A sunset ceremony, hay bales, burlap, golden glitter, toffee apples, fairy lights and pumpkins galore make this one of the most beautiful Fall weddings I've ever seen.

Kenny and Kristen's rustic wedding in the woods was nothing short of enchanting. Kenny looked dashing in his military regalia and Kristen was a vision in white with her auburn curls, bright blue eyes and delicate, lace bolero. And don't get me started on the adorable flower girl who wore a fluffy cloud of tulle and cowboy boots!

From Kristen, the bride:

We love October and wanted a slightly spooky, autumn themed wedding, but nothing too Halloween-y. We did want to accentuate the rustic, forested location and add a little Western flair, so we tried to imagine what would happen if “Sleepy Hollow” were set in the woods of Texas. 

The Venue

Since the venue was at a family friend's private home, we had no wedding coordinator or any vendors besides our awesome photographer, Rachael Lindsy. Everything was up to us, from setting up a makeshift DJ booth and dance floor, to creating an aisle out of pumpkins, borrowing pews and hay bales for seating, and spray painting lots of stuff gold.

In the end, a few things didn’t get done, and a few things didn’t get done exactly right, but it was just like us: a bit traditional, a bit weird, and full of love.

The DIY Decor

We bought about 40 pumpkins of various sizes and drilled large holes in a couple to make them candleholders. Some of them were spray-painted white and wrapped with lace stockings. The tables and chairs were covered in burlap and ivory satin, with old books I got for free from a used bookstore, and mason jars I hand-glittered as centerpieces. 

The Flowers

We had very few flowers, since we wanted kind of a foresty, pumpkin-laden look. We bought a few silk flowers from Hobby Lobby and Garden Ridge for the bouquets and my mom made them. She used to make floral arrangements back in the 70s and still has mad skills.

Because we wanted to nod to our Addams Family obsession, we found a fake Venus flytrap in the aquarium section of a pet store, cut off the heads, and used them to make the boutonnieres.

The Reception

This is Texas, so we got a keg of Shiner and two small kegs of Blue Moon’s pumpkin ale. We put the kegs in an old bathtub we spray-painted brown. The food was a homemade dessert buffet. In the invitations – which were handmade from a template I ordered on Etsy – I also included a note to some of my relatives, hand-written, asking for them to contribute desserts to the spread in lieu of gifts.

I worried we wouldn’t have enough food but we ended up with piles of leftovers: cheesecake, pecan pies, buttermilk pies, fudge etc. 

Don't you just love the pumpkin and tulle lined aisle?!

The Photography

I was on a very tight budget. In fact, I wasn’t even planning on having a photographer at all. But I happened to see Rachael Lindsy’s photos because she was the second shooter at the wedding of some friends of mine last year. Because she charges by the hour, I was able to get her for the ceremony. I had other photographers offer to shoot the whole wedding very cheaply because they loved the way I described my vision for the wedding, but I ended up choosing Rachael because the quality of her photos was unsurpassed, and I am so glad I chose quality over quantity. The photos are absolutely beautiful.

Kristen's Advice For Other Brides

Do your best to slow down and enjoy it all. And if you’re able, make sure your maid of honor or someone is there to buffer you from the constant requests for attention which will pull you off your timeline. Remember it becomes its own beast, and to an extent you have to let it. Relax and be present.

Congratulations Kristen and Kenny, I hope you're enjoying newly married life! Thanks especially to Kristen for her fab write up and to Rachael Lindsy Photography for these gorgeous images.

So lovelies, are any of you having a Fall wedding?

~ more Fall Wedding inspiration ~

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