1. Real Weddings

A Shabby Chic Wedding at The Barn at Schwinn Produce Farm in Leavenworth, Kansas

Jennifer Bideau (29 and works for an international developer organization) and Eric Sidler (31 and an attorney) met through mutual friends at a Christ

Jennifer Bideau (29 and works for an international developer organization) and Eric Sidler (31 and an attorney) met through mutual friends at a Christmas party. Eric and Jennifer flew home to see Jennifer’s family for Christmas. Once they landed, Eric recommended they make a quick stop to Union Station to see the Christmas decorations. “We walked over to the enormous Christmas tree where there was a bench with a package and a gorgeous bouquet of red roses,” Jennifer says. “The package contained a scrapbook that Eric had made that told the story of our meeting and his love for me. At the end, Eric got down on one knee and proposed.” Jennifer, of course, said yes and then the couple went to one of Jennifer’s favorite places in the city where her friends and mom were waiting with cake and champagne. Seven months before Jennifer and Eric’s wedding, Jennifer’s father unexpectedly passed away from a brain aneurysm. It was important to the couple to remember him at their special day. Jennifer’s bouquet was wrapped with a locket from her sister. Inside was a photo of Jennifer and her father when she was young. It was inscribed with “My Jenn-Jenn,” which was really special to her. On the back of the ceremony programs, Jennifer wrote a heartfelt letter to her father tell him how much she loved and missed him and wished he could be there. Jennifer’s father also owned several farms in her hometown, so it made her feel closer to him and to home to have her wedding in one of the local farm’s barns. Jennifer loved the soft romance of pink, cream and gray, and decided to use them as her color palette. Everything from the invitation suite to the wedding party’s attire to the centerpieces incorporated the color scheme. They completed the look with DIY details of burlap bows and escort cards turned guest book. From the Bride: “We live in DC and had quite a few friends who flew in from DC,” she says. “This was particularly entertaining since we got married in a barn in a small suburb. A bunch of our friends went out after the ceremony to a shoddy dive bar and had a lot of fun!”

Jennifer designed the stationery on weddingpaperie.com. She stayed with the pink theme, creating blush and gray invitations with floral accents.
Jennifer wore a mermaid-style lace wedding dress and had sleeves sewn onto it. “My style is a modern, romantic vintage and my dress definitely reflected that,” she says.
Classic Groom Getting Ready
Sentimental Rose Locket Bouquet Wrap
Jennifer carried a locket with a picture of her father and her that her sister gave her. It was inscribed with, “My Jenn-Jenn.” “That was very special to me,” Jennifer says. “My dad unexpectedly died from a brain aneurysm seven months earlier. It was really hard to not have him there, but I loved having that memory and picture so close to me the whole day and especially walking down the aisle as my brother escorted me.”
Jennifer and Eric First Look
The bridesmaids wore one-shouldered floor-length blush dresses with ruching on the shoulder. “It made them pop,” Jennifer says. The groomsmen wore light gray tuxedos with pink ties. “They went really well with the soft pink.”
Floor-Length Blush Bridesmaid Dresses
The bridesmaids carried simple white bouquets to complement the bride’s bouquet and dress. They carried roses, hydrangeas and tulips.
Classic Gray and Blush Groomsmen
Eric wore a single blush rose on his lapel to match Jennifer’s pink and white bouquet.
The flower girl wore a pink rose bow in her hair with a simple white dress to match the blush and cream color scheme.
“We loved the barn because it felt vintage and homey while still being beautiful and romantic,” Jennifer says. Although Jennifer and Eric live in DC, Jennifer is from Kansas and Eric is from Minnesota.
Simple Pink and White Flower Girl Dresses
Simple Gray Ring Bearer Suit
An Indoor Ceremony at Schwinn Produce Farm
Every other row of chairs was decorated with a pink burlap bow to complement the shabby chic pink barn theme.
Jennifer and Eric First Kiss
Jennifer and Eric at Schwinn Produce Farm
Jennifer and Eric used pink paper hearts for the escort cards. They had guests take their card to their table where different questions were posted such as, “What should we name our first child?” or “Tell us something about the groom that the bride should know.” They then had guests bring the hearts back and place them in a white box that said, “Advice and well wishes for the Mr. and Mrs.” “It was a lot of fun reading all of them after we got back from the honeymoon,” Jennifer says.
Creative Heart Advice Guest Book
DIY Advice Guest Book
The reception tables were decorated with mason jars wrapped in burlap and lace and held smoke bouquets of blush roses and baby’s breath.
Pink Cupcake Dessert Platter
Initialed Pink Cupcake Dessert
One-Tier Decorative White Wedding Cake
Jennifer and Eric First Dance
Jennifer and Eric Dancing At The Reception