They wanted a small afternoon church wedding. They both share high esteem for an old novel called The Keeper of the Bees by Gene Stratton-Porter.
Published in 1925, it is the story of how a World War I vet sickened by a mysterious disease decides he doesn't want to die in the hospital and begins a journey that leads him to a cottage surrounded by a lush garden and numerous types of bees. The old Beekeeper is also deathly ill and asks the young man to care for his gardens and bees. So begins the friendship between the beekeeper and the young man. After the Beekeeper dies, the young man takes responsibility for the man's gardens and bees. In understanding how to care for the bees and by partaking of the fresh garden produce, the young man regains his health and becomes a Beekeeper.
It's a sweet story and became the theme for W and K's wedding -- honey, bees, lavender, and the bride's favorite, sunflowers.
Now, enter me -- the Junkin' Momma -- as we were all on a modest budget, we used many vintage items and made a lot of the decorations. We locally sourced many items and services and what we couldn't locally source, we ordered from Etsy businesses.
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L-O-V-E on barn wood using cardboard craft letters, silk flowers, and a snappy glue gun.
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| Meant to BEE wedding cake by Cake Junkie |
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Old ironstone basin full of bees wax candles,
old drawer full of jars of honey, rolled up hymn pages filled with dried lavender,
cowboy boots with flower filled mason jars framed by an old screen door.
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| Old hymn pages filled with dried lavender. |
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Bride and Groom's table -- old cottage table covered in vintage
cotton lace tablecloths, old chairs covered in white cotton
slipcovers by Junk Exchange. Vintage jar basket filled with yellow roses.
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My grandmother's old garden bench, assorted
metal side tables, cool heart decoration
by Texas Trash and Treasures.
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Vintage birdcage light and a vintage bird
cage to capture cards made up the gift table.
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Our parish hall foyer transformed with brown craft paper,
a drop cloth from the hardware store, pillow covers from the craft store,
an old bee print from Garden Antqs Vintage,
a bee poster, and an old round mirror.
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A galvanized drink container and old California asparagus
crate held plants and flowers at the entryway to
the parish hall where the reception was held.
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| Photo by Honest Hue of Austin, TX. |
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| Photo by Honest Hue of Austin, TX. |
A very special THANK YOU to:
HEB Deli
Until next time,
Peace, love, and
all the good stuff,
sweet friends.
