Planning our daughter’s wedding was one of those beautiful, full-circle moments that I was blessed to enjoy in midlife. At this stage in my life, it was deeply meaningful to approach the celebration with intention, simplicity, and heart. The couple was blessed to have the ceremony at an intimate outdoor setting at a family friend’s beautiful estate home that felt personal and dreamy. We spent time focusing on thoughtful details, family involvement, and a calm, joyful experience instead of stress.
The couple also decided to host a larger wedding reception with family and friends after their honeymoon, which allowed us to be fully present on the wedding day—focused entirely on the bride and groom rather than logistics or timelines. In this post, I’m sharing a compilation of the tips, decisions, and DIY touches that helped us plan a wedding that was elegant, affordable, and truly reflective of who our daughter and her new husband are—proof that with a little creativity and a lot of love, you can create a day that feels both intimate and unforgettable.
As a mom, watching your child step into marriage is both beautiful and humbling. It also reminds you just how much romantic love alone isn’t enough to carry a relationship through a lifetime. Premarital mentoring gives couples a safe, supportive space to talk about the real stuff before life gets busy, such as communication, expectations, faith, finances, conflict, forgiveness, and how to grow together through change. From a mother’s heart, it’s comforting to know our children are being guided, encouraged, and equipped with tools we all wish we had earlier. I believe premarital mentoring isn’t about preparing for a perfect marriage—it’s about building a strong, thoughtful foundation so love has room to flourish for years to come. Tying the Knot by Rob Green is a great premarital book. I highly recommend it!
Because I am a checklist enthusiast who loves to plan, we did not use a Wedding Planner leading up to the event. There are many Wedding Checklists online. Here is a from Zola.com where my daughter registered for gifts and tracked the Reception RSVPs. We purchased a simple wedding invitation from Zola.com as well. The star of the show for the invitations was, in my opinion, the Vellum French toile wraps from a seller on Etsy. We sealed them with gold monogramed stickers, and they were a hit! The couple used these sweet Vow Books during a private "first look" moment before the ceremony where they read letters to each other they had written.
Premarital Counsel, Invitations and Checklists
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Designing the tablescape together was one of the sweetest parts of wedding planning—just a mother and daughter side by side, dreaming, laughing, and creating something meaningful with our own hands. It wasn’t about perfection or trends; it was about slowing down and savoring the moments in between the decisions. As I get closer to becoming an empty nester, I’m reminded that these shared projects become more than décor— they turn into memories you hold long after the table is cleared.
Reception Tablescape Tutorial
The flowers we used for the centerpieces were the following: White Roses, White and Blue Hydrangeas, White Ranunculus, and the greenery was Italian ruscus. We ordered the white roses from Costco. Although the other flowers are typically easy to find at Trader Joes or Whole Foods, we ordered from a local wholesale flower store. This helped ensure the correct colors would be available. We received the flowers a couple of days prior and prepared the arrangements the day before the wedding. We added whimsical chargers, gold candlesticks with blue candles and several crystal bud vases with roses and ranaulus.
Tip: To use floral foam for arrangements, soak the foam in water mixed with floral food until it sinks naturally—never force it under. Cut it to fit snugly into your container, leaving it slightly below the rim. Insert stems at an angle, securing them for stability without moving them, which can break the hydration seal. When preparing, we started with the largest flowers and then filled in around them. I sprayed with a water mist on the wedding day!
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We used a local rental company for the tables, chairs and linen. My daughter chose the serpentine tables, which was such a fun whimsical idea. We rented four 4-foot tables and fourteen of the Bentwood natural wood toned chairs. She used the white Napoleon chairs for the ceremony. The Blue French Toile table cloth was actually a round table cloth that we fit around the serpentine tables. We thought about placing the tables in the grass, but in the end decided to have a solid platform for our heels and a covering over our heads on the beautiful balcony to protect us from sun and rain. Thankfully, the weather was perfect on their fall wedding day!
Some other purchases that were just fun and romantic are: the "I Do" perfume from Anthropologie which was a nice touch for photos and the bride's blue heels from Amazon.
Rentals and more...
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Other Reception Elements We Loved
Here are some other elegant and fun elements used later at the Wedding Reception which we hosted a few weeks after their Intimate Wedding. We used the gold cocktail napkin holders at both occasions. The clear glass card holder with lock and key was used at the gift table. My daughter had chatgpt.com create a water color painting of our dog, Winston. He was on display at the bar with the "Drinks Are On Me" sign. Yes, he is adorable! Hobby Lobby was our shopping choice for some sweet mirrored gold signs that read "Kindly Sign" and another sign not shown saying "Cards and Gifts". Finally, one of our favorites was the hard linen covered Guest Book from Artifact Uprising. Guests could sign on pages displaying their beautiful engagement photos. We ordered their wedding photo books from Artifact Uprising as well. They are great Coffee Table books to cherish for many years to come! I hope this was helpful as you plan for your special day or for someone you love! Reach out with any questions or comments!
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