Posts tagged ‘hand made’

March 5th, 2013

Ideas We Love: Fabric and Feather Wedding Flowers

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We see a lot of weddings here at MOTM, but this event definitely caught our eye.  What stood out about it?  The beautiful personal flower and decor pieces, all of them made out of fabric and feathers.  In the words of their photographer Dana Ann Photography, “Every detail of the wedding from the bride’s bouquet to the beautifully crafted arch they delivered their vows to one another under, was designed and put together for the couple by the hands that love them most.”  We think this quote sums their day up perfectly, and makes these elements all the more special.  Thanks so much for sharing Dana!

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hand-made-felt-flowers

CategoryDIY Projects, Idea We Love, Missouri | Comment1 Comment »

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February 13th, 2013

Real Weddings: Kelli and Jason, Burton, Ohio

As is the case with many of our Middle of the Map couples, Kelli and Jason were originally set up by friends.   However on their first meeting, one could say the timing just wasn’t right, and they went their separate ways.  However, flash forward to one year later, and the two met again, the stars aligned and sparks flew, and as Kelli put it “we’ve been together ever since”.  Kelly and Jason love the outdoors, they’re aspiring farmers, and they’re also big fans of all things DIY and vintage.  It only made sense to create an event that captured all of these elements on a hot July evening.  Everyone pitched in to make it happen, and all the details are a testament to their amazing team of family and friends.  Thank you so much to Kelli for sharing all the details of the day, and to Mary Wyar Photography for the lovely pictures!

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Who, What, Where ~ Ceremony/Reception: Burton Century Village.  Photography: Mary Wyar Photography.  Rentals: Hodgepodge Vintage Rentals.  Dress: BHLDN.  Bridesmaids: Nordstrom.  Food: Culinary Occasions.  Beer: Southern Tier Brewery.  Tent: Lasting Impressions.  Bus rental: Precious Cargo.  Everything else was created, gathered, and decorated by Kelli, Jason, and their amazing friends and family!

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from the bride, Kelli…

Our wedding was very DIY, from the homemade strawberry jam that I made as the guest gift, to the table runners, to the bunting hanging in the tent. It was an adventure that all of our friends and family helped make so special but my favorite was that my close friends and family member each baked a pie for our dessert table- many of who had never made a pie before in their life.  Jason and I had a small wedding cake but the pies were so great we never even cut the cake!!  We also offered a special celebration punch at  our cocktail hour called Chatham Artillery Punch- so many hands went into making this rather elaborate drink- and rather strong! Whoa was it good though.
There were several heirlooms included in our day. I had a hanky that my great great grand mother held on her wedding day, as well as my mom and sister. And my mother-in-law gave me a hanky that her great great grand mother made and brought over to America from Bohemia. The ring pillow my nephews carried was knitted by my grandmother and my sister used it in her wedding too. My mother gave me pink champagne glasses from the depression era that she found in a vintage store as a gift she gave us for our engagement that we used all night.
We had our wedding at The Burton Century Village- someplace I grew up going to as a little girl. The view was amazing and it meant so much to us to have the farm as our back drop. We are lovers of nature and the country side so the setting with the century homes and the farm there were just what we wanted!
Our ceremony was our favorite part of our wedding day. We wanted to be sure we did not have any thoughtless traditions, and that it reflected us in every way. Jason built the arbor we stood under as my wedding gift which is now in my garden- he even went to far as to put a branch from the tree that he made my engagement ring box from as part of the arbor. My best friend married us, and we wrote our own vows. His close friend bluegrass band played the music for our ceremony and the wedding so it was all the songs we wanted to hear. I can still close my eyes and see Jason’s face when he said “I do”, with that big happy smile. I will always remember that moment. And then when we were married and the ceremony was over my parents surprised us and had bagpipers playing as we walked down the aisle together! It was such a special day- and I know it is for so many couples but seeing all of our friends and family come together to help us and make the day so special will be what I cherish most.

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November 29th, 2012

Real Wedding: Chelsea and Kevin, St. Louis, MO

Is there anything more intimate than a backyard wedding?  Surrounded by the people you love and the memories of your youth, we can’t think of a more charming way to begin the next chapter of your life.  For Chelsea, her grandparents’ backyard proved to be the perfect spot to say “I do” to her soulmate, Kevin.  There, under the twinkle lights her mom and dad strung up, surrounded by the flowers their friends spent much of the day arranging, these two loves birds were right at home.

Who, What, Where ~~ Ceremony & Reception: Chelsea’s Grandparents’ Home.
Photography: Jason Domingues Photography.  Dress:  Bridal Extraordinaire.
Catering: Gregory’s Creative Cuisine.  Cake: Dolce Baking Co.  Stationery: Tie That Binds Weddings.  Kevin’s Wood Ring:  Stout Woodworks.

From The Bride, Chelsea…

After the first few months of dating, Kevin and I each knew we had found what we had always been looking for. Our souls had met their match, and so naturally, I became infatuated with wedding planning. We sat down and made a list of what truly mattered to us regarding our wedding day. The list included intimate family, my grandfather as the minister, and holding the wedding on our anniversary, July 2nd.

Following those goals, we decided to have the wedding in my grandparent’s small but lovely backyard where I had played so often as a child.  The French language has importance to us because I speak French fluently and Kevin proposed to me in French (so that even in a crowd of family and friends only I knew the special words he was asking me.) So, we decided to infuse the details with a vintage french flea market feel. The dessert table featured macarons, palmiers and a banner reading “patisserie”. We also included songs from Carla Bruni and Edith Piaf on our post-ceremony playlist.

To keep the wedding budget-friendly, I hand-crafted most of the decor. We hunted through our favorite antique stores for pretty plates and candlesticks. I purchased and cut the burlap table runners, glued together the table numbers, hand painted the wedding signs and hot-glued moss to our initials.

Being from a very closely-knit family also meant that their incorporation was very important to us. While we did not have a traditional processession, my two little sisters walked before me as my flower girls (the youngest held a sign reading “Here Comes the Bride”,) and my father walked me down the aisle, which was one of the most meaningful walks of my life. My grandmother’s cameo brooch decorated my bouquet as my “something old”, and I wore my other grandmother’s pearl necklace as my “something borrowed.” My “something blue” was our initials and wedding date hand-stitched by my grandmother into my dress, and my something new was my wedding gown, which my mother and I found and purchased together, a moment I will always cherish.

What happened on the day of the wedding was simply a blur of love. As soon as the day began friends and family were helping left and right. My parents were stringing twinkle lights through the trees, my grandfather was practicing his sermon, and all of the women were busy making our famous pies for dessert. The day was filled with surprises that I did not know about: beginning with Kevin passing out lyrics to our first dance song so that when we began dancing we were surrounded with a chorus of family singing to us, and ending with my grandfather passing out sparklers to everyone to light as we cut our cake. Where I thought there wouldn’t be room for dancing, my family kicked off their shoes, turned up the music and made that little garden feel like the greatest celebration I had ever attended.

That summer night, under stars and sparklers, the wedding process came to an end. But what Kevin and I knew as the guests began to trickle out and the caterers cleaned up the tables was that while our wedding was only the beginning of our life together, that day showed us what love for family is all about– and we are thrilled to be continuing that tradition of love through our marriage.

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November 15th, 2012

Real Wedding: Jacqueline and Gavin, Desoto, Iowa

Jacqueline and Gavin share a love of the great outdoors.  After spending their very first date on a fishing expedition, they knew right away they had found the perfect catch in one another.  When it came time to plan their wedding, they knew they wanted to capture the very best of the fall in Iowa. They planned every detail – taking extra care to ensure that friends and family all had a role in the festivities.  Their day was exquisitely captured by Kyle Dreher, of Landing Feet First Photography and it’s easy to see these two share a love as pure as the sky is blue.  Thanks to Landing Feet First Photography for sharing these beautiful images and to Jacqueline and Gavin for sharing their day with us!

Who, What, Where ~ Photographer – Kyle Dreher, Landing Feet First Photography, Wedding Decorator – Sarah Dreher, On Solid Ground Vintage Rentals,  Caterer – Evie Peterson, Farmhouse Catering, Wedding gown – Justin Alexander, Chair rentals – Classic Events and Parties, Supplemental flowers – Howell’s Dried Florals and Greenhouse, Bedwell Gardens, Groth Gardens and Greenhouses

From the Bride, Jacqueline…

“Gavin and I have always shared the love of the outdoors – our first date was an all night fishing trip under the stars! I made him fall in love with me by outfishing him! We wanted our wedding to be as unique as us, so we started by deciding to get married outside and take advantage of the beautiful Iowa fall weather. Our wedding was filled with things we love; family, friends, fishing, hunting, gardening, and antiques! I loved the tables decorated with antiques, antlers, pheasant feathers and homegrown flowers. To make our guests feel at home, we enjoyed home cooked meal served family style and ate on antique china plates. Our family and friends made their best specialties for dessert! Our head table was a big family table where our families ate together like a Sunday dinner. My bouquet was made by my mom with brooches from family and friends. Gavin’s mom made all the hand-painted signs and my favorite “H” crested banner. My sister made our wedding cake and we used my grandpa’s caketopper from his wedding. We had a lot of fun canning veggies from our garden for guests to take home. I love that every detail of our wedding uniquely represented us – but the help and support from our family and friends made our wedding day as amazing as it was!”

CategoryDIY Projects, Inspiration, Iowa, Real Weddings | Comment1 Comment »

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September 5th, 2012

Real Weddings: Mindy and Jim, Kansas City, Missouri

I don’t know about you you, but with how ridiculously hot this summer has been I’m definitely in the mood for fall.  On that note I thought it would be perfect to share Mindy and Jim’s adorable October wedding to get us all in the spirit of one of my favorite seasons.  When planning their day Mindy said that they had a lot of out of town guests, so they really wanted to showcase Kansas City.  After attending a few different events at Boulevard Brewery she and Jim knew it was the right spot for their wedding, with a lovely space, views of the KC skyline, and of course some of the best beer around!  She drew color inspiration from the Boulevard logo, and added in some neutral grey to soften the navy and yellow palette.  A crew of crafty family and friends helped pull together the hand made decor, and Carolyn of Ultrapom, a local event rental company added lovely linens, and containers, as well as helping set up on the day of.  A big thank you to Mindy for sharing all the details of the day, and to Heather Brulez for the lovely images.

Real Kansas City Wedding, Mindy and Jim

Who, What, Where ~ Ceremony/Reception: Boulevard Brewery.  Photos: Heather Brulez Photography.  Flowers: Dutch Flowers. Rentals and Set-up: Ultrapom.  Catering: Jack Stack BBQ.  Stationer: Alicia Dean CCOinc.

Boulevard Brewery Wedding Ceremony

Beautiful fall bouquet

Mr. and Mrs.

Hand made paper flowers

Custom designed guest book.

Cupcakes with mini flags.

 

Even more loveliness…

From the bride, Mindy…

Jim and Mindy met at Cinzetti’s Italian restaurant in Overland Park KS in 2005.  Mindy was being trained in her first serving job when Jim hurried through the front door, eager to check on his week’s sales numbers. Taken with Mindy’s blue eyes and good manners, he broke his rule of dating a co-worker by asking her out for a cherry soda.  Mindy was humored and intrigued by the cherry soda request.  Phone numbers were exchanged and a first date was scheduled.  Being new to Kansas City, Mindy had never been to the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art.  Jim decided that he would take her there for their first date.  Six years later, they returned to the same location where Jim proposed to Mindy and she gladly said YES!

My mom was the master of DIY projects when I was growing up.  She sewed my dresses, doll dresses, Halloween costumes, arranged dried flowers, etched glass….you name it.  I’ve tried to follow in her footsteps but only seem to leave half finished projects in my wake.

When it came to my wedding, I wanted that do-it-yourself feel in the decor to make our guests feel at home.  I gathered ideas from online and went to craft stores to get inspired but it was all a little overwhelming. The project supervisor in me spoke up and I decided to delegate instead.

Being the crafty gal that she is, my mom made all of the paper flowers for our centerpieces.  Jim actually had the idea to shred Kansas City Star newspapers to use as filler for the vases.  I knew I chose the right guy!

I hired Alicia Dean of CCOinc, a graphic designer whom I work with to design our save the date’s and wedding invitations.  She and I collaborated on the design and I couldn’t have been happier!  Alicia also designed and produced our guest book which was a tree for our guests to “leaf” their fingerprint and sign.

Bridesmaids Leah & Amy hand folded all of the “Cootie Catchers” which served as our ceremony programs.  I created the cupcake decor from some long forgotten project materials laying around the house and also the table numbers and our place cards.

Jim and his family sweetly gifted me some jewelry from the women on both sides of his family.  I requested that our florist Melissa Garris (Dutch Flowers in the River Market) attach them to my bridal bouquet.

The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art was the only choice for our pre-wedding photos for me.  Jim and I had our first date and our proposal there.  The weather couldn’t have been better for the end of October and I’m still amazed at how the photos look like they were taken in June.

Aside from all the usual things brides say were their favorite parts…it was truly the professionalism and outstanding level of service each of our vendors brought to our wedding day.  Seeing all of our own visions, research hours and dollars working through our vendors’ skill sets & creativity to orchestrate a memorable event for our guests was extremely rewarding.

 

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