Madison & Jonas - An Iconic Wedding for a Wedding Icon

Feb 15

When thee Madison Chamberlain (yes, the iconic bridal designer) comes to you to do her wedding, the answer of course is a resounding yes. We were absolutely giddy to help bring Madison’s Barbie-girl-meets-fairy-garden vision to life.

Nontraditional bridal designer Madison Chamberlain is a visionary and a tastemaker in the wedding world. Her mold-breaking veils, dresses, and bridal accessories are a cornerstone of the “cool bride” scene. At this point, any “anti-bride” planning a wedding has likely stumbled upon Chamberlain’s designs, whether that be on Tiktok, Pinterest, or Instagram, and saved them to their inspiration boards.

So, when it came down to Chamberlain’s own day as a bride, of course we were going to pull out all of the stops.

Chamberlain’s designs are abundant in the kitsch wedding scene - think retro Vegas elopements at the Little White Chapel, giant light-up heart backdrops included. For her big day, we blended touches of this signature kitsch wedding vibe with a softer side. Her venue, The Inn at Barley Sheaf Farm in Holicong, PA, is a historical oasis that feels like it’s straight out of a fairytale - think Snow White’s cottage meets a secret fairy garden. We blended both of these aesthetics to create a pastel fairy dreamland with pops of her signature hot pink color and playful, perfectly-over-the-top touches.

Perhaps the best example of this fusion of the two aesthetics lies within Chamberlain’s own bridal looks. Her main dress was made of a whimsical sage green silk duchess satin, layered in iridescent chiffon. It featured a princess-like off-the-shoulder silhouette with stunning crystal beaded embellishments. The veil for the main bridal look was an ethereal, romantic, draped masterpiece - featuring ombre and asymmetrical layers of silk crinkle chiffon and soft tulle in dreamy pastels. To pay homage to her husband, Jonas, who is from the Czech Republic, she adorned the veil with Czech glass flower beads and freshwater pearls. Not to be put into a box, Chamberlain went to the complete opposite end of the spectrum for her reception look. Revealing the new look in a life-size pop-out cake (more on that later), she danced the night away in a bright fuschia, 80’s-inspired, short ruffled number, completed with custom handmade bloomers worn underneath. The veil (made of course by Chamberlain herself) was a hot pink, fluffy tulle dream, featuring Barbie shoes as appliques (yes, Barbie shoes.) The dichotomy of the two bridal looks perfectly encapsulates the overall vibe we were trying to achieve - a pretty pastel fairy wonderland infused with playful, bright, kitsch touches.

One of the pinnacle decor pieces featured was the ceremony heart. Chamberlain had a vision to get married in front of a giant heart Vegas-style, but with her own signature twist. We got a custom wooden heart built by Lilac & Lace, a rental and fabrication vendor in the Philadelphia area. Chamberlain then took the heart and made it her own, drenching it in fun pink fabrics, ruffles, and the word “beloved” spelled out in pink ribbon. This stunning piece served as both the backdrop to their ceremony and their head table.

Some other aesthetic highlights of the day include the work of East Tulip, a DC-based florist whom Chamberlain has previously collaborated with on product shoots with. Maddy, the owner of East Tulip, and her team transformed a rather rustic-looking reception space into the romantic pastel dreamland we were envisioning. This was accomplished via draping large amounts of pastel fabric (sourced by the bride, of course) throughout the existing beams in the venue’s ceiling. For florals, we focused on organic, colorful arrangements that looked like they came straight from our theoretical fairy garden. East Tulip’s associate, known as Sarah Marie Events, made Chamberlain’s vision of revealing her outfit change via popping out of a giant cake come true. The custom-made cake measured over 8 feet wide and was able to fit both the bride and groom inside. We snuck the couple in the cake in their new outfits, then they popped out of the cake to reveal their outfit changes to their crowd. Jonas’s outfit change consisted of a sequined jacket and a custom tie, of course made by the bride herself.

In terms of vendors, Chamberlain focused on using lots of Philly-based companies and/or vendors she has worked with in the past for her brand. Alyssa Rose Photography and Estoria Wedding Films have both collaborated with the bride on previous shoots and were honored with capturing photos and video of the day. Citrine provided the tablescape rentals, including the funky lime green wave chargers, chic champagne coupes, and textured pink water goblets. Behind-the-scenes content was captured by Maid of Content. Gemma of Luv’d Up DJs provided the music and dance party, playing everything from Wide Open Spaces by The Chicks to multiple tracks off of Charli XCX’s Brat. Makeup was done by the incomparable Makeup by Brielle and hair styling was provided by the uber-chic Bardot Beauty Bridal. Graphic designer Aubrey Kohl (who also happened to be one of Chamberlain’s bridesmaids) created the invitations and day-of signage. Wedding bands were provided by Bario Neal Jewelers and Madison’s custom earrings were made by Feast Jewelry. Planning and coordination of all of these elements was done by Brooke of Sunbursts & Stardust. Of course, Chamberlain herself couldn’t design just her bridal looks - she also made her mom’s dress, her two bridesmaids’ dresses, and the groom and the groomsmen’s ties.

Madison’s wedding was exactly what you would expect it to be - perfect, iconic, fashionable, original, and second-to-none. In other words, it was completely her.

Vendors:

Planning & coordination: @sunburstsandstardust

Bride (AND DRESSES AND VEILS): @madisonchamberlain_

Photo: @alyssarosephotog

Video: @estoriaweddingfilms

Florist and draping: @easttulip_

DJ: @luvdupdjs

Venue: @innatbarleysheaffarm

Rentals: @citrinetablescapes

Custom heart build: @lilacandlaceco

Custom cake build: @sarahmarie.events

Signage: @aubreykohl