitton Couture