DIY Howell, Michigan Wedding
I am always giddy to see what Abdi of Three Photographers has in store for us each time I hear from him. To curb my excitement, let’s get straight to the point. Christina and Mike’s farm wedding was a vegan fete filled with delicious handmade touches. And if you had any doubts about brides wearing glasses, Christina’s stylish look may very well convince you how gorgeous they look!
From Christina: Choosing the venue was a natural choice – Mike’s sister’s family lives on the beautiful farm and we knew right away it would be the perfect setting for both the ceremony and the reception. They live out in the country in Howell, Michigan. The only thing we had to rent was the tent (the barn was too small for the number of guests we had, though we did use it for the bar/hangout area) and tables/chairs.
Given the setting and our own aesthetic sense, we had a vintage-rustic wedding in mind to fit the mood of the horses, chickens, barns and fields of goldenrod that were our backdrop. We wanted to make sure the feel of our wedding was joyous and celebratory; we wanted every one of our guests to have fun.
We had a rustic countryside look to the wedding, with vintage personal touches like woodland-creature salt & pepper shakers, a tandem bike and hand-painted signs. The color palette was a mason-jar blue, goldenrod yellow and burlap brown. Most every detail of the wedding was DIY; we handmade the invites, bouquets, boutonnieres, signs, bunting, programs, cake-topper… almost everything!
View all images from this wedding in the gallery!
Any advice for brides planning their weddings now? Think of the things that you and your bride/groom love and go from there – and don’t let anyone tell you what you’re “supposed” to do and not do! People want to see the you in your wedding. You won’t regret a thing if you stay true to yourself. Also, buy a short dress – hemming is a racket.
Wedding Songs:
The wedding party came down the aisle to an instrumental (and very pretty) “Vitamin C” by Can. My entrance song was Erik Satie’s “Gymnopedie”, and the recessional was “Alone Again Or” by Love (also instrumental). Our first dance was “I Was Made to Love Her” by Stevie Wonder (chosen by my fiancee).
Wedding Vendors and Venue (Howell, Michigan + Brooklyn, New York):
Ceremony and reception location(s): family’s farm / Flowers: purchased at Whole Foods / Photographer: Abdi Aminlari of Three Photographers / Wedding Dress: B. Ella Bridal / My veil was custom-made by Tia Mills / Wedding shoes: Seychelles / Bracelet: Banana Repbulic / Wedding bands: Stout Woodworks on Etsy / Hair and Makeup: done by a friend / Bridesmaid Dresses: J.Crew / Groom’s suit: tan jacket from Banana Republic, pants from American Apparel, an etsy-bought bowtie, and crow cufflinks / Groomsmen: gray pants and grey vests, with bowties (which happened to match the napkins) and rolled-up sleeves / Music: ceremony and cocktail hour by The Fiendish Thingies (contact Ray Thompson, 248.508.1957); ambient dinner music provided by Kindle (contact Jason Worden, 248.259.4332), and post-dinner dance music by the Zydeco Hepcats (contact Mike Zeigeler, 586.871.6465) / Caterer: all-vegetarian menu by Katherine’s Catering, and we couldn’t have been happier / Wedding Cake: made by bride’s mother Denise Babinski who is a pastry chef; two carrot cakes on the side and for the main cake, a french vanilla with butterscotch custard filling. She has no website but anyone interested can contact her: 586.216.3738. They also had vegan salted chocolate cake pops made by my friend Allie Jenkins, a young budding pastry chef (989.715.2091) / Wedding favors: caramel apples provided by local Blake’s Orchard/ / Wedding invitations: made by the groom, who drew and watercolored the invitations (and programs), which were inspired by their running comic Snacks the Bunny, inspired in turn by their rabbit Ferdinand. / Videographer: friends
Abdi Aminlari of Three Photographers is a Blue Label member
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Sweet Rural Ontario Wedding
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Sweet & Sophisticated Farm Wedding
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Vintage Bowling Wedding
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Dyson DC41 Animal
No need for further introductions here, because we’ve all heard about this lustful little vacuum. The latest Dyson, the DC41 Animal officially hit and I couldn’t be happier to test it myself. Not that I especially love house chores, but having a machine like this makes little things in life so much easier. The DC41 Animal is vastly more powerful while being energy efficient, and the fact that you break free from buying paper bags is not only eco-friendly but also it will save you money in the long run.
Definitely worth the splurge over any other big ticket item in a wedding registry — it is used much more frequently than any other appliance we all covet!
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Homespun Twins Oaks Estates Wedding
Let’s kick this Wednesday off right with a perfectly adorable wedding shot by Megan Plenge Photography. Full of handmade touches and heartfelt gestures that went beyond decor, Blain and Russell’s wedding marks the spot for a sweet homespun fête.
From the bride: We wanted our wedding to reflect our sweet, playful love & our fun, artsy and musical families. I imagined a whimsical, home-made and vintage backyard wedding with our families playing the music with coca-cola bottles in hand, and what we came up with was truly a dream come true! Growing up in the Arizona desert the one thing I knew was cactus wasn’t for me! I wanted lush greenery and cooler air and I immediately remembered a sweet yellow school house that I had passed on the way to my Grandmothers house as a little girl. When I was researching it, I found out, lo and behold, they now hold weddings! Once we booked our dream location, Twin Oaks Estates, everything fell into place.
View all images from this wedding in a gallery
From Megan Plenge Photography : Aside from their full time jobs, Graham is a member of the Professional Disc Golf Association & Lauren has spent her free time working in theater & 50′s pin up modeling. This wedding was a true representation of their personalities & love. As a definite labor of love, this wedding was full of amazing details including handmade bridesmaids dresses by the brides mom, centerpieces created from antiques collected by relatives, personalized handkerchiefs, candy bar filled w/the couples favorite treats, one-of-a-kind boutonnieres made of embroidered flowers, scrabble letters & antique keys. The venue, Twin Oaks Estate, was the perfect fit for this couple complete with an 1800s schoolhouse for the bride to get ready in & serve as a perfect vintage backdrop. The owners of the Estate had recently purchased a section of a pub bar sent from London to add an old-fashioned feel. Other details included the grooms younger brother singing “I wanna grow old with you” during the ceremony & the band made up of the bride’s grandparents, groom’s father & brother. A completely adorable evening, with a new detail around every corner, was spent with this couple whose vision of a backyard vintage wedding came true!
Wedding Vendors (San Marcos, California):
Venue and Caterer: Twins Oaks Estates / Wedding Photography: Megan Plenge Photography / Florist: Jerry Disney / Hair: Tiffany Monday / Wedding Dress: Blue by Enzoani
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Handmade Mountain Wedding
We’re all about iconic and beautiful destinations this week! This wedding blends quirky into a rustic chic fete so seamlessly, that it brings the lovebird theme to a whole new level. Arianne and Andrew are both self proclaimed bird-nerds, and incorporated illustrations of birds throughout their wedding day. Thank you Laura Murray Photography for sharing these images with us!
Laura Murray Photography: Arianne and Andrew described their wedding as a major labor of love. Each detail was thoughtfully chosen and executed by all of their loved ones, making it a truly special day. The elegant flower arrangements were made by the groom’s sister and mother. They were the perfect element that tied in the color scheme of yellow and gray. The brides’s aunt loves to bake and took a cake decorating class in anticipation of her role as the wedding cake baker. She enlisted a couple other family members to take the class with her and they made all the desserts in advance. They brought all the cake baking supplies from Dallas, Texas to Steamboat, Colorado and arrived early to practice baking the cakes for the big day.
The favors were handpicked Alaskan berry jam made by Arianne’s mom and her Alaskan bridesmaids. They also crafted all the boutonnieres, cake toppers, and the fabric napkins. The invitations and wedding paper were made by a friend.The DJ was one of their friends and groomsmen. The couple chose to use birds in their wedding day decor. Both Arianne and Andrew have a love for nature and wild things, and some of their first dates were spent “bird-nerding” in upstate New York. When Andrew proposed, it was under the guise of a bird watching trip in Denver’s foothills. To this couple, the birds are representative of their shared interests and love of nature. Even the bride’s hair and made up was done by a family member. Everyone contributed to make this wedding a complete success.
View all images in the gallery
Wedding Vendors and Venue (Steamboat, Colorado):
Venue: Catamount Ranch and Club / Photography: Laura Murray Photography / Dress: Eco Bridal Gown / Groom’s Suit: Ralph Lauren / Invites and Stationery: Evan Chute / DJ: Jon Shares
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Vintage Colorado Mountain Wedding
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Woodsy Aspen, Colorado Wedding
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Eco-friendly Handmade Wedding
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