Wisconsin - DIY Bride

Lisa & Kyle’s DIY Wisconsin Farm Wedding

One of the things we evangelize most on DIY Bride is treating your guests well at the wedding. Whether its with great food, ample shelter, or fun activities, making the people who’re sharing your day feel included and comfortable is so important. When we saw this wedding from NYC couple, Lisa and Kyle, their awesome games area at their Wisconsin wedding on a farm, blew us away.

Photographer Katie from Ricard Photography, fills us in on some of the story behind the games:

…They also brought along a lot of really fun yard games for their guests. They wanted their day to be all about fun and family and friends just enjoying their time together. Lisa and Kyle love playing Scrabble, so they decided to build a giant scrabble board, complete with perfectly painted letters (seriously the most amazing thing I’ve seen at a wedding ever). They also created a fun wedding football game that was a big hit with adults and kids alike.

Now that’s an excellent way to for guests to spend time together!

What’s even more impressive is Lisa and Kyle made drove all the way to Wisconsin from New York with a U-Haul full of amazing wedding day details that they made themselves like the french doors used as a backdrop in their ceremony. Kyle put together and mounted the doors himself. They were a beautiful addition, and at the end of the ceremony, they walked through the doors together for the first time as husband and wife.

Lisa & Kyle

Treinen Farm, Wisconsin

Event Date: August, 2014

Photographer: Katie Ricard Photography//DIY or Handmade Goods Designer: Blooms By The Box//Musicians:Genesee Ridge Band//Caterer:JL Richards Catering//Dress Store:Neiman Marcus – Alice and Olivia Geneva//Reception Venue: Treinen Farm//

Submitted via Two Bright Lights

Jessica & Nick’s Romantic DIY Wedding

Jessica and Nick, crafty couple, created nearly all of the details for their wedding day from the handmade paper flowers to the invitations and programs. Viva la DIY!

Photographer Joanna Day describes Nick and Jessica as “an easy-going, rad couple” who wanted their wedding to be a reflection of their love. I say they were a smashing success! There is much love, style, and radness going on in these shots, friends.

Jessica & Nick
The Hilltop, Wisconsin
Event Date: July, 2013

Photographer: Joanna Day Photography//Event Venue:The Hilltop//Submitted via Two Bright Lights

Courtney + Will’s Pretty in Pink Sewing Wedding

Today, we are bringing you a super cutesy, melt-in-your-heart, and sweet wedding from Kate Bentley Photo. This gorgeous DIY/rustic/sewing-themed wedding came to us from Wisconsin and features origami cranes, homegrown herbs, paper hearts, and a wedding dress made by the bride. Courtney + Will are so adorable together, and with their awesome family and friends by their side, this wedding is just too pretty for you to miss!

As mentioned earlier, Courtney made her wedding dress that was short and cute and very perfect for her wedding. When she wasn’t sewing her dress, she was growing all the herbs she used to make her unique center pieces. And can I just say, how awesome were the copper cans? Instant rustic-glam effects!

Obviously, Courtney + Will could not have pulled off this dreamy wedding without help. The beer served were made by their friends, and all the beautifully folded origami cranes were by Will’s mother. I love how by using different paper patterns, the cranes were all unique. One of my favorites were the pair that were used as cake toppers! Oh, and the cake was made by a dear friend of Courtney’s.

This sweet sewing-themed DIY wedding is filled with laughter, love, and creativity. I love their use of colors (I maaaay be slightly biased towards pink!), their way of doing “here comes your bride”, and all the sewing-related items that tied everything together. Courtney + Will are a fun-loving couple, and their wedding is a perfect extension of their personalities.

Congratulations to Courtney + Will!

Photographer: kate bentley photo//Wedding Date:08.17.2013//Event Venue:Emerald Ridge Outdoor Weddings//Floral Designer:Jennifer Joyce Design//Submitted via Two Bright Lights

Leah + Kaleb’s Handmade Vintage Wedding

Remember that gorgeous vintage engagement session we shared last week from Booth Photographics where bride-to-be Leah sewed her awesome lace backed dress and the sheer passion between her and hubs-to-be Kaleb nearly jumped off the screen to bite you? Well today we have a post Halloween treat for you! I hope you didn’t overdose on candy last night, because these photos, the gown, the decor, the emotions, and the romance are super SWEET!

I simply can’t stop staring at these portraits. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen such true love captured in a photo! And the best part is that there’s more. This wedding was laden with special meaning and of course fab crafts. Recognize the style in the bridesmaids dresses? They are similar to Leah’s e-sesh dress, because well, she made them. She also handmade the fabric bouquets and flower girl’s dresses too! The sweet little vintage decor touches just perfectly complement Kaleb’s vintage truck and a day filled with special moments like the passing of a fifth generation bridal necklace.

Thank you Booth Photographics for sharing the journey of this super sweet couple! Congratulations Leah + Kaleb!

Vendor Information:

Date: June 22, 2013

Location: Wisconsin, United States

Photographer: Booth Photographics

Submitted via Two Bright Lights

Leah + Kaleb’s Vintage Engagement Session

I get excited when I get to share a love story from start to finish with all of you lovelies! Especially when it’s a story this pretty. It all started with a handcrafted vintage e-sesh captured by Booth Photographics. Leah + Kaleb fully fashioned this love shoot themselves. And I do mean fashioned- Leah made that gorge lace back dress of hers! Full of of all kinds of little handpicked and handmade details, this love shoot is the prequel to an awesome wedding to come!

From the photographer:

You see, real love is not just quantified by 2 people giddy with excitement and affectionate hugs. It is so much more; it is in the fabric of how these two interact. Capturing Leah & Kaleb’s vintage engagement session was truly a story unfolding before our eyes with both personal and handmade details. These two have some serious skills! We can’t get over the vintage truck and their excitement and affectionate hugs.

Thanks to Booth Photographics, we can share this fantastic e-sesh and tell you that there’s more to see where this came from. You see Stephen over at Booth Photographics, has also shared their fantastic DIY wedding where Leah continued to fashion the fashion for her bridesmaids and flower girls. Just like this e-sesh, it’s a must see! So take some time to get inspired here and check back soon to help us wish Leah + Kaleb a second big congrats!

Vendor Information:

Date: May 10, 2013

Location: USA

Photographer: Booth Photographics

Mackenzie + Weston’s Rustic Winter Wedding

It’s heating up here in North East. So you know what that means?! We need a dose of winter wedding to cool us off. Take one look at all the cool winter details or the warm heart’s of Mackenzie + Weston that Laurie Marie Photography so sweetly snapped up, and there’s no way you won’t feel all warm and fuzzy inside. This incredible wintery Wisconsin wedding is full of romance and all kinds of rustic goodies (not to mention the cutest couple with perfectly rustic names to boot!) There’s a beautiful stone lodge, the best bridal party accessories I’ve seen, and a coffee bar that will warm your hands to match the smile on your heart after you see this sweet one today!

With a wedding this pretty, I find myself having a little girl-crush on the beautiful bride. Today is no exception since I so want to steal her chunky knit shawl and warm wintery look! But today I find myself imagining that I would be equally happy being on either side of the bridal party to snag some of their winter swag.

Beyond the hand-knit scarves and mittens made for the bridal party the gorgeous birch white, steel blue, grey, and red color palette played perfectly off the Hinterland Brewery & Restaurants amazing stone backdrop. The custom birch candles that Weston drilled and etched himself, just added to the perfection of this color combo.

As a girl married to a man that’s turned me into a coffee snob, I must say the coffee + cocoa bar tops this wedding off to be an A+ in my book. Aww, heck! Thanks to Laurie Marie Photography, and this creative duo, the whole thing gets an A+, smiley faces and shiny star stickers! Thanks Laurie Marie, and congratulations Mackenzie + Weston!

Vendor Information:

Photographer: laurie marie photography

Caterer: Hinterland Brewery & Restaurant

Event Planner: sash&bow

Floral Designer: Divine Nature Flowers

Reception Venue: Hinterland Brewery & Restaurant

Other: Joe To Go

Cake Designer: Runaway Spoon

Submitted via Two Bright Lights

Megan + Mike

The styling for today’s DIY wedding feature is out. of. control. Between the bicycle, dollhouse, vintage books, and gorgeous flowers, I don’t quite know where to begin. One of the best parts about incorporating antiques and vintage ideas into your wedding is the wealth of resources you have to pull from. You could use family heirlooms, visit Goodwill and Salvation Army for goodies, and I think one day flea markets may very well take over the world one day with all their beautiful goodies. Craigslist is always a popular option as many brides resell their decor once the wedding is over, and even IKEA can be a great option for DIY projects.

DETAILS

Location: Burlington, WI

Photography: Sheila Teruty Styling & Photography

Venue: Northwind Perennial Farm

Amanda + Aaron

Oh man. This wedding. There is some major swooning happening up in here right now. A groom who made the invites, a first look on a covered bridge, a vintage car, window seating chart, AND it’s a whole lot of bridal do-it-yourself goodness? I just can’t handle it. Add into the mix some fabulous photography, and I’m just lost in all the sunshine, bright colors, and beauty of Amanda and Aaron’s church ceremony with ballroom reception.

DETAILS

Location: Hartford, WI

Photography: Andy Stenz Photography

Venue: Chandelier Ballroom

Danika + Ben

Photographer Jennifer Brindley kindly shared this gorgeous DIY wedding of Danika and Ben. About the big day:

A bony and graceful white bird perched on the shore of Lake Michigan, the Milwaukee Art Museum designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava was the perfect canvas for Ben and Danika to add their own DIY artistic touches to their wedding day. It had long been Ben’s dream to grow his own wedding flowers, he just had to meet the girl! When wedding planning commenced Ben and his mother-in-law began planting marigolds and zinnias from seed, two hearty and colorful varieties of flower that would reach their peak for the mid-July wedding. These flowers were arranged by Ben and Danika’s moms, who added lush hosta leaves as greenery. Lucky guests took home the vases, also handmade by the couple. The ceramic vases were formed by pressing slabs of clay into cylindrical molds lined with wet paper towels to create a fractured, organic surface on the finished vase. The vases were stamped with the couple’s wedding date and glazed a milky white.

Letters by post were important in the couple’s courtship, so table favors consisted of colorful blank stationery adorned with fully-mailable, uncanceled vintage postage stamps the couple found on E-bay. Guests were encouraged to send this unique snail mail to friends or loved ones of their choice.

Details: Photographer: Jennifer Brindley of JBe Photography

Couple: Ben and Danika Brubaker

Date: July 16th, 2010

Location: Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Creative elements: This wedding was creative and unique in so many ways! Danika wore the necklace given to her by Ben’s grandmother. She told her that she’d been saving it her whole life for the right woman for Ben at their wedding, and that she knew it was going to the right woman. They had a close friend play the guitar for their processional and also a special song during the wedding. Their wedding colors were a vibrant orange, yellow and green to play off of the beauty of spring time, the clean white of the art museum, and the special flowers grown for the wedding. DIY projects: It had always been Ben’s dream to grow the flowers for his wedding. What a unique thing for a groom to say! So, Ben and Danika’s mother grew all the flowers for this wedding. They made the clay vases with Danika, and Ben’s mother arranged all the flowers, as well as made the boutonnières. They also had a very unique “favor.” They had been collecting vintage stamps, and made up an orange envelope for every guest with enough vintage stamps to mail a letter. They said the guests could use it to mail a letter to anyone, but they hoped they’d get letters from their guests. I thought this was a really creative alternative to a guest book! I also loved that Danika was a pregnant bride. They were adamant about having the wedding while she was pregnant, and featuring/showcasing her belly because it was a family event. They were happy and proud to have their unborn baby at the wedding. They did not opt to hire a DJ, but instead had a friend run an iPod. They created a very special mix of music that reflected their deep love for each other and the love for their friends and family.