DIY Farm Wedding

Dawn Strong
April 17, 2014
Categories: Do-It-Yourself Inspired, Real Weddings

I need to be best friends with this bride. I mean, not only is she seriously skilled at crafting a gorgeous wedding (she is the Lauren of Lauren Field Design, after all), she rocked a gray ombre gown on her wedding day. Yes, she is just.that.cool. And every last minute of DIY goodness captured by Moondance Photography? Stunning. See it all right here.

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From the Bride… Our story has so many one-in-a-million unexpected moments, and I knew our wedding wouldn’t be much different. Peter and I met at a pub in Dallas (where he just so happened to be transferred for work temporarily) where we had both never visited, on a Thursday night, while I was celebrating my acceptance to grad school. Even though I was moving soon, we decided to give a relationship a try. After over two years of having a long-distance relationship, Peter decided to propose during one of my summer visits to see him. He completely went over the top, and got down on one knee in a hot air balloon while we were viewing the Sierra Nevada Mountains. With my new amazing custom ring (a French cut black diamond with a pave setting) to set the stage, I began to dream about the wedding.

I come from a long lineage of creative “makers” that fabricate with their hands through many mediums. I’m formally trained as an architect, and I’ve had an affinity for small delightful details for as long as I can remember, and I knew I wanted to have my hands in the whole design process. The foundation of my design ideas for the wedding began with my dress. After trying on a multitude of dresses that just didn’t feel like “me” I finally found the one, but it still needed a little something else. I love the avant-garde feel of monotone color palettes with textured materials, and decided I wanted my dress dyed ombre gray. Thus our colors became gray and white, with pops of green. I wanted the materials we used, and where we were to be in their “essence” and show organic wear and patina.

This wedding was a true collaboration of many friends and family. It would not have been possible without many “snack & wine” bribes for endless fabric cutting and many DIY projects. We wanted our wedding to be as if we were inviting everyone over for dinner and wanted one long table, so we kept it to a small 60 person count. As an architect, the intimacy of the space we would hold the reception in was very important to me. We chose the venue because of its beauty and natural phenomena of the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers as well as the antiquity of the barn.

Our first look was one of my favorite parts, as Peter knew my dress was custom, but didn’t know what to expect. Peter is from Ukraine, and it was amazing incorporating the traditions from his homeland into our ceremony, favors, and reception. This was a true day of love, as my step father was the officiant and my mother walked me down the aisle (to a beautiful Mad Men song called “Sally’s Story” by David Carbonara). Our vows were a surprise, even to us, as my step-father acquired them from an elderly friend in his eighties, and called me one day to tell me he read them and he cried as they were so lovely and based on friendship. We enjoyed every minute of this day, and will remember it always!

All décor was DIY by the me: garlands, ceremony backdrop, fabric ball aisle décor, centerpieces, signs, magnet favors, graphic design, chandeliers, self-sourced vintage vases, napkins, silverware, DIY cake topper by the bride’s mother, DIY boutonnière, and mad libs.