As a fellow detail-obsessed DIYer, I am positively falling down in adoration for this handcrafted Seattle wedding. Each pretty little detail you see below was made with lots of love by the adorable bride from the fabric rosettes and paper flower centerpieces to the home-baked cookies! Of course, as amazing as she is, she couldn’t do everything by herself. All of her hard work and months of crafting were captured so delightfully by Abbey Hepner Photography. Click here to see all the images in the full gallery!





Click here for the FULL wedding!
From the bride… Please excuse me for being cliché, but my favorite memory of the day was the ceremony. The entire room disappeared and it was just the three of us. I knew my friends and family were there, but all my attention was focused on Chris and his daughter. The comment that I hear the most often is how great it was that we were able to incorporate Chris’ daughter into the ceremony. It’s her family, too, and we wanted to make sure she was a part of our vows and our commitment to each other. It was lovely.
The details — oh, the details! Yes, I was obsessed with them. I’ve loved milk glass for years, so I knew that my centerpieces had to be in milk glass. I really found lots of my ideas for details from searching wedding blogs. It was a fun time, and I almost miss having an excuse to read through the blogs all the time. (Though maybe I still do. Don’t tell!) I made fabric flowers for the tables, tissue paper flowers for the centerpieces, and hanging fabric poms for the ceiling. I also baked the cookies and made the Rice Krispie treats and rock candy. (I could not have done all this without the help from my family and friends!) However, I think the most important thing to know about the details is how little they really mattered on my wedding day. Don’t get me wrong — I noticed them and I was happy my little crafty things were there, but I was at my wedding with the man I love, all my family and friends, and an amazing band! The food was great, and there were donuts — really, what more do you need!?
My advice to brides isn’t necessarily to start early and DIY everything, unless you love that kind of thing (which I do, and if you are going to DIY a lot of your wedding, do start early). My advice is to make your day your own. Of course, take into account the comfort and enjoyment of your guests, but don’t sweat the small stuff. They’ll like vegan donuts if that’s what you serve. In fact, they’ll eat them even before you and your groom have your “donut cutting” and rave about them for weeks to come. Don’t overdo it either. I had planned to do all my own flowers (the dahlias were grown by my uncle!), but a few days before the wedding, I realized that I was overwhelmed. I was lucky enough to hire Finch and Thistle to do my flowers and it was the best last-minute decision I made. Also, make sure you have a detailed schedule for the day. Provide copies to your photographer, your venue and anyone else you think might need one, and then let the day unfold. I did not worry about time at all on that day. It was the best way to let go and enjoy my guests and my wedding day! My last bit of advice: choose all your vendors well, especially your photographer. The photos will live on forever! (Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Abbey!) It was such a fun, love-filled day. And you know what? If something went wrong, no one told me about it, which was brilliant. Enjoy it — it will be over in a flash!
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Wedding Photography: Abbey Hepner Photography / Photo Assistant: Heather Dow / Wedding Venue + Catering: Alexis Hotel in Seattle, Washington / Florist: Finch And Thistle Event Design / Groom’s Attire: Canali via Nordstrom / Wedding Gown: Demetrios “Ilissa” via Blue Sky Bridal / Girl’s Attire: Dimples via Zulily / Hair: Shaina Marx / Makeup: Nikki Reign / Wedding Invitations: Agnes Gomez, A Friend of the Bride / Paper Flowers, Cloth Adornments, Candy Buffet + Details: DIY by the Bride / Donuts: Mighty-O Donut / Officiant: Heidi Calhoun, A Friend of the Groom / Musicians: Dara Sanchez and Band
I am head over heels for that bouquet. And I've never seen paper poms paired with real blooms as with their centerpieces! So creative! Wonderful job capturing it all, Abbey - and congrats on the SMP feature! :)
Oh SMP! Thank you so so much for featuring my wedding! I'm so so honored! And I had some of the best vendors in the world. I was one lucky lady! And hey, if anyone is interested, my dress is on consignment at Blue Sky Bridal in Greenwood. They are lovely lovely folks! Go visit them!
The key to your seat idea is so cute!!
Lovely Wedding. I also love the key to your seat idea!
The DIY centerpieces are so beautiful! Is there any how-to link out there?
Allison - If you are referring to the tissue paper flowers, I took a styrofoam ball, cut it in half and hot glued it to the inside of the milk glass. Then, I made small tissue paper pom poms (like these from Martha Stewart: http://www.marthastewart.com/how-to/tissue-paper-pom-poms-how-to ), wrapped with floral wire over the center to make a stem, and then poked them into the styrofoam. It took a bit of time, but it wasn't difficult! Enjoy! :)
Thank you so much for featuring Kerissa and Chris's gorgeous wedding! We love everything on SMP and are so happy to have been featured!
You did a great job Kerissa!
Love the keys! I also used shutters for my escort cards. They are great and can be re-used after the wedding.
Those long johns look amazing!
Love the Key seating cards...what a great idea!
Hi Kerissa! Congrats on the SMP feature, your pics are amazing! I have a question about your dress: I recently purchased the same one, and LOVE it! But, I am wondering how easy yours was to work with during the day, given the long train? I have a french bustle sewn into mine, however I have not tried it out yet, so I don't know how well it'll hold or move yet; So, my question is, did you bustle your dress? Or, would you recommend having the train removed if one was concerned with movement throughout the evening? Let me know, at your convenience. Thanks for sharing you special day with all of us; it's truly inspiring!
Danielle: I found my dress comfortable and fine all night long. Certainly during photos, I carried the train around, but other than that, I didn't even really notice it. :) My bustle came undone once during the evening, but after I put it back up, I had no problems. And believe me - I danced the night away! I even did a choreographed dance with my friends from my dance class no problem. So, don't worry about it any more and enjoy wearing it! (Oh if only I could have found another excuse to wear it...) :)
Oooooo... golly! So lovely! xoxo
[...] and Chris’s wedding at Alexis Hotel with Finch And Thistle Events is featured on Style Me Pretty [...]
[...] white dahlias that we used). Needless to say, I was not surprised to see the gorgeous details on Style Me Pretty a few weeks ago and I want to share some of them with you [...]