Au Naturale Farm and Vineyard Wedding with Handmade Details
Earthy, intimate and au naturale, Elyssa and Jeff’s farm and vineyard wedding is as inspiring as they come. Especially when you find out the bride + groom (and some pretty crafty loved ones) rolled up their sleeves to create most of the decor details themselves. From the crochet dream catcher backdrop to the sweet furry guests roaming the property, this wedding is pretty darn sweet. It was important to E+J to incorporate eco-friendly details wherever they could, and we’re head over heels for the result. Let’s dive in!
Captured by natural light wedding photographer and Ruffled member, Jessica Bordner, this wedding day was all smiles. We love the way she seizes those moments of affection, tenderness and all the giggles in between.
Look at these flower girl cuties with their wildflower halos!
From the photographer, Jessica Bordner: Elyssa and Jeff’s wedding reflected them as a couple so perfectly. Their love for plants, the outdoors, yoga and craft beer, kombucha – all were brought to life on their big day. Sons and Daughters Farm and Winery was the perfect venue to build their love story. Elyssa imagined and created all the details you see. She dreamed up and made the arbor, hung out in her dress with the free roaming animals of the farm. Full Vegan menu and dessert bar to boot!
Flower & Fringe created this magnificent bouquet – skillfully bound and brimming with color!
We’ll let Elyssa dish the deets!
What style and feel did you envision for your wedding?
Since our wedding venue was already so naturally rustic, I mainly focused on implementing earthy boho vibes to enhance the farm’s garden charm. This meant lots of do-it-yourself projects using glass bottles and jars and upcycled wood.
What are some adjectives that best describe the look of your wedding?
Charming, earthy, personal.
Did you have a theme or color scheme?
Not intentionally. However, all the colors came together naturally and complemented the overall feel (nudes, tans, beige, greens).
Were there any DIY projects involved?
HA! The entire wedding was a DIY project. But there were lots! Starting with the ceremony, my husband and father-in-law constructed the arbor from tree branches that were strung together with thick hemp rope. There were tree stumps at the entryway of the wedding aisle that featured flowers and frames with photos and cute sayings. The stumps were from my husband’s family property in West Virginia. The vases for our florals, which were arranged on top of the stumps, at cocktail hour and the reception area, were all upcycled empty glass bottles/jars that I collected during our engagement from various food items (nut butters, tahini, spices, kombucha, coconut aminos, jams, etc).
Elyssa’s side swept braid from Salon Natasha is picture perfect, as is her sun-kissed bridal glow from Gigi B.
We also ordered the lace aisle runner in bulk for the ceremony. All of the wooden signs displayed throughout the wedding were constructed by my fiance and father-in-law and either painted by my Matron of Honor, Alex, or myself (with the exception of our sweetheart table backdrop, which was painted by, again, my husband and father-in-law). We gifted succulents to our guests. My husband and father-in-law spray painted the pots gold. We also printed and cut out names/table number labels for each succulent on plant-able seed paper. Then we pasted them on thin wooden sticks.
Our centerpieces were a mix-up of various tree rounds from our property in West Virginia. We had coaster-size discs and larger ones for flowers and table numbers. I spray painted the table numbers gold and glued them on top of the smaller wooden disks. I also spray painted the “E” on top of our wedding cake. We ordered the gauze table runners in bulk and cut them ourselves. I designed the dinner menus, which were scattered throughout the tables. We also printed and framed various quotes/signs that were scattered throughout the property and displayed on the card/gift table and escort card table. I also did my Junior Bridesmaid’s hair the day of the wedding if that counts 😉
Um, these botanical bow ties though… Amazing!
We’ll forever love the look of mismatched chairs… sigh and swoon!
And how cool is this strappy lace dress?! Our hearts are in a constant state of flutter.
What flowers were used for your bouquet and/or floral arrangements?
Wildflowers! A bunch of random, whimsical blooms and foliage that were so, so beautiful!
What songs did you play at your wedding?
Processional: Nuvole Bianche by Ludovico Einaudi
Bride entrance: In My Life by Jake Shimabukuro
Recessional: Sweet Creature by Harry Styles
First dance: To Love Somebody by Michael Buble
These tray-passed snacks from Food Island are pretty photogenic. Don’t mind if we do!
Lovely vegan confetti cake from Parlour Vegan Bakery with drippy icing, white chocolate shards and a few more sweet toppings that look a bit like fluffy raindrops!
Any advice for couples planning their weddings now?
The more intimate the better. And having an intimate wedding doesn’t mean you have to have a small guest list. We had a large wedding, however, we kept it personal to us. We stayed true to our morals and values by keeping it an extremely low-waste wedding (the average U.S. wedding produces approximately 600 lbs. of trash!!). Our entire menu was vegan, which was super important to us. We made it our own in every way we possibly could — and it was awesome! Do what represents you and don’t worry about impressing your guests. This is YOUR day.
Check out their light-hearted day from Megaset Photography below!
Wedding Vendors:
Photography: Jessica Bordner Photography
Videographer: Megaset Photography
Coordination: Danielle Sarentino
Floral Design: Flower & Fringe
Venue: Sons and Daughters Farm and Winery
Cake: Parlour Vegan Bakery
Caterer: Food Island
Hair: Salon Natasha
Makeup: Gigi B
Officiant: Julie Murphy
DJ: Red Elephant