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DIY Florida Wedding

DIY Florida Wedding

It didn’t take long for Tracy and Doug, two teachers, to meet, fall in love and tie the knot. Just one year after meeting by chance, they were exchanging vows in the bride’s hometown in Florida during the winter break off of school. Outdoor enthusiasts, the couple knew they wanted their day to center around nature and not even a little rain could dampen their plans. In fact, those umbrella photos are some of my favorite of the whole set! You’ll love the portraits shot by Ryan Ray, where the couple is surrounded by stunning sculptural trees and that lush Florida landscape. The rain just makes it all the more romantic!

rustic DIY florida wedding

From the bride, Tracy: Out of all the places to have a wedding like the one we envisioned, my parents’ house seemed to fit the bill perfectly. They own a beautiful ranch-style home in Jupiter Farms, Florida, that they graciously offered to us. We chose to have the ceremony in the back yard (which changed three days before the wedding!), the cocktail hour in the barn and the reception in the pasture. Less than a week before the wedding, Doug and I were biking through a nearby park and came across a Seminole battlefield scattered with large oak and cypress trees. We decided to change the ceremony location to the battlefield and we then had to call all 75 guests to inform them of the change!

rustic DIY florida wedding
rustic DIY florida weddingrustic DIY florida wedding
Doug and I spend the majority of our time outdoors, so I knew right away that I wanted to incorporate that into our theme (he proposed on one of our camping trips, so an outdoor wedding seemed necessary). I started searching for décor inspiration on the Web, using wedding blogs and Etsy as a starting point. Then, I searched for materials to use for centerpieces, like vintage books and mason jars from a free teacher resource center. We drilled antiqued address numbers into the books, and those acted as table numbers. The mason jars were filled with lavender and ferns from my parents’ yard, and surrounded with candles and pine cones.

rustic DIY florida wedding

rustic DIY florida weddingrustic DIY florida wedding

Doug and I wanted our wedding to feel intimate, and we wanted our guests to be comfortable, entertained and well-fed. My mom, aunts, sister, sister-in-law and neighbors cooked everything! We wanted a lot of comfort food, so we opted for prime rib, ham, pumpkin ravioli, sweet potato casserole and vegetables for dinner. It was also important to me that we make, paint, or build nearly all of the decorations for a DIY, rustic feel (but mainly because it’s just fun to create things). We stayed away from designs that were too traditional, and instead opted for anything that seemed to fit into an outdoor setting.

rustic DIY florida weddingrustic DIY florida wedding

rustic DIY florida weddingrustic DIY florida wedding

rustic DIY florida wedding

My dad and Doug built a beautiful, rustic bar out of refurbished barn wood and an old barn door that was donated by a neighbor. We added antique fixtures like doorknobs and keyholes, plus our initials (also hand-cut from old wood) to complete the project.

rustic DIY florida wedding

rustic DIY florida weddingrustic DIY florida wedding
Any advice for brides planning their weddings now? I know it sounds trite, but don’t stress! Honestly, it isn’t worth it. Things will go wrong and the weather may not cooperate, but you have to remember that, at the end of that day, you are going to be married whether or not everything comes together perfectly. Doug and I wanted the wedding to feel effortless. We made decisions quickly, and saw setbacks as opportunities, not disasters.

Also, be sure to enjoy all of the little projects that you undertake for the wedding. Looking back, all I remember are the laughs we had while working on projects, the stories told during our time with family, and the love we felt surrounding us every day. Just before the wedding day, I remember Doug saying that his favorite part of the whole process was just spending time with everyone while we worked on all the tiny details. I think that made it all the more special when everything seemed to fall into place in the end.
rustic DIY florida wedding

Click here to view all wedding photos in a gallery

Wedding Vendors (Jupiter, FL):

Ceremony venue: Riverbend Park / Reception venue: Bride’s family home / Florist: Anna Flowers / Photographer: Ryan Ray / Wedding Dress: Nordstrom’s / Shoes: Dolce Vita / Hair: Salon Cielo and Spa / Hairpieces: Tallulah Opal / Makeup: Sephora / Bridesmaid dresses: Alfred Angelo / Bridesmaid earrings: Allison Mooney / Groom’s ties: Calvin Klein / DJ and guitar player: Jim Breen of Tradewinds Music / Catering: family / Wedding Cake: Sweet Endings Desserts / Cake Toppers: Samyii / Wedding invitations: Captured Moments

Ryan Ray Photography is a member of Blue Label.

View Comments (17)
  • gorgeous! i love the book table numbers!

  • WOW. These details are beyond fantastic. And Tracy is so right. It’s not worth it to stress out. The day will truly be fantastic no matter what. I love the foggy photos! Super sweet.

  • I love all the little vintage details and etsy is an amazing resource for those kinds of things. No more trekking out to every antique shop in and around the city each weekend. Well, maybe a few treks are still in order.

  • I LOVE this creation. One question for you… Where were the rustic framed chalkboards from? I have been looking everywhere for something JUST LIKE THEM!!!

  • My mom actually made the chalkboards, too. She took thick, glossy posterboard and framed it with some old wood, then bought “chalkboard paint” from the craft store to cover the posterboard. It looked just like a chalkboard! Regular chalk writes on the paint, but it is very hard to erase.

  • Oh my, what a beautiful and personal wedding. I love it when you feel like you know the couple just by looking at their wedding photos. That’s how all weddings should be!

  • Sister-in-law here. The birdhouses, which were painted by Tracy’s mom, were not filled with anything, but they were accompanied by heart-shaped lavender-honey shortbread cookies that I had made a few days earlier.

  • Maid of Honor here! I adored being a part of this magical wedding. Tracy was a fabulous bride to work with. When her stress levels would begin to rise, she would remember to take a deep breath and enjoy every second. I really do think that is the key to planning. Enjoy this special time! It was truly a blast putting together all the final details one by one with family and friends. I am thrilled this has been featured on Ruffled because everyone deserves a sneek peak into their lives!

    I also must add that having been a part of many weddings in the past, the personalization and unique details made this feel like such a fairy tale. I recommend every future bride to learn from their simple yet chic wedding and incorporate Tracy’s advice through the planning of your special day 🙂

  • For Kellie, You can find the rustic frames on ebay. We had old wood,so we were able to make our own. Good Luck !

  • Love this. You are very talented and more!!!
    Wish you both all the best.
    <3

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