Charming Laid-Back Wedding at Morning Glory Inn: Molly & Jeffrey

Nestled into a quiet street in the otherwise unquiet South Side, the Morning Glory Inn was the perfect spot for Molly and Jeffrey’s casual, laid-back wedding day.  The couple wanted an outdoor, laid-back, familial affair, and that’s just what they got at this charming B&B.  Full of sweet and dainty details, this wedding was simple but breathtaking.  Most importantly, Molly and Jeffrey were surrounded (quite literally) by all of their family and friends, which is exactly what they wanted.  I’ve been swooning over these nuptials since the day I received this submission.  Here are a just few reasons why:

• Molly’s sweetheart neck, empire waisted dress was bohemian while still being bridal.  Her look was completed by Mikomoto pearl earrings (a gift from her dad!), a crown of tiny daises, and loose, carefree waves.  Molly says it was the “worst hair day of her life” thanks to the 90 degree weather and 100% humidity.  I respectfully disagree, Molly!  You looked GORG!
• An unplugged ceremony!  This bride and groom kindly asked their guests to keep their cell phones in their purses or pockets while they exchanged vows.  Guests were actually present while witnessing such a special moment.  More of this, please!  So much more of this!
• Speaking of the ceremony, the set up (or should I say lack thereof?) for this one was amazing!  While Molly and Jeffrey said “I do” under a canopy of daises in the garden courtyard, guests simply gathered around them.  Snuggled up shoulder to shoulder, family and friends were up close and personal, surrounding the bride and groom in love.  Makes my heart smile 🙂  Afterward, they ate, drank, danced, and mixed and mingled at their leisure, enjoying the reception that flowed from room to room of the inn.
• In lieu of favors, Molly and Jeffrey made a donation to BARC Shelter in Brooklyn.  When living in NY, the couple used to volunteer at this no-kill shelter that provides a safe home for abandoned animals.
• Rachel Rowland’s photographic genius went into overload as she led the couple through the inn, taking full advantage of the eclectic, retro, and sometimes quirky decor.  The result was some of the most strikingly beautiful and unique portraits I’ve seen.  Ever.

Charming, casual, and understated, Molly and Jeffrey’s wedding was what it’s all about…family, a good time, and two people who are madly in love.  A million high fives to this!

From the bride…

When and how did you two meet?
Jeff went to Ohio University with my older sister, which is how we semi-met initially.  We re-met after college, right before I started grad school, when I surprised my sister in NYC for her birthday.  They both happened to live in the city at the time.  My younger sister was visiting as well.  We all went out for brunch and spent the rest of the day exploring Brooklyn.  Jeff and I hit it off and started playing Words with Friends…which is actually how he eventually asked for my number and came to visit me in Pittsburgh for the first time!

Juicy details on the proposal, please!  Where, when, how?
We lived together in a Williamsburg, Brooklyn apartment on the water.  It was a Wednesday in April.  I had just gotten home from a long day at work and we had dinner reservations.  I was still stressed and admittedly not in the best mood.  (Poor Jeff!!  My mood did nothing to calm his nerves!)  He poured us both a glass of wine then drank his in five minutes!  When he asked me if I wanted to catch the sunset on the dock before dinner, I said I wanted to finish my glass of wine and freshen up (Oops!!).  When he finally got me out of the apartment, he said he wanted to take a detour and go to the dock to take a picture of the city.  When we got there, he got down on one knee and completely took me off guard.  I had absolutely no clue he was planning on proposing or I wouldn’t have been so difficult and I wouldn’t have been wearing my chucks!  It couldn’t have been more perfect though.  Right after, we asked a group of people to take our picture and one of them said, “You two should get married.  You are so cute together!”  We both just burst out laughing!

Describe the wedding.  The look, theme, style, colors, etc.
Our wedding was very laid back and non-traditional.  We wanted something outside with just our closest friends and family.  We chose the Morning Glory Inn because it was so beautiful without adding a thing.  We had flowers everywhere and rustic touches of burlap and lace throughout.  The bridesmaids’ dresses were poppy colored and they each held a daisy bouquet.  The groomsmen wore mismatched grey suits with a burlap bow tie with a map design and a daisy and rosemary boutonniere.

What inspired your vision?
Daisies were very prominent because my mom always called me her daisy and I’ve always loved them.  She had three girls and she chose a flower for each of us when we were born!  The poppy color sort of chose me.  I knew I wanted something bright and it took months to even order fabric swatches because nothing was jumping out.  When I found the poppy lace dress on the J. Crew website and the swatch arrived at our house, it matched my Essie Clambake nail polish perfectly and I fell in love immediately.  After that, I took to Pinterest for ideas on how to bring everything together.  Neutral burlap was featured in a lot of posts and was a perfect compliment to our theme.  The Bartek Design burlap map bow ties the guys wore were absolutely AMAZING.  They made their outfits.

What made your wedding unique?
The venue itself made for a unique wedding.  Since there was not seating for every guest, we had our friends and family stand all around us during our vows.  Dinner felt more like a backyard BBQ since everyone got to mingle while moving from station to station.  Both of my parents walked me down the aisle to our close friend’s guitar rendition of Thank You by Led Zeppelin (which had all of us crying!).  Attached to my bouquet was a brooch of my grandma’s that I got to carry with me all day.  I don’t think anyone knew it was there but me; it was my something old.

What was your favorite moment of the day?
My favorite moment of the day was when I finally relaxed with my husband on the balcony of the inn, overlooking our guests where we got to have our first dinner together as husband and wife, just the two of us.  Everyone told us we would be too busy to eat on our wedding day, but that was definitely not true in our case!

Bride to Bride

What advice would you give to other Burgh Brides planning their big day?
Not everything is within your control!  For instance, I had the worst hair day of my life on my wedding day because it was so hot and humid!  You just have to let go of some things and never forget the fact that no matter what happens, your marriage is more important than the tiny details of your wedding day.

Any must haves, must dos, or can’t live withouts?  Anything you would do differently?
Must haves: a glass of champagne to calm your nerves, a good lipstick, plain white Keds that will save your life when you just want to dance at the end of the night, and a pretty white dress for the morning after so you can keep feeling like the bride even when your day has ended!

Anything I would do differently: I would have taken photos of ALL angles of my dress prior to purchasing and I would have had a piece of my own wedding cake!

Vendors
Bride’s Dress: Watters from La Jeune Mariee | Bride’s Jewelry: Mikimoto pearls from the bride’s father | Bride’s Shoes: J. Crew | Bridesmaids’ Dresses: J. Crew | Band: Jason Kendall Productions | Cake: Oakmont Bakery | Caterer: Fish Hawk Acres | Ceremony & Reception Location: Morning Glory Inn |  Flowers: Hepatica | Hair: Kay Neumont & Rachel Gordon | Makeup: Brittany Morgan & Ryan Thompson from MAC | Menswear: Burlap bow ties from Etsy | Photographer: Rachel Rowland Photography | Stationery: Minted | Transportation: Molly’s Trolleys | Videographer: Eric Hannisick Media Production | Wedding Planner: Mother of the bride

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