Every now and then I need a good ol’ dose of whimsy in my day. And this European affair, my dears, will do just the trick! It’s filled to the gills with DIY pretty and Britta Schunck didn’t miss a beat. To see even more of these two love bugs and their oh so happy day, head over here.
From Britta… This DIY-wedding topped everything that I have EVER seen before. Everything, and I mean everything, was made by the couple: the beautiful wedding dress was designed by the bride herself, even the wedding floor was built by the couple – plus, of course, all the decoration (and there was plenty of deco!) was made by the couple. The creative couple (she works at a theatre, he is an art director and graphic designer) did all the beautiful stationery as well. The save the dates and the wedding invitations that the couple had sent me before the wedding were already so extraordinary and so beautiful, that I was even scared to open the knitted envelope… and the rest of the stationery even topped that.
There were so many awesome details at this wedding (like the cuff links with the couples initials made of typewriter keys, the VW coffea van or the menus with a Polish-German language course on the back or the self-made-tablecloths and napkins – that I could talk hours about this wedding. The couple collected so much vintage china at fleamarkets, that they started their own crockery hire just after their wedding ~ Retter der Tafelrunde
From the Bride… We did everything ourselves: We sewed 90 meters of bunting and the back drop for the bar, made tons of pom poms and garlands, painted vases, made candle holders out of jars, collected vintage coffee pots, drawers, window frames, keys, doilies and books and incorporated many things from our home to create a nice vintage atmosphere. I sewed all the tablecloths and napkins and dyed them; all the vintage china was collected by us over months. I was lucky to be able to borrow all the pretty furniture from the theater I work at.
My husband created some lawn games for the guests (all DIY). There were blankets and pillows in the garden for those who wanted to relax. My husband set up a photo booth and vintage cameras which could be used by the guests. Instead of one guest book we had three, each with a different topic, and guest were invited to write, print, draw… My husband collected, printed and framed old family photos and set up a little portrait gallery of those who couldn’t be with us. One of the photos shows my grandparents on their wedding day. We also created all the decorations in the church. I tied white fabric and lace ribbons around the benches and attached paper flowers. The ceremony programs had vintage handkerchiefs in them (for happy tears). Instead of rice there was lavender for the guests to throw.
Stationery
All the paper goods were designed and printed at home by my husband and me. We created the invitation suite, menus with a Polish-German language course on the back, ceremony booklets, escort cards and different signs. We designed the patterns for the envelope liner, the invitations, the menus and escort cards and printed all of them by hand. The main pattern was inspired by traditional Polish paper cutting designs. We mixed in polka dots, chevron and triangles to keep it modern. We worked with craft paper and paper in ivory and light pink. I taught myself a bit of calligraphy – the invites, escort cards and name tags were hand written. All of the paper goods had to be both in German and Polish.
Wedding Favors
Our guests were treated to vanilla extract that we made. They also got to take home little jars with succulents my husband had grown and little felt heart brooches I had sewn.
The Wedding Cake
I decided to bake the wedding cake myself. It was a lemon-coconut cake with homemade Lemon Curd and fresh raspberries, frosted with Swiss butter cream and homemade raspberry sugar. My wonderful sister-in-law baked several cakes and tons of mini cupcakes! I baked cake pops as well. The cake toppers for all the cakes were a DIY.
The Wedding Gown
I designed my wedding dress and had it sewn by a seamstress from the theater I work at. I wanted something that was simple but with a twist; I added some color by mixing layers of ivory and apricot tulle and putting on a rose-colored sash for the reception. I hand-embroidered the organza top that I wore over the dress during the ceremony.I also made my veil, my hair piece and my necklace (incorporating pearls my mom gave me).
The Flowers
The flowers were also a DIY project. I made my own bouquet using roses, dahlias, chrysanthemums, lisianthus, astilbe, bouvardia and white veronica. I bought all flowers at the farmer’s market and my talented mom, aunt, sister-in-law and cousin made all the arrangements the day of.
The Bride’s Advice
— Stay true to yourselves. Everybody (literally) will put in their two cents worth, some will even call you crazy for “putting too much work into this”… Stick to your vision and don’t feel obligated to honor so-called “traditions” just because some people may expect it. If you plan your big day with love it will be visible – and your guests will feel welcome and enjoy themselves.
— Let people help you! I am serious! This is coming from a perfectionist/control freak who would do everything herself if she could! Living far away from friends and family, we were pretty much on our own during the whole planning/organizing/crafting extravaganza; a few days before the wedding our families arrived and helped us make everything happen. We couldn’t have done it without them!
— If you aren’t VERY organized, you will definitely need help. And I don’t necessarily mean hired help, because not every budget will allow for that. But there’s always some friend or family member who will offer help in spite of your pre-wedding craziness. Accept it!
— No matter how well you planned it all and how organized you are, on your wedding day you should let someone else worry about coordinating everything. If you are on a budget and can’t afford a professional coordinator, maybe there’s a friend who could handle everything for you. I asked a former intern of mine to be our day-of coordinator. I knew she is well organized and understands our vision, and it was great not to have to worry about everything running smoothly.
— Hire a great photographer! (Like we did!) It makes all the difference in the world!
— Last but not least: Make time for you as a couple. During all the planning it is easy to lose track of what is the most important – the person you are going to marry!
Photographer: Britta Schunck | Floral Design: DIY | Wedding Dress: DIY By Bride | Stationery: DIY | Ceremony Venue: Pfarrkirche St. Sebastian | Church: Pfarrkirche St. Sebastian | Reception Venue: Schloss Bollschweil | Bride's Shoes: Belmondo | Caterer: Bensels Biocatering | Hair + Make Up: Theater Freiburg | DJ: Maximilian (Brother of the Bride) & Maurizio (Friend of the Groom) | Bow Tie: Papier & Feder | Suit: Hugo Boss | Coffea Van: Biosk Mobil | Cufflinks: Miniblings | Decoration: DIY | Groom's Shirt: Q1 Manufaktur | Groom's Shoes: Lloyd | Suspenders: Scotch & Soda | Tablewear Rentals: Die Retter der Tafelrunde | Vintage Furniture: Theater Freiburg | Wedding Rings: Jewelrey Shop in Poland