• Real Weddings

Aaron and Erin had a gorgeous Serendipity Gardens wedding filled with beautiful details that included some adorable chalkboard signs made by Erin and her mother. We even included a quick tutorial on how to create your own chalkboard wedding accessories, just because we know how much you love chalkboards! Plus one very cute lucky wedding penny tradition that will bring a smile to your face for years after your big day! Keep scrolling to see all of this and more, and don't forget to visit the full gallery here to see even more fabulous images all captured by Alyssa Marie Photography.

Cute Wedding Tradition Idea - Lucky Penny:
Remember that childhood rhyme. "find a penny, pick it up, all day long you'll have good luck" Well here is an adorable lucky wedding penny tradition  that you can pass down for generations to come. However, if you happen to have a date set for after 2015 you may be out of luck, The US Mint has announced it will be phasing out the production of pennies by April 2015.

1. Find a penny minted in the year of your wedding (you should be able to go to the bank and exchange any of your change for newly minted coins).
2. Drill two small holes on either side of the penny, click here to get step by step instructions on how to do this.
3. Thread a ribbon through two holes and tie around your wedding bouquet.
4. Frame, scrapbook, or hold on to it for your daughter as her "something old" years in the future.

From The Bride:For future brides, my advice is: do a first look! From the moment we woke up on our wedding day, Aaron and I just wanted to be together. The surprise element wasn’t as important to me as being with him and enjoying every possible second of that day together. Even while getting ready I just wanted to run to his hotel room and give him a big hug. Doing a first look also allowed us much more time for photos with family after the ceremony.

We are so glad we decided to hire a videographer. There is so much that happens on your wedding day that slips by. Especially as a bride. Looking back at our video and being able to see the kids dancing together, the guests mingling, my dad and Aaron talking before the ceremony, the flower girl dropping pedals, are moments that I missed but still feel as though I experienced because they were captured in our video. 

My mom and I made just about everything we could. From the ivory fabric garlands, the banners, the 'here comes the bride' sign, the table assignment board, the table numbers, the chalk boards, photo booth props, the glitter scalloped garlands, to the flower crowns.

Each guest was given a mason jar filled with a treat wrapped with a gold ribbon and a kraft square card that said Thank You on them ... so cute!

Wanna learn how to make these fabulous chalkboard wedding accessories just Erin and her crafty mom? These lovely ladies did a little pre-wedding hunting at yard sales and thrift stores for old frames but you can use just about any flat smooth surface, just follow these steps:

1. Prep the surface by lightly sanding, this will help the chalkboard paint go on smoothly.
2. Use painter's tape along the edges to ensure the paint goes only where you want.
3. Apply two coats of paint using a small sponge applicator or roller.

From the Bride:The best part of the night happened so organically. We had ‘planned’ a sparkler exit but instead, when the last song came on everyone grabbed a sparkler and surrounded Aaron and I on the dance floor for the last dance. It was such an amazing, unexpected memory that I will never forget and definitely something I had never even thought of doing.

Get a closer look at this Serendipity Gardens wedding by watching the wedding video from Jared Cutler below.

https://vimeo.com/82811443

• Garter: One Fancy Day
• Groom Shirt & Pants: H&M
• Hair: Sonny Salon Day Spa
• Jewelry: Nadri
• Photography: Alyssa Marie Photography
• Shoes: Sam Edelman
• Venue: Serendipity Gardens
• Videographer: Jared Cutler
• Wedding Dresses: Mori Lee