Blake Lively, in a Marchesa dress, in Allure (Carter Smith/ALLURE)Even before Blake Lively pulled off her dream wedding — exchanging vows over the weekend with her beau of one year, Ryan Reynolds, in a rustic barn on the Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, property where "The Notebook" was filmed — she was blissfully happy in her personal life. In a new interview with Allure, which took place before her surprise wedding, the "Gossip Girl" star gushed, "Right now, I'm so peaceful. I've never been happier in my life."
Now we know why. With the help of Martha Stewart's team and planner Tara Guérard of Soiree in Charleston, SC, Lively, 25, had quietly been orchestrating her perfect nuptials, which included a "heartfelt ceremony," "fun-filled carnival hour," and "elegant reception," according to Martha Stewart Weddings magazine, which will run exclusive photos of the ceremony in its December issue. But leading up to Lively's big day — which took place at Boone Hall Plantation & Gardens — she skillfully evaded questions about her romance during her sit-down with Allure, coyly telling the magazine, "I'm a very shy person. I can be outgoing, but I'm also very private."
(Carter Smith/ALLURE)Something she was more than happy to dish about? Children. Now we've heard some celebrities say they'd like a soccer team of kids (hello, Brangelina!) and newlywed Zach Galifianakis recently topped that by saying he'd like to have 15 little ones, but Lively — who is the youngest of five children — apparently desires even more. "Oh, I'd love 30 if I could," she declared. "I've always wanted a big family."
Settling into her new domestic life with Reynolds — with whom she recently purchased a home in Bedford, New York, a tony Manhattan suburb — will be not problem because she never was much of a party girl. "I don't drink. I've never tried a drug," she told the mag. As for clubs, "The music is so loud, you can't have a conversation with somebody." She added, "It's not like I decided on these strict lifestyle choices and I'm enforcing them. It's just something that I genuinely don't have a desire for."
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For the Allure shoot, Lively posed in a tulle dress by Marchesa — the label which created custom gowns for her and her bridesmaids. According to the fashion house, co-founded by Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig, Lively wore a one of a kind couture bridal ball gown for her southern wedding. The dress featured a hand draped silk tulle bodice, which was adorned with custom crystal and rose gold embroidery. Each member of her bridal party sported a unique custom dress — with crystal embroidered detail — made of blush silk chiffon. As for Reynolds, he and his groomsmen wore custom Burberry suits.
(Carter Smith/ALLURE)Another interesting detail about the Lively-Reynolds wedding was the cake. The actress selected a $3,000 confection, baked by Maggie Austin Cakes in Maryland, which was driven — eight hours! — to South Carolina for the wedding. The actress has never been shy about her love of sweets — just over a week ago, she and Reynolds visited Serendipity 3 in Manhattan to celebrate her birthday. "I obviously have plenty of imperfections on my body, but I'd rather have a little bit of cellulite and go do a food trip and try every ice cream place in the South," she noted.
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And since "Gossip Girl" will come to an end after its upcoming sixth season, Lively is looking ahead to the future, as well as focusing on herself. "I've worked on a lot of characters in the past five years, but I haven't had time to work on my own character," she told Allure. "That's something that I'm really excited to do."
We assume she's also excited to start working toward that goal of 30 children …
Read Lively's full interview in the October issue of Allure, on newsstands September 25.
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