Brooke and Alex’s backyard garden wedding was as enchanting and fun-loving as a wedding can be! The bride, who looked stunning in a modern Edwardian-style Rue de Siene gown, had dreamt of getting married in her parents’ home since she was a little girl. So, the couple set up a clear tent adorned with twinkle lights in the backyard and used a summery color palette of blues and greens to complement the natural beauty of the space. Sticking to the relaxed garden vibe, floral designers from Coriander Girl created gorgeous white and green garlands that ran the length of the tables and the couple gave each guest a mini succulent to take home. The couple DIYed a lot of the details, but the best personal touch might have been the song Brooke and Alex performed with the band at the reception! The talented photographers at LV IMAGERY captured every enchanting moment of this special day.

The Couple:

Brooke and Alex

The Wedding:

Private Residence, Toronto, Canada

I hand-painted the invitation suite using watercolor and one of my bridesmaids, who is a graphic designer, helped me put them all together. I also taught myself some basic calligraphy skills and addressed the envelopes by hand. This was a great way to cut costs and our wedding guests LOVED the invitations! We also had custom stamps made with a photo of our dog as a special way to include her in our big day.

Our wedding was held in the backyard of my family home and was built from the ground up. Ever since I was a little girl, I have dreamt of having my wedding in my parent’s yard surrounded by the tall pine trees. It was so incredible to have that dreamed realized! The space is truly perfect for a wedding because it is intimate and relaxed – exactly the vibe we were going for!

Alex and I decided to do a tree planting ceremony to honor this beautiful symbolism of growth and strength in a marriage. To compliment this theme, I drew a tree with long branches and asked guests to sign their names on each branch as an alternative to the traditional guest book. It turned out beautifully and now hangs in our home.

Lauren was the best photographer. She was respectful and helpful when we needed direction. So many guests mentioned that they didn’t even notice her or her assistant taking photos during the day. We love that she gave us a mix of candid and classic posed photos. We really appreciated Lauren’s patience as she took many a family group photo (we have large families) and seemed genuinely happy to be a part of the festivities.

We wanted the décor to compliment the garden and tall trees rather than compete with the natural beauty, so we used neutral colors and focused on ferns, local foliage, and rustic flowers. We chose a clear tent to showcase the night sky and used a few standing structures to create a cocktail hour area and the bar.

I am slightly obsessed with succulents, and we felt it would be nice to carry out the theme of trees, nature, and growth by giving our guests a tiny succulent to take home. Our guests loved them! Even people with a supposed “black thumb” have told us how they are tending to their little plant or how it has grown or flowered. It is so nice to have our wedding day live on in people’s homes.

Processional (wedding party) – “Remember the Mountain Bed” by Wilco & Billy Bragg
Processional (bride and father) – “Northern Sky” by Nick Drake
Recessional – “Don’t Worry Baby” by The Beach Boys
First Dance – “Thirteen” by Big Star

Probably the most unique DIY project for the day was our band. Alex and our friends are part of a band that has a tradition of playing at each other’s weddings. We were lucky enough to have them play at our wedding and, as a special treat, Alex and I sang a song together. We had so much fun practicing together in the months leading up to the wedding and on the day of it was incredible to feel all the warmth and energy from our loved ones while we were up on stage!

Alex and I weren’t keen on the idea of having a traditional wedding cake and we both enjoy pie. My mom had a great idea and suggested we have our aunts and uncles contribute a few pies for dessert. This worked out so well, and it was a great way to have our loved ones contribute something that all the guests could enjoy. The pies were delicious and perfectly paired with ice cream for a hot summer evening.

Congratulations to Brooke and Alex, and thanks to LV IMAGERY for sharing these lovely photos with Junebug! Do you love the idea of a DIY backyard wedding? Well, we’ve got a festive floral wedding in Illinois that will knock your socks off with DIY goodness!