Plan Your Wedding. Design Your Life...is about what happens after the wedding...Each story in this series will features one special couple who have inspired me to think a little differently, about how to get married, how to begin a life together, and how to create a sustainable world. In short, each couple will share their own unique take on how to design your life.
If you've read any of my books, you probably know that I am all about using items for your wedding that are in-keeping with your personal style. When she got married a few years ago, Marie-Gael followed this philosophy with her wedding, and now almost every piece of her event is a part of her home. From the apparel to the cups, Marie-Gael looked in her own environment for inspiration and ideas, using many things she already had to create her wedding design. I asked Marie-Gael to share her design approach.
Emily: Can you describe your design process for the wedding?
Marie-Gael: I didn't buy a ton of new things for my wedding. I looked around my own home and included things I loved, things my relatives had given me, things that make me smile. I found that there's really no need to buy tons of new stuff just to toss it. I just followed the basic 3Rs--reduce, reuse, recycle.
Emily: Are there any items from your wedding--shoes, dresses, ties, paper, ribbon, vases--that you are now using in your home?
Marie-Gael: Yes! pretty much everything. Michael wears his suit all the time. I've worn my dress & scarf. The tray for cards is my fruit dish. The juice pitcher currently has pomegranate lemonade in it. We use the M and G tea cups every morning. I dried my flowers and am planning to use them in a mixed-media painting for Michael.
Emily: Did you learn anything from making things for your wedding that you have carried over into your post-wedding environment?
Marie-Gael: Yes! I have a collection of vintage Depression era blue glass Mason Jars. I wanted to use them to line the path for the wedding, but when I found out how expensive they were I decided to learn how to make them myself. I now make custom orders.
Marie-Gael's resource guide:
Photographer: Andrew Kung
His suit: J Crew
His shoes: Vintage
His ring: Mokume Gane by Jordonesque
My dress: Sarah Seven
My scarf: Anthropologie
My shoes: Faryl Robin
My coat: Marc Jacobs
My ring: Tiffany by Paloma Picasso
My necklace & bracelet: Vintage
My hair: Dairdre Scriven of Vinyl Studio Columbus, OH
