Barn - DIY Bride

Real Wedding: Cori + Kevin’s Rustic Central Coast Wedding

Cori and Kevin have known each other since they were 14 years old. They were neighbors, went to school together, and Cori said that while they never dated in high school, she sure had a big crush on him! When she ran into Kevin at a Fourth of July party in 2007, she didn’t let him out of her sight. They spent the entire summer together, but when fall rolled around, he moved back to San Luis Obispo. The move wasn’t enough to keep them apart, and they decided to keep things going long distance. After what Cori refers to as “six months of shenanigans”, she decided to move to be close to him. It ended up to be the best decision she ever made, and since then, they have spent eight years on the Central Coast together.

Cori said that her wedding was a dream come true, a “rustic, DIY love fest on top of a mountain.” They got married at a privately owned venue, a barn on a hill in Prefumo Canyon with panoramic views of the city. From the ceremony site you could see Morro Rock and the Pismo dunes, with the rolling hills of San Luis right behind them. It was a gorgeous location.

Almost all of their vendors were close friends, so everything was personalized and customized for the couple, making the day extra special. Friends and family supported them through the whole planning process and helped to make their day absolutely perfect. She said it was the most special and glorious day that she could ever imagine!

Their dessert table was absolute yummy perfection! We love all of the different colors, homemade touches, and the array of options.

From the custom seating chart and multiple signs to the breathtaking backdrop and smiles on this gorgeous couple’s faces, this wedding was one for the record books!

What’s your favorite detail of this rustic barn wedding? Let us know in the comments!

Haley + Seth’s Cute and Offbeat DIY Wedding

Today’s wedding is full of love, laughter, and DIY prettiness. Captured by Sur La Lune Photography, Haley + Seth DIY all their decorations. Coffee filter flowers? Check. DIY photo booth background? Check. Large piñatas that doubled as “hanging decorations”? Check. Come see for yourself how fun this wedding was!

Not only did Haley opted to not wear the traditional white, she and Seth also opted to get ready together and helped each other dress for their big day. Although Haley + Seth worked on many DIY decor projects, my ultimate love are the large coffee filter flowers that were carried by the flower girls. And how about them piñatas? What a fun, cool idea to have!

Congratulations to Haley + Seth!!

Photographer: Sur La Lune Photography//Wedding Date:09.07.2013//Event Venue: 1869 Homestead Bed and Breakfast//Hair Stylist:Bella Salon//Caterer: Chuy’s Restaurant//Equipment Rentals:Kentucky Music Company//

Submitted via Two Bright Lights

Laura + Keith’s DIY Country Barn Wedding

For this beautiful Friday, we’re showcasing a DIY barn wedding from Gray Photography. Laura + Keith collected all the mismatched tables and chairs for their reception from Craigslist for a year. And with major help from the family, they were able to completely re-finished and decorate the barn, including growing their own moss, flowers, and gourds used for the wedding!

Something neat to share: amidst all the tables Laura + Keith had collected, one in particular was super special to the family. And that’s because one grandfather of theirs was born on that special kitchen table!

Great job on the awesome barn decor and much congratulations to Laura + Keith!

Photographer: Gray Photography//Wedding Date:10.05.2013//Submitted via Two Bright Lights

Alison + Christian’s Yellow and Grey Rustic Farm Wedding

Featured wedding for the day comes from the talented Jeff of Brooke Courtney Photography. This Pennsylvania wedding at The Farm at Eagles Ridge was love at first sight for our couple Alison + Christian. They had a vision of getting married at a “big open barn with lots of natural light, hardwood floors, and rustic charms”, and that’s exactly what they got. Alison has always loved the colors yellow and grey, so obviously, she felt that golden yellow with grey accents would be perfect for her early Fall wedding in the country… and I couldn’t agree more with her!

Alison + Christian wanted to DIY their decor to make sure that their wedding is truly about them and added vintages pieces wherever they see fit. They “collected vintage postcards from all of the places [they] had traveled for [their] guests to write special messages on. [They] made homemade butterscotch walnut fudge for [their] favors.” From Alison: “My maid of honor, Kendra, made all of the bunting that was hung in the barn. She cut yards and yards of fabric and sewed for months, and her family even helped hang it all the day of. The groom’s sister, Larissa, is an amazing cook and baked our entire wedding cake from scratch. She customized it to fit the fall season and flavors we love, like pumpkin spice and caramel apple. My father cut all of the wood slices from fallen trees near our home that our table centerpieces and wedding cake sat on.”

Alison honored her mother by wearing her wedding dress. Not only was it super comfy for her to wear, but it made her feel her mother’s presence. I love the photograph of Alison holding a framed picture of her mother… there’s just something so sweet and heart-tugging about it.

Thank you so much to Jeff of Brooke Courtney Photography for submitting this uber-sweet wedding… Much congrats to Alison + Christian!!

Photographer: Jeff of Brooke Courtney Photography//Wedding Date:10.06.2013//Event Venue:The Farm at Eagles Ridge//Videography:Foundation Videography//Flowers:Country Lane Flowers//Event Planning:Stylish Occasions//

Submitted via Two Bright Lights

Dawn + Dan’s Sweet Summer Wedding in Virginia

Today’s wedding is a sweet mix of traditional, rustic, and romance. Lauryn of Lauryn Galloway Photography did a wonderful job capturing all the small sweet and darling moments throughout Dawn + Dan’s summer Southern wedding in Virginia. Using a romantic palette of dark grey, yellow, and fuchsia pink, their family and friends all pitched in their time and talent to decorate their day.

My top favorite details of the day: Tissue pom-poms and paper lanterns stranded with lights and hung all over the reception area; Rustic details on the ceremonial mantle that acted as the backdrop. Every single little detail, like the fuchsia rosettes adorned on the “love always” wedding banner, tied all colors together and just added that little something extra and different.
Thank you so much to Lauryn Galloway Photography and Dawn + Dan for sharing such a lovely wedding with us. It is a perfect combination of traditional, rustic, and modern at the same time!

Congratulations Dawn + Dan!!!
Photographer: Lauryn Galloway Photography//Wedding Date: 08.24.2013//Venue: Cloverdale Barn//Caterer: Shaffer’s Catering//Floral Designer: Bluebells//Doughnuts: Marker Miller Orchards//Music: The DJ Connection//Submitted via Two Bright Lights

Bekah + John’s Delightfully Rustic Wedding

For our bride Bekah, the amazing designer behind Laurel & Fife (a custom dress company based in Tennessee and has worked on custom gowns for The Not Wedding), it is a no-brainer that she would design and handmade her own wedding dress. Other than the photography by Val and Sarah, everything else was designed and created by our couple and their family and friends. With a pretty mix of yellow and purple, this rustic wedding is traditional, romantic, and delightfully fun for all involved (and for us to see!).

It was without a doubt that Bekah would also custom create dresses for each of her bridesmaids. Other DIY details I love were the handmade buntings hung all over the reception area (a close friend of the family’s barn), the stars backdrop, as well as the pretty yellow wedding cake baked and decorated with lavenders by a friend.

In case you’re wondering, Bekah + John got married at their church. What’s so cool about it is that it was built to look like a log cabin, so the venue perfectly tied in with their rustic theme! And to keep it eco-friendly, the couple opted to do their exit with a shower of lavender.. Got to be one of my favorite moments from the wedding!

Congratulations Bekah + John!!!

Photographer: Val and Sarah //Wedding Date: 09/28/2013//Dress Designer:Laurel & Fife//

Submitted via Two Bright Lights

Grace + Nick’s Offbeat Rustic Wedding

In continuing our unintentional theme of “offbeat” weddings, I’m ending our features today with a very picturesque wedding. Our gorgeous bride Grace opted to wear a stunning vintage purple dress for her day, and the couple chose to wear color stones instead of “traditional” diamonds for their rings. This beautiful wedding photographed by Joshua Aaron Photography set a great example that it is completely okay to be yourself and to be different. After all, your wedding day is all about you as a couple!

From the photographer:

“To showcase their love for nature, Grace and Nick had packets of seed for guests, a picnic reception with games, and beer made by the couple themselves.” They also DIY all the flowers themselves as well.
This inspiring wedding at the Vista House is truly spectacular. Our stunning couple not only showcase what’s important to them as a couple, but their fun and unique personalities as well. I love that the talented Joshua Aaron was able to captured the romantic flair of Grace’s vintage dress, Nick’s emotional moment as he sees his bride walking down the aisle, and the breathtaking moments from the paper lantern send-offs. Congratulations to Grace + Nick!

Photographer: Joshua Aaron Photography//Wedding Date: May 18, 2013// Flowers: Kelly Singer // Event Venue:Vista House//Submitted via Two Bright Lights

Rebecca + Kenneth’s Vintage Glam Farm Wedding

You definitely don’t want to miss this super gorgeous DIY wedding today. I’m so in love with all the photos that Jamie Delaine Photography submitted… so much so that I kept them all and am sharing with you here!

Rebecca is a graphic designer who designed, well, pretty much all aspects of this wedding. She and Kenneth were able to pull all the details together with the help of their tight-knit Coquitlam community in British Columbia, Canada, on their family friend’s farm.

There were many awesome details that I want to share. From the photographer:

“all of their photo canvases (from our two engagement sessions!), horseshoes, photo “nets,” rowboat paddles instead of a guestbook, seeds as guest favours, posters instead of programs, wooden signs all over the property, the gorgeous pink & lace cake…”

I want to point out that the use of various big photo canvases near the front entrance to the wedding is a common Asian wedding practice.
So much details, so much sweetness! There are way too many aspects that I love about this wedding and this couple’s oh-so-laid-back style. My favorites are definitely Rebecca’s invitation suite designs, the wedding party’s sweet (bridesmaids) & hip (groomsmen) style that really work so well together, and the ceremony decor.

Rebecca + Kenneth did a fantabulous (yes, it’s fantastic and fabulous) job of creating this warm, inviting, and laid-back atmosphere for the wedding. This wedding is a great example of how you can use the same elements (burlap, lace, doilies, colors pink/green/brown, mason jars, and bunting) for a vintage rustic wedding and make it look glamorous somehow without the bling.

Congratulations Rebecca + Kenneth and thank you guys so much for this spectacular wedding!
Photographer: Jamie Delaine Photography//Wedding Date: August 03, 2013//Wedding Location: BC, Canada//Hair+Makeup:Lovely Wedding Studio//Submitted via Two Bright Lights

Megan & Jeff’s Old Books Charm Wedding

This Pennsylvania wedding brought to our attention from photographer Rebekah Pillmore @ Pill Photography is nothing short of charms. What else can you expect from a writer and an antique collector? Megan and Jeff chose Friedman Farm as their picturesque venue with a beautiful old barn to decorate as they please. They adorned the barn with choice antique pieces collected by Megan herself, and lit the whole place up with a romantic chandelier and draping lights on tree branches. Everything was just so… timeless.

Megan collected vintage cameras as center pieces, old library card catalogue used as seat assignment holder, and framed covers of their favorite books as table signs are all part of what makes this wedding so sweet and charming. To personalize their wedding some more, even the menu was catered to their health-conscious choices: salmon, roasted veggies, and lean meats!

Before I end this feature, I want to share something special about this wedding. It’s nothing new when a couple wants to write their own vows… or to have a family member to preside over the ceremony (it’s an uncle in this one), but it’s super sweet and special for all guests to feel involved when the couple surprised everyone to ask all who came to marry them via what’s called a Quaker Wedding or Self-Uniting Marriage in Pennsylvania. They created a special paper and ask all to sign to witness their wedding!
Photographer: Pill Photography {Rebekah Pillmore}//Wedding Date: June 08, 2013//Floral Designer:Creedon Flowers//Reception Venue: Friedman Farms//Linens and Coverings:Lavender Linens//Bakery:Lynn Sandy’s Bakery//Dress Store:Something Blue Bridal Boutique //Caterer: The Epicurean Delight Catering Co Inc//

Submitted via Two Bright Lights

Courtney & Shane’s Rustic Engagement Shoot

There is just something so romantic about having a photo shoot in the barn setting. The way the light filters in and the naturalness of it all… makes the photographs come out looking all sweet and beautiful. It is no wonder the rustic theme is such a popular trend. Dei Gratia Photography is sharing a selection of such romance in Courtney and Shane’s rustic-barn-old southern home engagement shoot with us today. Enjoy!!

Date: January 13, 2013//Photographer: Dei Gratia Photography//

Submitted via Two Bright Lights