Britney + Mark had an absolutely gorgeous wedding and almost every single element was DIY, down to her amazing dress her mom made and the Anthro-inspired backdrop for their ceremony. They were married right outside of Athens, GA which is where they met playing frisbee. They even had frisbees as their wedding favors!
They were both inspired by the venue (Ashford Manor Bed and Breakfast) and fell in love with the grounds immediately. It  had a Great Gatsby/Jekyll Island lawn party feel which they both loved along with lots of antiques. Britney is a Jr High art teacher, so she knew there would be lots of fun craft projects for the day including the giant paper flowers seen at the ceremony, pinwheels, programs, bouquets and more! Thanks to (once like a spark) photography for the lovely photos and congrats to Britney + Mark!
Yes, Britney’s mother made her dress! Amazing, right?? Britney tried on a gorgeous Amsale Dahlia gown and loved but it was way over her budget. So, Britney’s mom made her a custom dress with different fabrics from estate sales + goodwill including two cut-up wedding dresses! She worked on it for several months and it ended up being the dress of Britney’s dreams. It fit perfectly and was exactly what she envisioned,  pockets and all. She also made her garter, veil, and shoe clips. Amazing job Britney’s mom!!
The morning of the wedding, the bridesmaids all had breakfast together and then had a bouquet making party where they all put together their own bouquets from flowers Britney bought at wholesale – how fun! Their dresses are from Banana Republic, J Crew, and thrift stores.
Most memorable moment of your wedding day?
Our first look before when we started taking couples photos was really fun and sweet. Talking and hanging out with one another majorly calmed our nerves before the ceremony. We had tons of fun dancing at the reception as well.
Tell us a bit about your music!
Processional: Canon by Trace Bundy and Photographs by Eddie Vedder
Recessional: You are the best thing by Ray Lamontagne
First Dance: The Way They Danced by Jump Little Children
Aren’t the giant flower AMAZE!! From Britney, The giant flowers were inspired by some that we saw in an Anthropologie store here in Atlanta. We made them from torn poster board, bath loofas and hot glue! Most of the table decorations were purchased from thrift stores, estate sales, and flea markets. And she shared a DIY on how you can make them here!
Neither of us really care for cake so we decided on pie from The Loveless Cafe in Nashville. They taste great and look homemade. We had peach pie, honey chess, and fudge pecan. My mom made the one that we ate. It was my great-grandmothers recipe for chocolate pie. We make it all of the time at home and could think of nothing better to eat on our special day.
Any advice for those planning now?
It is definitely possible to have an amazing wedding on a smaller budget. Start planning early. Get everything big out of the way, then tackle the small really special details. There are so many fantastic tutorials online that will help you get going on fantastic handmade decor. Most importantly, ENJOY YOUR DAY. Go ahead and make the decision that you WILL enjoy the day, even if everything doesn’t get done. You are marrying the love of your life and are having a party with everyone that loves you. What could be better?!
vendors
photography: (once like a spark) photography // venue name: Ashford Manor Bed and Breakfast // wedding dress: bride's mother // hairpiece: bride's mother // bride's shoes: Alfani wedge with shoe clip made by bride // groom attire: Kenneth Cole Reaction with custom made vest // catering: Fox Brothers Barbecue // cake: Wedding Pies from The Loveless Cafe // invitations: The Aerialist Press
Love this wedidng, the dress is amazing and as for those giant flowers…brilliant! xxx
You’re right! That dress is stunning! and what about that room she got ready in??? holy cow. soooo cool!
This wedding is full of inspiration! The dress is stunning and all the details..so lovely.
Mother & Bride.. two very talented & creative people! Poster boards and bath loofas?? I don’t believe it! Would love to see a tutorial! Looks amazing!! And the dress…. looks $$$$$$ way to go Mom :)
Her dress! Her veil! The GIANT paper flowers!!!! So amazing! Beautiful wedding and a beautiful job photographing it (once like a spark) photography!!!
Photography is exceptional!
Beautiful wedding, you could feel the warmth of emotions clear over here in Indiana.
Everything is perfect.
Specially loving the giant flowers, and that dress really is stunning! Handmade details are the best. Congratulations!
What a beautiful dress! I just sent the link to my mom, and hopefully she will be inspired to help me out with sewing my dress.
And the rest of the day: WOW! Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous!
Wow, gorgeous wedding! I absolutely love the ceremony site – so unique!
I am so in love with this wedding! The large flowers at the altar -what a fabulous idea! Fantastic blend of elegant, whimsical and charming in all the details from the vintage mason jar arrangements to the grand bride’s room shots. High fives all around and thank you for sharing!
that gown is gorgeous! love the giant flowers too!
I am an Italian Wedding planner and I love your style i think it is absolutely amazing!!! WOW!!!
the giant flowers are wonderful. My Fiancé just said: I want that.
Great!
Her mother made that dress? Amazing. I love everything about this wedding. Would love to see closer pics of those giant flowers! Brilliant.
Call me crazy, but I love the photo of the bride and bridesmaids not smiling. Very vintage, and I love it. BUT, don’t get me wrong, I love when the broke out in huge grins. So fabulous!
The large flowers as the ceremony back drop are AH-mazing!!!!
Wow! The flowers are such a great touch, and the whole wedding is really beautiful. And the dress! Britney’s mom, you are AMAZING!!!! I am in love with this wedding.
this wedding was in-freakin-credible. and this may be hard to believe but it was even more beautiful in person. brit is an artistic genius:) i love you, brit. your day was stunning and so are you.
i’m echoing the “in-freakin-credible” from above. this day was BEAUTIFUL in every way possible. well done, brit.
OMG soooo pretty :) Those flowers are so cool, did you use PVC pipe for the faux stem?
Amazing says it all! What a joy to share with you and your special day. I had no idea you made the flowers. Always impressed with the artistic skills of Britney and her sweet Momma!!!
The flowers were on metal piping that my dad bent, but PVC would work I think.
Those flowers are amazing! The dress is so gorgeous and the photography is beautiful too!
WOW. must learn to sew immediately. i can’t believe her mom made that dress. gorgeous wedding!
Her Dress is amazing and I adore the big, flouncy flowers. So fantastic!
Oh my goodness! That dress is amaaazzziinggg! Beautiful beautiful bridal party. That capture with the ladies on the step, very very nice!
Beautiful!!
really original wedding!!!!!!!!!!
beautifulllll.. i liked so much this wedding..
What an amazing dress! I love that her mom made it! So many fun special touches with this wedding, I especially like the giant flowers at the ceremony!
What an adorable couple! Charming details and I love that wedding dress.
I’d love to know the details on how to make those flowers! They’re gorgeous!
wow all of the details here are exceptional! and i always love blue jars for vases! absolutely a charming wedding!
The wedding dress is stunning. Her mom could be a designer.
Such a charming wedding & congrats!
Absolutely Beautiful!
Love the big flowers and will be waiting for instructions to make my own! Fantastic!
Her mom did an AMAZING job on the dress, it looks pretty much just like the Amsale one :]
I would love to make these for my son’s wedding in October. Any chance of a tutorial anytime soon??
Lyne and those others interested –
the bride is creating a DIY for the giant flowers right now and we hope to share in late Feb/ early March – thanks so much for your interest!! xo Jen
love those giant flowers! any update on the tutorial?
Hi Jessica,
We are going to be sharing the DIY next week!! :)
Beautiful Photos! I love the emotion!
Could you PLEASE tell me what the bottom of this dress is made of? It looks like Chenille but I don’t think it is. PLEASE PLEASE let me know! Thank you!!!!!
The bouquets turned out great. You and your friends are very talented!
WOW! Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous!