Vintage Handmade Texas Wedding

If we could have crushes on weddings, this handmade Texas wedding would be written in bubble letters and surrounded by hearts on our binders. Joyeuse Photography sent over this wedding of Ryan and Carol, which is pretty much everything we lov. Ob.sessed. We love Carol’s words of advice, which encourage all brides to go after whatever your heart is truly drawn to for your wedding day!

From the bride, Carol: Going into planning, I knew that I wanted our wedding to feel light, breezy, and unfussy. I’ve always loved all things vintage, but I didn’t want things to look too costume-y or feel like a movie set. So, my goal was to find the balance — a day that was fancy and outrageously celebratory while being laid-back and genuine at the same time.

Anyone who was around for the planning process knows that I was terrible at choosing a theme or color. At the very beginning I think I narrowed it down to six colors (I know). That evolved to I don’t know, 17 or something. This blew the average Texan woman’s mind. Eventually I just started quoting Julia Roberts in Steel Magnolias and saying “blush and bashful”! Seriously, though, I eventually just picked what I liked, even if it didn’t “go”. Don’t let the confines of a designated color scheme get you down ladies! As for DIY, my mother (who is awesome) and I made all the chalkboard signs, cut all the napkins and fabric squares for the tables, painted furniture, created yarn garlands, and made some rockin’ paper flowers. It was definitely a labor of love, and we had a lot of fun. I couldn’t have done it without her!

Any advice for brides planning their weddings now? 1. Plan more for the marriage than the wedding. I’m happily married now and still look at wedding blogs all the time. (Is that okay?) I get that weddings come with so much anticipation. They are gorgeous and fun and I am the biggest fan, really. But a great wedding followed by a terrible marriage is pointless. Get to know each other, do premarital counseling, talk to a minister, or something. Cute decorations were important to me, but learning how to better love, communicate, and pray for my husband were vital.

2. Don’t be an originality snob. At the beginning of planning I kept saying that I wanted our wedding to be completely one-of-a-kind. If it had been done before, I didn’t want it. Not too long after that, I met a bride who was echoing my sentiment. It was so off-putting. I could tell that what she and I had in common was that we were refusing to do things we actually LOVED, all because someone else did it before us. So then and there I decided to stop being so dumb about copying things I liked. Are chalkboard signs the most trendy thing ever? Yes. Do I love them? Yes. So, I used them. Once I gave myself that freedom I was so much happier.

3. About your send-off: choose it wisely. My parents had rice delicately showered (I assume) on them as they left their wedding 33 years ago. It was sweet and sentimental. Fast-forward to our wedding, and Ryan and I decide to do the same. I don’t know if our friends just have more developed arm muscles than theirs did, but I promise you that those grains of rice felt like shards of glass being pelted at us. Our send-off pictures are pretty much just a series of me trying to take cover under Ryan’s arm. They are hysterical. Moral of the story: stay away from rice unless you are tough. I am not.

Wedding Music:
Grandmothers and Moms’ Processional: “Eyes,” Rogue Wave
Bridesmaids’ Processional: “Forget Me Not,” the Civil Wars
Bride’s Processional: “Orchard House,” the Little Women Soundtrack
Song During Prayer: “The Love of Christ is Rich and Free”
Recessional: “Flowers in the Window,” Travis
First Dance: “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” Ingrid Michaelson’s version
Father/Daughter Dance: “Daddy’s Little Girl,” The Mills Brothers
Last Dance: “Taking You With Me,” Mindy Smith and Daniel Tashian

Wedding Location: College Station, TX / Photographer: Joyeuse Photography / Florist: Post Oak Florist / Wedding Venue: Double Creek Crossing / Wedding Dress: BHLDN “Cascading Goddess Gown” / Capelet: BHLDN “First Light Capelet” / Wedding Shoes: Something Bleu via BHLDN / Belt: Anthropologie / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Anthropologie, Piper Lime, Kohl’s, Forever 21, and eBay / Groom’s Suit: H&M / Groom’s Shirt: Gap / Groom’s Shoes: Macy’s / DJ: Drew Allmon of RDM Audio / Musicians: Brian Durham and Ashley Gill / Cookies: Blue Baker / Petit Fours, Cupcakes and Cake Balls: Cake Junkie / Macarons: The Sweet Boutique / Chocolates: Truman Chocolates / Wedding Invitations: Mint and Honey Paper