I am completely convinced after viewing this wedding that there is a new species of Bride out there. One that is so very talented and filled to the brim with crafty goodness and super cute ideas, it’s sort of mind-blowing. Every inch of this New England DIY wedding is fabulous and it was all put together, one pretty piece at a time by the Bride and captured beautifully by Amanda Perkins Photography. You can see the rest of the super-crafy skills and fun-filled images in the gallery.
From the beginning, Dave and I knew our big day had to represent the couple we’ve become over the last eight years spent together. We also knew it all had to take place on my family’s farm in Plainfield, New Hampshire. Dave and I hold this place very near to our hearts so it was only natural to invite everyone up to Riverview Farm for the wedding festivities. During the fall, the farm is open for pick-your-own apples and features a corn maze designed by a local artist, Gary Hamel. This year we were honored to have the story of the maze inspired by our wedding. As a surprise during the rehearsal dinner night, we revealed to our bridal party that they were each a scarecrow featured in the maze. It was so much fun walking through the corn and watching as each member discovered their own scarecrow. It was the perfect kick off to a truly memorable weekend and was a nice way of letting our friends and family know how much they mean to us.
I wanted the overall feel of the wedding to be sweet, simple, and infused with fun details. I spent the engagement months (ok, really I started before he even popped the question) pouring over countless wedding blogs for inspiration. I collected pictures, harassed Etsy designers, organized excel charts, and created countless DIY projects. Together with my family, we were able to pull off a budget friendly wedding by making a lot of the details ourselves and using local vendors and resources. We made the table numbers, napkin rings, favors, boutonnieres, mason jars, lanterns, chalkboards, signs, lemonade stand, photobooth, and even the dance floor! My mother and I spent months collecting bud vases and doilies for the centerpieces and my sister spent hours ironing the bar towels we bought to use as napkins. My father, Dave and I planted the rows of flowers for the ceremony aisle and my sister and father created all the planters throughout the reception area. The day before the wedding we went to a local Dahlia garden and picked all the flowers for the wedding. I had so much help from my ladies with arranging the flowers and creating the most beautiful bridal bouquet, complete with a locket from my Grammie and a broach from my Gramma. It was such a group effort to transform my crazy ideas into a reality and to see it all come together that weekend was a dream come true. SMP helped out too – I entered into tons of giveaways and won two big prizes: A car banner by A Bride’s Ride and clutches for the bridesmaids by BeeGee Bags! Keep up the great work, lovlies! (I even had a guest come up to me and tell me the wedding reminded her of Style Me Pretty. I could have died right there on the spot.)
We made sure that everyone who took part in the wedding were people we loved and considered family – from our officiant, Linda, my mother’s friend and college roommate, to one of my oldest friends, Kehvon, who read “Corelli’s Mandolin” during the ceremony, everyone made the day so special and so unique to Dave and me. We were also incredibly honored to have our favorite NYC piano player, Bugsy Moran, play parts of our wedding. He learned our first dance song for us, “Happy Song” by Otis Redding, which turned out to be one of our favorite moments from the night. My brother also surprised everyone by performing a little skit/piece on the piano, which left everyone cracking up and made for some priceless pictures. We ended the night with everyone up on the barn deck, surrounded by candlelight, singing along to Bugsy on the piano. Pure bliss, if you ask me. So what do I love most about our wedding? So many things. I love that in some of our more formal pictures you can tell Dave and I are on the verge of cracking each other up. I love that people who have never been to my farm are now planning their next visit. I love that no matter where I looked, everyone was enjoying themselves in the backyard where I spent my childhood. But most of all, I love how friends and family came together, kicked off their shoes, and danced in the grass to some good ‘ol soul. The whole day was us, only a smidge better.
Photography: Amanda Perkins Photography / Flowers: By Design Dahlias / Event Design: Bride / Ceremony and Reception Location: Riverview Farm / Dress: Pronovias (Design is “Gaula” – Bride made some design alterations to it) / Bridal Salon: Madeline’s Daughter / Hair Comb: Lo Boheme / Flowers on Bride’s gown and Maid of Honor’s dress: Untamed Petals / Boutonnieres: Bride / Tent: Sperry VT / Hair: Vivo Salon and Day Spa / Makeup: BG Makeovers / Caterers: Maple Street Catering / Rentals: Bloods Seafood and Catering / Cake: Bakers Studio / Band: Big City Wedding Band, Bugsy Moran
