Blue Weddings - DIY Bride

REAL WEDDING: Allison + Jerreod’s Artistic Wedding

Allison and Jerreod knew each other for over 15 years, but it wasn’t until a special trip to Paris that these best friends developed a deeper bond. The couple really wanted to be hands-on with the planning of their wedding so they chose to get married at the Easley Family Farms for its beautiful grounds and laid back feel. Read below to see how this artist bride took her love for the arts and incorporated them and their unique family cultures into their June 20th wedding.

Since the couple was having an outdoor summer wedding they provided their guests with homemade program fans and handmade eucalyptus essential oil sprays.

Their ceremony was completely unique! They paired the Hindu 7 sacred vows of marriage with 7 specific flowers that were assembled into a vase. Notice the way she included a paint can into her ceremony space!

Handcrafted signs could be found all around their wedding and reception space!

Paint-dipped mason jars and paint cans as flower pots, tea lights with planted succulents and other bold and artsy elements made appearances throughout the day.

How about this for getting their guests involved and keeping up with the art theme?! They had a canvas guest book for guests to paint their wishes, date night Jenga, and the bride created a cartoon coloring book of Jerreod and herself for the guests to help color!

I truly loved this couples’ bold use of color and artistic flair that made their day a beautifully unique one! Congrats to this stunning couple.

Xoxo,

Alex

Photographer: Evan Chung Photography / DJ: Amos Productions /Decor: Amos Production / Groomsman Attire: Anatoly’s Tailors / Caterer: Barbara Llewellyn Catering and Event Planning / Event Venue: Easley Family Farms / Event Planner: Linen & Lilac / Dress Designer: Maggie Sottero / Floral Designer: Making Arrangements / Invitation Designer: Wedding Paper Divas /

REAL WEDDING: Jessica + Brent’s Mint To Be Unique Wedding

Jessica and Brent were wed at the beautiful Bella Garden Estates in California on October 10, 2015. Their wedding was a true reflection of their unique and fun personalities. Take a look below at the all the fun touches they included to make their wedding a personal and memorable day!

This couple created their very own invitations, programs, and menus!

I thought their paperwork was truly impressive, but wait until you see the paper flowers they made for their ceremony space and to carry down the isle. Now that is amazing!

I love how different each tablescape was. From the hand decorated numbers to the unique centerpieces, there truly was nothing they left undone.

Have you ever considered having games at your wedding? Jessica and Brent made them all. Giant Jenga, Bags, and Crossword Puzzles.

Their bridesmaids and groomsmen wore beautiful touches of teal and mint to complement their decor.

Unique signage could be found all over their reception space.

Candy bar and cupcakes? Yes please!

If this couple wasn’t awesome enough they finished their evening with In & Out Burger!

This wedding looked like so much fun that I wish I could have been a guest. Congrats to the happy couple and thanks for letting DIY Bride share your wedding!

Xoxo,

Alex

Photographer: Sarah Dupree Photography / Bridesmaid Store:Bella Bridesmaids / Event Venue: Bella Gardens Estates / Caterer: In n Out / Dress Store:Mia Bella Couture / Groomsman Attire:Old Navy / Other: Sweet Creations / Shoes: TOMS / Flowers: DIY / Decor: DIY / Cinema and Video:Vier Photo and Video / DJ:VIP Events / Makeup & Hair :Yvette Fulwiler

Nicole + John’s Timeless DIY Wedding in SoCal

Boy, oh boy, do I have a beauty to show you lovelies today. From the talent behind Viera Photographics, today’s feature is a very classic and neat DIY wedding that the bride described as “Jonathan Adler meets Great Gatsby”. Nicole + John decided to get hitched in Palm Springs, California since not only does the place suit their sense of style, but also because they wanted to get married by the Father and in the church that Nicole’s late mother was very fond of. Despite the raging SoCal heat of 106F the day of their wedding, Nicole + John planned well for the decorations they were going to use so that nothing is welted.

Enlisting help from her group of friends, Nicole and her girls spent a few get-togethers crafting away. One of the favorite projects that Nicole loved doing for her wedding was the crepe paper flowers project. She opted making these flowers instead of using the real flowers so that these would last a lot longer in the high SoCal summer heat as well as for the ease of packing for travel. She’s even re-purposed some as gift decorations post-wedding!

Since their wedding was on the 13th, Nicole gold-leafed dice on 1 and 3 and mailed a pair with all the invites. She had some leftover so she also used them as decoration around the reception.

In Nicole’s own words about her table runners: “The table runners were stenciled on butcher paper then spray painted in an ombre sea mist to teal. I had a slight panic attack when the smell seemed to take about a week to dissipate, but some Febreeze and time did the trick and they were easy to roll up and transport to the site.” Great tip!

The Adler-inspired clay animals as table decorations? Yep! Handmade by Nicole’s friend Staci. Those were cool!
From Nicole’s gorgeous and timeless wedding gown (and the veil!) to all the special Adler-inspired decorations, Nicole + John’s wedding was as classic as it gets. Thank you to Viera Photographics for the incredibly beautiful photos and sharing them with us here on DIY Bride!

Congratulations to Nicole + John!!!

Photographer: Viera Photographics//Wedding Date:09.13.2013//Ceremony Location:Sacred Heart Palm Desert//Hair Stylist:The Light Fantastic Salon Spa//Event Venue:The Parker Palm Springs//Band:The Titan Ups//Event Planner:Vivacious Design and Event Planner//

Submitted via Two Bright Lights

Lauren + Jason’s DIY Alice in Wonderland Wedding

What does vintage tea party, Cricut and paper crafting have to do with our featured wedding today? DIY wonderland, that’s what. Captured by Larsen’s Photography, this Fall California wedding is a delight for fellow Cricut-Scrapbook-DIY lover like myself. When Lauren + Jason got engaged, she knew two things: 1. To get marry back home in California (they live in Texas) 2. A non-cookie-cutter theme that reflects both of their whimsical personalities and love for literature. All this brainstorming led to the Alice in Wonderland-themed wedding that you’re about to view!

From Lauren: “Jason and I liked the idea of Alice in Wonderland, but to keep it classy (we) kept with a vintage tea party, infused with wonderland. Pinterest was my best friend for months, but then my sister Karen turned my Pinterest fantasy into a reality. Keeping on budget we bought whimsical scrapbook paper and my sister and her Cricut let soar with hundreds of tea cups, clocks, keys and hats. We used old books from my mom and my aunt and laid hundreds of feet of mint green tulle underneath everything. The food was prepared and made by longtime friends of mine, as well as the incredible cake and dessert table that was put together with love by another.
What a lovely wedding theme! I absolutely adore DIY weddings such as Lauren + Jason’s, where lots of paper crafting was involved. And just how adorable were the flower girls, walking down the aisle with big paper flowers and mint green tutu’s?? Just pure love! All the cute and whimsical signs displayed throughout the wedding perfectly reflected our couple’s personalities, and it’s very obvious that the couple gave their guests a wedding to talk about!

Congratulations to Lauren + Jason, and much thanks to Lauren’s sister Karen for showcasing her awesome DIY skills!!

Photographer: Larsen’s Photography//Wedding Date:09.21.2013//Makeup Artist:Bella Capelli//Dress Store: Casablanca Bridal//DJ:DJ Ignite//Equipment Rentals: Encore Events Rentals//Floral Designer:Gina’s Floral Enchantment//Tuxedo and Mens Attire: Jos A Banks //Bridesmaid Dresses: Light in the box//Event Venue:Mendocino Hill//Makeup Artist:SKIN Day Spa//Shoes:Something Bleu Shoes//Etsy Designer:The Oyster’s Pearl//Dress Store: Wine Country Bridal//

Submitted via Two Bright Lights

Christine + Keith’s New York Rustic Wedding

We’re kicking off this Monday with a pretty DIY rustic wedding from Cassi Claire Photography. Right from the get-go, Christine + Keith knew what type of wedding they wanted: Adirondack-themed wedding- rustic, vintage, country, and just so them. They scoured up and down the Hudson River looking for the perfect venue that has the right rustic vibe, and they found it at Fox Hollow. With pretty pink and blue as the main color palette, this DIY New York wedding is just oh-so-sweet!

To create that rustic romantic vibe, Christine + Keith decorated the venue with hints of burlap, wood, baby’s breath, twine, raffia, and lace everywhere. From the bride: “The centerpieces were curly willow branches in various spray painted liquor bottles with distressed and wood burned hearts to show table numbers and a quote like “laugh” or “lucky”, along with embellished mason jars which held flowers and floating candles, using burlap, twine, paper and crochet flowers to help make each table unique. The fireplace mantle showcased our Love Story in a barnyard wooden frame next to both of our parents wedding pictures. Our DIY card box was that of a wooden treasure box burned and stained which matched our somewhat untraditional guest ‘log’, a slab of varnished wood with our symbol of C+K burned in the middle for everyone to sign. On their way into cocktail hour, guests got to take their lantern favor with the DIY distressed escort card and skeleton key attached to show you where our favorite people in the world were sitting.”
Just how lovely was Christine + Keith’s night ceremony? All the gorgeous light shining upon the beautiful couple and that romantic arch. They definitely pulled off their vision of beautiful rustic vision with the warm colors and all the personal touches. And just how fun was the dance party!

Congratulations to Christine + Keith!

Photographer: Cassi Claire Photography//Wedding Date:09.14.2013//Etsy Designer:Amber and Earth //Bridesmaid Dresses: Bill Levkoff//Dress Store: Bridal Reflections//Jewelry:Brookstone//Etsy Designer:Crafts and Goodies//Jewelry:Cynthia Cool Beans //Dress Store: David’s Bridal//Apparel:Enchanted Atelier//Favors and Gifts:Favor Warehouse//Reception Venue: Fox Hollow//Other:Gingham Grins //Jewelry:Maria Elena Headpieces//Shoes: My Glass Slipper//Shoes:Nina Shoes//Invitation Designer:Paisley Pear Designs //Cinema and Video:Paul Nameck Videography//Musicians:Shake Rattle Roll Pianos//Etsy Designer:The Art of Handmades//DJ:We Like 2 Party Entertainment //Etsy Designer:When Dreamz Come True//

Submitted via Two Bright Lights

Crystal + Aron’s DIY Beach Wedding

All the crazy weather lately makes me want to escape to this super relaxed and cozy DIY beach wedding down in Pensacola Beach, Florida. Captured by Kate of Kate’s Captures Photography, Crystal + Aron’s wedding featured lots of blue and green, unique center pieces, games, DIY decor, and lots and lots of desserts (family recipes!!) and sand.

For their beach wedding held on 11.11.11, Crystal + Aron had some pretty good DIY decor that’s good to construct for any event. They had lots of blue and green patterned cloth that Crystal’s mom sewn together to make interesting buntings and ribbon garlands. For their center pieces, they incorporated ocean-related elements like sand, starfish, and actual small fish in the bottle! To keep their guests entertained, they had fun games prepared corn hole and bocce ball and made signs indicating where each station is. I like that they even had a sign and a section on the beach dedicated for guests’ shoes! And in addition to have a wedding cake, Crystal + Aron had a big sweets table filled with various family recipes in personal sizes.

Games, sweets, friends and family, and a gorgeous beach wedding… what more do you need to relax and enjoy yourself?? Crystal + Aron captured our hearts with their DIY details and our appetite for sweets with that dessert spread. Much congratulations goes to our beautiful couple!

Photographer: Kate’s Captures Photography//Wedding Date:11.11.2011//Submitted via Two Bright Lights

Stephanie + Tyler’s Block Party Wedding

Our couple Stephanie + Tyler are so involved with their community in Ypsilanti, Michigan, that for their wedding, it just seem natural to have a block party celebration. Captured by Chelsea Brown Photography, this wedding started with the ceremony held at a local park. The guests walked from the park to the reception at a local restaurant, followed by a dance party held at a closed street in the middle of downtown Ypsilanti. This DIY wedding was so awesome, it just had to be share!

Stephanie made a lot of the jewelry (they were amazing!), decor, and floral. In fact, to save costs, she bought her flowers in bulk from Whole Foods and Costco.
It’s pretty evident that Stephanie + Tyler are loved by their community. This awesome wedding block party is unique, cool, and most of all, fun. I love how Stephanie allowed her creativity to flow by creating her jewelry and floral arrangements, and decor. And what’s more romantic than dancing in the middle of the street, with all the lights and eyes on you???

Congratulations to Stephanie + Tyler!!!!

Photographer: Chelsea Brown Photography//Wedding Date:08.24.2013//Restaurant:Bona Sera Cafe//Event Planner:Grand Jour Events//Dress Store:White Arbor Bridals//Submitted via Two Bright Lights

Ellen + Wes’ Idyllic Winter Wedding

Such a treat I have for all you lovely DIY brides and grooms today. Ellen + Wes’ perfect southern-style winter wedding incorporated lots of white, blue, and grey details photographed by Catherine Guidry. Ellen is an interior designer graduate, so obviously, she had a clear vision on what her dream wedding would be and executed it very well. With a little mix of traditional and rustic, Ellen + Wes created their own dreamy wedding.

There were tons of details I just adore. I love that Ellen incorporated rice into her florals as well as created a rice bouquet for her flower girl since Wes is a rice farmer. Instead of expensive draping, she opted for making tissue pompoms and draped them with lights. True to the southern style, Wes had a pretty impressive groom cake featuring his favorite football team. And their kids dessert bar is completely decadent and to die for!

Gorgeous bouquets, gorgeous decoration, gorgeous bride and her equally stunning bridesmaids… complemented by lots of lights and tissue pom-poms, this wedding is definitely not lacking in the prettiness department. Thank you, Catherine Guidry, for capturing all the breathtaking details and sharing them with us.

Congratulations to Ellen + Wes!!!
Photographer: Catherine Guidry//Wedding Date:02/05/2013//Dress Store: A-Nets Enchanted Dream//Caterer: Chef Bobby and Dot//Cake Designer:Daisey Cakes//Pre Ceremony Location:Maison D’Memoire//Cake Designer: Short and Sweet Cakes//Reception Venue:The Warehouse//

Submitted via Two Bright Lights

Natalie + Dane’s Blue & Green Nostalgic Wedding

This sweet wedding photograph by Katie Lewis Photography was nostalgic of all sorts. There are classic blue mason jars, pretty tiffany blue bottles, baseballs, paper pinwheels, and the Chevelle. But what really struck me when I saw Natalie + Dane was how much they reminded me of what the quintessential high school Prom King + Queen should look like. When I found out that their venue was held at an old high-school-turned-lodge, all the bells and whistles went off for me. This wedding is sweet and dainty, and just reminds you of all the good ole days.

There were quite a few sweet details I love from this wedding. Natalie looked incredibly gorgeous and sweet in her simple tea-length wedding dress, her jeweled bouquet, and what girl doesn’t want a getaway car in the classic Chevelle? I also love the idea of having guests signed baseballs instead of a traditional guest book, and how cute were all the chalkboard signs?!

Congratulations to Natalie + Dane!

Photographer:Katie Lewis Photography, Inc.//Wedding Date: 06/15/2013//Floral Designer: Java Rose//DJ: Night Scene Entertainment//Reception Venue: Riverdale High Lodge//

Submitted via Two Bright Lights

Yoko + Brian’s Rustic Cultural Wedding

We’re rounding out our day with a special Japanese + Jewish wedding from Robin Jolin Photography. This super lovely wedding is a great example of how two completely different cultures can be combined seamlessly into one perfect wedding. Marin Art & Garden Center is just the perfect backdrop for Yoko + Brian, lovers of outdoors and music, to set up their Japanese-Jewish-rustic wedding.

To blend in the two cultures and to truly make their wedding all about them, Yoko + Brian folded 1,000 origami cranes as their ceremony backdrop. For those that are unfamiliar with the significance of origami cranes, it’s best to hear straight from Yoko herself:

“… In the Japanese culture, the crane is a symbol of longevity and prosperity. Folding a crane takes time, patience and understanding. The crane is a majestic bird which mates for life and is extremely loyal to its partner. The bird is strong, graceful and beautiful. These origami cranes bring good luck, good fortune, longevity, fidelity, and peace to the marriage.

In addition, Yoko folded mini cranes to decorate for each seating place cards, as well as to be used as decorations throughout the reception.

They also had a ketubah (Jewish wedding contract) hand-made for them. They wrote their vows together and had an artist hand-painted the vows in Hebrew and English. They also worked with the artist to have her design two Japanese maple tree that join together with accents of cherry blossoms and cranes to represent Yoko’s Japanese background. This is not only something super meaningful for the two of them, but also something very beautiful that they can use to display as art!

Similar to the more well-known Chinese Tea Ceremony, Yoko + Brian had a traditional Japanese sake ceremony called “san-san-kudo”. Yuko: “Through the tradition of going back and forth by each sipping the sake three times each from 3 different sized sake cups for a total of nine times, we brought together the two families and celebrated with all of our guests. The ladies who served us the sake need to be “unmarried ladies” so I had 2 of my best friends and single ladies help me out. It was like my version of the bouquet toss.”

I love seeing how traditions from two different cultures come together for a beautiful wedding. And yes, Yoko + Brian are super cute together, but I have to say, I think Yoko + her mom really spoke to me. I love how you can see how much they love each other and what a strong bond they have!

Congratulations Yoko + Brian!!!!

Photographer: Robin Jolin Photography//Wedding Date: March 23, 2013//Makeup Artist: Nikol Elaine Makeup Artistry // Reception Venue: Marin Art & Garden Center//Submitted via Two Bright Lights