When this wedding was first submitted to us, I must admit I wasn’t sure it was DIY. The gallery was so well edited, the details so polished, the whole day so pulled together, I assumed that the couple had hired out most of the decor elements. I was flabbergasted when Rachel emailed us more information about her wedding, including the end total spent on their day. It was under $1,000.
Rachel and Brandon were married on family property and EVERYTHING was created by the couple, their family, and their friends. For the ceremony, the groom built the backdrop and created the site, while Rachel’s stepfather built the doors she entered through at the beginning of the aisle. Family members also created the cake, and Rachel got her craft skills on by designing and executing invitations, banners, moss letters, wedding signs, and the bouquets for the bridal party (wheat for her bridesmaids and a brooches for herself). For the rest of the decor, she spent the months of her engagement collecting items from flea markets and antique shops. Since Rachel is a photographer, she took the photos that family and friends took during the wedding, processed and edited them to create a cohesive collection of images.
DETAILS
Location: Louisiana
Photography: Rachel Leigh Photography
Dress Store: King of Hearts Bridal Shop
Jewelry Designer: Faith Hope and Love Jewelry
Hair Stylist: Crystal Tolar of Sharper Image
Bridesmaids Dresses: Modcloth
Heirlooms: Etsy Designer Ginalicious
Thank you so much for featuring us! We feel so honored that our wedding was chosen. I hope that, if nothing else, our wedding is proof that it’s possible to have the wedding you’ve always dreamed of on a cost-efficient budget. I can honestly say that thanks to my family and friends I didn’t have to compromise a single thing about my wedding day. God has blessed us so much, and I pray that our marriage will always reflect that. Again, thank you, a million times!
Rachel
Absolutely beautiful. One of the most unique, creative weddings I’ve ever seen.
Love you, Chris!
Rachel’s wedding is definitely proof that you can have an awesome, memorable day without spending thousands of dollars. It was by far the most unique wedding I have ever attended. She is the prime example of DIY. As her mother, I really wanted to help with the details, but she kept doing everything herself. The only thing I got to help with was gluing the moss letters. I guess she got tired of burning herself with hot glue! I really never knew that my daughter was so crafty. But I have to give some credit to the groom as well. I don’t think there’s anything he can’t do. The blog didn’t mention that he is the one who made the ring bearer’s pillow and designed and painted the guest “book” tree, which is probably one thing that stands out in my mind the most. Mabye because it’s something they can keep forever to remember their day. I could go on and on and on, but I will stop here. I just want to say one last thing about how proud I am of her for being so willing to save money. She took a huge burden off of me and my husband by doing everything herself. Thanks, Rachel and Brandon, for putting so much hard work into your wedding and making it so memorable and pleasurable for the rest of us. And thanks, DIY Bride, for featuring her wedding. She absolutely deserves to be recognized as a DIYer!
I forgot to mention one thing. You don’t have to have a church wedding for God to be present. Their desire to show their love for the Lord was evident throughout the entire ceremony and even at the reception. And that is more important than any other detail. That makes me the most proud.
Thank you, Mom! I couldn’t have done any of it without you. I love you!
Ohhh, this is SOO inspiring!!!!! I’m trying to do a wedding for under $10,000 and having trouble as it is, and this is such an inspiration! I love your style and clever , creative, rustic ideas for everything. Fantastic!
Ashley, thank you for the sweet compliment! My advice is to not focus on everything being perfect. I know that’s easy for me to say since all the madness is over. 🙂 Really, though, it goes by so quick, and if one thing isn’t perfect, no one will notice (again, easier said than done!). Try to do as much as you can yourself, but don’t get overwhelmed. Enjoy this sweet time with your future husband. 🙂
God bless, and best wishes!
Rachel
This is so inspiring and beautiful!
Thank you, Tina! We thought so. 🙂
This is right out of “Oh, Brother Where Art Thou”. I absolutely love it!!! A wedding to remember! And what a beautiful bride and handsome groom!!!
Thank you so much, Mrs. Nena! You are too sweet.
I am trying to put together a beautiful inexpensive wedding just like. I was checking out chair rental and realizing how ridiculously expensive it is? I was wondering how the hay bails did they would fit in beautiful with my location but i was wondering how it worked out for older guests? Thank you so much your wedding was beautiful!
Hi, Brittni! The hay bails worked out perfectly for us. They were tough to find, and a little more expensive than I would have liked, but they turned out way better than I expected. We had a few older people there, and fortunately we were able to borrow 2 old pews from a church. I know those aren’t easy to come across, though. Our ceremony was very short, so people were able to stand up if they didn’t feel comfortable sitting down. Also, we provided old quilts and blankets to put on top of the hay to make it less “pokey.” After the wedding I used the hay bails as props for a few photo shoots, and gave them to family members with horses and other animals.
I hope this helps. If you need anymore help I’d be glad to do what I can. My email address is rachelprocell@gmail.com
God Bless!
Rachel