As soon as we heard that bride Becca was inspired to have her wedding dress designed after the very gown showcased in this shoot from Alea Lovely, we knew we had to share it with you all! With her own brother making up one half of the talented photography duo We Are the Parsons, it was a no-brainer who would capture her wedding day to groom Michael. Read on for some inspiring words and dazzling images:

From the bride, Becca: Because we live in Colorado and had a winter wedding, we wanted to include a lot of elements from nature, but to bring those elements indoors due to the unpredictable weather. Both of us wanted the atmosphere to be as comfortable and down-to-earth as possible, while still being a most special and unique day in our lives.

From day one, we insisted that our wedding day be very ‘us’. As a result, there were a lot of wedding traditions that we chose to forgo, simply because we didn’t want to include things that weren’t of genuine personal meaning to us; however, our goal was still to maintain a reverent, profound, and authentic event as we made this huge commitment to one another.

I’d describe our wedding as whimsical, rustic, warm, natural, collaborative, and full of juxtapositions! (i.e. burlap meets lace, tulle ball-gown meets hiking trails/sticks/bushes/snowy fields, tulle ball-gown meets our Lab mix Gabe, nature meets indoor venue, etc.) Our color palette was full of earth tones, which included greens, browns, champagne, gold, and dusty pink. I liked the way things were soft and blended as opposed to appearing stark or frigid.

Our budget was modest and our engagement was only four months long, so just about everything decorative was a DIY project. This includes the bouquets, which were assembled by bridesmaids and the boutonnieres that were made by Michaels mom and consisted of burlap, buttons, and feathers, all bought at a craft store. The ceremony backdrop frame was constructed from PVC pipe in my old living room with the ribbon and fabric strips each having casings sewn in by my mom and sister. I collected burlap, pinecones, log pieces, sticks, candles, and greenery over the course of our engagement for the table decorations, and the amazingly awesome programs were designed by my best friend and printed at home. We chose to add supplemental lighting for the ceremony from candles and paper lanterns and Christmas lights. All of these projects were spearheaded by us and our family and friends (who all are saints, by the way.) Some of the projects, particularly the gold-dipped, individually-tied feathers, were rather comically tedious to work on; but, in the end, everything meant a lot more to us because of how hard we worked to pull it all off! Our fingerprints were all over our wedding. Plus, it saved us a bunch of money in the long run.

Any advice for brides planning their weddings now? First and foremost, remember that the ultimate outcome of planning a wedding is that you get to marry your best friend and spend the rest of your life with that person, regardless of how the details of your wedding play out! But, in the meantime, have fun with each step of the way. Be respectful with ideas and suggestions that come from other people, but make the decisions that will ultimately mean the most to you. Try to keep a good sense of humor about things. Plans can and will go ‘wrong’, but most guests will never even know. And, when people offer to help you with projects, accept their help!

Wedding Music:
Processional: “January Wedding” The Avett Brothers
Recessional: “Helicopter,” Branches
During the ceremony/cord tying: “You Won’t Relent,” Jesus Culture
First Dance: “Hazy,” Rosi Golan and William Fitzsimmons
Dad/Daughter Dance: “You’ll Be In My Heart,” Phil Collins
Mother/Son Dance: “Tears,” by Rush

Wedding Location: Greeley, CO / Photographer: We Are the Parsons / Wedding Venue: Zoe’s Café / Bouquets: Bride and friends / Wedding Dress and Veil: Janay Andrews / Hair and Makeup: Bride’s friends / Groom and Groomsmen’s Attire: H&M / Ceremony Musicians: Annie and Sarah Parsons, Travis Thompson, and Paul Beveridge of Paul Beveridge and Company / Wedding Caterer: Benny’s Kitchen / Desserts: Friends and Family / Wedding Invitations: Video invite by Bride and Groom

There is so much power in one, great photo — the power to make you giddy, strike curiosity or even cause you to tear up a bit. It only makes sense that your favorite photos would also make powerful wedding invitations, and that’s exactly what the folks over at Invitations by Dawn have been dreaming up: a series of photo wedding invitations with a ridiculous amount of options to choose from. We particularly love their z-fold invites — opening this invite has an element of surprise that is cute beyond words!

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, Invitations by Dawn is a seasoned stationery company (more than 30 years in the biz!) that is focused on helping couples find the right wedding invitation. Dawn’s commitment to your special day is why they offer free samples to prove their excellent quality and a team of experts to give sound advice on invitation etiquette, so you’re not left in the dark about important things like how to word your invitation.

There were too many to list, so here’s a whole collection of photo wedding invites looking at you, kid. Get 25% off with code RUFFLED25 while you’re at it. Promotion will end on 6/30/13.

Annie, the designer behind Anniemade is our most recent DIY Contributor and we’re super excited to be sharing packaging + gift projects. You may very well remember her from her wedding we shared a few months ago. We will let let her take it from here:

This is a great project for an engagement party that won’t tax your time or your bank account. In fact, you’ll need just a few things to whip up this quick gift package:

Supplies (Time: 30 Minutes // Cost: Approximately $20-30)

Magazine File (IKEA Kassett)
download Congrats text (or design your own – font used is “Alex Brush”)
A digital photo of the couple
ruler
2 sheets of 8.5 x 11” adhesive label paper (we used Staples Sticker Paper)
One pair of scissors
X-acto knife and cutting mat
ribbon
tissue paper
1 large cellophane bag
A card and wedding related goodies

Step 1: Print and Prepare your labels. Using your computer, blow up your photo to the size indicated by the photo placeholder template. When ready, print the photo template page and the “Congrats” text on your sticker paper.

Step 2: Cut + place your labels. For the photo and side elements, grab your cutting mat and x-acto knife. You’ll need the x-acto knife for the front cutout, and a cutting mat (or paper cutter) can be used to cut the photo with straight edges. For the “Congrats” text, use your scissors to carefully cut a loose border around the edges. Peel away photo and side labels and place on file. You will want to work from the edge to ensure there aren’t any air bubbles.

Step 3: Insert all your goodies into your magazine file and tuck a few pieces of tissue paper inside for the finishing touch. Then wrap the whole thing in cellophane and tie it all together with a beautiful satin ribbon.

If this is being given as a group gift, you may even want all the bride’s friends to use a sharpie to sign the magazine file itself. Here are some fun ideas of what to place in your magazine file to provide your bride with great inspiration: a Congratulations card, wedding mags, card with wedding blog musts, passed down wedding books, stylish pen + pencil, notepad, sticky notes, thank you notes, your own piece of advice if you’re already married!

Project and project photos by Anniemade.