A Beautiful Wedding at a Railroad Museum with A Love of Birds, Nature and Each Other

Since Maureen and Nick are both birders and budding naturalists, they knew that they just had to incorporate their love of birds and nature into their wedding day. Owl and bird details were sprinkled here and there amongst earthy textures like moss and yarn, as well as mixed in with a bit of sparkle with gold birdcages and frames! Even their cake was an ode to the beautiful live oak trees lining Savannah streets, topped of course with some fancy owls. Oh, and the whole event took place at a railroad museum! A-MAZING.

“Our wedding day was absolutely perfect – despite me (the bride) starting to get sick the night before. We had our intimate wedding of about 52 guests at the Roundhouse Railroad Museum in Savannah, GA. My husband and I are not from Savannah, but when we visited on our first romantic getaway 7 years before, I knew it was the place I wanted to marry him. And a series of fortunate events led us to live in Savannah, which made it perfect to have our dream wedding! Savannah is the ideal romantic city, full of southern charm and natural beauty.

Because Savannah has so many beautiful locations for a wedding, it was hard to narrow it down – the lush, green parks and squares, historic homes, art museums – they all had such loveliness to offer. We knew we wanted something rustic and outdoors yet also something that captures the history of this town.When we visited the railroad museum, we knew it was exactly what we wanted.The rustic, exposed brick walls and antique train cars and large machinery were begging for the contrast of bright colors, lace, and pretty details.

The whole theme of “Rustic Vintage Chic” just fell into place with the venue and the inspiration of my darling Art Deco antique diamond and blue sapphire engagement ring. Lace is sooooo in, so I knew I wanted a lace gown that showed off my curves, and my gorgeous sparkly, champagney, lace gown did just that while exuding the vintage chic feel I was looking for. Also, I love the colour combination of navy and coral, so it was the main color scheme of the wedding, and my bridesmaids showed off this fun color combo so well in their 50’s-inspired dresses and coral accents in their bouquets.

I’m very much a creative type who loves to do my own projects, so it was a dream come true to craft my own lovelies for our wedding, such as the yarn-wrapped bottles and letters. Also, my husband and I are birders and budding naturalists, so we knew that we had to incorporate our love of birds and nature. Owl and bird details were sprinkled here and there amongst earthy textures like moss and yarn, as well as mixed in with a bit of sparkle like the gold birdcages and frames. Even our cake (which I designed) was an ode to the beautiful live oak trees lining Savannah streets, topped of course with some fancy owls. And of course I can’t leave out the amazingly talented French Knot Studios who crafted not just our owl toppers’ accessories, but also our fun, bird-accented bouquet (featuring my favorite bird, the Belted Kingfisher), and the groom’s boutonniere (bearing his favorite bird, the Northern Gannett).

We brought in some grander vintage pieces from Ever Thine Evens like the weathered, minty-colored doors for our ceremony backdrop, that sweet, Georgia peach-colored sofa and the antique luggage that went ever so well with the railroad station to give it a classy, old-timey feel. Although our wedding colors were navy and coral, I couldn’t’ resist incorporating other accent colors in our colorful palette with the homemade pom-poms and pinwheels, flowers, place settings, and even the homemade jam favors that rounded everything out to bring in a splash of fun and whimsy. Instead of everything looking mismatched and out of place, our coordinator (and florist) Ivory and Beau made sure everything came together beautifully with all of our personal touches.

All in all, we had a perfect day – great music, fantastic food, and having a blast with our loved ones! My advice for any bride planning to do some DIY projects for her wedding – start early to get things done in timely manner so that you reduce your last minute stress the week of your wedding. I made sure to not have any last-minute crafts to do before my family arrived wedding week so I could concentrate on spending quality time with them rather than wrapping yarn on bottles! My husband kept me calm when I would get a little crazy with picking out minute details for the wedding by reminding me that the celebration of us is what people are there to see. But of course, the details still turned out great. My advice for the wedding day and beyond: Enjoy your day and enjoy being with each other. Support each other and love each other always, even when one (or both of you) gets a little crazy. This person is your partner for life, so show this person that he/she is the love of your life with your words and actions every day.”

Fab Suppliers: // Photography: Once Like a Spark // Florist & Co-odrinator: Ivory + Beau // Venue:Roundhouse Railroad Museum // Music: Chris of All About You // Catering: B Matthews // Cake: Tier Luxury Cakes// Vintage Rentals: Ever Thine Vintage Rentals // Other Rentals: Beachview Event Rentals // Hair + Makeup:Beyond Beautiful by Heather // Getaway Car: AE Luxury Limo // Bouquets, Boutonnieres + Headpiece: French Knot Studios // Officiant: Patrick Leong // Bride’s Dress: Allure Couture Collection // Bride’s Bracelet: EnrichbyMillie on etsy.com // Groom’s Attire: Men’s Wearhouse // Groom’s Ties + Bow Tie:J.Crew // Groom’s Socks: hook + ALBERT from Nordstrom // Bridesmaids Dresses: Alexia Designs // Personalized, wood-carved Champagne Glasses: GlassGirlJen on Etsy // Personalized guestbook: TotallySalinda on Etsy //