DIY Wedding Under $12k |

There’s always Pinterest triumphs and fails, but if you build a dance floor, they will dance.

Our Vintage Rustic Wedding

Vintage & Rustic. Together, these words evoke a sense of timelessness and classic elegance infused with the intoxicating aroma of nature and the elements, gingerly dipped in a sea of burlap and lace. A perfect combination. A combination which covered the earth and the trees and the tables and chairs at Allee Des Chenes on June 6, 2015, when my husband and I said “I do.” Two and a half years and a baby later, I still love reminiscing about this special day.

From my ivory rose and Bridal Veil astilbe bouquet wrapped in burlap and lace, to the baby’s breath that was airily sitting in mason jars, the simple peach roses displayed and the whimsical, soft pink feathery plume of the Europa astilbe flower that we made into bridesmaid bouquets, the rustic wedding programs, mason jar chandeliers and wooden crates (filled with lemons for decoration) that we made ourselves, our Guest Book Window that we found at an antique market and the Giant Jenga we ordered for Lawn Games, my Blushing Bridesmaids and the Groom’s Men, and the sparklers that lit up our exit.

It was a day to remember.

All came together as we had envisioned. All in a short 5 months. All…for under $12,000. What?! Yes, really. So how did we do it? I’m glad you asked. Although I have a long-winded answer to this question, here’s my short list:

We Had A Vision. Classic. Romantic. Natural. These are the 3 pillars we used to build our theme from–to personify our personalities in a physical form. For us, choosing a Vintage and Rustic theme was partly an instrinsic feeling–a knowing that this was the mood and ambiance we wanted to set for our guests. I’m just a lace kinda gal and my husband is a burlap kinda guy. It was easy. We also knew that we wanted to be married outside in the elements, with strings lights draped through trees and mason jar chandeliers hanging from them.

Pinterest. Pinterest. Pinterest. Amen, Amen and Amen! The day after my husband and I were engaged, I actually perused Pinterest for the first real time (meaning, more than 5 minutes) in my life. Before then, I didn’t really have a desire or need to look and didn’t know how it would benefit me. But when I got on that site, boy, was I hooked. There’s something about visuals that will enable your theme to come to life in your mind and grow.

We Used Our Resources. Would it be worth it to have your rehearsal dinner, wedding ceremony and reception all at the same place? Absolutely! We did it. My husband and I were fortunate enough to have our wedding ceremony and reception at the home of one of my husband’s clients who have become dear friends of ours. They own 7 acres of beautiful property with 300+ year old oak trees covering their Acadian style home. Their wedding gift to us was hosting the place for our big day, so as a thank you, we had the very talented artist, Kelly Guidry, create two beautiful metal egrets to hang as art from one of their trees. With the ceremony and reception venues taken care of, all we had remaining was to figure out where to have the rehearsal dinner. My husband and I called several places around town, but they were more costly than we were willing to spend. So what did we do? We decided to throw a Spring Roll Party inside the home of our friends who were hosting our wedding ceremony and reception. They loved the idea! This type of party was interactive, forcing even the recluses to “get their hands dirty”. We had a station set up on the island in the kitchen with fresh herbs, etc. for people to make their own spring rolls and saved several hundred dollars by going this route.

DIY. What do you do when your wedding reception is in the backyard of a beautiful home and the ground where a dance floor would be slopes, where you know that merely renting a dance floor may prove to be the easiest route to take but would not solve the sloping problem, as your guests would be sliding all over the floor with each step! So what do you do?

You build a dance floor, of course.

May I suggest to you, though, that if you go with this option, please please please build it before Wedding’s Eve! In our case, my husband decided to build the dance floor for our wedding reception the day before our wedding. What. Was. He. Thinking? I still can’t answer that question. What I can say, however, is that he did finish it… With moments to spare. But it was glorious.

That’s not to say that every pre-wedding day DIY project will succeed, however. Take the doily lamp. I had planned on making these captivating decorations to hang from the oak trees at the reception but after my big, fat Pinterest fail in creating these, as the few I made looked like a bunch of old wadded up t-shirts, we decided no one would know they were missing if they weren’t there.

Redemption was made with the mason jar chandeliers and the wedding program fans, which were perfect accessories for an outdoor summer wedding in South Louisiana. The mason jar chandeliers, made with blue and clear mason jars, delicately hung in trees around the dance floor, adding the perfect touch of shabby chicness to the aroma of the evening. For the wedding program fans, we decided to use one of the pictures taken by the artistic and talented Erin and Geoffrey Photography during our engagement photo session as the focal point on the front side of the fan, and then we listed the wedding party and our Thank You to our family and friends on the back.

So what is your vision? On your big day, wouldn’t you like to be dipped in a sea of burlap and lace?