We are totally loving each and every inch of this DIY rustic-meets-rainbow-meets-eco-friendly BBQ inspired day. The signs, the mismatched melmac dinnerware (genius!) and those adorable dinner trays all add up to one heck of a spunky party. Some brides just know how to DIY a wedding like nobody’s business! Click Chick Images captured the day to perfection and you can (and must!) see it all right here.
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From the Bride… Although we very much admire fancy weddings, we knew that a big, elegant wedding wasn’t for us. Instead, we yearned for an intimate wedding with a backyard BBQ feel to it. And so, we began the search for a venue that would offer just that. Luckily, we didn’t have to search long, for the second we set foot on Ceres Park Ranch, we knew it was the place for us. One of the best things about our venue was the fact that nothing was forced on us. We were given a (supremely awesome!) blank canvas and, while that meant a lot of work and an endless list of DIY projects, it also meant that we got exactly what we wanted. It seemed like no matter what crazy ideas we threw at them, the folks at Ceres Park Ranch were always more than willing to work with us. Some of our more nontraditional ideas included: a “lawn game hour” in lieu of a traditional cocktail hour, Jester King beer tasting offered up at the bar, a mechanical bull rental, a hot dog roast, and the release of colorful sky lanterns into the night sky. Unfortunately, the wet weather ended up interfering with the last two items; but it also gave us a beautiful full-sky double rainbow and the incredible sound effect of rain pounding down on the tin roof of the pavilion. Both were truly magical and more than made up for the absence of the other two activities.
Wilson and I decided pretty early on that we’d be skipping the traditional wedding cake. We decided to collect a bunch of mismatched containers and fill up a sweets bar with some of our favorite goodies — mini cupcakes in various flavors, sweet potato pie, bread pudding, black and white cookies, dessert popcorn and an assortment of candies. We included a basket of to-go containers so that guests could bring treats home with them. But my absolute favorite detail surrounding the dessert bar came from a last minute decision to dedicate it to the memory of my maternal grandfather, who sadly passed away one week before our wedding. Grandpa lived a wonderful 91 years and taught me that, “Life is too short to not eat dessert … for breakfast.” Thus, it was only fitting that the dessert bar be dedicated to him!
I have also long admired the gorgeous photos I see of mismatched wedding china, and I briefly considered doing the same for our wedding. Somehow, though, it didn’t seem right to use precious china at an outdoor BBQ wedding! So I decided to create my own twist on the trend. I have had an obsession with melmac for as long as I can remember — I just love the vibrant colors, the historical significance and the durability factor — so I decided to utilize mismatched melmac at our wedding. Overall, I managed to collect more than 250 pieces through various sources — eBay, Etsy, garage sales, thrift stores, etc. And I finished things off with some light turquoise barbecue trays found at a local camping store. We used birch compostable utensils and wrapped each set up with a handmade napkin (old bed-sheets cut up with pinking shears — super easy!). We then printed out tiny menu cards on Kraft paper and tied one around each utensil set with twine. This was one of my favorite personal touches and it was unbelievably easy to pull off.
While it certainly wasn’t perfect, I really feel that our budget, environmentally-minded, locally-sourced, rainy, outdoor, BBQ, DIY, rainbow-rustic wedding couldn’t have been more “us!” It was a celebration of our love, our friendships, our beloved Austin and our desire to enjoy the heck out of every minute of life! I can’t thank our friends, family and vendors enough for making the weekend so very unforgettable!
Wedding Photography: Kara Trombetta of Click Chick Images / Wedding Venue: Ceres Park Ranch in Austin, Texas / Flowers: Purchased via FiftyFlowers + DIY Arranging / Wedding Cinematography: Lizama Videography / Catering, Sweet Potato Pies + Bread Pudding: Austin Barbecue Company / Sweets, Cupcakes + Mini Cupcakes: Sweet Treets Bakery / Popcorn: Cornucopia / Beer: Jester King Craft Brewery / Wine: Duchman Family Winery / Wedding Paper Goods, Bouquets, Boutonnieres, Ribbon Banners, Card Table Decor + Postcard Guest Book: DIY / Printing of Paper Goods: Zazzle + Vistaprint / DJ: Mr. Thrill DJ Plus / Mechanical Bull Rental: Extreme Events of Texas / Wedding Dress: Calvin Klein via 6pm.com / Bride’s Blusher Veil: Austie / Bride’s Boots: Stetson / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: J.Crew (Silk Chiffon) / Men’s Suits: J. Ferrar via JCPenney / Men’s Ties: The Belle and The Beau