Rustic French farmhouse inspired lavender and coral styled shoot with garden and vintage touches in Wilmington, North Carolina

The inspiration behind this rustic French farmhouse styled shoot was the imagined story of two women whose love story started in Provence and who had a shared love of travel, food and family tradition that they incorporated into their wedding. Between the heirlooms, delicate watercolor accents, vintage furniture and even the food and drink, every detail was chosen with purpose.

Even the color palette was perfectly thought out and complimented the whole look perfectly. 

“We wanted the look to be both romantic and grounded, so we chose light coral, watermelon and rosé tones along with soft, dusty greens to accent the range of purples found naturally in lavender plants,” said the styled shoot’s designer and planner, Rebecca of Honeysuckle Events.

The brides each wore a delicate lace dress with an off the shoulder neckline. One had elbow length lace sleeves, while one was a full long sleeve with more of an illusion look to it. Both dresses had button detailing on the back and while they sound the same on paper, they were each beautifully different. One bride had her hair mostly down with some natural waves, topped off with a flower crown, while the other wore a side braid with a few flowers woven into it. One wore suede mauve lace up heels while the other wore suede rosy heels. Both looks soft, romantic and oh so dreamy. 

Each bride helped the other button up the back of their dress using an ivory crochet hook that we can only imagine if this was a real wedding, would have been a family heirloom passed down from generation to generation. And that’s not the only thing we would imagine being a family heirloom. There was also a vintage lace garter, ring box, hand painted china dish and lots of old silver trays we imagine being family pieces.

Once they were dressed, they headed outside to the picturesque ceremony spot. Set in front of a tree with hanging Spanish moss and a row perfectly manicured bushes was a vintage folding partition draped with greenery, surrounded by wooden candle sticks. There were wooden Tuscan chairs set for the guests with a mini glass bottle and lavender sprig hanging off the end of the chair on the aisle. At the entrance, there was a display of oversized wooden lanterns and pots of white and lavender florals.

The women grabbed their bouquets and headed down the aisle. One carried a small, spring inspired bouquet made up of lavender sprigs, light purple hydrangeas, coral peonies, blush roses and accenting greenery. While the other carried a bouquet of all fresh lavender. Can you imagine how good that must have smelt? 

The fresh lavender continued to be a constant decorative accessory through the whole look. It all started with the custom invitation suite. The hand painted water colored lavender on the invitation and custom envelope liner set the whole tone, before wedding day even started. 

On wedding day, the lavender continued with not just the bouquets and ceremony flowers, but also with the escort cardsand table numbers. Each hand written escort cardwas tied off with a piece of fresh lavender, while the table numbers, which were actually the names of Provencal villages, had similar watercolor painted lavender to the invitations. Even the cocktails and the cake had hints of lavender – but more on that in a bit!

There was a large wooden trestle table with more Tuscan wooden crossback chairs set in the middle of the room. A cream, sheer piece of linen ran across the length of the table and draped over the edge. The center of the table was lined with wooden candlesticks, potted plants and earthy votives. Each place setting was set with a scalloped charger, ivory plates and antique silver flatware. There was a potted herb for each guest sitting next to a blue and ivory plaid napkin on top of the plates. 

Once guests found their seats, they were welcomed over to the classic French charcuterie and our mouths are watering just looking at it. If they were more thirsty than hungry, the bar was well equipped with Cotes de Provence rose, as well as herb-based signature cocktails, one with – you guessed it – lavender! Lavender lemon simple syrup makes a great touch to any specialty cocktail!

Now, back to that cake we mentioned. The three tiered all white cake had a hand painted postcard design on the middle tier and a cluster of greenery and lavender between the middle and top tiers. It sat on top of square wooden stand that was covered in more greenery. The whole set up was on top of a farmhouse styled wooden buffet from Relic Vintage Rentals. Next to the cake were some more wooden candlestick holders, a lace table runner and a few more potted plants and of course, one of fresh lavender. And on top of the cake, there were French macaroons, because no French inspired wedding is complete without them!

Between the mingling, cocktailing and eating, guests made sure to find the time to sign the unique guest book. The couple set out Impressionist postcards from painters of the Provence region that guests could write a sweet note for the happy couple. 

As guests grabbed their favor of homemade olive oil infused with fresh rosemary, they also grabbed a little packet of dried buds for the send off. Everyone headed outside to send the brides off and there couldn’t have been a more perfect day. 

Looking for a wedding planner to help create the wedding of your dreams? Check out Honeysuckle Events HERE!