My oh my, this week is FLYING by! (Totally did NOT intend for that to rhyme! Moving on…) This vintage rustic wedding I have for you all today is from California-based Krista Marie Photography, and let me just tell you- it is GORGEOUS! Not only are the bride and groom absolutely glowing with happiness, but the little vintage, rustic details throughout the wedding are fab! Oh, and let’s not forget that the wedding was at one of Florida’s only “barn” venues (and an amazing one at that), the Birdsong Barn! The beautiful bride, Kayla, has shared some of her wedding insight to go along with the gorgeous images too! Shall we begin? :)

What (or who) helped you most in your planning process and/or wedding day?

My husband and I knew from the start that we wanted a very intimate, personal wedding – we also wanted a DIY wedding (on a budget) that could be planned and carried out in our brief 5 month engagement, so we had a LOT of help. Pinterest was a great resource for me as we brainstormed ideas – I created a “vision board” that I shared with all my friends and family who were helping us pull the details together. We also used Google’s wedding planning docs/templates to keep track of to-do lists, vendor contact info, budgets, etc. My mom and sister made several trips to visit me and they were such a huge help (and also a LOT of fun), and I got all my crafty girlfriends on board to help make garlands, cupcake toppers, favors and more. On our actual wedding day one of my best friends served as our “wedding day coordinator” and she was phenomenal! We could not have done it without her help! She organized all our friends and family who were helping set up at our venue, and she carried out our vision perfectly. It was such a relief to hand over all the projects and details to her when she arrived and spend the last few days before our wedding just soaking in the moments!

What was the most important thing to you when deciding who to work with for your wedding?

For us the most important thing when choosing vendors was a personal recommendation. We wanted to use our wedding to support people we knew in the wedding industry – so we chose friends we trusted to be involved on our wedding day, or we took recommendations from friends we trusted. Our DJ was my husband’s boss, our AWESOME photographer was a friend of a friend whose work we loved instantly, our cake was made by a family friend, and the cupcakes came from our grocery store! One of our favorite vendors was the caterer who was recommended by my dad – he laid out an amazing spread of BBQ that made the outdoor, laid-back atmosphere complete!

Did any of your vendors do anything special for you before, on, or after your wedding day that you would like to share?

At this point I just have to brag on Luanne, the owner of Birdsong Barn – our wedding venue. She and her family built the barn for their daughter’s wedding a few years ago and they now rent the barn for other people to use. Not only was the cost incredible to begin with, but what we got was far above and beyond our expectations. Luanne was there all day on our wedding day helping set up, helping make sure everything ran smoothly, and helping break down. She had all kinds of extra decor items that helped create the perfect atmosphere and she was so encouraging and helpful throughout the whole process.

I also have to brag on Krista Marie Lynch – our lovely photographer. When we met, she lived locally, and then during our engagement she and her own hubby moved across the country. Despite having just moved she flew all the way back to shoot our wedding day and she was wonderful! She has such a sweet personality and calming presence which is what every bride needs on her wedding day! Truly, our wedding day would not have been complete without her there, and we are SO thankful.

What was your favorite thing about your wedding?

My favorite think about our wedding was most definitely the first moment my husband and I caught each others gaze as I was walking down the aisle. As soon as he saw me he started to cry, which of course started me crying too. At that moment I felt more loved than I imagined was possible. I remember I didn’t hear most of the ceremony because I was so caught up in the emotion of being on that altar with my husband. It was such a special moment for us both.

What is your best piece of advice for other brides?

The best piece of advice I received as a bride was to slow down on your wedding day. Stop, take some moments, soak in what is really happening and what the day is all about. I was so thankful I heeded that advice because we have so many beautiful memories from our wedding.

I would add that it’s important to take those times to pause throughout the planning process, because at the end of the day what matters is NOT the wedding – it’s whether or not you end up married. We told ourselves over and over when the details started to get overwhelming: “As long as we end up married by the end of the day, our wedding day was a success.” Nothing else really matters in the grand scheme of things but that you chose that day to begin the rest of your life with the one you’ve promised to love.

Thank you so much for sharing all of your insight with us Kayla! That is some AWESOME advice! A big thank you to Krista Marie Photography for sharing the beautiful photos with us too!

I absolutely LOVE all of the details throughout the wedding… the photo booth backdrop (AMAZING!), the bride and groom chairs, the hearts on the cupcakes, etc, etc. Which detail was your favorite?!

Vendors who made it all happen…