Today I have such a gorgeous eco chic wedding to share with you all. With photography by the lovely ladies of Simply Bloom Photography and all the beautiful succulents and hanging paper flowers, it’s just the perfect combo of some of my favorites elements :) The wedding took place at the Umlauf Sculpture Garden in Austin, Texas. Fina was sweet enough to send some of her thoughts on the day and has some great advice to share with you guys at the end of the post. Thanks so much to Vania + Christine for letting me share your stunning photography on Green Wedding Shoes again! It’s always a treat for me. :)
What a perfect backdrop for the First Look! Remember to think about where you want that to happen if you decide to do a First Look (which I highly recommend) – I think the environment is super important too – it just adds to the entire moment :)
From Fina, I wanted to recycle or reuse as much as I could, creating something very unique and casual that had my name all over it! The idea was to save money in the decor and graphic area as well. It was all DIY, from invitations to programs, to flowers and favors. The bottles we recycled. I saved them for about 2 years. My family picked on me for saving such things. I would always say, “I will use them for something one day”. When I finally said I was using them for my centerpieces and decor for the wedding, it became a huge joke. The bottles we not the only thing I saved. I saved scrap craft paper and scrap hemp string that I have had for years and years to create my invitations. Everyone in the family now refers to me as the hoarder. (Jokingly of course)
What was your favorite memory from the day? It is hard to pick just one. I couldn’t have asked for a better day. I literally had zero stress, where as Nathan was actually more anxious than I was! I was so at ease, I was able to see, feel, experience every bit of my wedding so it’s really hard to just pick one that isn’t just, in general, the entire day! I thought of my wedding lasting a whole week with so many events and gatherings with family, so I consider my wedding to be that
entire week!
Out of all of those days, my favorite day would be the day after. We woke up late, in a quiet house, animals were peaceful, drank coffee, I made breakfast tacos and slowly started to get ready for our second shoot with Simply Bloom. No stress, no people, just us two enjoying each others company as married couple for the first time. It wasn’t anything special but complete bliss.
And the amazingness that Simply Bloom captured the day after…
LOVE that last photo – so so stunning! Best wishes to you two!!
Any advice for those planning now? The biggest advice I have for those who are planning their wedding is communication with vendors through out. In fact, over communicate with vendors! I was able to be clear about what I wanted, and they were clear with me with what I was getting. No guessing, no assuming. I used a total of 4 vendors for my wedding, Simply Bloom, Austin Catering, Simon Lee Bakery, and Umlauf Sculpture Garden. All of which I established a relationship with and was able to get exactly what I wanted for my wedding day. I had no horrible surprises my friends told me I would have! Nothing happened that was not supposed to happen. I have the professionalism of my vendors to thank for this. I would say, no who you are working with and if you are not comfortable with them, don’t use them. They may not be bad vendors, but they might just not click with you.
Also, organization, organization, organization. What really helped me was creating a task list for everyone who was involved with creating the wedding. I had my list, my husband had one, my mom, my dad, my mom-in-law, my husband’s boyfriend’s girlfriend, and my aunt who lives in a different state! Everyone knew what they needed to get done, and it was done. Simple! I also have them to thank for my stress free wedding day!
A message and extra tips to the DIYers: I showed up to my wedding with all of my party and even my early guests working! They were placing out centerpieces and favors, arranging flowers, hanging my pom pom strings, filling our planter with soil, so much more. They were working hard, and I didn’t have to ask. What I did do is asked 1-3 people to be in charge of the setup. If anyone had any questions they would go to those people.
Another tip. If you know someone in your family that could provide services for the wedding use them! You will save so much money and it will be much more meaningful. My Aunt, Wyman Wong, designed all of my flower arrangements. I was lucky to go with her to pick up the flowers and was there when she cared for them for a week, so they wouldn’t die, or bloom to quickly, or too slowly. You will have so much more appreciation for it then just showing up to your wedding and seeing a flower arrangement you just picked out.
Most of all, just relax. Who care’s if it isn’t perfect. It’s one day and a happy one at that. Don’t let minute details and mishaps take you away from the first day of a brand new chapter with your best friend and soulmate!
I love the meaning behind the centerpieces with the bottles. And I adore the picture of the couple sitting in the tree, beautiful wedding!
Love the setting. Love the dress. Love the color scheme. Insanely gorgeous.
Beautiful wedding! I am in love with your necklace! Where is it from?
This is absolutely one of the cutest DIY weddings I have seen. So simple and not over the top.
Does the bride recommend any websites or books for the ideas she used?
Whoa, this bride has some serious style! I die over that pocket dress and those shoes! Me = jeal. I’m also in love with all the unique details like the colorful poms, the wood-inspired placemats, and all the flower arrangements. I hope there’s a part II!
Those shoes are great for an outdoor wedding! Where are they from?
Ditto! The necklace is fabulous! I’d love to know as well!
What a stunning wedding! I love Simply Bloom’s work…they never disappoint. Thank you so much also for the wedding planning advice! I especially loved the task lists for different family members and friends! So helpful as I’m planning my own wedding :) Congratulations!
Love the bridesmaids dresses! where are they from?
these pictures are so beautiful! and i love the dress! it is speaking to me! :) i’m thinking about getting a similar one.
I love that dress. So simple and elegant.
The perfect wedding to me.
Thanks for sharing.
this is gorgeous!
I love the vintage feel of this wedding.
Where to start. I love the approach. The burst of yellow is divine and her shoes! Ah A Wedding where the personality and style of the couple shines through. thx
I adore this wedding! I saw the preview on SimplyBloom’s blog and knew it would be lovely…and it sooo is! I love that she collected all the bottles, scraps of paper, and pieces of string over time…yay for us “hoarders!” :)
Stunning wedding – and so many unique beautiful ideas. The bouquets are amazing with the mixture of blooms/foliage and suculents!! Well done :)
That dress is gorgeous! I would love to know where she got it!
Ditto on the dress inquiries.
I’m not even engaged yet, and I think I just found my dream dress.
This is oh so chic!! Beautiful x
Love the color scheme and romantic eco touches. This wedding sparkles!
Hi all! Thank you to everyone for the wonderful comments! So Glad that my wedding and Simply Bloom ended up on Green Wedding Shoes! Love this blog, and was one that I religiously researched in my wedding planning!
To answer some questions, I will start with the dress. My wedding dress, bridesmaid dresses, and my husband’s suit were all from J.Crew. If you have not checked out their wedding line, do it now! Each and every one of their wedding pieces are absolutely unique, stunning, and amazing quality. If you go to any store and order through them on the phone, they will waive shipping!
Anthropologie and Etsy were the next biggest stops. Accessories came from both of those places.
To all those planning your wedding, I’m a bit jealous I don’t have to do it anymore. I dearly miss it. Just have fun and all the best wishes!!!
where are the shoes from? love ’em!
I love the bride’s maid dresses! Where can I find those for my ladies?
Absolutely gorgeous wedding! Love it! :)
I actually have the same dress for my wedding! But did you add a crinoline skirt underneath the dress? I love the look of the whole wedding!
How did you make or where did you get those pencils?
And is that the program with your names on it? and how did you make it?
Thanks!
the bride’s dress was very beautiful.