Well friends, today is the special day I’ve been talking about all week… it’s my 3rd wedding anniversary! Just thought I would take this time to give you all a little reminder that there IS something amazing beyond your wedding day- your marriage! So don’t forget to plan and prepare for that too! :) 

This DIY wedding I have for you all today is absolutely gorgeous! Not only does it take place at a pretty awesome Texas barn venue, but all of the vintage DIY details reflect the bride and groom so very well! And the images by Kelly Hornberger Photography are just stunning!  Rebekah, the lovely bride, will be joining us today to provide a little insight into her wedding…

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

I didn’t have any family or friends in Texas, so I didn’t have a strong network of people able to delegate wedding tasks/needs to while I was planning. I’m also a bit of a control freak so wasn’t very good at handing over responsibilities to friends and family when they flew into town the week of the wedding. I had everything planned out myself, with my “vision” of wedding perfection. 

That being said, what ended up helping me the most was being flexible.  It’s necessary so that you can easily ride out the inevitable bumps that come up, even in your best laid plans.  Two days before my wedding, I ended up at Davids Bridal buying a last minute dress off the rack.  The dream dress that I had hired a seamstress to create for me ended up being finished late and when I tried it on, it was a hideous!  I didn’t waste time focusing on how such an important element of my wedding day had gone wrong; I focused on mentally editing my “vision” and finding an awesome Plan B wedding dress.  Don’t let society or other people’s expectations, issues, stress and worries hold you up or drag you down, just keep your “eye on the prize” and let it roll past you.

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

I handpicked all of my vendors.  It was important for them to be within my budget but it was more important that I felt comfortable with them.  I met with so many vendors that seemed distant, uninterested, self-absorbed or unwilling to be flexible.  The lack of customer service was shocking to me, especially when you’re interested in hiring someone for thousands of dollars!  I even had a photographer say he didn’t want to work with ME during my search for the right photographer!  I knew I didn’t want to feel like there wasn’t a connection and mutual understanding.  I wanted to enjoy working with them and feel confident that they would be there, be understanding and help make My Day easily come together.

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

Kelly,  our photographer, is great at making you feel like you’re a friend instead of a customer.  She has been so accommodating! We felt special when she sent us little treats in the mail, such as an ornament for Christmas with our initial!  She really goes above and beyond and makes the experience more of a relationship than a business transaction.

What was your favorite thing about your wedding?

That is difficult because everything is so interconnected! The wedding photos were amazing but they would have been lacking without all the awesome decorations and I looked incredible but that is thanks to my makeup artist….so I guess my favorite thing was seeing it all come together and be wonderful and know that my friends and family enjoyed themselves!

What is your best piece of advice for other brides?

I found that communication is a big part of making sure everyone is on the same page.  Make sure that everyone knows exactly what you expect and want.  Even if they agree and sound like they know what you are talking about, keep touching base with them and going over the details.  Whether it is with your baker or your bridesmaids, be as clear and detailed as possible so that come the day of, there aren’t any surprises.  People interpret things differently. “Business Casual” might mean something different to your guests than it does to you and your caterer might consider a bag of cubed cheese dumped on tray with a horse motif to be a “rustic cheese display”.  

Wow, thank you for all of your insight Rebekah! I’m sure some of your advice will definitely help out some brides out there! And thank you to Kelly Hornberger Photography for sharing the gorgeous images of this wedding!

I’m of course just loving all of the details. The centerpieces, the escort card setup, oh and definitely those mini pies! And how great were those bridesmaid dresses with the cardigans?! I also love that this was a small, intimate wedding- seriously, those are always the best! Keeping things small definitely ensures that you will enjoy yourself!

So how about you lovely ladies? What do you think of this DIY vintage style?

Vendors who made it all happen…