This Sweet Vintage-Inspired Wedding Brought Guests to a Bygone Era

Following the ceremony, bride Meghan Deeley and groom Ryan Kennedy walked to the reception in what bride Meghan Kennedy calls their “personal parade down Main Street.” / Photography by Laura Briggs Photo

For high-school sweethearts Ryan Kennedy and Meghan Deeley, planning a vintage, sustainable wedding fit for the present day was a challenge they took their time conquering. In fact, their two-and-a-half-year engagement — Ryan proposed in July 2021 — was no time at all in the grand scheme of their 12-plus-year relationship.

Throughout the planning process, Meghan, the Philly-born founder of sustainable styling brand Lucid Ladybug as well as a dance teacher, was able to use her background to design their Big Day. She and Ryan, a project coordinator born in Voorhees, upcycled many frames they then utilized for signage and to showcase their prom photos and relatives’ wedding photos at their celebration, which was photographed by Laura Briggs Photo. Additionally, in the year leading up to the union, Meghan, mom Janette Deeley and her bridesmaids dried hydrangeas, roses, marigolds, nasturtiums and wildflowers. Guests tossed those petals as the newlyweds exited their ceremony at Trinity Episcopal Church.

But before the “I do,” there were the sweet getting-ready moments — as you can see from this behind-the-scenes photograph, snapped in the bridal suite while Meghan and her crew were prepping. Among the items: Antique champagne flutes and a decanter for a toast, a perfume bottle from the bride’s dresser, custom matches, Polaroid pictures, Meghan’s purse, and a pair of antique opera glasses gifted by a family friend.

The reception offered other charming details. A vintage 1962 European Vespa turned mobile bar (from Beloved Bliss Events) was stationed outside the venue.

There were brass candlesticks plus an on-brand color palette for the floral arrangements, with Flora + Dean focusing on “brassy-colored blooms like ‘Toffee’ roses, brown lisianthus and ‘Rust’ mums,” the bride notes.

The moody blooms sourced from Jersey Cut Flower Market were arranged in various vintage vessels.

Guests filled antique coupe glasses (which also served as escort cards) with wines from Kennedy Cellars and Valenzano Winery or with the couple’s signature cocktail, inspired by their grandparents.

Meghan and Ryan found their vintage cake topper at West End Garage in Cape May, and the bride’s mother repainted it.

 But it wasn’t just the decor and florals that brought guests back to a bygone era. During the reception, Meghan surprised Ryan and guests by singing a rendition of Frank Sinatra’s “You Make Me Feel So Young” along with the band. 

THE DETAILS
Photographer: Laura Briggs Photo | Venue: Community House of Moorestown, New Jersey | Event Design: Lucid Ladybug | Florals: Sal Pavia of Flora + Dean (sourced from Jersey Cut Flower Market) | Floral Repurposing: Forget Me Knot | Bridal Bouquet Preservation: Forever Petals | Catering: Weddings by Due Amici | Cake: L&M Bakery | Gown: Sincerity by Justin Alexander from Bridals by Cyndi | Veil: Hand-Me-Gowns | Tuxedo: Ike Behar from Chadmoore Formal Wear | Attendants’ Attire: Jasmine Bridal B2 collection from Irma’s Bridal | Rings: Sydney Rosen (engagement ring); Family & Co. Jewelers (wedding bands) | Hair: Lauren Soupik of Ooh La La Beauty LLC | Makeup: Monica Case of Kalon Rouge | Officiant: Emily Mellott of Trinity Episcopal Church | Transportation: Albert’s Transportation | Music: Slippery Band | Videographer: Kyle Bailey | Vintage Vespa Mobile Bar: Beloved Bliss Events | Mirror Calligraphy: Allison in Bloom Calligraphy

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