Our At-Home MicroWedding: All the Details
John and I said “I do” at home, surrounded by our five kids and fewer than 20 of the people who love us most. When I asked what you wanted to know about the day, so many of you wrote back “everything!” So here it is: all the details, from the ceremony and how we included our kids to the menu, the dress, and the little moments I never want to forget.
(All the decor and DIY details are getting their very own post, so stay tuned for that one!)
Planning a Wedding at Home
John would have been perfectly happy getting married at the courthouse. I, on the other hand, loved the idea of a big wedding. So we compromised: a small, intimate wedding at our home with just our immediate family, and a big reception party for all of our friends in the spring.
Splitting it up made sense for a few reasons. Things snowballed quickly for us. We bought a house, John proposed, and it was really important to me that if we were blending our families, we were married before living together with our kids for very long.
But fall is also my busiest season for work. As someone who loves planning a party, throwing a huge one during such a busy season and so much transition just didn’t feel right. So we chose a beautiful, intimate ceremony and reception now, and a chance to get our sea legs before we celebrate with everyone in the spring. I’m so excited about it!
I did most of the planning in 7 weeks.
For the outside set up, I rented chairs from a small business I found on Facebook marketplace, which was nearly 50 percent cheaper than the ones I found on Google. I bought the runner on Amazon.
My biggest labor of love was drying 200 hydrangeas to use for the decor — the arbor at the end of the aisle, the mantle and the table. I rented the arbor on Facebook Marketplace as well too.
The hardest part of having it at our house was that I had moved in just three weeks before the wedding. Getting the house unpacked and ready for guests while also preparing to host such a meaningful day was a lot. I did have help unpacking and getting ready, but I planned everything myself.
We didn’t use a wedding planner or event coordinator, mostly because of cost. I got a couple of quotes, and they were thousands and thousands of dollars. For a day with only our immediate family, it just didn’t feel worth it. I knew the day would be just as beautiful and meaningful without the extra elements that might look pretty on the internet, but wouldn’t matter in the end.
What we prioritized
We were pretty budget-conscious overall, but there were two things I was happy to invest in: a great photographer and a social media videographer to capture little video snippets throughout the day for me to share. Those mattered to me, and I’m so glad I chose to have both.
How a second wedding felt different
The biggest difference was size. It was so much smaller than either of our first weddings, and our kids were part of it. Because it was so small, we got to really spend time with every person there. It felt so special and sacred. I didn’t realize how much I would love having such a small wedding, and I’m so glad we did it this way. It felt like us.
The Weather Plot Twist
The week of the wedding, the forecast showed rain all day Saturday. I spent almost an entire day talking with vendors about moving everything to Friday, and some of our family members even changed travel plans. Then the forecast changed again. It ended up raining a significant part of Friday, and Saturday was clear! It was so stressful, but in the end we got married on the day and at the time we’d planned all along.
What we wore
What Jessica wore
So many of you asked about my dress! It’s from MacDuggal. I Googled “long sleeve wedding dress,” it popped up, and I immediately knew it was the one. I don’t think I even looked at 10 dresses online.
I loved that it felt special, that it wasn’t pure white, and how beautiful all the floral details were. When they heard I loved it, they gifted it to me, which was so kind. In person it was more beautiful than I ever could have imagined. I did have to have it hemmed and the sleeves made more form-fitting.
One of my favorite moments happened before the ceremony even started. All the women and girls gathered on the front porch, we opened the doors, and there I was in my dress. Everyone’s reactions were so sweet. I hadn’t planned that moment (the videographer suggested it), but it ended up being so meaningful to me.
Also, we didn’t ask for our family to coordinate, but it ended up happening organically. Because it was such a small wedding, the photos looked extra beautiful with the color palette being such beautiful fall jewel tones. (I do wish we would have taken a picture of EVERYONE at the wedding in one photo. Why didn’t we think of that?!)
The accessories: My shoes were from Amazon and they looked like they were made for the dress.
I wore hair extensions from Amazon with a silver floral clip. (My makeup artist said the clip was her favorite brand to recommend to brides on Amazon!)
The flop: My veil! I loved the idea of a veil, and it felt so bridal to me. But we definitely should have practiced with it. It didn’t hang quite right while I was standing at the front, and then after the ceremony I think one of the kids accidentally stepped on it as we walked back up the aisle.
It came out and never went back in, so I didn’t get any more photos with it. That’s my one big regret from the day from a photos standpoint. Learn from me and practice with your veil!
What John wore
John wore a tux from eBay and a silver tie from Amazon. Buying a tux on eBay is so much cheaper than renting and you own it forever.
What the kids wore
Both of my boys also wore tuxes. Elias’s tux was one I bought on The Formal Shop on eBay for prom last spring, and I found my youngest son’s tux at Belk. I bought matching kids and adult ties for John and the boys on Amazon and they were perfect.
All the girls’ dresses came from JJ’s House, and I loved how well they coordinated. Adeline wore an adult size with these shoes. The younger girls wore junior sizes with these shoes. A couple of tips if you’re ordering from JJ’s House: they took several weeks to arrive, so plan ahead. The sizing also ran big, and every dress needed to be taken in. But I was so happy with their final looks.
The girls also wore earrings from Electric Picks.
The flowers
I didn’t want to spend a lot on flowers. For such a small wedding, it felt like a waste of an expense. So I ordered my flowers from Sam’s Club, and they were beautiful: simple, elegant, and timeless. The kids loved them, and the quality exceeded my expectations. I was surprised by how passionate people got when I posted that I bought my wedding flowers at Sam’s Club! But for a wedding of fewer than 30 people, it was the right choice for our budget and for what mattered to us.
Overview of the Day
We had the ceremony, then took photos at a nearby park, then went back to the house for a dinner celebration.
Our very good friend Jonathan Merritt officiated the ceremony in our backyard, which was so special. He was one of the first people that met John and beared witness to our love story every step of the way.
John and I wrote our own vows to each other, and we also wrote vows to each other’s kids (more on that below!).
My dad walked me down the aisle, which I loved (and so did he!).
How We Included Our Kids
This was the question I got the most, and it’s my favorite one to answer. Together we have five kids, ages 10 to 18: three girls and two boys. We knew this day wasn’t just about John and me getting married. It was about our kids too, and we wanted it to be significant for them.
Our two oldest walked down the aisle together, then our two middle kids.
Our youngest really wanted to be a flower girl, so she walked down by herself and tossed rose petals. At the end of the ceremony, the two oldest walked back up the aisle together, followed by the three little ones.
The kids stood with us at the beginning of the ceremony, sat down while John and I said our vows, and then came back up to join us.
Our Family sand ceremony
We did a sand ceremony as part of the wedding as a symbolic act of bringing everyone together.
I wrote each person’s name on a little creamer glass pitcher that I filled with sand I bought on Etsy. I thought of using the creamer pitchers two days before the wedding and they worked perfectly. (Most sand ceremony kits only come with 2, 4 or 6 vessels for sand and we needed seven. Plus the kits are more expensive than piecing them together yourself.)
We used a shadow box that I bought on Amazon for the unity sand.
John and I poured first, and then each of the kids poured theirs, from oldest to youngest. It was so fun and special.
This was the language we used:
Today, we celebrate not only the marriage of John and Jessica, but the creation of a new family.
Each of you is represented by a separate container of sand. These containers represent your individual lives, your own experiences, and your unique personalities up to this moment.
As you now blend your sand together into this shared vessel, your lives also join together as one family. Just as these individual grains of sand can never be separated and poured back into their own containers, neither can this family be undone. This shared vessel stands as an enduring symbol of the strength, commitment, and love for one another.
Vows to each other’s kids
John and I each wrote vows to the other’s children. I wrote vows to his girls, and he wrote vows to my kids. It was one of the most beautiful parts of the whole ceremony.
The Food
We had dinner catered by a local Nashville caterer (Chef’s Market) who was extremely affordable. The food was amazing and I am so glad we went with them. Here’s what we served:
- Herb Grilled Chicken
- Mashed potatoes
- Macaroni and cheese
- Green beans almondine
- Rolls
Before dinner, we had a cheese platter, sliders and some chips and dips. We served dinner buffet style, which was perfect because everyone could pick exactly what they wanted. It was a wonderful meal, and we definitely ordered way too much food!
The table
The table was a true labor of love.
We used my great-grandmother’s china, and I found additional pieces on eBay.
Someone in Nashville even saw my post and loaned me a few extra pieces that I was short after my eBay order! The wood chargers are ones I bought from Target a few years ago, and I found more on eBay too. Another follower loaned me hurricanes and candlesticks to line the table, and I dried hydrangeas from our neighborhood to tuck in.
One of my favorite details: I incorporated playing cards into the place settings, and every card was a seven. The seven was significant in several ways including us being a family of seven and John proposing on 7/7, and a nod to our family’s love of games.
Every family also took home an ornament made from pieces of the china that broke before the wedding. (I used this Etsy shop to have them made.) It felt like such a special way to turn something broken into a keepsake.
The Reception
We cut our cake in the living room in front of the fireplace, which I decorated with more dried hydrangeas. I bought the cake from a local grocery store (Publix) and added the dried hydrangeas sweeping across the cake. It was so pretty and I loved that I made it our own. I found the topper here.
That’s also where we had our first dance, to “Feels Like Home” by Drew and Ellie Holcomb. We love that song, and we’ve seen them in concert several times. They’re Nashville artists, and since we were getting married in our home, it felt like the perfect choice.
I also danced with my dad, and John danced with his mom. Then we headed out to the front porch for photos with big sparklers.
It was so much fun, and it felt especially significant to celebrate on the porch of the home we’re building our life in.
Extra Little Things That Made It Special
Remembering our loved ones. We displayed pictures of loved ones who are no longer with us in the dining room. It was a small nod to the family we miss and wish could have been there.
The ring box blessing. Before our vows, we passed around the ring box holding both of our rings. Each person held it in their hands and said a quick blessing over us.
It was so meaningful, and easy to do with having such a small group of guests. During that time we played Cece Winans’ song Goodness of God.
The best gift. Our family was so thoughtful with gifts, because we really didn’t need more stuff. My aunt reached out to everyone and had them write us letters, then gathered them all in a beautiful custom binder she made on Zazzle. It’s the most incredible keepsake, and I know we’ll cherish it forever.
The Moments We’ll Never Forget
The great shoe mystery
Every wedding needs one thing that goes awry, and ours was Ezra’s shoes. I was in the middle of hair and makeup when someone came to tell me, “We can’t find Ezra’s shoes.” I’d kept all the kids’ clothes together in one place, but his brand-new shoes were nowhere to be found. For basically an hour, every single person in the house searched. We even called my assistant, who went to three different stores, and not one had shoes in his size. So Ezra wore his black Nikes.
Three weeks later, we found the shoes in the trunk of my teenage son’s car. He had taken his little brother to his tux fitting, the shoes went along, and nobody remembered them. Any mom of a teen boy can appreciate that one! I think it’s the story everyone will remember from the day.
My daughter’s tears
I didn’t expect my daughter to get so emotional during the ceremony, but she was so incredibly moved. There were tears, and it was beautiful to see how touched she was by the day.
The way John looked at me
This one feels a little intimate to share, but I will always remember how John looked at me that day. He can be very reserved. He’s the steady one to my bubbly, outgoing personality. But that day, it just felt electric between the two of us. I’ll never forget it.
What’s Next
The honeymoon: We haven’t decided where or exactly when yet, only that it will be sometime in 2027. A big trip overseas is really important to us, so stay tuned for those details!
My name: I’ll keep Turner professionally, but I’m changing my name personally.
The party: We’re throwing a big reception party for our friends in the spring, and I can’t wait.
If you’re planning a small wedding, take this as your sign. I didn’t know how much I would love having such a small, intimate wedding, and I’d tell anyone to do it this way. It was perfect.
