Your lunch hour is about to get a whole lot prettier with this sweet and simple vintage chic meets rustic DIY fete. These adorable high school sweethearts got engaged on the top of a mountain in Alaska, where the groom was stationed, far away from their life together in Washington. But that didn’t slow down their plans to marry at all. Captured by Victor Zerga, this charming wedding is totally the bees knees. Click here for more.
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From the bride… Michael and I both grew up in Washington state and were high school sweethearts. Shortly after high school, I went to a local college, and Michael joined the military to become a firefighter, his dream career. After boot camp and tech school, he was sent to Alaska, so we knew our long-distance relationship wasn’t over yet. The first time I visited him, he took me to the top of a mountain and asked me to marry him.
So while my fiance was in Alaska, I started planning the wedding with help from my mom and sister. Right from the start, I knew I wanted to get married in a barn in Washington. I love the rustic charm a barn gives. After searching for the perfect one, which isn’t easy to do in Washington, I finally found Red Barn Studios in Chehalis and instantly loved the apple trees, chickens and cats running around outside, amazing ceiling upstairs and the fact that it had two stories so we could have the ceremony and reception indoors, that’s a necessity for a November wedding in Washington. Simply put, I was sold.
The barn was a perfect backdrop for a rustic wedding, but I wanted to add some vintage touches. When I found my dress, I knew it was the perfect combination of both. The rest of the decisions were easy to make after the venue and dress. My mom and I, for months, would go into countless thrift and vintage stores and pick out the prettiest floral china, mason jars and doilies we could find for the table decor. I wanted a grandma’s attic hodge podge kind of look. Everything in the wedding was DIY, including our favors of the peach butter that my great-grandmother used to make. Keeping things family-oriented, during the cocktail hour I had a clothesline with pictures of our family’s old wedding photos hanging. The day was a dream. It was so great to see the vision I had for nearly a year come to life. If I had to give any advice to girls currently planning a wedding I’d say don’t leave the tiny details to the last second. You think you’ll have time two weeks before the wedding, but trust me, you won’t. Also, enjoy the day! There will be some things that won’t go perfectly, but remember what you’re doing all of this for — to marry the love of your life! Everything will be worth it.
Wedding Photography: Victor Zerga / Wedding Venue: Red Barn Studios / Wedding Day Coordinator: Red Letter Events, LLC / DJ: Mariene Mitchell / Officiant: Kevin Pentz / Wedding Cake: Market Street Bakery / Wedding Dress: Tara Keely / Catering: Summerland Catering / Peach Butter Favors, Family Photo Clothesline + Decor: DIY