I am completely head over heels, smitten beyond belief with this next wedding. First of all, You Look Nice Today Photography might have the best name in the biz. Second, just check out all the vintage vignettes and crafty little details that the couple designed and styled with absolute brilliance. Washington State might not come to mind when you think destination wedding but after seeing those mountain views I can see why this sweet bride and groom would want to marry there. Head on over to the full wedding gallery to get your vintage on.
Click here for more vintage inspiration in the full wedding gallery!
Austin and I live in Indianapolis, IN but I am originally from Seattle and my parents live in Puyallup, WA. We really love the outdoors and especially the northwest! When we got engaged we decided we wanted a relaxed, outdoor mountainside wedding in Washington state. My parents were extremely helpful in the planning process and my dad and brother were the ones who actually found our venue, since I was in Indiana! We decided on a Sunday wedding because many of our guests were going to be traveling from Indianapolis and had never had the chance to experience how beautiful the northwest is and we wanted them to enjoy the weekend and celebrate with us on Sunday. We really wanted the whole weekend to be a relaxed getaway for all of our guests and we spent a lot of our time hiking, fishing, and relaxing in cabins for the weekend. We also wanted our wedding to reflect us as a couple and were going for a rustic elegance with an eclectic and vintage style that also showcased Washington and the nature that we both enjoy so much!
I was so blessed to be able to wear my grandmother’s dress and to have her be there to see me wear it! My mom had flown to Indiana to help me search for a dress and after looking for a day and describing what I wanted it dawned on her that I may like her mother’s dress. We called her up and asked if she still had it and what condition it was in. She said it had a small tear in the tulle but that I was welcome to try it out…so I tried it on and fell in love!! I had a seamstress fix the tear and change a few details of the dress and it was perfect. I also wore her pearls that my grandfather gave her a month before they were married 55 years ago and carried the same bible that my grandmother and my mother carried down the aisle. I attached a broach to my bouquet from my other grandmother to remember her as she couldn’t be there to celebrate with us.
We did almost everything ourselves, from the invitations to the bouquets. We really had a great time designing the wedding and also making a lot of the little details! People kept asking me what my color scheme was and I never quite had an answer except, lots of colors, it’s going to be a bit eclectic. My mother so graciously divulged my biggest wish for the wedding by diligently scouring thrift stores and garage sales all summer looking for the mismatched, eclectic chairs I wanted and they were so perfect! We tied mason jars on the inside aisles with twine and filled them with wildflowers! We collected mismatched plates, silverware, glasses, tea cups and saucers and also antique mismatched white to tan napkins for our place settings. We found antique butter dishes and creamers/sugar bowls to set the tables as well. Our table settings were so elegant and antique and fit so perfectly in such a beautiful outdoor location. We are also huge wine lovers and made our name cards to rest on wine corks and served Washington wines with dinner. My grandmother, mother, aunt and mother-in-law also baked the most delicious pies to serve for dessert which we displayed on antique pie stands on a picnic table lined with a lace table runner.
We tried to incorporate a lot of details that reflected us as a couple. Austin loves cameras and everybody knows it. He absolutely loves film and we decided to buy a bunch of old 35mm cameras for our guests to use to photograph moments throughout our day. We loaded them all up with film and placed them in an antique suitcase as you were walking into the ceremony. We tied a tag with the name of the couple as well as which table the couple would be sitting at during the reception on the cameras and left a note with instructions. Austin and I also both love hot tea, especially in the winter! We spent a lot of time when we first met wandering around in the snow drinking hot tea and one of my favorite tea shops in Indy makes all of her own loose leaf tea. For our favors we had our own special blend made and we collected mismatched jars to put them in. We topped the jars with vintage fabrics tied with twine and a handwritten tea-died tag with the name of our tea and our wedding date. I also had a special grooms cake made for Austin to look like a Rolleiflex camera. My aunt Judy made our wedding cake and our groom’s cake and they were both so impressive and exactly what I wanted!
We had a friend of the family take Polaroids of all of our guests by an old hollowed out tree for our guest book. We used my grandfather’s antique end table to place the guest book on for our guests to sign. We also had some old 8mm video cameras and wanted some footage of the day so our friend, Michell took on the task! We are still waiting to get the film back developed and are anxious to see it! We used an antique dresser from the lodge to display photos of family member’s weddings including a photo of my grandmother wearing the wedding dress. We placed blankets in an old trunk for people to keep warm for our outdoor reception.
One of the highlights for me was when everyone gathered around the campfire after dinner when all the kerosene lamps were glowing and the stars were exceptionally bright and our friend, Fred, played guitar and sang as everyone got cozy under their blankets and just relaxed together. As we were all sitting there by the fire taking it all in we looked up at the northwest sky just in time to see a shooting star. It was such a perfect and intimate celebration. We realized after the wedding how truly blessed we are to have such incredible friends and felt so blessed to be able to share such an important day with our closest friends and family.
Wedding Photographer: You Look Nice Today Photography / Wedding Venue: Rainier Mountain Lodge / Caterer: Simply Delicious Catering / DJ: Melody Music / Hair: Halo Salon / Flowers: DIY from Vue Flower Farm / Bride’s Dress: Vintage (from grandmother) / Invitations: DIY