Ohio DIY Wedding from Gina Leigh Photography
Handpicked bouquets from her grandmothers garden. Invitations designed by her new sister. A dress made with love just for her. Sounds like the perfect mix of ingredients for a completely handmade wedding, doesn’t it? That is just what this Ohio wedding was – completely and totally DIY. Even the oh-so-talented Gina Leigh Photography is a sister to the groom. Make sure to save time for the wedding stories – both from Gina and from the beautiful bride – so you can fully appreciate just how much time, effort, and love went into creating this sweet, sweet wedding. You’ll be as floored as we’ve been since first laying eyes on this charmer. Click here for more!
From Gina Leigh Photography … The couple met long ago while they were in high school together, and they were great friends. Eventually the friendship turned to romance, and then quickly thereafter, to marriage!
The wedding was 100% DIY. It was held at Rachel’s grandmother’s farm at the end of a long dirt road in the middle of the Ohio countryside. Rachel’s grandmother handmade her wedding dress out of cotton eyelet lace and Rachel handmade each one of her bridesmaid’s lovely yellow dresses. The suspenders were a throw back to the groom’s father who wore suspenders every day of his adult life until he passed away four years ago to cancer.
The design on the invitations was hand drawn by Hannah, the lovely bridesmaid with the bright red hair. Christian is an amazingly trained cook at a historic restaurant, The Malabar Farm Restaurant, who provided all the catering. If you look closely, you’ll notice that Christian’s fingers are tattooed with the words “LET’S EAT” appropriately. Everything had a purpose and was filled with meaning.
After Christian proposed, my mother asked, “What do you see when you close your eyes and imagine your wedding?” All I could come up with was sunshine and my bare feet. With that humble foundation, we planned a wedding that was simple and extremely personal – everything had meaning for us.
Every single person involved was either family or close friend; the photos, food, music, flowers, outfits, even our officiant. Everything was touched by people who knew us personally. My grandmother, who has made dozens of prom dresses and ballet costumes throughout the years, sewed my beautiful ceremony gown, and I sewed all of my bridesmaids’ dresses. My reception dress was purchased at Mad4Mod after I swooned over it for months.
All in all, the planning was amazingly easy. We were married “beneath the walnut tree”, as our invitations, designed by my new sister-in-law Hannah, said, at my grandparents’ beautiful home. My bridesmaids and I made our bouquets and boutonnieres the day before with flowers from their garden – which I found very relaxing.
Every detail was in place, and Christian’s sister Gina (a phenomenal wedding photographer) somehow made everything look even more charming than it was. My grandfather, who so lovingly said prayer over the food in his West Virginian accent, noted that he and my grandmother, Eloise, would be married fifty years the following week, making the day even more special.
Our first act as a couple was taking communion. It was very important to us. We wanted to show our commitment to our faith and to each other. For our first dance, our good friend Renae sang and played guitar. Her voice is magical. Time absolutely stopped, and we were lost in each other.
Catering: Malabar Farm Restaurant / Photography: Gina Leigh Photography / Cake & Dessert: Malabar Farm Restaurant / Bride’s Wedding Gown: DIY / Bridesmaid Dresses: DIY / Floral: DIY / Bride’s Reception Dress: Mad4Mod
28 Comments about “Ohio DIY Wedding from Gina Leigh Photography”
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Thank you Style Me Pretty for this wonderful feature! This wedding has such personal meaning and emotion attached for me, and I couldn't be happier to see it on the Little Black Book blog! P.S...is Rachel not absolutely gorgeous?!
@Gina, Rachel is absolutely stunning. Thanks for sharing this amazing wedding!
This is an amazing wedding! Looks like a magazine shoot! I love the bride's headband; she looks like an angel.
This looks like such a fun wedding! And I have a crush on the little boy/cat image!!
Thank you so much for posting this! My wedding will also be DIY and it is very important to my fiance and me that it is small, intimate, and meaningful. Seeing this beautiful wedding is reassuring in that I know my wedding can also be DIY and simple, yet stunning.
Thank you Megan...that darlin little guy is my own boy, Joshua! :)
@Nicole C, you're very welcome. We love all weddings, but there is just something about a DIY, so personal, so unique, and so sweet. We can't get enough! Congratulations to you and your fiance!
I love that photo of the bride laying down in the grass. THis is great!
I absolutely love it! :) So excited to be working with Gina next weekend.
This is so nice! So many talented folks coming together!
Beautiful!
Gina, Rachel & Christian ~ absolutely LOVE this whole wedding! Thanks so much for sharing!!
Gina, this post is absolutely relevant and stunningly documented. I can't wait to work with you! Cheers, Soosie
@Soosie and @Simply Divine Events...I am delighted to be working with you both! Thanks for your kind words.
I am so shocked and happy to see Malabar Farm restaurant featured here! I am an avid SMP reader and currently live in NYC, but am from this area of Ohio. I love Malabar Farm and the restaurant so much (plan to have my rehearsal dinner there one day...) and visit it everytime I make it back to Ohio. It has a very very special place in my heart.
Congratulations Rachel and Christian. The wedding is beautiful.
@Lauren, what a small world! I've never been to Malabar Farm, but after this wedding, Ohio has just made it on my list of must visits. Thanks for the comment!
So beautiful Gina! Love the use of the red throughout the wedding! :)
@Lauren, how wonderful to hear of your connection with Malabar Farm! It was a special place for me also while I was growing up. I remember many family trips during the Maple Syrup Festival, and the best part of the day was climbing to the top of Mount Jeez. Great memories! My other brother is now the chef at Malabar Farm Restaurant...it's changed quite a bit over the years and the cuisine is quite extraordinary now. Great to connect with you!
@Gina, yes! So much fun, the Maple Syrup Festival and Mt. Jeez. When I told my older sister this morning about this post, she remembers working with Christian (or maybe your other brother!) at the Walnut Lounge in Mansfield for a bit when she was waitressing there for a few summers. Such a small world. Anyway, great work on this wedding. The pictures are beautiful! Was the location of the wedding in the Lucas/Malabar Farm area?
@Lauren, wow...small world! Yes, Christian did work at the Walnut Lounge for a short time in Mansfield. What is her name? I'll be sure to tell him! The wedding location was in New London. Thanks for your kind words!
Oh My! I never dreamed it would all turn out so perfect and make it into a magazine. Gina did a terrific job capturing the moment as you can see. It truly was as sweet, sentimental and stunning as it looks. One of the best days of my life (and I'm "just" the mom)! Godspeed.
What a lovely tribute to my daughter Gina, my son Christian and his lovely bride who is a wonderful addition to our family. Ever since Gina first picked up a camera she has continued to make beautiful and wonderful memories with her photography. Thank you! Bob and Cinda Price
@Gina -- her name is Mollie Lavelle. What a small world! Again, beautiful photos and congrats again to all of you.
simply gorgeous!
This couple is so real, and it shows in everything they did for their wedding. Blessings to them, I can only hope to have a wedding so REAL.