Let me start off by saying that I’m absolutely head over heels in love with this wedding. The spring time color palette is so refreshing and gorgeous that I literally want to go to the florist right now and recreate these arrangements so I can stare at them all day long. Captured by Nicole Haley Photography, this wedding is just filled to the brim with the sweetest DIY touches including a super cute sparkler display tied with ribbons in a vintage wooden drawer covered with moss…adorable! And there is so much more to pore over in the gallery.
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From the Bride…Derek and I became engaged in Napa after three years together and knew right away we wanted our wedding to be a fun, intimate celebration of our love for each other. We also wanted to make sure it would be unique and reflect the interests we share as a couple. Plans fell into place when Derek’s aunt and uncle offered their lakeside home in South Haven, Michigan as a venue. We hadn’t even thought about this as a possibility, but after failing to find “the” spot elsewhere, it felt perfect. It helped that we had spent many long and happy holiday weekends at their home – which made it feel even more comfortable and sentimental. Plus, their front and backyard gardens are worthy of any magazine (in my book!), which helped to enhance the setting, especially on our wedding day.
Inspired by many Style Me Pretty posts, I wanted to pursue a DIY, rustic garden theme and picked June to allow our 80 guests to take advantage of warm weather at the lake. Though they were a bit unsure of the “rustic” part at first, our families blew us away by chipping in to help us to create the wedding of our dreams. Derek’s aunt and uncle planted their garden in our wedding colors – sage green and lavender, while another crafty uncle built the lovely pillars we used for the ceremony and “B&D” nook for a photo prop. One of my favorite projects was assembling our fan programs. I turned to ETSY for a designer who could customize a layout and had a blast gluing them together and adding ribbons with my mom and aunt. My mom then tapped a co-worker for two old windows I could use for seating assignments and asked another if they might help to create the stands to prop them up. I bought a vintage-framed chalkboard from another ETSY seller to use for our menu and others to note special things throughout the reception area. We also found an old drawer to fill with flower foam and moss to house sparklers that were tied with matching ribbon and personalized matches, as well as dozens of mason jars we used for centerpiece arrangements and candles. And, to top it off, a family member decorated their convertible for us to use for a proper getaway to the beach nearby for photos.
Derek added his own “special touches” to the planning process. He wanted to pick the menu and chose a pig roast to help make the wedding feel like a big summertime party. He also brewed his own beer, which he named “BD” and selected all of the wine we served, which were our favorites from Napa. He also created the music list we played from our iPod – and the processional song, “The Luckiest,” by Ben Folds.
Wedding Photography: Nicole Haley Photography / Wedding Planner + Coordinator: Elegant Events of West Michigan / Venue: Private Family Residence / Floral Design: The Rose Shop / Entertainment: Classical Guitarist Robert McCloy / Wedding Videography: Bride’s Brother / Bakery + Cake Designer: Maddie’s Fine Food / Caterer: Country Kitchen/CK of St. Joseph’s / Wedding Stationery: Wedding Paper Divas + DearEmma / Wedding Dress: Jim Hjelm via Volle’s Bridal Boutique / Veil: Teri Huang / Hair Flower: Amie Noel Designs / Hair Style: Kerry Mark Salon / Reception Decor: Bragging Bags