A Whimsical Green Outdoor Destination Wedding in Savannah, Georgia

The Happy Couple

She may have a New York zip code, but Grace Bonney followed her heart south of the Mason-Dixon line to throw the wedding her dreams. "I wanted a celebration to be very 'Brooklyn meets Deep South,'" says Virginia native, who met her now husband, Aaron Coles, shortly after she moved to New York City. After four and a half years of dating, the couple decided to have their wedding in Savannah, Georgia. "The city is a really saturated and dialed-up version of the South, and it was one of our top picks for a wedding destination," says Grace. "We absolutely love it there."

Here, newlyweds Aaron and Grace share a sweet kiss under an old oak tree in Savannah's Orleans Square.

Invitations

Invitations were screen-printed by Bird & Banner on vintage linens; some handkerchiefs were bought in Savannah, and others belonged to family ("I was obsessed with matching the right invitation to the right person," says Grace).

Custom stenciled hankies, Sian Keegan.

The Bridesmaids

The women chose their own dresses in shades of spring green.

Bridesmaid Bouquets

Bridesmaids' bouquets feature scabiosa, ornithogalum, snowberries, lisianthus flowers, and guinea plumage.

Boutonnieres

Light-blue delphinium, lisianthus buds, geranium foliage, veronica tips, and button ferns make up the boutonnieres.

Pocket Squares

At the event, the bride was surprised to see that many of the men wore the invitations as pocket squares.

The Bride and Her Father

Grace, wearing a Junko Yoshioka dress, takes the arm of her father, Chris Bonney.

Bouquet

Grace's sophisticated but breezy bouquet, by Garden on the Square, contains 'Polo' roses, lilacs, scabiosa, sweetpeas, jasmine vine, ornithogalum, snowberries, button ferns (painted gold), and ring-necked pheasant plumage.

Ring Pillow

A Llubav ring pillow echoes the gardenia in Grace's hair.

Ring pillow, Llubav Choy Duerr.

Fan Favors

Silhouettes of the couple and their two cats adorn the fans.

Fans, art by Julia Rothman; printed by foryourparty.com.

Table Decorations

Iced-tea tables at the ceremony are dressed with beige linen and paper flowers made by friend Erin Heath.

Signs, Betsy Dunlap Calligraphy.

Sweet Drinks

Glasses of sweet tea with banner-bearing straws greet guests at the ceremony.

Flag straws, Aardvark Paper Straws.

Cocktail napkins, art by the Paper Moon Project; printed by foryourparty.com.

The Happy Couple

After eight months of projects big and small, Grace and Aaron couldn't have been happier with the results.

Entering the Reception

A gorgeous floral wreath by Julie of Garden on the Square greets guests as they enter the courtyard behind Harper Fowlkes House, for the reception.

Guest Book

Sheets of paper, printed with the same motif as the napkin rings, stand in for a formal guest book.

Custom garlands and chalkboard, Erin Heath.

The Music

The Corduroy Road plays bluegrass.

The New Family

The new family, from left: Leslie Coles, Ruth Coles, Grace, Aaron and Elaine Bonney.

Centerpieces

Vintage perfume bottles and Mason jars hold daffodils, lilacs, pink Scotch broom, scabiosa, ranunculus, sea holly, rosemary, and maidenhair ferns. Table numbers were screen-printed onto old family handkerchiefs and tied around bottles of sparkling water.

Napkin Rings

Napkin rings are made from Belgian wallpaper, wooden buttons, and twine.

Escort Cards

Bridesmaid Julia Rothman helped create escort cards by printing the wallpaper pattern onto fabric and affixing it to the sides of a tag.

Escort Cards on Display

The cards are clipped to a vintage petticoat drier with tiny clothespins.

Southern Fare

The caterers from Chef Nick Mueller & Co. served smoked barbecued pulled pork with house made Vidalia onion barbecue sauce and buttermilk coleslaw.

The Cake

A chocolate cake with buttercream icing from Back in the Day Bakery features 1920s bride-and-groom paper figurines found on eBay; artist Katie Runnels fashioned them into a cake topper.

First Dance

Grace and Aaron take their first turn as a married couple to Sam Cooke's "Bring It On Home to Me."

The Reception

Guests enjoy dancing alfresco.

Romantic Setting

Vintage French chandeliers, hung from a tent frame, cast a warm glow onto the garden patio; says Grace, "everything was so romantic."

Take-Out

A recipe for General Oglethorpe's shrimp and grits (he was the founder of Savannah) is paired with grits from a local farm, and fastened with a custom-made button by Busy Beaver Button Company.

Custom buttons, Busy Beaver Button Company.

Sources

Bride's Wedding Band: The Clay Pot
Groom's Wedding Band: Blue Nile
Lighting: Bamco Productions
Prop Rentals: The Paris Market & Brocante, and @home Vintage General
Photobooth Rental: Photo Booth Scrapbooks
Vintage Parker Pens: vintagepens.com
Wooden Buttons: M&J Trimming
1/2-lb. Natural Kraft Tin-Tie Bags: (#300950M), Nashville Wraps