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My husband and were married at Calamigos Ranch in Malibu, Ca this past June 2010. We were on a strict budget so being that we’re both designers (I actually plan and design events), we took on the entire event as a giant DIY project. We’ve loved succulents for years and we have a really extensive succulent garden so the very first decision we made when we got engaged was that we were going to use succulents out of our home garden for our wedding. We spent close to two years growing our plants (we had a long engagement) and about a week before our wedding, we transplanted and allocated them for centerpieces, bouquets and boutonnieres. My best friend and business partner made all of the bouquets and boutonnieres using white statis, yellow crespedia, white lisianthus, white hydrangea that we purchased at the flower mart along with our homegrown succulents.

We had a summer wedding so we wanted our colors to be bright and cheerful, yellow and gray together are such a nice combination. A few weeks before the wedding, I hosted a craft party where all of my friends came over to make yarn pom poms, cut fabric for our pickle jars, attach cute little flags to straws, and so many other crafty details. My husband and I tackled our invitations together. I illustrated and he created the layouts and we printed them ourselves from our home studio. All of our paper came from Paper Source.

I wore a J.Crew dress as did my bridesmaids and my husband wore a nicely tailored suit purchased at Zara. The groomsmen all purchased their suits at The Men’s Warehouse for a whopping $150 each! My mother-in-law is a wonderful seamstress so she volunteered to make the flower girl dress and we gifted our ring bearer his suit, which we purchased at H&M.

We wanted to incorporate our families wherever possible so my husband’s father was our officiant and my mom (who was both mom and dad to me) and my youngest brother walked me down the isle. My mother-in-law also makes amazing quilts and we wanted to incorporate her talents into our wedding, so guests where asked to sign quilt squares in luie of a guestbook which will become a keepsake wedding quilt for us.

My husband and I absolutely love lemon meringue pie so we opted for wedding pie instead of the usual cake. We had a local pie shop deliver about 14 varieties including our lemony fave that we cut. My husband loves pickling so we decided to can our own pickles and give those away as thank you gifts. During our ceremony guests received cute little paper bags filled with handmade yarn pom poms that they threw after our ceremony was over. Cocktail hour was kicked off with rounds of bocce ball and horseshoes. Overall what we wanted was an intimate, casual-chic, personalized wedding and I think we got that and more.

Event Design, florals: Bride+Groom and onefourthree Events / Invitations+Paper Goods Design: Bride+Groom / Coordination: onefourthree Events / Venue: Calamigos Ranch / Photography: Colin Wolf-Young / Hair: Erinn McMichaels-Aveda Salon, Thousand Oaks, CA / Make-up: Cassondra Nixon / Ceremony music: Carlo Sabayan / DJ: Phillip Sison / Dresses: J.Crew / Brides Shoes: Seychelles / Groom’s suit: Zara / Groomsmen’s suits: The Men’s Warehouse

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Post tags: Calamigos Ranch, California Weddings, Colin Wolf-Young, Do-It-Yourself Inspired, Gray, J. Crew, Malibu, onefourthree Events, Succulents, Yellow
Post categories: Casual Elegance, Do-It-Yourself Inspired

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The biggest thing for us was that we wanted the weekend to be comfortable for us and our guests. I didn’t want to plan or do anything that felt to formal or too casual for us because I wanted to actually be able to have fun instead of feeling like a wreck about the details or feeling nervous or uncomfortable about being too formal. However, we didn’t want to do something too casual like a potluck or anything like that because we knew almost everyone would be flying in and we didn’t want our guests to have to work either!

In terms of location, the most important things for us was that everyone could stay in site so that it felt like a weekend and a mini-vacation for our guests. We wanted things to be as easy as possible for them while ensuring that we felt comfortable with the venue (i.e. it matched the laid back feeling we were going for). As soon as we got to SMR we knew it was perfect for us. We loved the isolated and laid back “ranch” feeling, all of the activities for the guests, the flexibility (we could bring in all of our own vendors, alcohol etc., and of course the incredible views.

I love simple classy things so everything else flowed out of that. I knew I wouldn’t feel comfortable in a formal white wedding dress so I went with the mint dress. It still felt formal enough to me but I felt comfortable in it. Same thing with the food/decorations/ceremony etc. we were going for classy comfort so that the weekend really felt like us instead of what we thought it was supposed to feel like. We skipped the formal wedding parties but found other ways to include our family/friends (i.e. having guests speak at ceremony, speeches, getting ready etc.). Because we had so much flexibility to plan the weekend the way we wanted we were able to pick and chose from the traditions. We included the ones that resonated with us, left the others behind and made up some new ones along the way!

My brother helped me design save the dates based on a template we found online. http://www.merrimentdesign.com/giving-tree-save-the-date-wedding-announcement-for-fall.php. He sent us the PDFs and we printed, cut and sent everything out from home. They were so cheap to do and they felt really personable and us compared to a lot of the other invites we felt online.

We also did all of our centerpieces ourselves. My mom and sister helped design them and then we ordered the Manzanita and orchids and made them the week before the wedding. We used potted plants to fill in and bring some more color into the room where we didn’t have the centerpieces

Photography: Tory Williams / Ceremony + Reception Location: Snow Mt. Ranch, Winter Park, CO / Invitations: DIY based on this template Merriment Design / Food: What a Treat Catering / DJ- Rock Candy DJ / Hair & Make-Up: Bride’s Sister /

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Post tags: Colorado, Do-It-Yourself Inspired, Merriment Design, Snow Mt. Ranch, Tory Williams, What a Treat Catering, Winter Park
Post categories: Casual Elegance, Do-It-Yourself Inspired

Click here to see the full wedding gallery!

Michelle and Sean did such an amazing job both planning and organizing this wedding. In addition to all the hard work that Michelle put into her DIY details that were nothing short of amazing, they also hired the best vendors and their wedding was absolute perfection.

Michelle’s inspiration for their wedding began with a simple white vase that was in the shape of a bird. When she was unable to find what she was looking for, she hit the antique stores and purchased individual milk glass vases, which Martha Andrews of Blooms used to fill with the most fabulous floral centerpieces. Everything had to have the same vintage, elegant feel so Michelle designed everything with that in mind including picking the Citizen Hotel as the venue because it had the perfect combination of vintage and elegance. With the exception of floral and cake, her details were all DIY. The invitations, the escort cards, the table numbers, the cocktail menus that were on the bar, the tags on the candy jars, the paper bags for everyone to fill up with candy, and the table seating chart that was just outside the reception room.  All of the supplies came from the Paper Garden off of Fulton in Sacramento.

The room looked incredible and it was a fabulous wedding!

Photography: Stout Photography / Venue: The Citizen Hotel / Florist: Blooms by Martha Andrews / Makeup: Christi Reynolds / Cake: Sweet Cakes By Rebecca / Lighting: Extreme Productions / Linens: Celebrations / Place cards, Menu’s, Seating Chart, Candy Bar:  DIY by Bride

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Post tags: Ballroom, Blooms by Martha Andrews, California Weddings, Celebrations Party Rentals, Do-It-Yourself Inspired, Extreme Productions, Hotel, Sacramento, Stout Photography, Sweet Cakes by Rebecca, Tent, The Citizen Hotel, Traditional
Post categories: Traditional Elegance

click here to see the gallery and all of the super cute DIY details!

To wed or to elope? As self described scrooges…Steve and I wrestled with this question for a few months! In the end, we decided that it was important that we celebrate the day with our family and close friends. Once we went down this path, well, I went from “Monique Lhuillier who?” to owning a Monique Lhuillier dress! I obsessed about every detail of our wedding and spent my nights lurking on websites such as SMP looking for inspiration. Now that the planning is over, I’d like to contribute back to future brides!

There were several DIY components to our wedding; the most notable were all our paper items, our flowers, and our origami name cardholders. We DIY’ed as much as we could, not only because it was budget friendly but also because I had a lot of fun doing it. We knew we wanted to play with color and decided on green, yellow, and gray as our color palette. Our event ended up more yellow and gray with a touch of green but it definitely helped to have a color palette from the get-go so as not to be led astray by all the beautiful color choices out there!

The paper products were one area where we decided to save (splurging instead on our venue, caterer, and photographer). Three invaluable items which I used over and over again: my Xyron machine, paper cutter, and Fiskar corner punch. With an architect and a marketing professional as two of my three bridesmaids, I did not lack for creative talent and they helped create our bird logo. This was one of the best decisions to nail down early in the process because we were able to “brand” our wedding from start to finish in a consistent manner, from our website to our programs and menus.

My favorite component of the invitations was the envelopes! I had a crazy idea of sewing glassine inner envelopes with green thread around the borders. I purchased a $40 sewing machine on Amazon to test my project. The effect was pretty but I discovered that I couldn’t sew a straight line if my life depended on it. Using a pencil to lightly outline where to sew seemed to do the trick! I also fell in love with envelope liners; they were so easy to do and did not require a template or kit. If there’s only one DIY project that you do, this is it because it gave our invites extra oomph without taking up a lot of time.

Flowers…yes, logistically you CAN do your own flowers! And no formal training is required (I am a geeky number cruncher by profession)! I knew I wanted to have tons of flowers without breaking the bank but I was on the fence about this, worrying it would take away from time with friends and family. But with careful planning, I banged out table arrangements for 13 tables, 4 bouquets, 11 boutonnieres, and 4 corsages while still spending quality time with our wedding party. The trick is to have your flowers delivered on Tuesday or Wednesday assuming you have a Saturday wedding. You can then prepare your arrangements on Wednesday and Thursday (although corsages are best done on the day of). My other secret ingredients were the use of corsage picks to provide the bouts with a water source, a flower sealant spray to lock in moisture, and Oasis flower adhesive for the corsages. Make sure to do a couple of practice runs a few months or weeks before your wedding.

Our actual wedding day was so much fun and we felt so grateful that we could spend it with our closest friends and family. We chose to take pictures before our ceremony so that we could max out time with our guests. Our first look was just so precious; I’ll remember it always!Seeing each other before the ceremony had the added benefit of calming my nerves so that I was able to remember actually walking down the aisle! We drafted our own vows and we were able to inject some meaningful readings and humor into our ceremony. And the speeches during dinner…well, they were one of my favorite moments that day. We were touched by all the speeches (best man, matron of honor, my brother, Steve, and Steve’s mom), words cannot even describe.

For the Philly and NYC brides, I totally have to give a shout out to some of my vendors who made a big difference during the wedding planning process. Our photographers Margaret and Max from Unusually Fine, located in NYC, took amazing pictures and made us feel so comfortable in front of the camera. Stephanie at Robert Ryan Catering rocked! She took care of so many details and was always a step ahead. Tasha and Christina at cHill Weddings were our day-of coordinators; it was the best money I spent to make sure all went well during our wedding. Ann Hamilton, also in NYC was absolutely wonderful to work with and transformed my $250 dress (that’s right, you didn’t misread, I bought a Monique Lhuillier dress for $250 on sale!) into the vision I had in my head.

I had a lot of fun planning my wedding and I wish you ladies the same as you plan your special day!

Photography: Unusually Fine / Coordinator: cHill Weddings / Catering: Robert Ryan Catering / Alterations: Ann Hamilton / Bridesmaid Dresses: Jenny Yoo / Groom & Groomsmen Tuxes: Mens Wearhouse / Online Flowers: 2GRoses / Cupcakes: Brown Bettys / Makeup: Aleksandra Ambrozy / Hair: Calista Brides / String Quartet: Anamaria Achitei, Musicali Strings / DJ: Kim Walsh / Custom Hand Lettering: GalaFont / Custom Table Numbers: Blue Mountain Crafts / Hair flower: Twigs & Honey / Cupcake Toppers: Naked Peggies

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Post tags: 2GRoses, Ann Hamilton, Blue Mountain Crafts, Brown Bettys Musicali Strings, cHill Weddings, Do-It-Yourself Inspired, Gala Font, Gray, Handmade, Jenny Yoo, Men's Wearhouse, Monique Lhuillier, Naked Peggies, Philadelphia, Robert Ryan Catering, Twigs & Honey, Unusually Fine, Yellow, Yellow and Gray
Post categories: Casual Elegance, Do-It-Yourself Inspired, Traditional Elegance

click here to see lots of additional details!

While I can’t say that our day went off without a hitch – I can say that I wouldn’t have changed a thing! Without a doubt, our wedding day was the best day of our lives. Yes, the weather was unexpectedly cold and rainy – but this didn’t dampen our spirits. We set out to make the day a fairly casual, laid-back affair and have heard from several guests since that this is what made our wedding one of the best that they’d ever been to! Our ceremony was short & sweet – probably my favourite part of the day, in large part due to the reading of “I like you” by Sandol Stoddard Warburg. It suited us so well and got a great reaction from the crowd!

We put a lot of time and effort into our mostly DIY wedding and it was all well worth it. From the burlap table runners made by my mom, to the floral centrepieces arranged by our families and the escort card stand made by Tim (finished the night before the wedding!) it all came together perfectly. We were told by so many people not to waste time on the details because nobody will notice – but the details are important to us, and as it turns out plenty of guests noticed (and appreciated) them as well!

The entire wedding was a huge effort by Tim and myself, as well as our families. At many points along the way we questioned whether or not it was worth all of the stress – but the answer is a resounding ‘yes’. I’m not even sad that the day is all over – just completely satisfied that it all went so well and thrilled to have all of the amazing memories!

Photographer: Erin Samuell of A Simple Photograph / Venue: Knollwood Golf Club, Ancaster / Dress: Mikaella Bridal / Bridesmaid Dresses: J. Crew / Guy’s Outfits: Banana Republic & J. Crew / Shoes: Nina Shoes / Cupcakes: Beyond the Batter, Stoney Creek / Bouquets: Flowers by Dianne, Stoney Creek / Centrepiece Flowers: Fortinos Supermarket  / Hair: Pure NV Salon & Spa / Makeup: MAC Cosmetics

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Post tags: A Simple Photography, Banana Republic, Beyond the Batter, Canada, Do-It-Yourself Inspired, Flowers by Dianne, J. Crew, Knollwood Golf Club, Mason Jars, Mikaella Bridal, Nina Shoes, Ontario, Pink, Preppy
Post categories: Casual Elegance, Do-It-Yourself Inspired

click right here to see the full wedding gallery!

Katie and Ben’s outdoor, vintage-inspired wedding took place in Walla Walla–the heart of Washington Wine Country. The vintage-inspired decor included incredible signage, a cookie bar, and the most amazing flowers (including peonies, which Katie was worried wouldn’t be available in July). The rich plum, pinks, greens, and yellow floral elements came together beautifully with Katie’s DIY, vintage touches. This sweet couple crafted a beautiful party for celebrating their union with their family and friends.

Photography: Ali Walker Photography Venue: Mill Creek Gardens / Hair and Makeup: City Slickers / Flowers: Amore Floral Design / Catering: Graze Catering

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Post tags: Ali Walker Photography, Amore Floral Design, Do-It-Yourself Inspired, graze catering, Mill Creek Gardens, Vintage, Walla Walla, Washington, Wine Country
Post categories: Casual Elegance

Click here to see the full wedding in all it’s fabulousness!

We met this past October during Oktoberfest in Amana – it was definitely love at first sight. On New Year’s day, Adam proposed and so began our fairytale.

As a graphic designer I had many ideas and thoughts going through my head as what I wanted the wedding’s theme to be… I have always wanted to have an outdoor ceremony – something so beautiful and real about having your wedding outdoors. To me its one step closer to God – surrounded by all his creation. And our reception had to be in the Festhalle Barn! The location of Oktoberfest… Where we met! With all its rich and strong history and elegance it was a great place that not only had meaning but potential!

There was one thing besides our tight budget ($13,000) that was very important to us. I wanted to carry throughout the wedding day the “feeling” that our guests would have. A feeling of a whimsical fairytale that they were swept into the beauty of nature in our ceremony and experiencing the elegant contrast of the rich wood barn against the flowing fabric and tranquil candlelight – - while they listened to the soft jazz / classical music of the band while they enjoyed their night away from their reality.

Some of the interesting snippets of the wedding / decoration…

We bought wine glasses from all sorts of second hand stores, vintage stores, goodwills, etc. — which made them all different shapes and sizes – creating a very homey individual look. Also the guests got to take the wine glasses home with them as a favor. All of the brass we used to decorate with throughout the reception area came from Goodwill’s so there was no sets — just playful and random. The fabric we used to drape was muslin (which you know is extremely affordable). We used lots of fabric softener to make it easier to drape. The backdrop for the reception (behind the band & photo booth) was cardboard pieces that I painted then we taped them together.

The menu was made up of a piece of wood which I sprayed chalkboard paint on then wrote the menu on — the frame was from an antique store. For our ceremonial unity we used different types of rope/string/etc. So… Adam came up with a piece that depicted him, I did and each set of our parents did. Then during the ceremony we tied them all together.

The directional signs for the wedding were just old pieces of barn board that we hinged together and my mother in law painted. Oh and all the little candles were bought at Hobby Lobby (not sure how wide-spread that store is…) which were very inexpensive! Another place that saved us money was GotPrint.com — we printed all of our invite pieces from this website for… I think around $280.

Planning / Coordination / Design & Decorating – Done by the bride with help from family and friends / Photography – Eric Yerke / Ceremony Venue – Kent Park / Reception Venue – Festhalle Barn in Amana, IA  / Cake – Deluxe Cakes & Pastries / Groom’s Suit – DKNY / Dress – The Bridal Connection, designed by Christina Rossi / Bride’s Shoes – Menbur, bought from Endless.com / Bridesmaid’s Dresses – Victoria’s Secret / / Hair – Tracy Andes / Flowers (bouquets & boutonnieres only) – All Seasons Weeds / Flowers (table arrangements) – Amy Raes / Wreath, Swag – Mother of the bride / Ceremony Music – Janet Carlon, Amy Carlon, Joey Russell / Band – Freestyle Band / Caterer – Howard Ball  / Beer – Millstream Brewery / Appetizers – Amana Meatshop

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Post tags: $13, 00, Amana, budget, DKNY Christiana Rossi, Do-It-Yourself Inspired, Festhalle Barn, Handmade, Iowa, Kent Park, Victoria's Secret
Post categories: Budget Beautiful, Casual Elegance, Do-It-Yourself Inspired

An absolutely adorable farm wedding took place on June 26th 2010 in Owatonna, MN (1 hour south of the Twin Cities) at the groom’s family farm.  Home grown flowers made by a friend of the bride created the bouquets and table settings.  Tan suits for the groom and groomsmen gave the wedding party a relaxed feel.  The bride used green and white with some brown and tan as the overall color scheme and flowers were everywhere; flower seed packets as escort cards, hydrangea motifs on invites, and stickers, and lawn games took place in between flower gardens on the property.  The bride’s mother had passed away so there was a single gold ring tied into the bride bouquet as a reminder that Mom was there in spirit.  The dance was outside under the trees in the hot summer evening and cupcakes and a candy bar were set up for guests to snack on after dinner.

Click here to see EVEN MORE!

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Post tags: Do-It-Yourself Inspired, EyeSpy Photography, Green and White, Minnesota, Owatonna
Post categories: Casual Elegance, The Blog