An Elegant Rustic Missouri Campground Wedding: Amanda + Mike

wedding party

Lovelies, you’re going to adore Amanda + Mike’s playful Missouri campground wedding, which was the prettiest jumble of all of their favorite things! And while they were up against a bit of a battle when they realized most of their family members didn’t really “get” their rustic elegance theme, they were set on the idea + knew that if anyone could take a little campground in the middle of nowhere and turn it into the dreamiest place on earth, the girls from Bash, Please could! To help keep their day a streamlined representation of who they are together, and make the planning just a bit easier, Amanda + Mike booked the full YEAH! weddings package which included photography, dj, video, and a smilebooth. Such a great way to take some of the pressure off, don’t you think?!

When it comes to describing the meaning behind the day, Amanda says it best, so I’ll let her take it from here:

We knew we wanted our families’ stories to play a major part of the day and I’m a big on symbolism, so everything had meaning. Our invites were the ASL sign for “I love you,” something we always sign to each other in my family. We picked the campground because it’s where my brother and I grew up spending a lot of our time and it was our late grandfather’s pride and joy. I always knew I wanted to wear my mom’s dress, so I never even shopped for another. Luckily, it fit perfectly with almost no alterations, just some mending to the lace sleeves. Mike and I were both given lucky buckeyes by our grandparents when we were younger, so we knew we had to incorporate that. He was holding onto his the entire day. The penny in my shoe and the baby bonnet I tied around my bouquet were both from my great-grandmother, as gifts to my parents when I was born.

Thanks so much to Jenn Emerling of YEAH Weddings, and all of the talented creatives who make up the YEAH Weddings package, for sharing Amanda + Mike’s super fun day with us! And congrats, of course, to the newlyweds! :)

photo invite

wedding buttons

cabin

bow tie

groomsmen

bride and bouquet


I’m totally crazy about Amanda’s velvet Charlotte Olympia cat pumps, which she scored from from Net-A-Porter. So fun!

cat shoes

bridesmaids

yeah weddings bouquet

lavender bouquet

penny in a shoe


And isn’t her gift to her dad just the sweetest?!

custom handkerchief

lemonade

bride arriving

ceremony

Our Favorite Memory From The Wedding

Right as the ceremony started, I noticed all these bees flying around the eucalyptus overhead and around Mike's boutonniere, getting really close to his face. Both Mimi (our officiant) and Mike are deathly afraid of bees, so it was hard not to laugh at the two of them trying to keep it together. During the reception, Mike and I took a moment and stood outside the barn, looking in on all our family and friends, just soaking it all in. That's a pretty great memory. Oh, and the jump roping.

hanging garland

ceremony

ceremony

Our Musical Choices

Processional: Heartbeats – Jose Gonzalez

Recessional: Home – Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

First Dance: The Girl – City and Colour

lace edged veil

vintage car

vintage car

vintage car

flower crown


Amanda’s pretty floral crown was crafted by Missouri-based floral designer, Flowers and Weeds.

yeah weddings flower crown

bride and groom

reception

airstream

keychain escort cards

skinny candles


The design team created the most romantic reception space, complete with french lavender housed in vintage vessels + an abundance of antique lace textiles. Every detail seemed to be a perfect fit for the already storied, meaningful setting!

skinny candles

lace tablecloths

lace tablecloths

lace tablecloths

marquee letter

chili dinner


And I love that they incorporated our DIY string heart into the design!

string art heart

custom glasses

reception


For sure don’t miss Amanda + Mike’s lovely wedding film by Sharkpig!


Our Advice To Those Planning Now

1. Some practical advice I got from a coworker: Easy on the champagne before the photos, b/c it tends to soften your features. I don't know if it really makes a difference, and trust that I still had a little booze to calm the nerves, but I think keeping that advice in the back of my head helped me not go overboard.
2. Don't wait until the last minute to finish your groom's gift. I was definitely feeling the pressure while getting ready with my bridesmaids because I bit off a little more than I could chew and was putting the finishing touches on it right up until my brother came to give me my gift from Mike. It would've been so much better to just have that time to focus on my mom and girlfriends.
3. If you've given your bridesmaids free reign to choose dresses, help them out! Because even though you're trying to be accommodating to their tastes and figures, your besties are busy women, and all they want to do is make sure you're happy. So the more specific, the better. Send lots of links and photos. Go shopping with them if you can. My future sister-in-law who was my bridesmaid and who is planning now invited me to her Pinterest board just of bridesmaid dresses, which was kind of a forehead slap moment for me. So I would definitely recommend doing that.


photography Jenn Emerling of YEAH Weddings // venue: Koa Campgrounds Eureka, Missouri – Bride’s family property // planning + design: Lorena Molina of Bash, Please // music: Mike Cruz of Flashdance // catering: Westwood Catering St. Louis // florals + flower crown: Flowers and Weeds // dish ware, benches + speciality rentals: Finch Vintage Rentals and Borough Vintage // wedding dress: Mother’s Wedding dress // shoes: Charlotte Olympia from Net-A-Porter // videography: Geoff Boothby of Sharkpig and YEAH Weddings // cake: Family Friend // ceremony music: Groom’s Cousins- Vocals + Guitar // bridesmaids dresses: Navy Dress was from Shareen Vintage in LA, Pink dress from Etsy, Gray dress from Blush Fashion on Etsy and Lavender dress from Urban Outfitters // groom’s suit: Black by Vera Wang Suits // hair + makeup: Stephanie Stewart from Westwood Catering

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