Sharon & Casey's DIY Wedding: Part II

Many of you have seen and read about Sharon and Casey's Wedding on Style Me Pretty, but I just had to share all of the wonderful details (including a few of my own comments) and my favorite photos in our blog. This is the second blog out of three for this amazing DIY Wedding! 

All of these stunning photos are by Sean Walker Photography . He did such an amazing job of capturing every moment!

The Woodland Whimsical Wedding- Ceremony and more... 

The wedding was held in San Diego in the backyard of a friend’s home. Sharon and Casey wanted to get married outside with a backdrop of trees and leaves. They knew it was a risk to plan an outdoor wedding in January, but the thought of bare trees and twinkle lights overcame the fear. The free venue helped! It ended up being one of warmest and most beautiful days of winter.

I took the couple to a wholesale flower shop to buy their flowers. It is incredible how far eight dozen roses and 80 hydrangeas can go when you’re going for a backyard look. The day before the wedding, because the arrangements would have been a little thin, the bride and her best friend ran around the semi-rural neighborhood where the wedding was, cutting wildflowers and naturally-growing plants from the side of the road as fillers. No one knew the amazing arrangements had no florist help and were comprised of half-weeds!

One of Sharon’s bridesmaids made her bouquet. She stuck all the flowers together, affixed them with burlap and tied her mom’s wedding ring to the base with twine (it was one of the brides favorite little touches in the wedding).

The couple decided to string pennants throughout the trees. The pennants started out as mere aesthetic but soon became very nostalgic. Bride’s Quote: “Most of the fabric was my mom’s, an avid crafter. She was truly woven throughout the entire wedding. My amazing bridesmaids and I spent two days in my living room-turned-sweatshop, cutting pennants, passing off to the next person to iron, to the next person to sew, to the next person to string. I wanted them to be in trees, down the aisle, anywhere there was room!”

They couple took communion during the ceremony, this little table that the elements were placed on was decorated by her bridesmaids in a mosaic pattern with beautiful ceramics and china

. 

I love to take a step back and look at the big picture! This wedding really was incredible, a dream come true- like a wedding you see in the movies! I have seen many weddings but none quite as whimsical and magical as this one! 

The brides best friend’s husband, Devon, went out into the mountains and gathered wood to make a four-posted chuppah for them to stand under during the ceremony. He nailed it together and draped muslin over the top to make it focal point to the woodland theme.

PURE JOY!

Stunning... 

How Beautiful is this couple... COME ON! 

Can I just note that  I ADORE THIS COUPLE! I love everything about them and throughout the process of getting to know them while planning their wedding, I began to see the love they had for each other and the amazing creativity of Sharon. They are just spectacular! 

Sharon & Casey's DIY Wedding: Part III

Lets get this party started... 

Part III: Reception

Sharon and Casey asked friends to save their used wine bottles. They then soaked off the labels and made cute little tags for each of them. They used the wine bottles as water pitchers on each table. 

They chose a more humble food route by having Souplantation cater just soup. The Brides mom’s dear friends spent New Years Day watching football and making cornbread to go with the soup. It was very affordable and all of the guests loved having comfort food. They cut prices again by ordering bulk biodegradable bowls, napkins, cutlery, and coffee cups online. Knowing that alcohol would be one of the major expenses of their day, they chose to stick to just wine. They bought enough Charles Shaw for everyone from Trader Joe’s – $2 a bottle.

In lou of escort cards- The brides mom’s friend cut little tags from wood strips they bought at Michael’s and painted them with chalkboard paint. They wrote everyone’s names on the tags and then tied them on mason jars with twine, one for each guest that would serve as their drinking glass for the evening. 

Quote from the Bride: “After looking into how much tablecloth rentals were, I knew we couldn’t fit it. So I thought, what is the cheapest possible fabric?? Muslin! I bought three bolts of it at $1.99 a yard (P.S. I can’t even count how many 40% off coupons I used at Joanne’s). After laying it on a table and realizing it would only come three inches off the sides, I had a momentary freak-out until thinking I could make table runners and then cut all the muslin lengthwise, right down the middle, and affix it to either edge of the runner. Krystel, our amazing wedding planner, called dozens of coffee shops to find burlap coffee sacks. After finally founding one, I made a donation to their clean water project in Ecuador. My grandma and sister cut and hot glued for three days strait!”

The bride and groom asked select friends and family to make desserts that were signature or special to them. People loved being a part of our wedding this way! They labeled each dessert individually. The bride downloaded a font online for all the little signs and printed them on cardstock left over from their handmade invitations. 

The cake was made by a friend of the bride, simple and elegant, perfect for their special day.

The first dance is always such a beautiful moment! As they say in Bride Wars, "Your First Dance introduces your couple style to the world"! Oh but it's so true! 

Look at those faces... that's love, joy, relief, happiness, all things wonderful! 

We lit the night sky with the beautiful string lights.  It's one of my favorite way to light a reception.  It makes for such a romantic and elegant atmosphere!

There are three things about this photo that I just had to point out: 1. If you look at the very bottom of the photo on the penannts you will see the couples last name that was sewn onto the pennants (its all about the details). 2. Sharon put on a beautiful white faux fur coat (lent to her by a friend) to watch the toasts (she looked so stylish and she kept warm, LOVE IT). 3. Laughter makes any photo so warm and beautiful. 

What some amazing lighting and a little flash can do! 

     

        

Dance, Dance, Dance...

Casey’s brother built the photo booth out of a sheet of plywood and a big frame someone almost threw away at Casey’s apartment complex. They covered it in burlap and leftover pennants. Sharon painted an old frame and put a piece of cardboard painted with chalkboard paint inside so that guests could add a special message. They had a friend take the photos.

The couple made their grand getaway in a Vintage Rolls Royce- perfect final touch! 

Love this couple so much! Sharon & Casey- Thank you for letting me share in the planning and coordination of your wedding day- it was my pleasure and honor to be your coordinator. You are such an amazing couple and you represent everything that love and a wedding should be! I can't wait to watch your love and marriage grow with each passing year! I hope that the friendship I created with you in this time will last a lifetime. Continue to follow and rely on God.  He has big plans for your lives and your marriage! 

Everything about this couple's day reflected COMMUNITY, FAITH, and LOVE! It was a beautiful event! 

Love, 

Krystel Tien

A message from the Bride and Groom: 

The Hard Rock Hotel

The Hard Rock Hotel in downtown San Diego offers various spectacular indoor and outdoor banquet spaces to accommodate any event size. If you are looking for glamour, style, and rock star service for your wedding then The Hard Rock Hotel is a great venue for any event that you and your guests will never forget!

 

~Evelyn