Vintage Chic Backyard Summer Soirée
Sweet as can be and charming as all get out, this backyard wedding captured by Gina Cristine Photography couldn't be more lovely if it tried. Overflowing with darling DIY details and loads of smiles, this gallery is not only pretty but packed with personality, leaving me head over heels for every image.
From The Bride... Wedding planning began shortly after our engagement, and like most brides, was a job I was excited to take on. Deciding where to have our wedding was one of the most difficult parts of the planning process for Jason and I. I always envisioned a beautiful outdoor summer wedding in a natural garden-like setting, with trees, flowers, and greenery as our backdrop. Finding a place that offered that to us that was close to Chicago and could also accommodate our 150+ guests was not an easy feat. One day, after a conversation with my mom, it dawned on me that my aunt and uncle’s home in a nearby suburb could be the location I had been imagining. Their yard was large enough to accommodate our needs, plus it provided us with the tree-lined, nature-soaked backdrop that I needed to make my vision come alive—it couldn’t have been more ideal. After just a little convincing, my wonderful aunt and uncle were kind enough to let us take over their home and yard in order to make our wedding dreams a reality. We will always be grateful to them for giving us the most perfect wedding venue we could have ever imagined.
Jason and I are a pretty laid back, fun-loving couple, so we did our best to make our wedding reflect this side of us. We did not want anything too over-the top. Everything from the photo booth to the bonfire at the end of the night, it was all very much “us.” We really wanted our guests to feel like they were at a family party, but with the beauty and elegance a wedding should have and our individual personalities shining through.
We were on a somewhat tight budget and knew we had to utilize a good portion of it for our tent and caterer, so we incorporated a lot of DIY ideas (thanks to Pinterest & SMP!) and utilized local thrift shops for a most of our décor. I am drawn toward rustic and vintage looks so I knew I wanted to incorporate both of those styles into our wedding. The centerpiece of our ceremony was a handmade arch Jason made out of birch trees he cut down himself in his parents yard. On our wedding day, we simply tied on some colorful Larkspur flowers with twine to create the most perfect rustic backdrop for our ceremony. It was absolutely beautiful, and knowing my soon to be husband had built it, made it that much more special to me. It was one of my favorite additions to our wedding and I love seeing it in the background of so many of our photos. My thrift store finds included an eclectic mix of vintage vases used as centerpieces, old picture frames that we re-purposed into chalkboard menus and seating card holders, and mason jars that we turned into hanging flower vases that adorned the aisle. After the wedding, I was even able to resell most of these items, which helped out even more with keeping our spending to a minimum.
Taking on so many tasks ourselves and trying to keep within our budget required a ton of help from family and friends— we would not have been able to pull it all off without them! Aside from the bouquets and boutonnieres, we bought all of our flowers from an awesome local wholesale flower shop and created the centerpieces and accenting floral décor ourselves. My bridesmaids, my aunt, and some other helpful family members each took on jobs decorating on the morning of the wedding while I was getting ready in the house, allowing me to relax and take it all in. The support and generosity received from our nearest and dearest did not end there. We had a close friend of the family, who is a Pastor, officiate our ceremony; Jason’s mom made our lovely wedding cake; and our invitations and programs were created by and gifted to us by two of my good friends who also stood up as bridesmaids. It meant so much to us to have our loved-ones involved in so many aspects of our special day!
In addition to all of the projects we took on ourselves, we hired some of the best local vendors that helped our day to be as amazing as it was. We used Heybecks, a nearby meat market, as our caterer, and that was one of the best decisions we made. The food was outstanding and the help and service we received was beyond expectations. To this day, we are still receiving compliments on our menu! Our tent was spectacular—Blue Peak Tents did an outstanding job. The lighting they provided created an Italian café-like atmosphere with ball lights strung throughout the tent and colorful Chinese lanterns over the dance floor. It was truly magical. And capturing all of these details and creating memories that will last us forever, were our awesome photographers Gina and Tom from Gina Cristine Photography— they did not miss a beat!
Everything came together as planned and made our wedding day all we had hoped for it to be and more. Even the unpredictable Chicago weather cooperated, and we were blessed with a pristine August day—75 degrees and sunny! Our day was a true labor of love by all involved and it was the perfect setting for the beginning of our life together as husband and wife.
Jason and I are a pretty laid back, fun-loving couple, so we did our best to make our wedding reflect this side of us. We did not want anything too over-the top. Everything from the photo booth to the bonfire at the end of the night, it was all very much “us.” We really wanted our guests to feel like they were at a family party, but with the beauty and elegance a wedding should have and our individual personalities shining through.
We were on a somewhat tight budget and knew we had to utilize a good portion of it for our tent and caterer, so we incorporated a lot of DIY ideas (thanks to Pinterest & SMP!) and utilized local thrift shops for a most of our décor. I am drawn toward rustic and vintage looks so I knew I wanted to incorporate both of those styles into our wedding. The centerpiece of our ceremony was a handmade arch Jason made out of birch trees he cut down himself in his parents yard. On our wedding day, we simply tied on some colorful Larkspur flowers with twine to create the most perfect rustic backdrop for our ceremony. It was absolutely beautiful, and knowing my soon to be husband had built it, made it that much more special to me. It was one of my favorite additions to our wedding and I love seeing it in the background of so many of our photos. My thrift store finds included an eclectic mix of vintage vases used as centerpieces, old picture frames that we re-purposed into chalkboard menus and seating card holders, and mason jars that we turned into hanging flower vases that adorned the aisle. After the wedding, I was even able to resell most of these items, which helped out even more with keeping our spending to a minimum.
Taking on so many tasks ourselves and trying to keep within our budget required a ton of help from family and friends— we would not have been able to pull it all off without them! Aside from the bouquets and boutonnieres, we bought all of our flowers from an awesome local wholesale flower shop and created the centerpieces and accenting floral décor ourselves. My bridesmaids, my aunt, and some other helpful family members each took on jobs decorating on the morning of the wedding while I was getting ready in the house, allowing me to relax and take it all in. The support and generosity received from our nearest and dearest did not end there. We had a close friend of the family, who is a Pastor, officiate our ceremony; Jason’s mom made our lovely wedding cake; and our invitations and programs were created by and gifted to us by two of my good friends who also stood up as bridesmaids. It meant so much to us to have our loved-ones involved in so many aspects of our special day!
In addition to all of the projects we took on ourselves, we hired some of the best local vendors that helped our day to be as amazing as it was. We used Heybecks, a nearby meat market, as our caterer, and that was one of the best decisions we made. The food was outstanding and the help and service we received was beyond expectations. To this day, we are still receiving compliments on our menu! Our tent was spectacular—Blue Peak Tents did an outstanding job. The lighting they provided created an Italian café-like atmosphere with ball lights strung throughout the tent and colorful Chinese lanterns over the dance floor. It was truly magical. And capturing all of these details and creating memories that will last us forever, were our awesome photographers Gina and Tom from Gina Cristine Photography— they did not miss a beat!
Everything came together as planned and made our wedding day all we had hoped for it to be and more. Even the unpredictable Chicago weather cooperated, and we were blessed with a pristine August day—75 degrees and sunny! Our day was a true labor of love by all involved and it was the perfect setting for the beginning of our life together as husband and wife.