Ontario Family Barn Wedding
This Canadian wedding is reception decor inspiration in a realm of its own. Bridesmaid and photographer Sara Wilde shares the day with us, and it’s clear this is a true labor of love affair — the barn used for the wedding is owned by the bride’s grandfather, and both friends and family pitched in to make the day one to remember. We love how they incorporated the barn into their theme – their song request bucket on a pulley is our newest favorite rustic wedding idea!
From the bride, Vicky: Being a graphic designer and visual stylist, I wanted to do as much as I could myself. My vision for the wedding started with an idea to make napkins for the tables in different patterns – yellow for the girls and grey for the boys. I also used these fabrics to make bunting and tassels which were used to decorate the space. My background in graphic design made me want to brand everything and the brown craft paper really worked with the space. The painted signs replicated the hand-drawn feeling of the font and the illustrations I did for the invitations and the wine and cider labels.
We knew that we wanted a sentimental setting, and my Grandfather’s old chicken barn, turned out to be the perfect location. The building’s cinderblock structure mixed with the old wood loft and ceiling really complimented our aesthetic that is somewhere between industrial and rustic. Many weekends were spent cleaning and decorating at the barn with our family and friends. While the girls hung flags and added flowers to the tree chandelier, the boys built the bar out of barn boards salvaged from Ryan’s family’s property. We all worked together to add features like the cupcake stand made out of an old ladder, lighting made from sap pails and chicken feeder flower pots.
We wanted everyone to have a great time so we made sure that there would be lots to do – a photo booth, candy table, guest tree, and DJ request bucket. We also wanted everyone to have a space to be comfortable and get to know each other, so we included intimate seating areas and lots of high top tables to mingle at around the bar.
View more images from this wedding in the gallery
Wedding Vendors (Durham, Ontario, Canada):
Wedding Venue: Bride’s Grandfather’s barn / Wedding Photographer and Photobooth: Sara Wilde Photography / Wedding Dress: Augusta Jones / Wedding Shoes: Anthropologie / Bride’s Headpiece and Veil: Vicky P Design / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Made by groom’s mother / Bridesmaids’ Accessories: Vicky P Design / Wedding Hair: Kristen Whetham / Wedding Makeup: Jenna Voss / Groomsmen’s Suits: Gorman’s Menswear / Wedding Flowers: Durham Florists / Wedding Caterer: Green Door Cafe / Cupcakes: Cake Creations by Renee van der Heide / Invitations and Stationery: Vicky P Design / Officiant: Pastor Randy Liedtke / DJ: Sensational Sounds DJ Service
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Weekly Wrap Up + Winners!
Thank you everyone who answered our 2012 Reader Survey! We are loving what you had to say and we’re excited to share new features this year. I’ve been obsessed with dark blue lately. Love it especially when paired with a bright poppy red and earthy tones with gold touches…Would love to see a wedding in these colors :) Both images are in our Pinterest boards, which you can follow here for more wedding ideas.
photos via Desire to Inspire and Oh Joy!
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In case you missed this week:
Napa Valley wedding
Syrian ballroom wedding
Backyard Canadian wedding
One DIY project, used in 3 ways
Organic Cali wedding
Wedding pie series
Dreamy rustic shoot
1930s Glam wedding
Portland rainy day wedding
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Thank you everyone who answered our 2012 Reader Survey! Winner of $50 gift certificate is Vivian L., congrats! We will be in touch shortly.
The 4 lucky winners from Vintage Invites giveaway are Terra J, Berkeley, Brielle aaaand Lindsay! Congrats ladies! They are also giving 100 dollars off to everyone on any order over 500 dollars, using discount RUFFLED100.
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Portland School-Themed Wedding
From sunny Idaho to the ever-so-moody skies of Oregon, this darling wedding shot by You Look Nice Today Photography is cute overload. With pops of aqua, red and yellow, this wedding was handmade every step of the way. Still hesitant about the weather on your wedding day? Just you watch how much you’ll love wellies paired with a wedding dress.
From the bride, Stephanie: We wanted a fun, circus-y feel with bright colors and as many handmade decorations as possible.
Our decorations were all handmade with the help of family and friends! We set up a photo booth with fun props, we made our own mustaches for guests to wear, colorful handmade bunting everywhere, my craft group knit over 100 unique flowers and made them into pins for everyone to wear, we refurbished an antique door to use as the alter for the ceremony backdrop and my Mom and sister made all the invitations by hand, they turned out to be amazing. Our color scheme was turquoise, red and yellow which seemed to fit nicely in the old elementary school venue.
Any advice for brides planning their weddings now? Don’t be afraid to ask for help! Utilize your wedding party and print out tasks for the day of to keep everyone organized. Focus on one thing at a time, so that you don’t get overwhelmed.
View all images from this wedding in the gallery
Wedding Songs:
Processional: Traditional wedding march
Recessional: “When I’m 64,” The Beatles
First Dance: “Faithfully,” Journey
Wedding Vendors (Portland, OR):
Wedding Venue: The Mcminamins Kennedy School / Wedding Photographers: You Look Nice Today Photography / Wedding Flowers: Erica of Moda Floral and Event Design / Wedding Dress: Vintage from Xtabay Vintage / Wedding Shoes: Report / Gold Cuff: H&M / Bride’s Hair: Kristen Engleman of Akemi Salon / Bridesmaid’s Dresses: Target and Vintage / Groom’s Suit: Banana Republic / Groom’s Shoes: H&M / DJ: DJ Bootz / Wedding Caterer: The Mcminamins Kennedy School / Cupcakes: St. Cupcake / Wedding Invitations: Designed and made by bride and bride’s family / Transportation: Prestige Limousine Service
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Boise Botanical Gardens Wedding
This Idaho wedding shot by Andria Lindquist is that of a couple with two main priorities: comfort and fun. Isn’t that how it should always be? We love the mix of having a ceremony in a garden setting then moving to a reception in an industrial building!
From the bride, Kristin: The majority of our relationship has evolved through shared experiences and memories of being outdoors; from camping trips into the Sawtooth Mountains of Central Idaho to a surprise proposal while hiking the Na’Pali coast of Kauai. In this light, we realized early on that an outdoor ceremony would be perfect for us. The Botanical Gardens stole our heart from the first visit. It offered an intimate, natural setting and had just the right mix of qualities we were looking for.
Together, we decided what was important to us and weren’t afraid to break away from tradition. We wanted every aspect of our wedding to be personal and a reflection of our relationship. During the planning process, we went through the details of the wedding ceremony together and tailored them around things that were significant about our relationship. It was more important for us to involve the people and things that have touched our lives than to conform to conventional standards. We dressed our Miniature Schnauzer, who we absolutely adore, in a bow tie and he accompanied the ring bearer and flower girl down the aisle. We had close friends perform the music for the ceremony, which included the bridal processional, an original acoustic composition of Coldplay’s “The Scientist” instead of the customary “Bridal March.” For an officiant, we had one of Blake’s friends from grade-school perform a ceremony that we all prepared together. The day was pulled together with the help and support of friends and family. Ultimately, it was very intimate and incredibly special to both of us. It was a perfect representation of who we are together and a reminder of how far we’ve come.
Although the entire day was absolutely amazing, there is one particular moment that will hold an extra special place in our hearts forever. Shortly after the ceremony, we managed to sneak away with our photographer to capture a few more pictures as the sun started setting and the lighting was in its prime. As the photo session began to wrap up, my anxiety started to build. I knew we were headed strait to the reception, and shortly after we rejoined our guests we would have our first dance together. I was not only anxious about our performance, but also lacking confidence in the ability of my dress to cooperate with all the twisting and spinning. To calm my mind and ensure there would be no major wardrobe malfunction, Blake pulled out his iPhone and turned on our song. He grabbed my hand and we danced with each other on a cracked slab of concrete in front of an rustic old barn with the sun setting behind us. In that moment, everything slowed down. We looked around and there were no guests, no timeline, and no pressure. It was just the two of us, my new husband and I sharing a moment together that was sweet, improvised, intimate, and unforgettably perfect.
Advice to future brides: Don’t rush the planning process and really take the time to truly enjoy each step. Take the opportunity to have fun, learn more about each other, and explore what it is that makes your relationship so special to each of you. Appreciate the little moments that occur as you work with each other to customize your big day. For me, some of my fondest memories were made while planning; going through all of our favorite songs together and choosing which one to dance to, coming to tears as we wrote our wedding vows, working together to find the right shade of pink for the ties, and stumbling through our first dance practice in the middle of the living room. Those little moments are now just as significant as the actual wedding day.
View all images from this wedding in the gallery
Wedding Vendors (Boise, Idaho):
Ceremony Venue: Idaho Botanical Gardens / Reception Venue: The Linen Building / Wedding Photographer: Andria Lindquist / Wedding Dress: Jasmine Bridal Couture / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Ann Taylor / Wedding Flowers: Hope Blooms, Eagle Idaho / Wedding Caterer: Open Table Catering / Wedding Cake: Pastry Perfection / DJ: Vince Cavanaugh, VCI Audio
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