A Wedding You’d Never Guess Was DIY-ed

We love a bride who isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty and do a little work on her big day. Enter Ashley, the bride who rallied her ‘maids and DIYed the floral design infused with greenery galore. Thankfully Michael and Carina Photography were there to capture every pretty detail and we’ve got it waiting for you in The Vault!

“My bridesmaids and I did all the florals,

I loved seeing their personalities in the bouquets

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Colors

Seasons

Summer

Settings

Outdoor

Styles

Classic

From the Bride… Matt and I met in college when my sorority lost a challenge to his fraternity. In return we had to cook them dinner. I’m not sure if Matt and I exchanged a single word that day, but afterwards he tried relentlessly to get me to agree to a date. After more than a year of insisting we were better off as friends, nonchalant hangouts (Matt believes otherwise), and a little hiccup—I fell for Matt, and we finally began dating. Four years later, Matt proposed at the site where our first house was going to be built. Every aspect was a total surprise and made for the most perfect proposal!

Our goal was to create a unique wedding that would reflect who we are and our favorite things in life. The style we envisioned was ethereal and romantic with classic touches. We wanted the colors to be soft and muted with lots of organic elements. We enjoy spending time outdoors and were inspired by nature. So we had an outdoor ceremony, dancing under the stars, and an abundance of flowers! I wanted flowers everywhere and arrangements that were organic, so my bridesmaids and I took on all of the floral arrangements! I loved seeing each of my dearest friends personalities in their bouquets and the arrangements.

To keep with the natural style, I used plant-dyed silk ribbon to tie up my dress and bouquet, and I hand painted wood signs as décor around our venue. Matt and I also love to read (I collect antique books) so a lot of our inspiration came from romances in literature. We chose quotes that spoke to us for our paper products and wood signs, and we had a close friend read a Shakespearean sonnet during our ceremony. Our friends and family were another inspiration. They are the people who have fostered our relationship, taught us important lessons, and acted as our role models, so we wanted to make sure they felt our gratitude. From providing sandalwood fans to keep them cool and thank you notes at the place settings, to the choice of food, music, lawn games, and favors, we wanted our guests to feel loved and to have a great time.

The next day we also invited our friends and family to join us at our favorite brunch destination, and sent them home with flowers! Something that made our wedding unique is how much we created ourselves. We love making things together—Matt the architect and I the crafter. Matt built the arbor that we got married beneath; I created all sorts of little details. I love calligraphy so I used our wedding as an excuse to dabble in a new art for creating the invitations, addressing the envelopes, and drawing a wedding monogram! Matt also refinished badminton racquets from my family’s antique store and built corn hole boards for me to paint.

As a teacher, I was insistent on having a summer wedding, but July weather in Virginia can be unforgiving. So in southern tradition, to ward off bad weather, we buried a bottle of bourbon exactly one month from our wedding day. We are so thankful that we did! Our perfect day was sandwiched between dreary days full of rain and storms. It also made for a fun memory when we got to dig it up and share it with our favorite people!

As fate would have it, our wedding day had quite a few mishaps despite all our planning. Matt, as usual, came to the rescue! Everything worked out beautifully and our day was an absolute dream. My advice is to have faith in the work that you’ve put into your day without expecting perfection. Just enjoy it all. Take a step back and soak in all the beautiful little moments—like your aunt dancing so full of joy or your dad swiping icing off the wedding cake during speeches.

Vault CTA

Vault CTA

Photography: Michael and Carina Photography | Floral Design: DIY | Wedding Dress: Watters | Wedding Cake: Nothing Bundt Cakes | Shoes: Nina | Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Donna Morgan | Catering: Williamsburg Caterers | Hair Stylist: Salon Vivace | DJ: Joe Bowman of Dynamite DJs | Suit: Vera Wang | Arbor + Design: DIY | Film Lab: Richard Photo Lab | Paper Goods: DIY

© Style Me Pretty, 2016. |
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Post categories: Do-It-Yourself Inspired, Real Weddings, The Blog

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