Real Wedding: Jordan + Nick’s DIY Backyard Wedding

This wedding is so adorably sweet and a total DIY wedding. It was held in the groom’s parents backyard in Bothell, WA. The gorgeous photography is by Kristen Marie. Thanks to Jordan for sharing lots of details into their day! Congrats you two!! From Jordan, “We wanted it to feel like just like us. We chose colours we love to decorate with and wear. We love antiques and beautiful wood furniture. We wanted that day to fit in with the rest our life, not like a random event that is separate from us.”

I actually found my dress at David’s Bridal; it was my dream dress, but it was just too far out of my price range. I told a friend and she by some miracle found the exact dress, in my exact, unaltered size and colour being sold by the sweetest girl in Florida. I was able to get my dream wedding dress- the dress that made me feel so elegant and beautiful- for less than half the original price.

Most memorable moment of your wedding day? When my husband saw me in my dress for the first time. My coordinator had everyone leave the house including the photographers so that we could have that sweet moment completely alone together.

I walked down the aisle to a recording a friend did of Adele’s “Make You Feel My Love”. It was even more emotional knowing that our best friend sang that song for my husband and I.

I designed everything myself. My family built a stage for the ceremony that doubled as the dance floor and the large frame center piece for the background. I gathered old lamps from the house and just a few from goodwill and painted them to make my centerpieces. All the mason jars and votive holders were borrowed from friends and family and the candles were purchased from an online store for restaurants- so everything comes in bulk. The table clothes and center napkins were from another online linen store and we made the gray silk runners. I gathered over the course of six months tons and tons of frames. I painted them different shades of gray and found different ways to use them as the months went on.

I had the idea for a men’s’ smoking lounge because I wanted the wedding to be comfortable, fun and inviting to everyone. I often feel that weddings can feel stuffy and very one sided (in the brides favor). So I thought a smoking lounge with a fire pit and some Crown Royal would be a wonderful way to include the men. We wanted the head table to stand out from the rest of the tables, so we used my in-law’s large, wood dining table and dressed it in white and cream lace silk. Adorned with candles and my grandma’s old oil lamps. We recovered wooden chairs from Goodwill with bright, paisley fabric.

Any advice for those planning now? Research things and get help from friends and family. There is no need to spend more money than you need to, and having everyone who loves you involved makes the day so much more personal and breathtaking.

Make this day yours. It shouldn’t feel like a stranger planned it, its about you, your husband to be and the loving friendship you share. It should represent that and nothing more. Enjoy the engagement time, it’s the only time in your life like this. When you get to know each other even more deeply and learn how to get through trying times, because there will be. Its wonderful and you grow so much as a couple.

More details

Hair + Makeup: I am a hair dresser and I did my own hair with the assistance of my mother-in-law who also happens to be a hair dresser. My make-up was
done by one of my best friends. I wanted to look and feel exactly like myself on my wedding day.

Shoes: Steve Madden flats from Journeyz. I didn’t want to wear heels for multiple reasons: I hardly ever wear them on non-special occasions, and so I didn’t want to feel out of place on this one day; I was in the grass; and the best reason of all: The way my husband and I fit together when we hug is so perfect, I wanted every moment that day to feel just right.

Bridesmaid Dress: Alfred Angelo

Hairpieces: I made both my headband and my veil. I used a lace flower appliqué with pearls and diamond buttons, and one piece of lace.

Groom Suit: The jeans were Levi’s 511 in brown, the shirt was from H&M, the tie from American Apparel, and his vest was made by the same friend that did the alterations for my dress.

Cinematography: My grandmother was unable to attend or wedding because she is blind and cannot leave her nursing home for extended periods of time. I asked my absolutely hilarious brother to videotape it, and then make a commentary option on the DVD for my grandma to listen to. I wanted her to experience everything she could. She loves when my brother tells her stories because he is so animated; it brings everything to life for her. My brother not only videotaped the wedding ceremony but, the whole day. He was there for every moment for us to watch and remember. One of the most wonderful gifts we received.

Event Planner: My dear friend was our day of coordinator. I asked a friend because she knows us well. She would know how to make last minute decisions the day of with out having to ask me, or my husband on our day.

Floral Design: I wanted my flowers to look as if we had just picked them from meadow. So I went down to the local market and simply picked different amounts of single stems of the flowers that looked beautiful to me that day. We kept them in buckets and the morning of, a couple of friends put them together wrapped in strips of fabric.

Invitations: Our friend makes journals and cards for people, so she was so generous to make out invitations. And they were absolutely stunning. My friend found an adorable program design online and we made them all by hand. They included a personal monogram of my mine and my husbands initials I bought from ayleebits.com, a passage from Colossians proclaiming the gospel, and a drawing I did of my husband and I.

Cake: My sister dabbles in cake decorating and made ours. We didn’t want to do a cake cutting, so our cake was actually made of Styrofoam and covered in beautiful fondant. No one knew the difference. The rest of the desserts were all hand made by our family and friends. We had everything from pies to cookies, cupcakes, brownies and cheesecake. I wanted it to look like a bakery’s display window. And it looked even more beautiful than that.

Catering: We served appetizers and wine in between the ceremony and the reception. My husband and I wanted to have our own private dinner in a room in the house to recoup a little after the day. We wanted to make sure we truly enjoyed each other on what is supposed to be our day. The little sandwiches were also made by family friends and the wedding party served them.

Thanks to Kristen Marie for sharing this lovely wedding. You can see lots more from their day here on her blog. Best wishes to Jordan + Nick!

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