I am so excited to share this wedding with you all today!! Shot by Tara Kneiser of Dixie Pixel Photography, Peter and Dianna’s backyard wedding has incredible details and personal touches galore! Not to mention this darling couple are friends of mine, so that makes it even more sweet. Their beautiful day was recently featured on Style Me Pretty and totally belongs in the pages of a magazine. I mean, just wait till you see her custom-made dress- the one shoulder, the flower, the bolero- I mean, it’s just perfection. Seriously. Hope you love these images as much as I do!

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Where did you get married?

In Vonore, TN on my parents property, it was great because we had a real opportunity to shape the space into what we wanted!!

What was your budget?

For a wedding for 150 people we spent $15,000

What creative or personal aspects did you include in your wedding?

Everything!!! This was a total DIY event. I designed all the printed materials, I baked the cookies for the welcome gift, the napkins, the favors, and I collected the vessels for the flowers. We wrote the ceremony our self and wrote vows to each other. It was one of my favorite wedding assignments to write vows to Peter and of course to hear his to me – it reminded me the real reason we were there that day. Sometimes I feel like it is such a whirlwind of activity and excitement that is it easy to lose sight that you are celebrating the love for one another. It was important to us to have someone we knew and loved in charge of the ceremony and Peter’s Great Uncle Bob was that man: he was so sweet and sincere.

What was the biggest thing you did to save money?

Create and landscape our own venue. We put in the man hours to turn our spot into what we had envisioned. It was beautiful to begin with but after stringing the 5,000 christmas lights that we got on clearance last winter and sewing new grass seed we were able to make it spectacular. It also helped that my parents were able to grow some of the fresh veggies that our caterers used – this kept it local and cheaper.

What’s the best advice you have for planning your wedding now that you’re on the other side?

Have fun with it! Don’t let little things keep you down and always make time for each other – we spent so much time working out wedding details that we would have to make a point to enjoy our engagement. Be ready to meet in the middle and tweak your vision to match your options. The best thing we did was to find vendors that we really liked. We loved their style, their purpose, and personalities. It is so much easier to work with people that can see and share your vision but also challenge you to try new things along the way.

What was your biggest splurge?

The photography was a big cut of our budget, but you get what you pay for and we will forever be in dept to Tara of Dixie Pixel for documenting our wedding day so perfectly. I know that someday my children will look through our photos and comment on how cool we were, and that”s really all you can ask for.

What was your favorite detail?

Well Peter”s favorite detail was my dress *swoon* and that makes me feel so good!! It is definately hard for me to pull my thoughts away from my dress as well but I would have to say the photo booth area was my favorite piece. The guests were able to have a polaroid taken and then hang it up on the line along with their advice cards they filled out and seperated from the program. The green chair was my Great Aunt Bonnie”s and it was a lovely vintage piece that inspired me through lots of other details. We had the best time after returning from the honeymoon and looking through all the photos and reading the advice cards. It helped us connect one more time with all of our friends and family. We have scanned in all the pics and are returning all the originals back to their rightful owners to display on their fridge or however they best choose!

What is the most memorable moment of your day?

Walking down the aisle with my Dad in my rainboots and standing with Peter at the ceremony. I was relaxed and so full of happiness, yet also anticipating reading my vows without crying. Our vows were bits about what we loved about one another and what we were promising for the future. They were an entertaining combination of serious and funny lines that we reflect on a daily basis.

On personal details:

As young architects Peter and I both have an eye for design and we viewed this as the most exciting project we had even gotten to work on! And in the end I am so pleased that our personalities really do carry through down to the details. The whole event was definitely DIY. The wedding and reception were both held on my parents property and I wanted to make it as personable and as interactive as I could, from the advice cards, to the Polaroids, to the children sketchbooks.

On being green and keeping it local:

We thought it was the responsible thing to do to keep the event as local and sustainable and ‘green’ as possible and that our vendors also shared this vision. I had a blast spending the summer collecting old jars and bottles from local antique and junk stores and was thrilled when our florist was able to collect many of the flowers from their farm. My parents always grow a big garden and were able to supply our caterers with potatoes, peppers, greens, and fresh herbs (doesn’t get any more local than that!).  We decided not to have a cake, but instead have ice cream. Our caterers made 4 flavors of homemade ice cream: wedding cake, cinnamon, Guinness, and pumpkin. I found 4 vintage ice cream scoops and it was a hit, even with the chilly temperatures!!

Favors, gifts, DIY etc.

Peter is from Michigan and the majority of our guests were traveling from out of state. I wanted to show some southern hospitality and have a little something in their hotel room to greet them, so with the help of my parents and fiancé we made little ‘love bird’ cookies and paired them with milk cartons in their fridge. At each place setting there was a 1 ft square piece of fabric, it was to serve as their napkin. I bought fabric in 5 different patterns and ripped it into squares [we gave lots of them away, but the ones that are left we will use around our house].  Lavender was placed at each setting in memory of our grandparents and a tag that said “thank you for shaping us into loving partners.”

I adore graphic design and produced all the printed materials myself and am in the process of exploring a future in stationary design. The invitations had a perforated RSVP postcard and the programs had a tear off advice card to be filled out and hung up. Our favors were honey jars with fresh local honey- I located a gentlemen that raises bees and bought 5 gallons of honey in bulk to fill up the small glass jars, the extra scraps of fabric from the napkins were used on the top. I stamped little bee tags and ta-da! There were lots of children at the wedding and I didn’t want them to be left out, so they received their own personalized ‘Young Botanist Sketchbook’. I scanned old drawings of some of the flowers we had as centerpieces and left several blank pages for the kids to practice their own sketches. The book was designed with the intent that the kids could locate the flowers from the drawings and then hunt around for new plants to sketch themselves. On the front cover a library card was meant to serve as log for the times and places they use the sketchbook. A pencil was tied on the front to finish the gift.

We didn’t have a traditional guestbook and instead had a photo area. Guests had their Polaroid photo taken on my great aunts antique sofa and then strung up along with the advice cards they filled out. We had such a great time looking through the photos of all thr guests and reading their notes to us. I gathered old mirrors and picture frames that I painted with chalkboard paint to use as signage, the frame by the photo area had been my grandparents and I was happy to incorporate vintage items that were already in the family. I had also seen the ‘wedding tree’ project from August and After and loved it so much. My Dad is an artist and he painted the tree, it made a nice contribution to have his artwork as part of our big day. We used fall colors and plan to frame and display it in our home.

On their outdoor venue and weather:

Since the wedding and reception was all at my parents we had the opportunity to shape the space into what we wanted plenty of time in advance. Peter and strung up lots and lots of white lights in the pine trees above the dance floor. It made a truly magical place to have our first dance and it was one of the most memorable moments of the night for me. The weather didn’t quite behave as we would have liked, for this all outdoor event. Luckily it didn’t rain, but with a high of 48 it was cold. So to fight the chills and keep guests comfortable we had hot apple cider and a bonfire for roasting marshmallows. I was so stressed about the potential for rain it was hard to relax but the ceremony dissolved all my worries: the setting was lovely and I was surrounded by people I love and standing there with Peter. Near the beginning of the ceremony a squirrel ran across a limb right beside me and I saw a hawk circle in the sky, and at that point I knew everything was right and I felt at peace and so very happy.

My dress and the flower girl’s attire were custom made by the amazing Colleen Moore at White Orchid Bridal. MadMen is our favorite show hands down and we were continuously thinking about incorporating the MadMen classic style in an up to date look. Peter, his groomsmen, and ring bearer wore fedoras. My ladies dresses were from Etsy and we hurried out to find rain boots 2 days before. I started off wearing my little yellow flats but I ended up wearing my rain boots during the ceremony and reception, as the ground was really wet.

Final thoughts:

We pulled off the event for 150 people for $15,000 and I could not be more pleased with the way it turned out. I loved all the planning and DIY projects I whipped up but there is no way I could have pulled off the day with out the help of our day of coordinators: Shenna and Laura of Blush Bridal. I am so glad there were able to take control of the set up and left me and my family at ease.

Vendors

Photography: Tara Kneiser of Dixie Pixel

Day of Coordinator: Sheena Bowen of Blush Weddings & Events

Food: Luxe Catering & Events

Floral: The Flower Pot

My Dress: Coleen Moore of White Orchid Bridal

Makeup: Sara Martin  Hair: Alyesse @ Lox Salon

Bridesmaid Dresses: Amanda Archer Collection

I am so excited to feature this wedding of longtime reader Ashley. Not only was she a Nashville bride, but she also happened to win a free photography contest that she found out about from BSB! I had the pleasure of meeting her once over chai tea at Panera and she is super down to earth just a cool person to be around- you can really see her personality in the details of her wedding. Ashley and Brandon had such a unique, eclectic wedding that really reflected who they are as people. I know you are going to enjoy all the handmade details that she put into their uber-savvy eco-chic nupitals. Ashley is super creative and talented and you should follow her blog because she’s super cool. Thank you so much Ashley for allowing us to feature your wedding!!!

Where did you get married?

Blakemore Church of the Nazarene in Nashville, TN

What was your budget?

$3,000… and we actually came in under. And they said it couldn’t be done. Tisk tisk, wedding world.

What creative or personal aspects did you include in your wedding?

Um….. it may be better to ask what wasn’t creative or personal. The answer to that is the plates. I bought cheap ones. Ha.

What was the biggest thing you did to save money?

Get ready. It’s a long list. I created a pretty strict rule of thumb: If I can’t use this fill-in-the-blank after the wedding, I have to figure out a way to make it dirt cheap, or find a new idea. (Case and point: our tablecloths and photobooth background tapestries are now our shower curtains and bedspread covers.) So when I couldn’t reuse something or find it for the right price, I did almost everything myself that could be done myself: the actual planning, my dress, hairpiece and sash, invitations, flowers for all 8 bouquets, flowers for all arrangements and centerpieces, 17 fabric-flower corsages and 29 bouts, programs, choosing and sewing the mix-and-matched fabrics for tablecloths, collecting bottles from friends who would have thrown away to serve as vases, paper signage, burning and decorating cd soundtracks, stamping napkins, creating our guestbook, sewing birdseed pouches from mismatched fabric scraps uncovered in my apartment, making wreaths for front door decoration, the Tree of Life quilt with wilderness scene, and iPod playlist.

Oh, and there was free. I can thank Jessica of Budget Savvy Bride: We won our wedding photographer, after finding the contest on her site. Oddly enough, the photographer was even from Brandon’s teensy hometown outside of Raleigh, NC. Thank the LORD for April Sirit of Evoke Photography. I can’t thank her enough. Also, my best friend bought my make-up artist as a gift (it was out of my budget, but the only thing I worried about)…and a good friend ran sound as a wedding gift/ surprised us by showing up with an HD video camera and making us an AWESOME video, also free. Guess it pays to have friends with connections and talent.

What's the best advice you have for planning your wedding now that you're on the other side?

Buying from “wedding” stores is the biggest gimmick you could ever fall for. Truthfully. Not only do those vendors feel like they can overprice their items, but you’ll also be more likely to have repeated the exact move of many brides before you. Think outside the “wedding” box. This way you’ll also be more likely to use it afterwards, too. Example: our 8 cake stands were purchased at TJ Maxx for $6 each. A few were gifts to women who helped throw the shindig together. Others are now used for jewelry organization, decorative floral get-ups, and, you guessed it, cake stands. ; )

What was your biggest splurge?

Technically, the largest expenditure for a single item was cake. Mid-afternoon wedding, so a full meal was unnecessary. I’m partial, but I’ve never had such good cake. We went with Publix, as in the high-end grocery store. 6 small cakes of varying, exquisite flavors plus 1 actual “wedding cake.” $415 after delivery. Oddly enough, this is also what we got the most male compliments about.

What was your favorite detail?

The birdseed pouches. Not because they were the best, or the most creative concept, for sure. More so because they were the first project I did that was out of the box. They don’t match. They’re loud colors and vintage fabrics. But it really started something, a freedom that said fun and maintaining our eclectic personalities was so much more important than a color scheme. After that, everything fell in line…and our color scheme became “color.” All of them. : )

What is the most memorable moment of your day?

How much stinkin’ fun the whole day was. It’s a toss up between the really personal moments. We served communion to the congregation ourselves, and it was such a great way to slow down and make eye contact (enough to melt your heart) with almost every guest. That was so special. However, I almost died laughing at the end of the ceremony::: After Brandon and I kissed, the entire congregation stood up and cheered us out! I’m talking throwing fists style. Bahahaha. That’s not typical wedding behavior, and I like it.

Hair and makeup: Amy Lynn Larwig
Photographer: Evoke Photography (except for photobooth shots, taken by guest with Lomography cameras)
Cakes: Publix
Video: Josh Kelley Productions
Everything else, quite literally: Radiant Studios Eco-chic Weddings and Interiors

I was so excited when Laura contacted me to showcase her wedding on BSB! Not only is she from Brentwood where I currently live but her wedding was shot by my friend Evin! Laura had so many great details from the pops of pink and blue in the programs, flowers, and decor to the candy buffet, to the cherry blossom lanterns and her incredibly gorgeous cake! I hope you enjoy hearing her responses and her lovely photos! Congrats Josh and Laura- and thanks for sharing your wedding with BSB!

What was your budget?

We received $10,000 from my parents and Josh & I spent about $3,000.

What creative or personal aspects did you include in your wedding?

To be honest, I’m not very creative. I can’t come up with an idea and then execute that idea, so I did a lot of research on the web and copied a lot of things. And probably did things that hard way, but it’s the only way I could figure out to do it!

I found a wedding invitation that I loved at theknot.com and basically copied the idea for my invitations and programs. But since I don’t know how to design on the computer, I went to Michael’s craft store and bought two stamps. And I used those two stamps to create the look I wanted.

At the reception, I wanted a somewhat Asian theme (since I’ve lived in Asia for three years), so I came up with the idea to string paper lanterns with cherry blossoms around the dance floor. I ordered the lanterns online and my mom made my idea a reality (she IS an engineer at heart). I also bought a cherry blossom craft paper punch online and punched out hundreds of cherry blossom confetti from scrapbook paper in order to decorate the tables. And then the cake had cherry blossoms all over it. So that was my (subtle) theme.

I wanted quotes, or fun words that meant something to Josh and me on each of the tables at the reception. So, we bought wooden stands at Hobby Lobby (for half price) and I created cute quote cards for each table. I also made reserved signs for the head table, the wedding party tables and the family tables.

What was the biggest thing you did to save money?

We tried to do a lot of things to save money, including a ton of DIY projects: the invitations, the programs, confetti, decorating. Anything we could do ourselves, or use a coupon to buy, we did.

One of the biggest savings was when we found a caterer that worked with us at $10/person and we had TONS of food (heavy hors d’oeuvres, fruit, veggies). And then we bought all the alcohol and brought it to the reception ourselves. My mom bought bottled water and make fruit tea. And we borrowed the pitchers and bins to keep the drinks cool. There was PLENTY to eat and drink, and it was quite cheap.

Other than the flowers, which were done by the florist (and all were used at both the ceremony & reception), my mom and I did all the decorating ourselves. And we asked friends to help us and oversee the day-of festivities for us. Seriously, everyone in the bridal party had a job as well. My mom even made the wreaths on the doors of the church. We went to Michael’s craft store, found a wreath we liked, and then copied it.

Another huge savings were my invitations. I bought a wedding invitation kit at Michael’s craft store (my mom and I went every week and bought one at a time with the 50% off coupons in the paper) and I used the paper to make the invites I wanted. We only spent $120 on 300 invitations.

What's the best advice you have for planning your wedding now that you're on the other side?

My biggest advice would be to enlist the help of your friends and family. We used a lot of friends and family to help with our wedding, and it saved us a ton of money, and a lot of my sanity as well. And I think everyone enjoyed being a part of putting on our wedding day.

Another thing would be to borrow, borrow, borrow. Ask all your friends who are married if you can borrow anything they used. We borrowed the ring-bearer pillow, the toasting glasses, the cake servers, everything on the candy bar was borrowed, the table decorations, and some table cloths. There is really no need to buy all new wedding accessories when people you know have basements/garages full of stuff.

What was your biggest splurge?

Our TWO biggest splurges were photography and the reception location.

I’ve had several friends and family members over the years ask a friend to take pictures as a favor, and so many times they didn’t turn out well. So, I knew before I ever got engaged that I would be willing to spend more money on pictures because they are so important to me. I’m so glad that Evin (of EvinPhotography.com) and her partner Sara were able to do my photography. I LOVE my wedding pictures. And honestly I didn’t spend a TON of money, but I knew I didn’t just want a friend doing me a favor. I wanted someone who had a lot of experience.

I spent a lot of time looking at reception sites, but I had to have a place indoors, that could hold 200+ people, and where I could serve alcohol. The Martin Center in Brentwood, Tennessee met all my needs, but it was a big splurge for my budget. I justified it because we only spent $250 on the chapel!

What was your favorite detail?

Wow, it’s so hard to pick one, because I loved my wedding day. It was all I ever dreamed of and more.

But I would say my favorite detail would be my dress from David’s Bridal. It was the third dress I tried on, the first time I went dress shopping. And I knew immediately that it was perfect. I loved that it was all lace (even though I never pictured myself in a lace wedding gown). I truly felt beautiful when I wore it.

What is the most memorable moment of your day?

My most memorable moment was the moment before I walked down the aisle. Everyone kept asking me if I was nervous, but there wasn’t a nervous bone in my body. I was so ready and couldn’t wait to get to the end of the aisle and marry the man of my dreams. He’s my best friend and I’m extremely thankful that God brought us together.

My second favorite moment was at the reception when we were able to finally relax and enjoy the best day of our lives. It seemed to fly by so quickly, but I had a blast dancing and talking to everyone who showed up. It was a fun party!

Vendors:
Photography: Evin Photography
Flowers: A Wedding to Remember (Sue @ 615-790-3065)
Caterer: Your Place, Not Mine (Mike @ 615-871-9156)
Party Rental: Classic Party Rentals
Cake: Linda King (615-368-7534)