Brooke and David's wedding was a vibrant and joyous day – and we're only delighted to share it with you guys.
We really love hearing about eco-friendly, budget savvy, or DIY brides and Brooke was all three!
With farmer's market flowers, a hemp wedding dress, and hand crafted chandeliers, this fun, intimate, whimsical family wedding was captured by the wonderful Carolyn and Geoff of Carolyn Scott Photography.
And we think you're going to like it!
The Inspiration
We were inspired by our love of the outdoors, and wanted a relaxed and casual feel for our special day. We were so fortunate to have found Haywood Hall which is a historic residence in downtown Raleigh – it felt like a secret garden hidden in the middle of the city.
Our color palette was crisp and bright with fuchsia, green, and deep blue. I found my shoes first, and the rest of the color scheme fell into place from there.
The Dresses and Suits
I wore a silk and hemp blend wrap dress by Simone’s Rose, and used vintage lace from my mother’s wedding attire to make a necklace and hairpiece.
My necklace had a blue background (my something blue), I borrowed a bracelet from my mother, and my earrings were new. Oh, and of course my fuchsia peep-toe sandals!
My bridesmaids each chose their own style of dress and shoes in grey and each wore grey and white pearl drop earrings. The groom and groomsmen wore dark grey suits with blue and green striped ties.
The Photography
We loved our photographers!
From the first meeting we knew Carolyn and Geoff were a great fit for us – their use of color, humor and romance were the perfect combination to capture our day.
Our Favourite Moments
So many things about our wedding were personal and special to us, which is how we envisioned the day from the beginning.
We wanted a day where we could gather our families and all of our friends in one location to share in our wedding day. Our friends and family were involved throughout the process and we were so thankful for how everyone came together to help and support us — from hand drawing a custom guestbook for us, arranging flowers, decorating the venue, and coordinating the day – we couldn’t have done it without them!
Among our favourite moments were quiet dinner in the gazebo with just the two of us, the toasts – moving, funny, and heartwarming and of course, the gorgeous sunny weather.
The Ceremony
We included words written about each other, advice from our parents, and a reading selected by both the bride and groom from The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo.
Our songs for the processional and recessional were played on acoustic guitar. Bride processional: Coldplay, Til Kingdom Come; recessional: Here Comes The Sun, The Beatles.
And for the first dance, There Is No Greater Love, Billie Holiday.
The Flowers
Pretty much whatever was in season and found at the local farmer’s market! We really lucked out in finding flowers that were the perfect complement to our color scheme.
The bouquets included dianthus, iris, daisies, and a light pink peony in the bride’s bouquet.
The centerpieces included pink and red poppies, fuchsia and white dianthus, white daisies, and bright blue cornflowers.
Decor & Details
We decorated with armfuls of fresh flowers from the farmers’ market throughout the grounds and brightly colored paper star lanterns hung from the magnolia tree in the center of the gardens.
One of the larger DIY projects were the “chandeliers” we made out of bicycle wheels on which we strung a cluster of star lanterns to hang in the reception tent.
The rest of the decorations were provided by the beautiful greenery surrounding us in the gardens.
As favors, we painted mason jars with chalkboard paint that our guests used as their glass for the night then took home at the end of the evening.
In addition to the star “chandeliers” and favors, I made a paper star cake topper to coordinate with the stars lanterns, and also made a banner for our sweetheart table.
My necklace was a DIY project as well. I made a pendant using lace from my mother’s headpiece from her wedding, and also used a small piece of the same lace to make a pin to wear in my hair (I loved having a small memento of her wedding day incorporated into mine).
The Refreshments
Our beer was provided by a local microbrewery, Sub Noir Brewing, and included a ginger triple, a saison, and a cask aged stout with bourbon soaked cherries.
Our dinner was served buffet style, and afterwards our guests enjoyed cupcakes in three flavors. Our cake to cut was lemon with raspberry filling.
Advice for Other Couples
Pinterest can be your best friend and biggest enemy. Use it to gather ideas, but be wary of doing too many “Pinterest things” that leave you feeling scattered and unfocused. After you gather all of your ideas, take a step back and weed out what is extra from the things that will leave you with a cohesive look, feel or theme.
Be realistic about how much you want to spend, set your budget and stick to it – you might need to be creative to stay on track, but you can do it!
Also, use your network – your friends and family have skills and talents that they may be willing to share if you just ask!
Isn't it just lovely? I can't believe they made those colourful hanging stars themselves – so gorgeous.
Thanks so much to Carolyn Scott Photography and of course Brooke & David for sharing their fun and creative DIY wedding with us.
For more quirky nuptials, see our Unique + DIY Real Weddings.
