You can just tell that Nichole + Jeff are a super fun couple from their whimsical + playful DIY wedding! Nichole + Jeff actually entered a contest we helped promote here on GWS for free wedding photography from the awesome duo at EP Love and they were the lucky winners! I’m so excited to share their amazing DIY wedding today. Nichole + Jeff are both artists so they really went all out with the details + decor for their day! Nicole + Jeff wanted an intimate wedding with their closest friends and immediate family. They wanted it to feel like a joyful picnic in the woods, where even the animals come out to join you. Love that so much! Before they even picked a location, they were collecting vintage dishes, mugs and decorations from thrift stores. They are both passionate thrift store scavengers so incorporating all of the vintage decorations was like taking their home and putting it in the woods.
A bit about her dress + accessories: Even as a hypercolor wearing, Punky Brewster worshipping child of the 80’s, I loved 70’s fashion! So I was always admiring the bohemian style Gunne Sax dresses hanging in my Mom’s closet. Soon after our engagement I began searching etsy and ebay for one to wear as a wedding dress, but after a year, still hadn’t found one I liked. Three months before the wedding while shopping with my maid of honor at a used clothing store, I came across a lace Gunne Sax dress that actually fit and only cost 30 bucks. Once the puffy shoulders and prairie length bottom were removed it was perfect!
My parents have been married for over thirty years. Seeing them work through issues and express their love to one another in such a lasting way has always been inspirational to me. As a symbol of the two of them I wore a pair of diamond stud earrings my father gave to my Mom early on in their relationship. The mini pocket knife necklace was an unexpected gift from Jeff earlier this year. I love it so much that it seemed completely appropriate to wear it on our wedding day. It was purchased from the boutique Lula Mae in Pasadena and designed by Bunnies in LA.
They chose to have their wedding in Big Sur, CA because it allowed all of their loved ones to celebrate with them the entire weekend and the Henry Miller Library couldn’t have been a better spot for the wedding. It was a beautiful location without being too manicured or too formal. They were given complete freedom to use the grounds however they wished, so they choose to have their dinner seating in two long rows to keep everyone close to one another. Dinner was served family style to reinforce the picnic atmosphere and since they had less than 50 guests, they were able to spend time with everyone and really enjoy and appreciate their presence.
A bit about the details from the couple…Since we are both artists, the wedding details and decor were quite an obsession. Jeff’s wonderful mother sewed all of our napkins, tablecloths and baked tons of treats for the sweets table. My own amazing mom also baked up some sweets and crafted tons of felt mushrooms that were displayed on the tables. The mushroom decorations stemmed from Jeff’s collection of 1970’s mushroom decorated ceramics.
Since we both love animals and also collect vintage owl and deer items, those had to be in the wedding too! I borrowed a projector from a friend and was able to magnify and trace images I drew myself and copied off the internet, in large scale onto plywood. I then painted and cut them out to be the animal “sign holders” for the celebration. Jeff focused more on the special little details like deer flags on the coffee stir sticks, screen printed bags, and hand made crates for the sweets, beer and coffee tables. The owl tree was the biggest project that we accomplished together. We wanted a unique way for guests to find their seat and also give them a small remembrance to take home with them that they actually might hang onto.
We spent months collecting, building, painting, and creating all of the decor for our wedding. But it would have been all for nothing had we not had an army of loving friends and family to help us the weekend of the wedding. We laugh at ourselves quite hysterically as we think back to how Jeff and I thought we would be able to set everything up by ourselves in two hours the morning of the wedding. Thankfully we are blessed with friends who knew better, and insisted on helping us that morning and throughout the entire wedding. We are endlessly indebted to them for making our wedding appear seamless and absorbing the wedding day chaos on our behalf. xoxo to all of our friends and family!
During the planning I obsessed over all of the wedding blogs that showed unique and creative DIY weddings. Green wedding shoes became one of my morning routines, and how I learned about the wedding photography contest and give away by EP Love. I was stunned when we became a finalist! The after math was amazing. All of our friends and families rallied their troops to vote for us in the competition. We were, and are still, so touched by their efforts to collect us the winning votes. And holy smokes EP Love are completley fantastic! Jeff and I never thought we would have photographers who were just as excited and energized about our wedding as we were. Their vibrant spirits are contagious and our gratitude towards them is infinite! Also, I cannot give enough compliments to Jennifer Lynch Catering for her fantastic food. We asked for a vegetarian meal that even a meat lover would enjoy and holy smokes did she deliver! Every single person that attended our wedding has repeatedly gushed over how delicious the food was. Don’t let her simple website fool you, her food is astounding!
What a unique + truly special day! Thanks so much to Nichole + Jeff and congrats to you both!
vendors:
photography: EP Love // venue name: Henry Miller Library, in Big Sur, Ca // bride's shoes: urban outfitters // bridesmaid dresses: H&M and BCBG // groom's ring: Custom made from Ravens Refuge // cake: Sprinkles Cupcakes // music: Aaron Headley (best man), DJ Number Sixx // bride's dress: Vintage 1970's Gunne Sax Dress that she altered // bride's headpiece: made by Nichole // veil: made by Nichole // bride's jewelery: Lula Mae // brides ring: purchased from Sumi's and was designed by Rebecka Froberg // groom's outfit: Custom suit from Thick As Thieves // groomsmen outfits: H&M // accessories: H&M // flowers: handmade by the bride // coordinator: Jennifer Lynch Catering // caterer: Jennifer Lynch Catering // photobooth: Glass Coat Photobooth // necklace: Bunnies in LA
wow – you can really feel their personalities in the way their wedding was done. perfect!!
A unicorn! I love it!
Gorgeous location, cute, funky details, and I love her head piece!
I love all the COLOR!!!!! So happy.
This looks like so much fun! I love the woodland feel of everything. Those hand-sewn mushroom table decor things are ADORABLE!
This wedding is wonderful… so unique! I love the unicorn!
This post grabbed my attention since my name is Nichol and husband is Jeff :) Congrats to you both! Gorgeous wedding :
Oh Yeah!!! Love this wedding, love Jeff and Nichole, Love Jen at Green Wedding Shoes, love, love, love. thanks GWS. Thanks Jeff and Nichole. Thanks, thanks, thanks.
-Rog
this wedding is awesome! love Love LOVE all the colors and details. and her tights.
this gave me so much inspiration as i too am a collector of 70’s mushroom paraphenelia! love love love!
fantastic pictures! fantastic couple!
Course Jeff is my son and Nichole his lovely bride.
Wow! Love it all! What a fun wedding. It is all so colorful and beautiful, and so you!
***
Theses images are so intriguing and beautiful. Love the concept. Solid work.
Thanks for all of the sweet comments. We’re so excited to be featured here today!
oh man, i can’t get enough of all the cute, vintage animals in this wedding!
Such a cute wedding style. I really like their wedding. They look so sweet in there. Thank you for sharing this to us.
I have GWS bookmarked but, haven’t been on here in a few weeks. Imagine my surprise when I see some old dear friends on here and their beautiful wedding! Congrats to you both. Such a beautiful wedding.
Roger and Lyndzee of EP Love are both totally mushroom and vintage animal sweater Awesome!!!!
I love all the colors in this wedding. It’s so fun to see weddings on this site that are far from traditional!
This is the best wedding I have ever seen.
Hands down.
Every detail, mugs, plates, ceraminc animals, the setting, the photobooth, the colors–all of it have me wishing I could plan my own wedding all over again and do it exactly like theirs.
Imitation is the highest form of flattery, right?
Seriously, that kind of attention to detail just blows me away.
Love it! Love it! Love it.
This is gushworthy.
Love from,
Greta
Hi Nichole!
Beautiful photos. Can you please tell me where you were, in the photo by the river? So gorgeous.
Thank you :)
This is my favourite Wedding I have ever seen! I love it so much! Every little detail is magic.
Congratulations to you both!
x
Hi Mabel!
I just saw your comment… The river photo was taken at Ripplewood Resort which is where we stayed for the weekend. The cabins are cute, cozy and affordable. The river runs right behind all of the cabins, and many of them have decks that overlook the water.
http://www.ripplewoodresort.com/
I love the vintage look of this wedding, and how it is so original!! The ribbon on the back of the chairs is so adorable!! awesome wedding!
PS: the bride looked adorable with the short dress and stockings!
Beautiful pictures. I love it.
This looks like my ideal bride and groom! Fun, colorful, quirky and offbeat! I love the masks of the photobooth.. The detail shots are amazing wow.