Oh my goodness, have you ever seen a more adorable bride and groom?!? I kid you not, these two Grass Valley lovebirds have me grinning from ear to ear with the cutest first look of all time, not to mention one seriously delightful wedding. Yes, this vintage charmer is literally overflowing with fabulous, including a plethora of darling DIY details, amazing bouquets by Art In Bloom, one very beautiful wedding cake and some insanely gorgeous bridesmaid gowns. Swoon. Thankfully, Acres of Hope Photography was on hand to capture each and every amazing moment… and fill our gallery with pretty. Join me there for even more!
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From the Bride… I had been dreaming about my wedding since I made my entrance as a flower girl at age 5! When Patrick popped the question after 3 years of dating I was so thrilled to put the planning wheels in motion and buy out the shelves of bridal magazines! I had been swooning over the gorgeous weddings on Style Me Pretty and loved so many different styles, color palettes and general themes it became very difficult to choose one for our wedding; eventually I decided on my original favorite from age 5, which was fairytale! I wanted the day to feel romantic, elegant and whimsical with rustic and vintage touches to accent the historic cottage we said our “I Do’s” in front of. With such an exquisite theme like “Fairytale” and a more modest budget (15,000) I knew I needed to get crafty! Almost every aspect of our wedding was either completely DIY or had some sort of DIY touches to add the extra touches of love; from the wedding invitations to the water bottles handed out before the ceremony.
Many of our creative DIY projects were inspired by blogs featuring DIY weddings and other ways to personalize your wedding. One of the lengthiest of DIY projects was the table centerpieces. No two tables were alike; for months we scoured thrift stores, antique stores and even family members houses for beautiful rustic and vintage vases, books, doilies and candle holders. The majority of the flowers adorning the tables, lounge area and reception site were straight from my mother’s backyard! One DIY project I am especially proud of is the lounge area I put together. Because we were married in such a small town and had a modest budget to work with we were limited in vendor choices and did not have the option of renting furniture; although the sensible solution would be to not have a lounge area, my then fiancé and family would tell you I was obsessed with bringing the indoors outside and creating this fairytale ambiance; so we rented a U-Haul and packed up any and all vintage/antique furniture mine and my mothers houses harbored; from our old kitchen table to the gorgeous antique loveseat.
Another project I loved doing was decorating candles for each table and cocktail area. I bought Virgin Mary candles from the dollar store and covered them in pages from an old book called “Heart Throbs” I found at a local thrift store then adorned the candles with ribbons and doilies, lets just say me and the hot glue gun are best friends! These projects were very time consuming but very rewarding and worth every second; they allowed my mother and I to bond and realize our passion for weddings and crafting and added so many personal touches that helped make our day so special. Now that the wedding is over and I am left with quite the collection of wonderful rustic and vintage pieces I am planning on renting them out to brides with similar themes!
Wedding Photography: Acres of Hope Photography / Flowers: Art In Bloom / Day of Coordinator: Ashley McGinnis Weddings and Events / Wedding Ceremony + Reception Location: Empire Mine State Park / Wedding Invitations: Mementos By Judy O’Rourke (Mother of Groom) / Bride’s Shoes: Jeffery Campbell / Bow: Etsy / Wedding Dress: Demetrios / Bride’s Make-up: Kendra Evans / Bridesmaid Dresses: Bari Jay / Groom’s Suit: Hugo Boss / Groomsmen Suits: JoS A Bank