Amanda and Jimmy are a Chicago couple, but they decided to get married in Amanda’s hometown of Bowling Green. Their wedding was DIY from beginning to end, and was also multicultural, incorporating elements from Chinese wedding traditions. Jimmy and Amanda met about 6 weeks before she was moving to Mongolia to teach English. They immediately felt a strong attraction to each other, but knew it would be crazy to try to start a long distance relationship. Even so, they emailed and chatted almost every day for a year, and when she came back for summer vacation, they saw each other and realized there was no way they could stay apart. They decided to make a long distance relationship work, and did it for a year. Amanda came back to the States for good in June 2009 and moved to Chicago to be near Jimmy. He proposed on March 1, 2010.
Who, What, Where ~~ Ceremony: Calvary Baptist Church. Photography: Jen and Chris Creed. Flowers: Broadway Florist, and DIY. Invitations: 123Print.com
The wedding was DIY through and through. She got her dress at David’s Bridal, but wasn’t a huge fan of the halter neckline. Her mom made some alterations, and added some beautiful scalloped lace so it would look just how Amanda wanted it. Her talented mother also sewed all the bridesmaids dresses, and pocket squares for the men.
Amanda’s late grandmother made nightgowns for her and and her sisters when they were young. She had her mom save the fabric and make the ring pillow out of it. They now have it on their bed in their home.
Since they were getting married in the fall, Amanda and Jimmy knew they wanted a warm color palette of reds and oranges. They chose the deep persimmon color of the bridesmaids dresses together, and everything evolved from there. They wanted to keep things simple and pretty without getting too formal.
Amanda began collecting different vases, and containers from thrift stores right after Jimmy’s proposal. The day before the wedding her bridesmaids went to a local flower shop and purchases bouquets, which they then arranged themselves in all the vases Amanda had collected.
Amanda and Jimmy also printed all the table numbers on scrap paper that she collected from local craft stores.
During the reception Amanda and Jimmy changed into traditional Chinese wedding outfits, and performed a traditional a tea ceremony to honor their parents, aunts, and uncles. It was a new experience for Amanda’s family, and they loved being able to do something to welcome Jimmy as a new son and nephew. It was also really important for his family to do something that is such an important part of Chinese culture, and Amanda felt blessed to be able to offer tea to her new family too.
Amanda’s favorite part of the day:
My favorite part of the day was our first look at my parents’ house. I loved getting ready at home with my bridesmaids and knowing that I would get to see Jimmy waiting for me in the yard. Whenever wedding planning got stressful, I would just imagine how exciting it would be to see him there. The real moment was even better than I had imagined!
A big thank you to Jimmy and Amanda for sharing all the details for their day, and to Jen and Chris Creed Photography for submitting it and for their lovely images!
Thursday, July 14th, 2011, 11:08 am | 
DIY Projects, Real Weddings | 
RSS feed
| 
Respond | 
Trackback