{real wedding} laura + jake's backyard wedding

Happy Wednesday, friends? Who's ready for some wedding goodness? Today I'm sharing with you Laura + Jake's adorable backyard wedding. It was a total family affair but I'll let Laura tell you all about it... The single most important thing about our wedding day was for it to be a celebration and a representation of who we are and where we came from. We wanted to enlist friends and family members to take the place of traditional hired vendors whenever possible. Our food, desserts, music, flowers, decor, signage, photography, videography, and wedding services were all taken care of by our loved ones. We knew that everything that went into our wedding was made with love, and also saved us a bundle.

I’m {Laura} a graphic designer by trade and created the wedding stationery, which we used this as a springboard for the look and feel for the rest of the wedding. We really liked vintage craftsmanship and wanted to incorporate that, as well as the rustic look that would tie in with the backyard setting. After checking out many different wedding venues, we never felt quite at home, so we decided to use the beautiful backyard of the house that Laura grew up in. We used the money we saved on a venue to beautify the yard, something Laura's parents will enjoy the benefit of for years. We also enjoyed the fact that we could begin setup earlier in the week, and could stay as late as we wanted.

It was also important to us that our design wasn't rustic and antique simply for the sake of being chic, but that we were saving money as well. Our silverware and center pieces came from thrift stores, our hay bails were borrowed from the neighbors, our plates were bought second hand at a party rental sale, and the yard art such as wheelbarrows and decorate desks were either already there, or found on the side of the road.

Having a DIY wedding is a lot of work, but spending time and working with friends and family has a huge payoff. We all got to see our artistic talents come together, and the end product was day-long living art piece that was tailored to our liking, represented us fully, and that we could take pride in. We will forever remember how personal our wedding was for us. 

{Photography} Maggie Russo Photo  {Venue} Bride's parents yard  {Event design} Ourselves  {Flowers} Grown in bride's parents garden, assembled by family and friends  {Wedding dress} Allue Bridals (Style 8634), purchased from Bridal Exclusives  {Veil} Made by bride  {Shoes:} Seychelles Aquamarine (bride), Cole Haan (groom)  {Bridesmaid dresses} Anthropologie  {Suits} Men's Wearhouse  {Makeup Artist} Megan Root (also a bridesmaid)  {Hair} Bride's sister, Katelyn  {Wedding stationery } Bride  {Hand-painted signs} Bride's sister, Elise {Cake, cupcakes, cookies and marshmallows} Groom's Aunt Sherry  {Barbecued pulled pork and vegetables} Leighton and Andrew (friends)  {Kitchen manager (made all other food)}Charlotte (mom's friend)  {Servers/kitchen runners} Bride's sister's friends  {Bartender} Bride's Uncle Herb  {Ushers} Nick and Jeff (bride's sisters' boyfriends)  {Band} On The Stairs  {DJs} No Talk Tunes - first half of dance, Graham (groomsman) - second half of dance  {Officiant} Blaise (friend)  {Video} Bride's Uncle Kevin  {Rentals (tables, chairs, dance floor)} The Party Place   {All other decor, etc.} Borrowed from friends/family, thrifted, second-hand, or already had!