From the bride, Megan: The pinwheels and all other decorations were made by JP and me, my sisters, and my closest friend Sarah. As graphic designers we love the tactile nature of paper and made all of our decorations aside from the flowers out of it. The cake toppers were an idea I had that JP perfected. JP made 20 cake toppers of different famous couples.

Our wedding was sentimental and joyous. Our wedding color scheme was various shades and hues of red. Our DIY projects included:
-We made tons of red pinwheels that decorated the chairs at the reception and made a huge focal wall behind the bridal parties table.
-We made our invitations, save the dates and programs.
-We sewed a booklet for each guest that served as the place card. Inside each booklet we wrote a message to the guest. We knew we wouldn’t get to talk to everyone during the day so we wanted to write them each a note thanking them.
-Jp made all the cake toppers!
-I made my garter

Any advice for brides planning their weddings now? Pick one thing you are going to splurge on that means the most to you and one thing you are going to let go and live without. For Jp and me, having wonderful photography to look at after our wedding was a must so we splurged on photography. While I love cake we decided that the cakes didn’t really matter to us in the grand scheme of things. This really helped us gain some perspective that everything in the planning process is not equally important and somethings you can live without.

Wedding Vendors (Milwaukee, WI):

Ceremony Venue: Holy Apostles (New Berlin) / Reception Venue: Villa Filomena / Wedding Photographer: Anna Page Photography / Wedding Dress: Jenny Packham / Wedding Shoes: Steve Madden / Rings: Britta Kauppila / Groom’s Suit: Banana Republic / Wedding Flowers: Gabriella Bras

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1. Ice Blue and Crimson Wedding Ideas
2. Green Building Brooklyn Wedding
3. Handmade Violet Wedding

© 2008-2012 Ruffled® , 2012. | Permalink | 8 comments | Posted under: DIY Weddings Anna Page Photography, crimson, gray, handmade, Milwaukee, New Berlin, paper goods, pinwheel, red, Wisconsin

From the bride, Rachel: I wanted our wedding to be different from the traditional wedding because traditional just does not represent my husband and me. Both of us are pretty laid back and we wanted a wedding that allowed us to be ourselves and our guests to be themselves. In order to do this, we incorporated many things that would represent who we are. We knew that we wanted our venue to be somewhere that people would feel comfortable, so we chose a barn in which the owner allowed us to decorate and setup how we wanted. One of the other ways we incorporated a laid back feel was in our and our wedding party’s attire. I chose to design my own dress so that it would fit my style better than a dress from a bridal boutique. I’m not a seamstress by any means, so with the help of my wonderful mother, who can sew, we were able to take a plain sweet heart dress, I purchased online, and turn it into a dress that I loved. We altered the dress so that it would be more form fitting and purchased lace to create the look that I wanted.

The most unique part of my dress is that the lace is actually a curtain I purchased from K-Mart! We looked at several fabric stores, but were unable to find the pattern I wanted, so my mom began looking at lace curtains and found the exact pattern that I had in mind for my dress. I knew that I wanted to incorporate something of my grandmother’s, so I used one of her brooches and pinned it to a braided belt. For my shoes, I knew that I wanted something a little vintage-ish, so I had purchased a pair of cream oxford type heels from Modcloth which went perfectly with my dress. We also wanted my husband’s attire to match his personality, so in order to do that we actually just went through his closet and chose pieces that would match with the colors I had chosen for the wedding and to go along with a newly purchased pair of skinny jeans and tie.

As for the wedding party’s attire, I wanted a combination of the style of the wedding and each member’s style. In order to do this, we shopped for outfits that each member would want to wear after the wedding, but were in the color scheme of the wedding. As far as the decor goes, I wanted both a natural and a vintage feel. In order to do this, we interspersed lace and wood decor throughout the ceremony and reception.

For the ceremony, I made the bouquets, boutonnieres, and corsages from lace, burlap, sticks, and wheat tops. I gathered sticks from my yard, and purchased the other items needed from Joann’s. My inspiration for this was wanting to be original. After looking at a lot of wedding websites, I knew that I wanted to create something that I hadn’t seen before. For the reception, in order to incorporate both the vintage and natural look, I used lace table cloths, a mixture of vintage serving platters along with vintage coffee mugs for our coffee/hot tea/hot chocolate bar and then slabs of wood that my dad cut and made into tiers for the display of the pies and our wedding cake. Our wedding cake was just a small cake since we served pies, cake pops, lemons bars, salted caramel chocolate bars, pumpkin donut holes, fruit, and trail mix to the guests. The cake topper was an estate sale find. My sister baked our cake, but we hadn’t been able to decide on a cake topper until my dad found these two little owls at an estate sale and I knew they had to be on top of our cake to represent my obsession of owl figurines, which just so happens to be a family obsession on both sides.

Other things that we did to create a wedding that represented us was to make portions of the ceremony and reception that portrayed what was important to us,and what we liked. For the ceremony, we knew that we wanted God to be represented in it. He is everything to my husband and I and we wanted to represent that to our guests. In order to do this, we wanted the unity portion of our ceremony to show that He brought us together. At first, we had a hard time deciding how to do this until Alex researched unity ceremonies and found the unity braid. The braid has three strands representing God, Alex, and me. While we braided strips of lace, burlap and yarn we had one of Alex’s favorite worship songs (Divine Romace by Phil Wickham) playing and then once we braided the belt we asked the guests to join us for a moment of worship until the song ended.

For the reception, we had family and friends perform songs for us to dance to. As a surprise to me, Alex, my brother-in-laws and sweet friend surprised me with a performance of “Kiss the Girl” from my favorite Disney movie “The Little Mermaid.” It was the best surprise ever and really made our reception represent us.

Wedding Vendors (Lebanon, TN):

Wedding Venue: Private Residence / Wedding Photographer: Ulmer Studios / Wedding Dress: Made by Bride / Bride’s Shoes: ModCloth / Lace Bouquets and Boutonnieres: made by bride / Wedding Caterer: Kendra Uhl, sister of the bride / Officiant: James Ulmer, father of the bride

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1. Tennessee Farm Wedding
2. Homespun Tennessee Wedding
3. Knoxville Tennessee Wedding

© 2008-2012 Ruffled® , 2012. | Permalink | 9 comments | Posted under: DIY Weddings barn, DIY, gray, handmade, lace, Lebanon, rustic weddings, Tennessee, Ulmer Studios

From the photographers, Ashley and Kellen: John and Rachel got married mid October on an estate in central valley California. They tied the knot under a huge oak tree and had the reception surrounded by walnut orchards. They proceeded to have the live music and dancing in the barn! Every last detail of this wedding was thoroughly thought out by the bride. She is a very stylish bride with good taste and wanted that to come out in the wedding. Therefore, making their wedding perfect for each of their personalities.

Rachel and her family did everything for their wedding. Her mom and her found old tin coffee cans filled them with flowers and made centerpieces. For the numbers on the tables she got old books from a estate sale nearby and her dad bolted old address numbers to them. Each of the plates for the reception was bought at a thrift store where John and Rachel first met while working there!!

It was a dry wedding, so instead of beer they had soda in bottles! It was a huge hit, especially with the striped straws! The bride and groom also set up their own little “love bird” table. They bought the Mr & Mrs letters from and antique store and hung them, the chairs were in her apartment previously but she knew she wanted to use them for the wedding.

The ceremony was lined with signs that she and her parents painted with the date, their names, and little sayings from the actual ceremony. A beautiful touch to making a big ceremony site feel a little more intimate. Her father walked her down the aisle to her groom and her grandpa. Her grandpa said a few words, and then her father went on to marry them. Her brother is a musician so he played during the communion keeping it a family affair.

As for the reception they hired a local pizza place to bring a mobile wood burning pizza oven and make TONS AND TONS of pizza! And for the dancing, they hired a local bluegrass band, Poor Mans Poison to play in the barn. It was a HUGE hit, and the everyone danced the night away!

Wedding Vendors (Visalia, CA):

Wedding Venue: Bennet Ranch / Wedding Photographer: Weeno Photography / Wedding Dress: Vintage / Bride’s Jewelry: Vintage and Forever 21 / Bride’s Shoes: Poetic License / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: ModCloth and Macy’s / Groom’s Attire: Forever 21 / Groomsmen’s Attire: Calvin Klein / Groom and Groomsmen’s Shoes: Vans / Stationery: Bride / Ceremony Musician: Luke Mundy / Wedding Music: Poor Man’s Poison / Wedding Caterer: Fatte Albert’s Pizza / Ice Cream Sandwiches: IT’S-IT Ice Cream / Officiants: Bride’s father and grandfather

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1. Crafty Camarillo Ranch Wedding
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3. Calamigos Ranch Wedding

© 2008-2012 Ruffled® , 2012. | Permalink | 17 comments | Posted under: DIY Weddings California, handmade, pool, vintage wedding dresses, Visalia, Weeno Photography, yellow

From the bride, Leah: I wanted our wedding to be laid back and fun — a big party — so we chose to do a circus theme. My wedding day was honestly perfect. I just wanted it to be a huge celebration with all our friends and that is exactly what I got. I had so much fun and felt so comfortable and relaxed the entire day. I had so much help from so many people that I never felt stressed out or worried that something would go wrong. I remember when I first saw everything put together… I knew it would look great, but I had no idea how beautiful it would be. It was so incredible driving away that night with my new husband. I can honestly say that was the happiest day of my life!

DIY projects included the chandeliers (got them from thrift store and painted them), curtains & bow ties (made by my mom), striped dividers (my dad made them and painted them for me), favors, invitations and table cloths… we spray painted our silhouettes on.

Wedding Vendors (Wilkesboro, NC):

Wedding Venue and Caterer: Wilkes Community College / Wedding Photographer: Alively Photography / Wedding Planner: Heather Bergeron / Wedding Dress: Vintage / Dress Alterations: Young Dress Maker & Alteration / Wedding Shoes: Michael by Michael Kors / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Anthropologie / Wedding Flowers: Sara McMillan, friend of the bride

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1. North Carolina Courthouse Wedding
2. North Carolina Farmhouse Wedding
3. Heartfelt North Carolina Wedding

© 2008-2012 Ruffled® , 2012. | Permalink | 11 comments | Posted under: DIY Weddings Alively Photography, black, DIY, handmade, North Carolina, red, Wilkesboro, yellow

From the bride, Kim: The style we envisioned for our wedding was vintage autumn picnic with a touch of boathouse dapper: Autumnal, eclectic, vintage, boating, whimsical, handmade, textured, fabric, florals, rifle paper co.

Any advice for brides planning their weddings now? Contrary to popular opinion, a wedding should be all about the guests! Focus on how you can make the day as special for them as it will be for you. If your friends and family are having a blast, you can be guaranteed that you will be too!

Wedding Music:
Processional: “Lover’s Prayer,” Gillian Welch
Recessional: “Love Train,” The O’Jays

Wedding Vendors (Melbourne, Australia):

Wedding Venue: Fairfield Boathouse / Wedding Photographer: Jonathan Ong / Wedding Decor: Bride and friends / Wedding Flowers: Nadia’s Studio Flowers / Wedding Dress: Mariana Hardwick “Carmina” / Wedding Shoes: Rachel Simpson “Carmen” / Hair and Makeup: Y Salon / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Made by bride’s mother / Wedding Music: Baker Boys Band / Wedding Cake: The Workers Food Room / Wedding Invitations: Rifle Paper Co.

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1. Whimsical Melbourne Wedding
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3. Retro Handmade Melbourne Wedding

© 2008-2012 Ruffled® , 2012. | Permalink | 10 comments | Posted under: Garden Weddings Australia, boathouse, boathouse weddings, DIY, fall weddings, handmade, Jonathan Ong, Melbourne, Rifle Paper Co.

From the bride, Rachel: As Scott is British and I am Australian, our first decision was where to hold the wedding. In the end we decided to hold it in Australia as this is where we are currently living, but thought it was be amazing to have an English garden themed wedding. We had an amazing group of family and friends that came all the way from the UK for the day, so we wanted to make it a day everyone would all enjoy and remember. The Gold Coast Botanic Gardens were exactly what we were looking for. There was a huge fig tree right by the water, and a natural bamboo archway leading down to it. Perfect!

From the very beginning we decided that we would have a DIY wedding. We had a small budget, but also wanted it to be personalised and reflect us a couple. We wanted each of the bridal party to have quirky accessories that suited them. I chose different earrings and brooches for the girls that suited them, and Scott picked watches and socks for the boys.

We collected jam jars for months for decor and for drinks at the ceremony! DIY elements included our invites, decorations, bouquets, guestbook, and sashes for the bridesmaid dresses. Making our invites was super fun! We love photos, so created a photographic invite, with pics of ourselves. We then had the formal invite details on the back, and stitched both sides together, and tied each invite with twine and a postage tag with the guests name hand written.

For the ceremony we collected the decorations all throughout our engagement. Lanterns, vintage lace from my grandma’s glory box, bunting. We had our English guests bring fondant fancies & party rings, and we made jugs of pims and lemonade, and iced apple & cinnamon tea for refreshments afterwards.

Our main advice for other couples would be to do as much as you can by yourselves, it makes it personal and from the heart. Look for non bridal suppliers to save where you can. Wedding dress, bridal party outfits, flowers from wholesalers – you can find amazing things when you think outside the box!

Wedding Vendors (Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia):

Ceremony Location: Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens / Reception Location: The Garlic Clove / Wedding Photographer: Trigger Happy Images / Ceremony Decor: Original Occasions / Wedding Flowers: Bride and bridesmaids / Wedding Dress: Sue Wong / Wedding Shoes: Wittner / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: ASOS / Hair: Candy Hairdressing / Makeup: Lea Beauty / Groom’s Shirt: ASOS / Groom’s Trousers and Bow Tie: Roger David / Wedding Cake: My Little Cupcake Empire / String Trio: Tonic / Stationery: Bride and Groom / Celebrant: Clarah Luxford / Transportation: Byron Bay Retro Cars

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1. Spring in Bloom Brooklyn Wedding
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© 2008-2012 Ruffled® , 2012. | Permalink | 5 comments | Posted under: DIY Weddings Australia, baby's breath, bouquets, DIY, Gold Coast, handmade, outdoor ceremonies, Queensland, rustic weddings, Trigger Happy Images

From the designer, Marta Machin at Marlett: Bianca and Gonzalo are a very special couple, when I met them I immediately fell in love with their easy going, worldly traveled vibe. They wanted a wedding that was a garden party, to be surrounded with close family and friends, celebrate their love and dance ’til dawn. Their wedding was also a goodbye party, after the celebration they would start their two year honeymoon around the world. (Right now they are in China after having traveled to Africa, Australia, Borneo, the Philippines and Bali.)

They wanted a relaxed celebration, with just a cocktails and no formal dinner. Since helm oaks are very typical in this part of Spain we chose to use them as the anchor points for the different stages of the wedding, from the ceremony to the dance floor

The wedding was not a big wedding in Spain, but still 120 relatives and friends gathered together under helm oaks at dusk to see the couple get married in a heirloom bench, surrounded by old family portraits, and in front of a XVIII century desk (loaned by the groom’s mother) filled with flowers. The location of the ceremony was chosen because of its ideal surroundings, but also because the light at the time of the ceremony would be ideal.

The ceremony was very emotional, the groom gave a speech that spoke of traveling, his love of Bianca and their goodbyes to their family. It was sweet, personal and touching. I cried like when watching a good romantic movie, the air was filled with dense emotions and happiness.

The bride wore a dress designed by her sister (a fashion stylist) and a friend, with fabrics brought from Philippines (their mother is Filipino) The dress was beautiful beyond words, and suited her like a glove. (The fall, the movement of the gown was amazing, it was the perfect dress, vintage inspired but timeless) The groom wore a custom made suit with a bow tie and his best man, his brother, was also another example of sartorial excellence. She walked the aisle to “Heartbeats” from José González.

The rest of the wedding would not disappoint. The couple asked me to create chill out spots inspired by their love of traveling, but also kind of nostalgic of their childhood. I chose to recreate a fabric fort and an exotic bedroom with elements from all over the world. The decor graduated from a more romantic approach (the ceremony) to the more exotic and wild bedroom under the tree. Guests could pick up food and drinks and sit in these areas to chat and relax, later on, late at night, when everything was lit by candles and string lights, they would also enjoy sitting down after dancing and talking with their friends.

Wedding Vendors (Madrid, Spain):

Wedding Venue: Groom’s Parents’ Home / Photographer and Videographer: Gonzalo Manera / Wedding Design: Marta Machin at Marlett / Wedding Dress: bespoke / Wedding Flowers: Vinca per Vinca / Wedding Caterer: Pipiripao

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1. Bohemian Corona del Mar Wedding
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© 2008-2012 Ruffled® , 2012. | Permalink | 6 comments | Posted under: Whimsical Weddings backyard weddings, Gonzalo Manera, handmade, international weddings, Madrid, Marlett, pink, Spain, vintage bicycles, vintage details, white

From the bride, Kirsten: We wanted an intimate wedding with a vintage family feast feel. We opted for a very rustic venue and incorporated various vintage elements into the decor.

I love vintage things, mixing and matching and anything with a pretty pattern, hence the bunting and my vintage-inspired wedding dress. Gérhardt has a passion for flying, so we decided to make our own paper jet confetti to incorporate that into our day. He also really loves Africa & I got him Lady Peculiar cufflinks in the shape of Africa with a heart on the southern tip. With regards to DIY projects – I designed the stationery, made the favours, folded paper jets for confetti with the boys, made our seating chart, crafted my own veil, did my own make-up, made fabric hearts, boutonnieres, photobooth props and the list goes on…

Any advice for brides planning their weddings now? I have a couple of pointers to share out of my experience:

-Don’t leave anything until the last minute
-Some things won’t go according to plan – BIG DEAL!
-Start planning well in advance, this well help you save on costs and be more organized
-Just relax!
-Don’t be afraid to delegate. I’m one of those people who wanted to do everything myself, but I had to learn to trust other people
-Remember that it’s your wedding and incorporate elements that are special to you as a couple
-Stick to your guns even if nobody understands your ideas
-Have loads of fun and savour every moment of your planning experience
-Make family members like your mother & mother-in-law part of the planning experience even if you don’t share the same ideas
-Invest in a professional photographer

From the photographer, Catherine: Early morning misty bridal portraits, 100 meters of pink and white bunting, a lake-side ceremony in a boat house, a long-sleeved lace gown, a couple so sweet they smelled like toffee apples! I loved it all from start to finish and it was an absolute TREAT to be there to document Kirsten and Gerhardt’s special day! Between you and me, Elgin is one of my favourite places to photograph weddings! There is something quite magical about it. Simple. Rockhaven was the perfect place for Kirsten and Gerhardt’s fun daytime wedding and I almost died of excitement when I realized the ceremony was taking place in a boat house that completely opens up onto the lake.

Wedding Vendors (Cape Town, South Africa):

Wedding Venue and Caterer: Rockhaven Farm (Elgin) / Wedding Photographer: Catherine Mac / Wedding Flowers: Oak Valley Flower Farm / Wedding Dress: Made by bride’s grandmother / Wedding Invitations: Made by bride

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© 2008-2012 Ruffled® , 2012. | Permalink | 10 comments | Posted under: DIY Weddings Cape Town, Catherine Mac, DIY, farm, handmade, pink, red, South Africa, white

From Angie: When we started planning our day, our biggest goal was to create an environment where our guests could relax, eat some yummy sweets, and just enjoy the day. Both of us have a sort of thrown together style, and I really wanted to weave that into our reception. We got engaged at Christmas, and our wedding was in early March, so we didn’t have a whole lot of time for inspiration! Thankfully I’ve been planning my wedding since I was born, so everything came together quickly.

I just found myself picking random fabrics and colors that I liked. As for DIY projects, we worked with friends and family to create a ceiling canopy made from strips of thrifted bedsheets, and then placed pieces of the fabric throughout the hall. I also made our initials out of moss and cardboard, and created an ampersand with vintage fabric. My maid of honor, Amanda, glued laced pieces around mason jars for candles and flowers. My mother in law made cake plates out of vintage platters and candleholders. We borrowed a ton of furniture from my sister and from a local shop called Objects.

Any advice for brides planning their weddings now? If you are going to DIY, ask people for help! Talk to people about the style you’re going for; you never know who may give you some inspiration or offer a great vendor. Draw on as many resources as you can. For us, Seth’s sister did all the baking, my sister arranged our flowers, and a local seamstress made my dress. Also, be flexible and don’t stress if things don’t go according to plan! The week of the wedding, some of our flowers were ruined during shipment. We just picked out some different flowers from the cooler and they looked amazing.

View all images form this wedding in the gallery

Wedding Vendors (Peoria, IL):

Ceremony and Reception: Peoria Apostolic Christian Church / Wedding Photographer: Deidre Lynn Photography / Wedding Flowers: Bride’s sister, ordered online from Bill Doran / Stationery: Design by Laura Jean / Bride’s shoes and dress: Bride by Deanna / Veil: Twigs and Honey / Groomsmen’s ties: Tux and Tulle / Wedding Cake: Caleri’s Cafe

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© 2008-2012 Ruffled® , 2012. | Permalink | 13 comments | Posted under: DIY Weddings Deidre Lynn, handmade, Illinois, Peoria, teal

From the bride, Maëlis: From the start, we envisioned our wedding as a wonderful summer day, with friends and family enjoying themselves in a chilled-out atmosphere. We fell in love with a beautiful country-house in Normandie, and created the decor from here. I sought out a lot of inspiration online, especially on the US blogs – Ruffled being one of my main sources! – but I also meant to craft in a French touch. I was so thrilled that I opened my own blog on the latest trends for French brides.

We wanted our wedding to be truthful to who we are as a couple, so we incorporated a lot of us in it, like a homemade chutney as a favor for our guests. We did everything ourselves, from the flowers to the escort-cards! I can’t thank enough my husband for going along with all (well, almost :) of my crazy ideas, like having actual moss on the tables. My Mom was a great help too, scouting antiques markets in every part of France and doing an amazing job with the flowers. Audrey and Anthony beautifully captured all of it!

Wedding Vendors (Boisset-les-Prevanches, France):

Wedding Venue: Manoir des Prevanches / Wedding Photographer: One and Only Paris Photography / Day-of Coordinator: Made In You / Wedding Dress: David Fielden, “Grace Kelly” / Wedding Veil: Metal Flaque / Bride’s Jewelry: Vintage / Groom’s Suit and Shoes: Paul Smith / Wedding Cake: Sugarplum (Paris) / Paper Goods: Desplis

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© 2008-2012 Ruffled® , 2012. | Permalink | 18 comments | Posted under: DIY Weddings black, Boisset-les-Prevanches, DIY, France, handcrafted weddings, handmade, moss, One and Only Paris Photography, outdoor weddings, red