I probably don’t need to tell you that we adore DIY weddings.  More than adore them, really.  Because there’s just something about a beautiful bride and groom (+ devoted friends and family) coming together to craft their own Big Day that makes us happy.  And this sweet soiree captured by Shannon Yau?  It’s a joy that’s all-encompassing.  From the bride’s wildflower bouquet (picked the morning of the wedding by her sweet father) to the compostable tableware to the camping site set up for guests, it’s a true labor of love from start to finish.  See it all here.

 

From Shannon Yau… Ziona and Blaine had the perfect country DIY wedding. It took place on a late summer day in the middle of the picturesque Alberta foothills. Everything about this wedding was done with love and with purpose.

It was very important to the bride and groom to be married somewhere that meant something to them. When their venue fell through less than a month before their wedding, family friends came through and graciously offered their ranch land. It was the most perfect setting imaginable.

Every detail was handmade. Each invitation was hand lettered by the bride’s sister and a map to the venue was drawn by the groom’s sister. All the cookies were baked by family and friends. The decor and signs were made by the bride, family and friends. the floral arrangements/centerpieces were grown by the bride and family through the spring and summer and bouquets of wildflowers were picked by the father of the bride the morning of the wedding.

This wedding was also very environmentally friendly. All the tableware was compostable (palm leaf). The linens were made of vintage fabric, sewn by the bride and family; instead of party favours, donations were made to two ecological causes close to the couple’s hearts.

Since the wedding was in the middle of nowhere, the couple marked off an area for camping. Many guests set up tents/trailers so they didn’t have to worry about finding transportation home. The wedding was also kid-friendly and so an activity area with crafts and games was set up to keep them entertained while guests danced the night away under the stars.

Wedding Photography: Shannon Yau | Wedding Venue: Highwood River Inn in Longview, Canada | Officiant: Tamara Jones | Floral Design: DIY the bride, grown by family | Catering: Gourmet on the Go | Cookie Table: DIY by family + friends | Decor + Signs: DIY by bride, friends + family | Rentals: Good Time Party Rentals  | Compostable Plates + Cutlery: Saakori | Vintage Furniture + Accessories: Wow and Then | Wedding Invitations: Bride’s Sister | Maps: Groom’s Sister | Wedding Dress: Saja | Hair Crown: Whichgoose | Groom’s Attire: L.L. Bean | Hair + Makeup: Helen Kwan from Hoi Makeup Artistry

Here’s how I knew I was going to LOVE this wedding.  Not only did the gorgeous couple (oh, are they ever) DIY most of the sweet details themselves, but they had their First Look in a garden that they frequently take walks in AND held their ceremony + reception at a gorgeous little Italian restaurant downtown (the beautiful Bonterra Trattoria Restaurant).  Are they amazing or what?!?  Add to all of that pretty a fairytale Lazaro gown and an entire gallery of gorgeous captured by Katch Studios and I think we found the meaning of “adorability.”  See so much more in the full gallery.

 

From Katch Studios… This wedding took place in Calgary, Alberta, Canada in the summer. The bride was extremely crafty and almost all of her details were DIY or were handmade items she bought from Etsy. Their theme was “vintage, rustic & romantic” which was reflected in the soft colors, the simple and sweet florals, her romantic lace and tulle gown, and lots of wood and lace details throughout.

What makes this wedding unique is that the couple did a “First Look” at a little overgrown garden/fountain that they often take walks through as a couple. Also, their beautiful wedding was held at an intimate Italian restaurant in Calgary’s downtown. The ceremony took place in the lovely outdoor courtyard and the reception took place inside the warm, candle-lit restaurant. My favorite detail inside was that they displayed large framed pictures on the walls of themselves from their engagement session– such a nice, personal touch.

Wedding Photography: Katch Studios | Wedding Venue: Bonterra Trattoria Restaurant in Calgary, Canada | Wedding Coordinator: Lavish Wedding Planning & Design | Floral Design: Blue Hydrangea Floral Boutique | Thank You Card Design: Chic Weddings by Jamie Irene | Wedding Dress: Lazaro

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Ok, I sort of have a girl crush on this vintage-dress-wearing DIY style maven. And I’m pretty sure you all will too after one look at the beautiful images by Diamond Cake Photography. Because it’s layer after layer of sweet, well thought out details dreamt up by the lovely lady in white. It’s vintage, it’s whimsical, and you can tell it was absolutely perfect for these two lovebirds. See it all here.

 

From the Bride… The style of our day was described by my Mom as “vintage flair with a touch of whimsy.” Our colors were jewel-tone blues and greens which my maid-of-honor called “Midsummer Night’s Dream” inspired, with a pop of cheerful orange and yellow in the flowers. We used ivory, kraft paper brown and burlap accents throughout as neutrals, which matched the natural/coffee color of my vintage inspired wedding dress. There were vintage pieces used throughout the wedding – glassware in blues, greens and browns including turquoise Ball mason jars collected over the course of a year by my Mom used for all the floral arrangements, weathered wine barrels used at the altar and the refreshments table which was also made out of an old door, an old 12 string guitar used as our guestbook, vintage brooches from my mother-in-law pinned to our bouquets, custom vintage postal stamp necklaces for my bridesmaids and even a top hat that belonged to my Great Great Grandfather made an appearance in some of our wedding portraits! My favorite vintage piece from the day was my polka dot lace reception dress – originally hand sewn by my maternal Oma for my Mom on her wedding day, and altered by my Mom for me to wear on my wedding day!

The DIY list that we completed with the generous help of our bridal party and close family seems borderline insane when I write it all down in one place! We designed our entire invitation suite complete with custom kraft envelopes and an N&N monogram which was printed onto stickers and buttons, we wrote our own God-centered ceremony and vows with the help of our officiant, we made burlap boutonnieres and corsages, my birdcage veil, paper signage for the refreshments and dessert buffet, wooden signage made out of weathered fence posts, a greeting spelling out “Nic & Nate” in fabric letters hand-stitched onto burlap in embroidery hoops, a folding screen covered in photos of us pinned onto twine with hand painted clothespins in lieu of a slideshow, kraft paper program fans for the ceremony and yarn pop poms used throughout the floral arrangements which were all arranged by the bridal party and family the day before the wedding (aside from the bouquets).

We used wooden log slices on all the tables and dessert buffet, crafted a hand-lettered chalkboard for the dessert buffet, burlap table runners, paper pinwheels, tissue paper pom poms, kraft paper flags for the Children’s Parade, luggage thank you tags pinned with our buttons and stamped with “thank you” to tie up the chocolate letter “N” wedding favors, dip dyed candles to go in the lanterns at the altar, custom bunting and a fabric ribbon backdrop used for both our ceremony and the photo booth and the photo booth itself was built by the groom! Looking back, it was a lot of work (almost too much) but I was in complete awe after seeing it all come together the week before the wedding and it gave the whole day a very personal and special feeling. It was definitely a team effort to set up the whole venue the week before the wedding and the love that was poured into making our vision come to life was overwhelming.

I have three favorite moments from the day. The first was waiting behind the large closed doors of the barn and finally stepping through them with my Mom and Dad as my brothers opened them at the beginning of my song. I’ll never forget the feeling of those doors opening and then locking eyes with my groom at the end of the aisle as he fought back the tears. The second was when I said my vows (without balling!) in front of all of our family and friends and knowing that we were blessed. The third was when my new husband and I snuck up alone to the balcony of the barn later in the evening and just watched for a moment as everyone danced under a canopy of string lights and stars and feeling the love that surrounded us. It truly was magical.

Wedding Photography: Diamond Cake Photography | Venue: The Big Red Barn, A Private Estate in Canada | Officiant: Faith Brace | Floral Bouquets: Kuhlmann’s Market Gardens | Floral Design: The Bride + Family | Catering: Nomad Kitchen | Wedding Cake: The Groom’s Cousin | Dessert: Bride’s Aunt | Linens: Sitting Pretty Events | Photo Booth – Handmade by the Groom | Button Pins – Six Cent Press | Lawn Jenga: Handmade |  Music:  Friend of the Bride + Groom | Wedding Dress: Justin Alexander ”#8465″ via Victoria Lane Brides | Bride’s Second Dress: Vintage | Bride’s Shoes:  Seychelles ”All Dressed Up” | Earrings + Bracelet: Club Monaco | Jeweled Hair Clip: Tessa Kim ”Champagne Dreams” | Bridesmaids’ Attire: - ASOS, H&M, ModCloth + RW&Co | Bridesmaids’ Necklaces: Thompson Girl  | Bridesmaid’s Belts: Calypso St. Barth for Target | Groom Attire: Hugo Boss via Henry Singer | Groomsmen Pants + Vests:  Le Chateau | Bowties: The Tie Bar | Groomsmen Watches: Nixon “Sentry” from Watch It | Hair + Makeup: Kristen from Mousy Brown’s Salon