Athens Wedding from Paperlily Photography

When dreaming up a DIY wedding, I can bet that all of your hopes and imaginings can be seen in this adorable little number from Paperlily Photography. It is all things soft, beautiful, effortless, and – most importantly – personal. Each piece of loveliness meaningfully created by the family and friends of this bride and groom is inexplicably flawless and unmistakably gorgeous. And that Claire Pettibone gown? I die. See the full wedding in our gallery, right here.

Click here for the FULL wedding!

From the Bride… Bailey and I were married on June 30, 2012 — the culmination of a two and a half year relationship separated by five hours. The wedding was held in our college town of Athens, Georgia, where we first met.  It was a location where we had shared some of the best moments of our lives apart but wished to make the greatest of our memories together. 

We desired a wedding that was very unique to our tastes — one that included sharing our fondness of music, food, and the culture and history of Athens with friends and family, not to mention the record-breaking 107-degree heat on a Georgia summer day.

While we wanted our wedding to be an experience to remember, we also attempted to be sensible financially by incorporating some DIY elements to offset cost. We did not hire a wedding planner/event coordinator, and, instead, relied on each other to communicate plans to remain on schedule for the wedding. In addition, my mother and multiple other family members assisted with the flow of the wedding day and created all of the flower arrangements for the reception as well as the bride and bridesmaids’ bouquets. Downloaded playlists were the choice for music for different parts of the reception instead of splurging on a band or disc jockey. Although these DIY ideas required more work on the part of Bailey, me and some of our relatives, it made the day all the more special witnessing what we all had worked to create together.

Wedding Photography: Paperlily Photography / Ceremony: The University Of Georgia Chapel in Athens, Georgia / Reception: Farm 255 in Athens, Georgia / Flowers: DIY via FiftyFlowers / Wedding Invitations: Minted / Wedding Dress: Claire Pettibone / Bride’s Shoes: Kate Spade / Groom’s Tie: Pierrepont Hicks