There aren’t many other venues that scream summer louder or with more heart than a good ol’ rustic barn. Burlap, hay bales and wooden signs are the key ingredients for a down home wedding but this lovely by Bryan and Mae Photography kicked it up a notch with mismatched vintage napkins, adorable bridsmaids’ dresses and awesome paper goods galore. See all the fabulous DIY details in the full gallery!
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From the Bride…When we started planning our wedding, we knew right away we wanted everyone to walk away thinking “Now THAT was Sarah & TJ”. Not only did we want the day to center around us and our marriage, but also our friends and family. Since we both have large families and have been blessed with many amazing friends throughout our lives, we knew we were going to have to get creative. Ah-hem, as in 375-people-celebrating-with-us creative. Finding a venue that would work for us and fit everyone was the first challenge. Eagles Meadow was perfect- a blank slate that allowed us to literally create from scratch our reception site. Our goal for the reception was for it to be casual, fun and free of schedules or time lines. The picnic tables, open seating, live band and hay bale cocktail tables & couches encouraged everyone to be relaxed.
As for the ceremony, we are lucky enough to know the owner of DH Day- a historic barn in Glen Haven. He graciously allowed us to use the grounds for our ceremony- something he has never allowed before. One of my favorite moments from the entire day happened there. The message of our ceremony focused heavily on the importance our friends and families have on our lives, and at one point our pastor asked us to turn around to see the friends and family that valued us as we value them. Seeing the sheer number of bodies in attendance was overwhelming and emotional for the both of us and completely enforced the fact that all of the time spent on the day was worth it.
DIY was a huge theme and what every little detail was centered around. I designed all of our paper goods (save the date, invitations, programs), we spent 6 months collecting all of the dishes and vases from thrift shops, used biodegradable bamboo silverware, I made the napkins out of vintage bed sheets, the hay bales all came from TJ’s families farm, I made all of the bridesmaids jewelry, shoe flowers and hair flowers, and from start to finish the day was touched by the special people in our lives. My matron of honor did my hair; our good friends played the music at the ceremony; TJ’s company brought and setup the tents, printed the thumbprint guest book, the programs, and the Just Hitched banner; all of the cookies were made by our families and bridesmaids;my bridesmaids and I cut ALL of the flowers ourselves, and my bridesmaid did all of the bouquets; all of the décor came from TJ’s parents farm (lots of it pieces of furniture untouched since the 50’s and 60’s); my uncles did all of the catering; a friend supplied the (surprise) fireworks. One of the most special things was the fact that our band was led by my father’s college roommate, who also played at my parent’s wedding 32 years ago. Talk about coming full circle.
We never put too much pressure on ourselves, and that is why I think we look back on our wedding and feel like it was truly PERFECT.
Wedding Photography: Bryan and Mae Photography / Hair: Style North Salon & Spa / Wedding Dress: Allure via To Have & To Hold Bridal / Bride’s Shoes: Tom’s / Floral Design: DIY with Omena U-Cut / Reception Venue: Eagles Meadow / Paper Goods: The Bride, Printed by Britten Banners / Tents: Tent Craft / Band: Mark Martin