This adorable bride was hoping for sunshine on her big day, but when the rainstorms rolled in, she rolled right with those punches, brought her beautiful DIY wedding under a tent, and celebrated her marriage in a rainy day soiree that has won over our hearts. Captured by The Youngrens, it’s proof that all you need really is love – and a fab pair of pink wellies! So grab your umbrellas, get your Pinning fingers ready, and head over to the gallery when you’re ready to be utterly inspired!
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From The Youngrens … While James and Marilyn were hoping for a sunny, perfect day, the weather said otherwise and a big rainstorm came through the area during the wedding. Marilyn wasn’t discouraged though and they tented the ceremony and reception, strung bistro lights inside, ordered custom reception lighting, and brought cute umbrellas and rain boots to make the most of the unexpected rain. Even with the rain, nothing could dampen this magical – and swoon worthy – day!
Marilyn poured tons of energy into the DIY details of her wedding including the chalkboard escort signs and the wooden signs throughout the property directing guests. She and James brought in a bunch of pieces of repurposed shabby chic furniture to display the favors, cake, escort signs, photo calendar guest book, and sparklers. The favors were garden bulbs in printed canvas bags (to watch their love grow) and guests picked them out of an old vintage trunk.
At the reception, guest sipped custom lemonade out of mason jars with striped straws, while James and Marilyn sat at the sweetheart table, which was a repurposed shabby chic patio table with princess chairs hung with burlap “Mr. and Mrs.” signs. A cute chandelier hung above them. They kept the burlap theme going throughout the event and hung similar handmade banners as reserved signs in the ceremony and as a “Here Comes the Bride” sign for the flower girls.
One of the guests favorite details were the framed and displayed loved notes that Marilyn found after her grandparents passed away. They were letters between her grandmother and grandfather during the year that they were courting long distance as young adults hopelessly in love – just like James and Marilyn. So special! As if the day could not get any more magical, James and Marilyn were sent off with decorated sparklers that were displayed in a shabby chic set of dresser drawers. It was the perfect final touch to a simply enchanting day.
From the bride … A mutual friend set James and I up six years ago. James was my date for high school senior prom; I never knew our first dance to Kelly Clarkson would eventually lead to marriage! We dated all through college and during my six-month study abroad semester in Europe. On October 2nd of last year, James took me up to Santa Barbara to recreate one of our favorite dates we had while we were dating. We started the day out by renting bikes and riding all along the coast. I remember he was riding particularly fast but seemed too calm for anything special to be happening. We found a spot on the beach to talk and share what we loved most about each other. While writing describing words in the sand, James secretly placed the ring in his pocket. He wrote, “wife” in the sand and got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I of course said “yes!” The best part was that James proposed with my Grandma’s wedding ring. She had passed away a few months prior and had left the ring for me.
With a short five-month engagement, we had all the major parts planned within the week. We had seen pictures of Crestmore Manor before we were engaged and felt like it was the perfect place to host our large, family orientated, outdoor wedding. With six years of dating I had had plenty of time to dream of what our wedding would be like. James came to know what “shabby chic” meant and everyone got a special job. Our whole family jumped in and helped us create the wedding of our dreams. We DIYed most of our wedding, the guys in our family made shepherds hooks and wire hanging mason jars, while friends and family sewed table runners, painted signs, stamped and embossed all 250 invitations for our guests. We poured our hearts into making every little detail happen.
Our inspiration for our wedding was a large box of love letters we had found while cleaning out my Grandma’s apartment. Over two years of courtship, my Grandpa wrote my Grandma over a hundred and fifty love letters. My mother and I spend hours pouring over the letters shocked at how romantic my Grandpa was. He was very shy and quiet when he was alive but these love letters showed us his heart and passion for my Grandma. We used the love letters as table numbers and set them up for people to read during the reception.
The most vivid memory for us was our first look. I had always been against first looks but am so happy that we had that special time together. As I walked up to James I remember standing waiting giggling with excitement. As he turned around and saw me for the first time all the tear came pour out. It was the perfect time to talk and spend time just the two of us. And of course we will never forget how it poured rain! But the rain didn’t matter because at the end of the day we were husband and wife!
Photography: The Youngrens / Cinematography: Two Spoons Productions / Flowers: La Petite Fleur / Ceremony & Reception Location: Crestmore Manor / Cake Designer: Vrej Pastry / Equipment Rentals: Elite Stage and Lighting / Caterer: Canyon City BBQ / Hair Stylist: Fox and the Hair Salon, Jenna 626.359.5134