While I was out...here's what you missed...
I got MARRIED! In October of 2011 I married the love of my life (no not my dog, my now husband). The Mr. and I had a fabulous wedding on a ranch in Northern Minnesota. I was determined from the start to have a DIY wedding as funds were tight and I had some spare time to work on things. I had no idea what I was getting myself into!
The Basics: The ceremony and reception happened on the same piece of property. We knew we wanted an outdoor wedding so the problem was where?!? Did we want to go the cookie cutter route and get married in the Rose Garden or maybe on the shores of Lake Superior...mmmmm not really. So I opened the phone book and started calling every business I could find that I thought would have a barn (that's a true story). Countryside Rides was the first one we scoped out and ended up being the one we chose! She had never had a wedding on the property before but it was perfect. She had trails that she used for sleigh/hay rides and a giant open field off of one of those trails.
It was then we knew how it would work...The guests would arrive at the barn and be ushered to a wagon loading area. There, they would load on to horse drawn wagons and be brought out to the ceremony site (about a 5 minute ride). Once at the ceremony site, they would be helped off the wagon and escorted to the hay bale seating. We would keep refreshments and activities nearby to keep them entertained while more wagon loads picked up people.
The wedding party would take the last wagon out and unload and my dad and I would take the white carriage to the site.
We wanted a quick and fun ceremony (and with the help of our wonderful officiant it was) and then the guests would be loaded back on wagons and head back to the barn for a reception they wouldn't forget. While the guests were being brought back to the barn for "cocktail hour" we would be snapping photos in the field. I knew that I didn't want to make my guests wait for hours while the wedding party disappeared like most weddings.
Once everyone headed back to the barn, the party would start. Complete with free refreshments and a pig roast!
With the help of my oh-so-wonderful Mr. and my fabulous Mother and Maid of Honor, we saved so much money and threw an amazing party!
Here are some of the DIY pieces and photos (photos courtesy of George Hausler, our fabulous wedding photographer)...
Burlap Table Runners: I purchased the burlap from a wholesale factory online and it was an awful experience. We needed 60 yards and for the price they offered it at, I should have known it was too good to be true. I was assured the burlap was one continuous piece that I could cut to size, it wasn't. In fact, pieces were ductaped together. There were also holes EVERYWHERE. Some of them were in spots where we could place a centerpiece over and no one would know, but talk about frustrating!
Centerpieces: I spent all spring and summer of 2011 collecting mason jars. When everything was said and done, I had close to 200. All different brands, sizes and colors. I was able to collect enough of the aqua to use as the floral centerpieces. All of the flowers used on the tables were from Michaels Craft Store and arranged by yours truly (and my MOH). We also used large 1/2 gallon, clear mason jars on each table and stuffed them with spanish moss and battery operated white christmas lights for a "twinkle effect." Because our reception was in a barn...a working barn with hay everywhere...we didn't want to risk using candles/open flames.
Card box, Signs, Guest Book, Activity Books: I spent a lot of time contemplating what our card box should look like, when it dawned on me...make it match the signage that I made throughout the wedding. I had my hubby fashion up a rather large rectangular box using left over plywood from other projects and then I painted it to match. We had signs used throughout the wedding painted in a barn red with cream lettering and sanded down to look rustic. The signs read: DRINKS, ALISSON & KEVIN, WAGON LOADING, WEDDING, REMEMBER WHEN and then the card box that read {CARDS}.
I had my wonderfully artistic aunt sketch a large tree on sketch paper for our guest book. I went to Michaels again (I spent a lot of time there last summer) and purchased a bunch of stamping ink in maroon, orange, green and yellow. I then made a sign that explained to people that they were to make a fingerprint to represent a leaf on the tree and then sign their name. It was so much fun and now, instead of our guest book tucked away in a box, we have it framed on our living room wall and can remember, on a daily basis the people that shared our day with us.
Kids are inevitable at weddings. Whether you want them there or not, give them something to do!! I had this great idea to make a wedding activity book. Because we had a farm/ranch/barn style wedding I carried this theme throughout the books. They were a hit!! It kept the kids and some adults busy during down times. They were so popular that I've chosen to sell them in my Etsy store. They come as a complete set...activity/coloring pages on card stock hole punched with a binder ring and crayons in a re-sealable bag. Everything you need in one spot! (See right side of page for my Etsy store link).
Flowers, Bouquets and Boutonnieres: I spent all summer going to Michaels, looking for deals on fall colored flowers. I managed to purchase all of the flowers (bouquets, centerpieces, boutonnieres) for $115 TOTAL! I was so excited. With the help of my MOH, the week before the wedding we put together all of the centerpieces and additional flower arrangements to be used in various spots. We also took to the hot glue gun! I had arranged put together the bouquets prior to her flight into town so all that was left was to cut strips of burlap and twist them up the stems. Easier said then done. My poor MOH lost a lot of skin on that project. For the boutonnieres, we cut out leaves from burlap and hot glued them to a skewer stick, then arranged a flower and some additional pieces of straw and berries and then folded the burlap in and wrapped the bottom of the leaf and down the skewer stick with twine. Again...a lot of skin was missing after this! The flowers that lined the aisle of the ceremony were fresh flowers from Sam's Club. My Mom picked them up the day before the wedding and she put the arrangements together the morning of, along with the help of one of our groomsmen and the groom himself. What troopers!
Some other odds and ends...My dad constructed the platform we were married on and my MOH and I stained it in one night (another messy project). The Sand Ceremony during the wedding used sand from each of our ends of town. My husband grew up on the West end while I grew up on the East end. Our guests sat on hay bales for the ceremony. I spent the month leading up to the wedding coffee staining and washing white bed sheets that we draped over the bales to keep them from poking the guests bottom and legs. Our wedding favors were drink koozies that read..."To have and to hold and keep your beer cold. Alisson & Kevin 2011" We had those made online, I couldn't take that task on. We had a DJ (who was awful by the way but I've been asked by the company to no longer name names...ugh) but for the ceremony and the father daughter dance, we had a wonderful family friend play guitar and sing. He also entertained the guests on the hay wagons with some music.
I'm sure there is a lot of stuff I'm leaving out but there were so many wonderful things to talk about, it's hard to remember them all!
We received word last week that our wedding was actually published in an online wedding blog. We were so thrilled that all of the hard work and sleepless nights paid off. You can see the feature here: http://rusticweddingchic.com/minnesota-diy-farm-wedding
I'm sure I will added more as it comes to mind but for now...I should keep working on Etsy orders. Happy Wednesday!
Love,
Ali
