Today’s wedding is a whimsical woodland wonderland – try saying that 5 times fast! :). So much DIY loveliness in this sweet wedding. Trishia + Justin were married at a summer camp outside of Lexington, Virginia. Trishia had grown up going to this camp and it was the perfect spot for their rustic wedding. They incorporated so many woodland elements, from the flowers to the little forest animals scattered throughout their wedding. They even had a wedding logo that symbolized them – two raccoons, one with glasses, the other with a bow (Trishia + Justin to a tee!). I love that they incorporated the logo everywhere – the perfect way to brand their day all about them. Thanks so much to Jodi + Kurt of Jodi Miller Photography for sharing the gorgeous photos.
From Trishia, “Justin and I both grew up in Williamsburg, Virginia, but have extended families that live far away. Our wedding was the perfect chance to show our families what we love about Virginia. We had originally planned on having the wedding in Williamsburg but just couldn’t find a venue that had character, charm, and most importantly, fit in our budget. I was brainstorming one day when it hit me – camp! I won a scholarship to attend Nature Camp near Lexington, Virginia, in the summer of ’98. The mountains, creeks, trees, and dappled sunshine had left a permanent imprint on my mind and soul. I immediately knew that this was the place I wanted to share with my friends and family. Justin and I had made a list of priorities before the major planning so we already knew what was important to us – a warm, cheerful atmosphere; fresh, local food; and to have our guests leave knowing who we are as individuals and as a couple. From there, the ideas just poured out of me.”
“I’ve always been a creative person and I really love a good design challenge but it was important to Justin and I that we not have to fight our venue to fit us. Nature Camp was perfect because it had existing natural beauty, a gorgeous outdoor stone chapel, and a laid-back vibe. From there, we let the camp and our personalities shape the design elements. We quickly decided on woodland-inspired decor that was whimsical, warm, and had a vintage vibe. Almost all of the decor, design elements, and paper goods were designed or crafted by me and Justin, our families, and our friends.”
Love that their raccoon logo (designed by their friend Josh) was placed everywhere! It was engraved into Justin’s ring and screen-printed on each of the guy’s vests!
What song did you walk down the aisle to? We used three different songs for the processional. The grandparents and parents walked down the aisle to David Torn’s “Bowling with Margo” from the Lars and the Real Girl soundtrack. The bridesmaids and groomsmen walked to a song from the Little Miss Sunshine soundtrack – DeVotchka and Mychael Danna’s “The Winner Is”. My Dad and I walked down the aisle to another song from the Lars and the Real Girl soundtrack – David Torn’s “In the Forest”. The recessional was Peter Bjorn and John’s “Young Folks.”
In lieu of a unity symbol, they opted to do something a little bit different. They instead had a wooden box made and filled it with a bottle of whiskey and two love letters. The box is supposed to symbolize their love when it was at its peak and whenever they go through a rough patch with their marriage, they can open the box, drink the whiskey and read the love letters they wrote to each other and reflect on why they fell in love. The hope is that they never have to open the box, which is why they had their closest family and friends help seal the box during the ceremony.
Trishia made this curtain of flowers (with some help from family + friends) using recycled soda bottles and spray paint. She was inspired by the Anthropologie window displays. How AMAZING is this?!
Each guest received an embroidered tea towel with their wedding logo designed by Trishia. She purchased the towels at Ikea and had them embroidered by Colonial Sports Custom Screenprinting and Embroidery. Such a sweet detail.
I just adore the cute woodland creatures they had to display their table numbers.
Trishia + Justin served strawberry shortcake for their dessert, but they still wanted a cake topper – who wouldn’t?! Trishia’s mother made their adorable cake topper!
Most memorable moment of your wedding day?
At the end of our reception, we exited through a tunnel of our guests to Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeroes’ “Home”. Seeing everyone who had gathered there for our day was a great moment, and when we got to our car, our closest friends and wedding party were there to see us off. They surrounded us in a big group hug and helped us into our decorated car. All of the day’s love, happiness, and joy were palpable. As we drove slowly away, our friends chased after us, beating on the car and cheering. Justin and I were both smiling from ear to ear. It was the first time that we had been alone all day but we were so happy to share that last private moment with our dearest friends. It was incredibly special and really gave us perspective on how lucky we are to have each other.
Any advice for those planning now?
Be yourself! There were definitely moments during our planning stages where we would try to explain some detail or some aspect of our wedding to our friends and family and either we couldn’t explain it well enough or they just couldn’t grasp some portion of it. Don’t let this discourage you – just because they don’t have the image in their head doesn’t mean they won’t be just as impressed by the finished product!
Know your talents and limitations! Don’t try and do everything yourself and ask for help if you need it. Trust other people to do what they do best. I made a concerted effort to NOT do anything I didn’t feel like doing and to say NO if I didn’t have the time, energy, or budget. Needless to say, I have a tendency to overextend myself :) My mom and dad, my sister, Jill, and Justin, were a huge, huge help with keeping me in check and not letting me take on too much.
You can see even more from their wedding here on Jodi Miller’s Blog. Thanks so much to Trishia + Justin for sharing their wedding with us + we wish you a lifetime of happiness together!
vendors
photography: Jodi + Kurt of Jodi Miller Photography // venue name: Nature Camp // wedding dress: Oleg Cassini for David's Bridal // bride's shoes: Flora Sandal by Dollhouse via Endless // bridesmaid dresses: Simple Silhouettes via Bella Bridesmaid // hair stylist: Jenny Beckner of The Salon of Lexington // makeup artist: Jenny Beckner of The Salon of Lexington // officiant: Reverend Frances Barnhart of All Faith Ministry // florist: bouquets + ceremony arrangements by Susan Roepke of Flower Fields // butterfly clips: made by Colleen Kurdziolek, mother of the bride // bridesmaid necklaces: designed and made by Emily Schweitzer, bridesmaid // bridesmaid hairpieces: Colleen Kurdziolek, mother of the bride // groom: Erik of Brightwall // groomsmen custom vests: Erik of Brightwall // groom's wedding band: Zoe and Doyle // pinwheel bouts: Blue Lemon Provisions // caterer: Jenny Elmes of Full Circle Catering // shortcake: Jenny Elmes of Full Circle Catering // rentals: Festive Fare // invitation books: book cover by Rifle Paper Co. // ritual box: made by John Leach, brother of groom
I love how the raccoon was carried through the wedding with the groom’s vest and his engraved ring as well as the embroidered napkins. How cute!
This wedding is incredibly sweet – I love the racoon logo, the jars as place names, the bridesmaid dresses, the curtain of flowers, the signs…. it’s all AMAZING!!
What a creative DIY project. We love how the recycled bottles have been transformed into such beautiful decorations!!
SOOOOO many great details with this wedding, the jacket logos, the colour scheme, the dresses, the flowers, the signs, the photography, everything is amazing!!
Wow, I love the invites, the bride’s bouquet and all of the wedding party’s attire! Everything is just so much fun and photography is beautiful!
I can’t get over how adorable and whimsical this wedding is. The table number holders are so cute I could cry!
We love the decoration. Wonderful wedding and congratulations to Marissa and Cassey. Thanks to the the team for sharing this wedding with us.
oh, all these details are just to die for!! the grooms vest is just awesomeness!!!
Thank you so much for featuring our wedding! Jodi and Kurt were amazing photographers and we highly, highly trust and recommend them. :) If anyone has questions on vendors, resources, how we made things, etc. please feel free to ask. Thanks again, Jen — we’re absolutely honored to be featured!
Hi Trishia, I came upon your wedding while searching for others who have used the Whimsical Forest wedding invitation from Rifle Paper Co.
First, congratulations! Second, double congratulations on your successful and lovely wedding! Your wedding is the epitome of what I hope for mine – enviro and animal minded, outdoor, warm, and laid back. :) I may search for a similar venue. Thank you for sharing your creativity!
Wow…this wedding is amazing!! So many great details! Love the raccoon logo, the butterflies in her hair, the ceremony location and the napkins – it’s all so perfect! Congrats to the couple on creating such an amazing day all about them.
Totally adorable. I love the little squirrels…
Made me :)
the paper goods are adorable! love them!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE the box/bottle in lieu of the unity candle. I’d just read about this elsewhere, except with wine. My fiance doesn’t drink wine, so that they did it with whiskey makes me happy!
I was moved so much by the jameson and love letters, I had to comment…nailing the box shut in hopes of never having to use it, while admitting that the need may arise, is such a profound statement. All of the details of this wedding are so wonderful, but it was this box that really moved me! Beautiful wedding, beautiful couple!
I would love to know how you did the coke bottle flowers. Such a great idea! Are there any instructions out there?
Love the raccoon details! And the woodsy theme is right up my alley. Very cute-all of it.
I love all the woodsy flare! Beautiful job!!
Trishia–
We would love your advice on where to find the little animals/make the table numbers. My fiance and I adore these!
Thanks!
Sarah & Ben
I recycle all bottles and cans and even recycle them for my family to earn a little extra cash for the wedding. Everyone knows I do it like crazy and would love to incorporate that into the wedding. Your wall of flowers is incredible!!! How did you do that?!
Hi! Love all your photos and wedding decor! Could you tell me where you got the little woodland creatures that held the table numbers? Or if you made them, perhaps a bit of advice? Thanks!
Another vote for help finding a vendor for the woodland creatures!
those table creatures look familiar! i think they are from anthropologie. they may be christmas ornaments.
Hi everyone! The little woodland creature table numbers were made with buri animal ornaments. I purchased mine from The Christmas Mouse in my hometown of Williamsburg, VA, but there are plenty of other places to find them online. The Pottery Barn, West Elm, Anthropologie, and Terrain have all sold them at Christmas. Additionally, you could try http://www.christmasinprescott.com or just try a google search for “buri animals”. After you track down your ornaments, the actual table numbers are really easy to make. I printed numbers onto cardstock and trimmed them to size with a ruler and xacto knife. Then, find some small twigs in your yard and snap them to the correct size/scale for your buri animals. Hot glue the twigs to the number signs and let cool. Hot glue the twig to the buri animal so it looks like it’s holding a sign. You don’t have to be too precise — they’re even more cute when they’re a little off-kilter. We used a combination of fonts for our wedding stationery. The one featured on the table numbers is Grandes Vacances, designed by Ryoichi Tsunekawa and published by Flat-it. The other font we used was HT Trattoria, also designed by Ryoichi Tsunekawa and published by Flat-it. Both are available from myfonts.com. Hope this helps and best of luck with wedding planning! :)
Hey Trishia,
I am trying to use the Nature Camp for my venue but I need some advice on places for out of town guests to stay. Did you have any out of town guests and if so where did they stay? Thank you so much for your help and I hope this comment finds you and your husband well!
Kaylee
Hi Kaylee. As Trishia’s “local” link I would be happy to help with local housing for your reception at Nature Camp. I have catered many weddings at NC so send me an email.
Thank you so much!!! What is your email?
[email protected]
Hi Trishia,
I’m a little bit late.
Your wedding seems to be so much fun (all the colors and details). You are a beautiful couple !
I would like to ask where have you had your linen? I suppose you made them for the racoons… but if you have an extra time, could you explain to me (where have you bought the linens? and the racoons made)?
thank you so much!
have a great day !!!
I stumbled across this looking at ideas for my woodland wedding and it is perfect! This truly is the most beautiful place to be married! I grew up at this camp and, as an adult, became a counselor there. The details they put into their day are spectacular!
What a beautiful colourful wedding! I love the grooms and grooms men’s attire.
Oh my goodness, beautiful! This is the venue I have been searching for. Please tell me how to get in contact with Nature Camp, I sent an email and haven’t heard anything back yet.
Hi! Madison!
email me :
[email protected]
and I’ll help you get info from Nature Camp!
the paper goods are adorable! love them!
Such a sweet wedding. Total adorable.