Iowa Barn Wedding: Annie + Jared

Everything about this wedding is amazing. The location, the couple, the feel of the whole day. The couple put a lot of time into planning their day really be about the two of them. There are old sewing spindles, vintage books, flowers – everything was handmade by Annie or friends + family. She even made her own dress from 3 vintage dresses!!  Annie is a writer and Jared is a musician – he even wrote a song for Annie that  friends sang in the ceremony. So sweet! Now onto the photos + more details from Annie:

When we moved to Iowa from the coast we fell in love with the countryside, especially all the gorgeous old barns everywhere. We found ours by chance, and it set everything in motion. The theme emerged organically from there. We just tried to find or make things that would be at home in an old barn, but wouldn’t feel hokey. We didn’t bother with color schemes or making sure things matched, so it was easy to gather enough supplies, plus I have a thing for awesome vintage fabric and old books, so having an excuse to scour the thrift stores for these every few weeks was awesome.

farm wedding bouquet


They wanted their first look to be in this beautiful field with their dog :)

wedding on a farm

iowa farm wedding

rustic bride and groom

wedding in a barn

barn wedding ceremony

wedding fans

farm wedding bride


Most memorable moment of your wedding day? My father was a singer/songwriter. So although he passed away when I was twelve, I was able to walk down the aisle with my mother to one of his most beautiful recordings. The moment the first notes began to play is something I will never forget.

outdoor wedding ceremony

outdoor wedding iowa


Coming back down the aisle was pretty unforgettable too. I was so wrapped up in the beauty of the ceremony that I completely forgot about the sugar rice and lavender we had handed out to our guests. So when all of a sudden we started getting pelted from all directions it was such a thrill I screamed!

groomsmen rustic attire

bridal party dresses


I couldn’t bring myself to spend more than a hundred dollars on a wedding dress, and most of the ones I saw (in any price range) were just not my style, so I ended up I buying an ill-fitting vintage Gunne Sax dress, some lace trim from the thrift store, and two antique petticoats, and then spending a few weeks tearing everything apart and sewing it back together again. It was scary at times, but somehow it all came together the morning before the wedding. Which was a pretty lucky thing seeing as I how didn’t have a backup plan!

bride and groom portraits

wedding details

barn wedding reception

wedding cake

button boutonniere

rustic place cards


They hired a square dancing band to teach everyone some moves! Fun!!

barn wedding reception

farm wedding photography


Any advice for those planning now?
I’ve been sewing and making things since I was a little, so for me, getting the chance to create so much crafty stuff was a dream come true. That said, if that’s not your idea of a good time, don’t feel pressure to make everything yourself. If anything starts to feel like drudgery, just forget it! Wedding planning can be all-consuming enough without having to learn an entirely new skill set. (However, if you do go the home-sewn route, I’ve got two words for you: pinking shears. Because hemming 100 napkins is not for the faint of heart.)

Also, trust in your friends and family. We were absolutely blown away by how generous and helpful everyone was when it came time to put everything together. We couldn’t have done it without them.

Congrats to Annie + Jared!!

Vendors:
Venue: Secrest 1883 Octagonal Barn
Wedding Dress: Vintage Gunne Sax, redesigned by the bride
Hairpiece: The Honeycomb
Groom Suit: J Crew
Day Of Coordination: Anticipation Events
Floral Design: St. Bridget’s Flower Farm
Invitations/Paper Goods: Bride
Cake: Friend of the couple
Music: Goosetown Stringband
Catering: The Motley Cow
Photography: Jagger Photography Check out lots more from the wedding here on their blog! Jagger Photography are located in Washington and available for travel worldwide. Thanks you guys for sharing your work with us again!!

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