Meredith + Henry both grew up in rural areas of the Midwest, and both went to summer camps. Meredith was even a camp counselor throughout college, so having their venue out in the woods made perfect sense to them! She tells us: Our venue was the ‘wildcard’ option on our list. We were nervous about how we could pull off 130 people sleeping in shared cabins and using communal bathrooms for a weekend. After we took a tour of the grounds it was game over. In the end, the freedom to make the day our own and the beautiful scenery won.
With the mindset of “don’t buy it, make it,” their wedding was brimming with DIY elements. We’re talking both the ceremony and sweetheart tables from scratch, Pendleton-inspired paintings on tree slices, their logo on camping mugs, and various signage. Yep, DIY galore!
Let’s head out to Crazzy’s Wasewagan Camp & Retreat and find our place at this summer camp, planned by Feathered Arrow. Jesus “Chuy” Rodriguez + Michelle Rodriguez captured all the memorable moments!
The Forest Ceremony
How we LOVE an aisle lined with colorful rugs! Want to see something similar? Check out this Glam Meets Boho Aspen Wedding for more!
Meredith walking down the aisle. We both decided we'd like for that to be the first time we saw each other, instead of doing a first look. We're so glad we stuck to our guns. Looking back on the day a lot of it now is a big wonderful blur, but that moment is clear and will be something we'll have forever. We both still can't listen to 'Wigwam' without tearing up.
His reaction!!
Processional: Wigwam by Bob Dylan
Recessional: Let My Love Open The Door by Pete Townshend
First Dance: You're All I Need by Marvin Gaye/Tammi Terrell
The Wedding Party
The bridesmaids wore an array of dresses from Rent the Runway, Lulu’s, David’s Bridal, and ASOS.
Oh, and those florals? Laura Barraza brought in brilliant bouquets to complement the surrounding woods.
The Newlyweds
Isn’t her Grace Loves Lace gown a dream?! We love all the lace detail and the sultry off-the-shoulder touch.
We wanted to lean in to the summer camp vibe while also adding personal touches to make the wedding feel like our own. From the Photo Booth bus (Henry drove a 1973 VW bus in high school) to the bluegrass band (One of our first trips together was to the Telluride bluegrass festival) to our John Prine ‘In Spite of Ourselves’ sing-a-long, it always felt like us.
Planning is stressful, there’s no way around it. The days before our wedding a lot of things we'd been planning for months fell through the cracks or changed and shifted. Honestly, in the excitement of the weekend surrounded by our family and friends, we barely noticed. It's been said time and time again but don't sweat the small stuff, everything has a way of working itself out. Some of our 'not so perfect' moments ended up being some of our, and our guests, favorite memories.
The Rustic Reception
Looking back, we maybe didn’t have to DIY everything (like cutting, hole punching and stringing 400 ft worth of pennants) but we did really love working on projects with one another and the pride we felt seeing everything come together was worth it.
For our table escort boards, they attached friendship bracelets and mini dreamcatchers to each of the clipboards. Isn’t this such a fun idea?
Meredith used her design skills to create a ‘Camp Hausen’ logo for their wedding favor camp mugs and various signage. Helloooo, DIY maven!
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We loved the idea of using traditional camp crafts as decor so we made a ‘God’s Eye’ back drop behind our sweetheart table.
The California Booth Bus is the perfect addition to any lounge…and it makes for some fun photos!
Hats off to you, M+H!! And a big congratulations!
Love this? Well then you’ve got to see The Bride That Worked at Pinterest: The Most DIY-Filled Wedding, EVER!
photography: Jesus "Chuy" Rodriguez + Michelle Rodriguez // venue name: Crazzy's Wasewagan Camp & Retreat, Angelus Oaks, California, USA // planning: Feathered Arrow // florals: Laura Barraza // wedding dress boutique: Grace Loves Lace // bride's shoes: Madewell // bride's ring: Elegant Jewelers // bridesmaid dresses: Rent the Runway, Lulu's, David's Bridal and ASOS // hair stylist: Helena van Zandbergen // makeup artist: Tiana Rae Holiday // groom attire: Suit Supply // catering: Crazzy's Wasewagan Camp & Retreat // cake: Becky Anne Porter // desserts: Becky Anne Porter // music: The Get Down Boys // photo booth: California Booth Bus // appetizers: Chef Lori Hill // dj: DJ Eriksen Mitchell
This series is so inspiring! I really love the carpet runner and the style of these are amazing. The catch of the groom tearing up is really awesome! Awesome job!
I think getting married in the middle of a forest is so romantic! Some people prefer waterfront but for me being surrounded by tall tress is the best. Congrats to Meredith and Henry!
I love the theme!! The retouch to the photos are amazing, too!
My name is Nicole and as I was pinning stuff on Pinterest, your cabin picture came up and i was like OMG that’s our venue!!! We’re getting married August 2023 and I was wondering if you could answer a couple of questions for me! We are having a hard time fitting people in the cabins and was wondering how you tackled that for the weekend! Thank you so much in advance for your help!