Thunderstorms Couldn’t Stop This Whimsical Backyard Wedding During Wildflower Season

What is a wedding really about? For Emma and Philip White, it isn’t about the fancy venue, or the Instagram-worthy cake, or the trendy decor. Instead, it’s about celebrating with the people that mean the most.

“We were inspired by our love for our community, our Creator, and each other,” says Emma. “If we ever found ourselves falling into the lie that you need to stick with the trends or spend a ton of money to have the wedding of your dreams, we would center ourselves on who we were trying to glorify and what we were trying to celebrate.”

The result? A spring backyard wedding straight out of a whimsical fairytale, complete with colorful wildflowers, unique thrifted dresses, and a romantic exit in the pouring rain.

Emma’s longtime friend and photographer Claire Hadler captured it all, and we’re here to share every dreamy detail! 💐

A Romantic + Intimate Backyard Venue

“We got married at a family friend’s beautiful home in the Hill Country of Texas during wildflower season and thrifted the majority of the details,” Emma explains. Peep that adorable DIY patchwork sign!

Backyard weddings are having a serious moment lately, and we LOVE the intimate vibes of the homey venue. Check out more of our favorite unique backyard wedding ideas here!

Obsessed with these mismatched bridesmaid gowns! Emma’s bridal party showed off their personal styles with dresses from Anthropologie, ASOS, and even some gorgeous thrifted finds.

The pastel hues are giving us major garden party vibes! Get more inspo for your crew with our round-up of the best garden-inspired wedding attire.

Emma’s friend Claire was the photographer for the big day, and her personal connection made the celebration that much more special.

“Emma and I met years ago when we found ourselves both studying abroad in Rome, Italy,” says Claire. “That semester was filled with spontaneous train trips around the country, gelato dinners, and forming a friendship thousands of miles away from home. Years later, Emma reached out to me about telling the story via photo through her wedding day, and I knew it was an honor of a lifetime.”

“This day reminded me of the heart behind why I shoot weddings. It’s not for the $100,000 budgets or the filet mignon dinners. It’s for the contagious joy that occurs in little corners of the world that I get to witness and capture,” explains Claire. “This was one of those days.”

A moment of appreciation for this romantic first look!

Also loving these dapper suits worn by Philip’s crew. Check out more of our fave groomsmen suits here!

A Nature-Filled Outdoor Ceremony

Emma and Philip had their hearts set on a late-afternoon ceremony surrounded by nature, but the weather had other plans.

“About a week out, we learned our worst nightmare was looming: a huge storm was rolling in that weekend,” explains Emma. “Our ceremony was supposed to begin at 4:30 pm and the rain was starting at 2:30 pm.”

At the last minute, in a romantic act of chivalry, Philip called the entire guest list and asked if they could pivot to an 11 am ceremony instead.

“Every guest joyfully pivoted. All of my family members and friends stayed up way too late and woke up way too early to set up all of the details of the day in an expedited, chaotic timeline,” says Emma.

A dream-come-true ceremony!

How timeless are these matching gold wedding bands? Emma’s dainty style looks so stunning with her vintage marquise diamond ring — which was originally Philip’s grandmother’s and first came to her in a dream!

“I had a dream, before Philip proposed, that I was wearing this beautiful gold ring with 7 marquise cut diamonds in a line, and all I can remember was my heart was exploding to be at the altar with Philip, wearing a ring from him, to symbolize our promise to each other,” shares Emma.

“A couple of months later, Philip proposed to me with my dream ring, his grandmother’s ring. I had dreamt the exact style of ring that he had already received from his mother and was planning on proposing to me with! Freaky, right?”

That “we’re officially married” feeling!!

Every moment of Emma and Philip’s wedding day looked like something out of a cottagecore fairytale — including Emma’s beautiful puff sleeve wedding dress!

“I knew I wanted a dramatic, one-of-a-kind wedding dress, and we ended up custom designing the perfect sleeves and neckline off of a beautiful Maggie Sottero dress,” says Emma. “It was covered in sparkles and reminds me of how snow sparkles in the sunlight. I had no idea what I wanted until I laid my eyes on it.”

To complete the look, Emma paired her gown with a pastel bouquet from Angelle’s Florals and a unique custom charm necklace.

“I created a necklace that has charms that coordinate with my wedding vows to Philip. I wear it to this day as a reminder of the promises I made on our wedding day!” she says.

The final touch? These adorable white flats, which Emma adorned with colorful ribbons. Wedding shoe goals!!

A Unique + Personalized Thrifted Reception

Calling all thrift lovers! “We thrifted hundreds of mugs for an ice cream hour before dinner, picture frames to hang on trees, and colorful rugs for the dance floor. We sourced plates, linens, bridesmaid dresses, and more secondhand. It made our day feel truly unique and full of depth,” says Emma.

The couple also found other creative (and sustainable!) ways to customize their wedding on a budget, including their wedding favors.

“We wrote handwritten letters to each guest, because we wished we could gush to each one how meaningful it was to us that they would come to celebrate the first day of our new team,” Emma shares. “We learned from experience, low-cost definitely doesn’t have to mean a loss in detail or intentionality.” 

“As you can tell, Emma was the true MVP of the vendors!!” says Claire. “Her creative mind curated so much of this day through DIYs & thrifted pieces,” including this unique rug dancefloor.

Proof that you don’t need a huge budget to create the wedding day of your dreams!

The dreamiest setting for a father-daughter dance! Make it a moment to remember with our list of the best father-daughter dance songs.

As well as these mother-son dance songs!

A Dreamy Rainstorm Exit

“I sourced my vintage Gunne Sax exit dress from Facebook Marketplace (find of my life). The lady who sold it to me shared that it was her dress when she eloped in California in the ’70s,” says Emma. “Vintage dress sizes are wacky, so I bought it without really thinking and prayed it would fit, and when it came and fit like a glove, it felt like a magic moment.”

STUNNING. Get more inspo for your second look with our round-up of the best after-party dresses!

Consider this your sign to have a private barefoot photoshoot on your wedding day!

“The rain really came as I was coming out to the porch in my exit dress and bare feet,” says Emma. “My coordinator yelled, ‘Oh no, y’all didn’t get to cut the cake!!!’ And my husband yelled back, ‘I DON’T CARE ABOUT A CAKE, I JUST GOT MARRIED!!!’ And we were whisked out the door through our exit.”

“100% chance of rain for the entirety of the day meant way more opportunity for inexplicable peace and unexpected pockets of love to abound. By the time the sprinkles began, my dress was muddy and my hair was frizzy in the humidity of a storm brewing, and yet my hugs were tighter and my smile more genuine in every one of the photos captured that day,” shares Emma.

“Our guests chased after our getaway Bronco in the pouring rain and I yelled how much I loved them out the car window as my husband drove us out,” says Emma. “Every day that I’ve felt sprinkles on my face since then, I remember how perfect it was that things didn’t go my way. What a gift to not be in control!” 

Congratulations to Emma + Philip on your intimate and love-filled backyard wedding! We loved seeing all the unique personal touches that made it so special. Best wishes from all of us here at GWS! 🏠 🌼