1. Real Weddings

A Garden-Style, DIY Wedding at Anthony Wayne House in Paoli, Pennsylvania

Lauren Clark (26 and a nutrition teacher) and Paul Dale’s (30 and a teacher) vintage, garden-style wedding p

Lauren Clark (26 and a nutrition teacher) and Paul Dale’s (30 and a teacher) vintage, garden-style wedding proves "less is more" in all the best ways. Equipped with help from their friends and family, the couple designed just enough decor to personalize the day. Their ceremony backdrop, centerpieces and wedding cake topper especially showed this. It all started with the outdoor ceremony at Anthony Wayne House in Paoli, Pennsylvania. Just a friend’s dream catcher and the venue’s pergola served as their main accents, so there were no distracting elements to prevent guests from enjoying the community-based nuptials. Inside the reception tent, each wooden table had a short lace runner and wildflower centerpieces in glass bottles. The mixture of natural accents were well suited against their natural backdrop and made the scene feel even more open. Lauren and Paul's all-white wedding cake was just as simple and sweet. They topped the three buttercream layers with a pair of foxes dressed in formalwear. Lightbloom Photography captured this whimsical detail and every other highlight, below. “We definitely have our own style,” Lauren says. “We were never uncomfortable choosing design elements, because we just wanted it to reflect what we saw as beauty: Our life is a beautiful adventure.”

Lauren and her bridesmaids took care of all the signs, including this chic entrance piece. “We had so much fun drinking Moscow mules, listening to music and staying up late to finish the signs,” Lauren says. “Chalkboard markers were my best friend.” Using her love of vintage, they set the chalkboard note to guests inside a gold, oval frame.
“We didn't want the party to look too formal or alike,” Lauren says. “I mean, we had 5 girls and 12 guys. Why do the norm?” Instead, every member of their wedding party had a different look. We’re talking black suits, gray suits, blush floor-length dresses, short champagne dresses and black lace tops. Only the groomsmen had a cohesive element with the same bow ties from Amanda Jo Homemade. Overall, the looks could not have been more personalized.
For Lauren, finding her dress was as easy as walking into her mother’s closet. “I've tried the dress on ever since I was a child and always knew I wanted to wear it,” Lauren says. “My mom is my best friend. It was such an honor to wear her dress.” Elaine Morgan altered it to a more personalized fit with a natural empire waist, sheer sleeves, lace along the new V-neck and omission of its original mutton sleeves from 1979. The result was absolutely stunning!
For her bouquet, Lauren picked a loose arrangement with vibrant hues. White, burgundy and fuchsia peonies as well as greenery from Risher Van Horn Flowers overflowed from its champagne ribbon wrap. The design looked as if it had just been picked.
Lauren and Paul are close to their families and wanted nothing more than to include them in the wedding at Anthony Wayne House in Paoli, Pennsylvania. Their family members helped with the decor and took part in a community ceremony, and Lauren’s father even walked her down their grass aisle. "Sea of Love" by Cat Power played in the background as they entered the custom ceremony.
The couple let their friends have free rein in designing the ceremony decor. “I knew I wanted my great-grandmother's needlepoint, our close friends' rug and the beautiful dream catcher made by my bridesmaid Jane,” Lauren says. “Other than that, I told them to try to have fun and make something beautiful.” Lauren and Paul absolutely loved how it turned out, with her grandmother’s needlepoint roses served as the main accent for the couple’s altar.
Using just the Anthony Wayne House's wooden pergola as decor, Lauren and Paul focused their ceremony on the service itself. Their two closest designed every part of the custom nuptials. “They did an incredible job making everyone feel intimate, loved and a part of the wedding,” Lauren says.
Paul resembled a character out of “The Great Gatsby” in his chic tuxedo. Staying true to their shared vintage style, he wore a formal black suit with a notched lapel and a pleated front along his white shirt. His black bow tie, slicked-back hair and rose boutonniere only added to the look.
While the rest of their wedding party chose completely different looks, the couple’s flower girls stood out with matching dresses. Both girls wore a champagne-colored lace dress with a high neckline and matching sash across her waist. To personalize the looks, each chose different neutral sandals and one wore a flower crown. The all-white arrangement stood out with daisies, baby’s breath, chrysanthemums, wax flowers and wildflowers all wrapped around her down hairstyle.
After the service, Lauren and Paul took a few moments alone by their dream catcher backdrop. Lauren’s flower crown captured it’s natural style with lush greenery, purple wildflowers and pink peonies all wrapped into the band. The design was also an ideal match to her textured peony bouquet from Risher Van Horn Flowers.
Having a love for all things floral, lace and gold, Lauren designed their reception to feature all three details. Each family-style table had a chic lace runner, classic white napkins and a lush arrangement from Risher Van Horn Flowers. Bright fuchsia and yellow delphiniums, greenery, purple astilbes and wildflowers all popped from vintage-style glass and copper vases along the tablescape. The couple’s sheer white tent highlighted the space.
These were not the usual table numbers. Each DIY accent marked the tables with a vintage-style gold font and a sweet thank-you note in the bottom-right corner. The term “table” was also laser cut and topped the number in ivory.
All the decor for their chic tented reception was DIY. Lauren and her mother handpicked each glass vase, bottle, jar and cup for the centerpieces. They even spray-painted a few gold or copper to add some dimension to the table. Lavender, orange delphiniums, wildflowers, greenery and yellow lilies from the valley filled each one for a bright, natural touch.
For their head table, Lauren and Paul got creative and introduced more of their own personal flair into the design. Instead of lace, they lined the wooden stand with a gold sequin runner and DIY gold bottle centerpieces. Lauren and her bridesmaids made the backdrop by writing out one of Paul’s favorite quotes from none other than “Romeo and Juliet.” Their guests also left a surprise by the newlywed's seating. “Our friends had a Polaroid camera that they snapped pictures with the whole night,” Lauren says. “As they took pictures, they scattered the photos on our table runner. By the time we sat down, we had a whole gallery of memories.”
The couple's vintage style didn’t stop at their decor. Before the night was out, Lauren and Paul surprised their guests with a Foxtrot to "You Send Me" by Sam Cooke. "This was all his idea and it was a good one," Lauren says. Their white, tented reception space at Anthony Wayne House provided the perfect lighting so guests had a clear view of their first dance.
Bringing some extra flair to the mix, Lauren and Paul used small fox accents throughout the wedding. Their cake was no exception. Textured, white buttercream frosting covered all three round layers. A whimsical figurine of two foxes in formal attire topped the confection for an unexpected treat—it’s porcelain-like design even had the same hue as the frosting.
Celebrating their life, guests and marriage, Lauren and Paul ended the night with a standout exit. Loved ones and sparklers surrounded the newlyweds as they took their post-reception stride down the lawn at Anthony Wayne House in Paoli, Pennsylvania.