WEDDING BLOG

We’re in Awe of This DIY Butterfly-Inspired White Sparrow Barn Wedding

December 5, 2019 | brooke

We are totally in awe of Kyndall and Jake’s butterfly-inspired White Sparrow Barn wedding! Along with the help of rockstar planning team J. Scott Events, this couple went all-out with whimsical decor at every turn—from a DIY butterfly ceremony backdrop to a cake designed by Loft 22 Cakes and decorated with figurines of their pups! We can’t wait for you to see how Madison Katlin Photography captured Jake’s sweet reaction when Kyndall walked down the aisle and a killer fireworks exit. Get ready to Pin your hearts out babes, because this day is one for your inspo boards!

The Couple:

Kyndall & Jake

The Wedding:

The White Sparrow Barn, Quinlan, TX

SHOP THIS LOOK:

We created a DIY butterfly wall! It took us about 4-6 months to complete, and it was so very worth it. All of our families helped, and it was an important piece to us to have in the wedding. The wall was about 8 ft tall and 8 ft wide. It was massive! I spray painted each individual butterfly and it had about 150 of them on the wall!

My favorite photo was seeing Jake’s face when I was walking down the aisle. Capturing that moment and you just have a rush of feelings looking at it. I always said, “I hope you cry walking down the aisle!” And boy did he cry!!! That was our first time seeing each other in 24 hours. Seeing him for the first time and him crying — was just everything. I loved that we waited to see each other and chose not do a first look!

Our photographer was literally amazing! She did our engagements and we just fell in love with everything. She is a natural at her job and makes you feel super comfortable. She’s so easy to work with and literally the sweetest person!

Wedding planning advice from the bride: Stay organized! If your not an organized person then definitely get a planner who is on top of things! That’s what helped me the most! Plus I organized my Pinterest boards in different categories for each event of the wedding which was super helpful!

The Wedding Team:

Photography – Madison Katlin Photography
Event Planning – J. Scott Events
Wedding Venue – The White Sparrow Barn
Floral Design – Kate McLeod Studio
Catering – Vetals Catering
Cake – Loft 22 Cakes
Live Music – In10 City Band
Videography – DP Weddings
Makeup Artist & Hair Styling – BA Beauty
Custom Cookies – Shane’s Cookie Corner
Rentals – Coral Lane Rentals; Posh Couture Rentals
Live Painting – By Brittany Branson

Congratulations Kyndall and Jake, and many thanks to Madison Katlin Photography for sharing their White Sparrow Barn wedding with Junebug! Loving these barn wedding vibes? You’ve got to check out this chic Tulsa barn wedding at Dream Point Ranch!

The Step-By-Step Guide to Creating Your Wedding Guest List

December 4, 2019 | brooke

photo by Gabrielle Desmarchais

Does thinking about your wedding guest list cue those anxious feels? You may be thinking things like, “Where do we start?” “How are we going to explain to Aunt Mary that we’re having an intimate day (and she’s not invited)?” Not to fear, babes! We’re here to help. First thing’s first: Take a breath. You’ve got this! Dive in to this step-by-step guide to creating your wedding guest list — and check it off your wedding to-do list!

photo by Jes Workman

1. Your guest list should come before choosing your venue but after determining your wedding budget.

Guests are expensive! Remember, you’ll need to account for food and drinks for all of your guests — and more guests means more tables, chairs, dinnerware, etc. Determine your wedding budget first. This way, after you move to step two and make your dream guest list, it will be easier to “cut” guests based on the funds you have to spend.

photo by Katelyn Ortego

**2. Create your dream list.**

Make a date night out of this! Go to dinner or grab pizza at home, grab your favorite notebook, and get to writing everyone you’d love to have in attendance on your special day. Dream big, include everyone in this list. We know your parents might have guests they’d like to invite, and they might be footing the bill, so we’re not saying to leave them in the dust, but do make your list first. You’ll be able to explain to your parents that there’s X room for more guests according to your budget.

photo by Britt Crowe

3. Establish the “rules.”

Are children invited? Who gets a plus-one? These things are important. If you’re deciding on a no-children wedding, make sure your wishes are made very clear on the invitation. When it comes to the plus-one list, a general rule of thumb is to give a plus one to couples who are engaged, married, or seriously dating (a.k.a. you’ve met their partner and your gut tells you they’re in it for the long run). On your invites, you can include language that reads, “we’ve saved X seat(s) in your honor” to make it clear if they do / don’t have permission to bring a plus-one.

photo by Anni Graham Photography

4. Go back to your list, and get organized.

Okay, you’ve established your budget, made your dream list, consulted with your parents, and determined the rules. Now it’s time to get organized! Section off your list into categories. For example: Distant relatives, close friends, distant friends, immediate family, etc. This will help you in the cutting process to see what groups you may have to leave out — if your distant relatives and distant friends categories have the same amount of people and you need to eliminate one you can think about that category as a whole instead of trying to single people out and cross them off that way.

photo by Ramblefree Photo Co.

5. Make your “cuts.”

We know this might seem like you’re back in grade school choosing players for your dodgeball team, but—trust us—it’s okay to make cuts to your guests list, especially if it means not breaking the bank! Here are some questions to ask yourself when cutting back your list:

Can we imagine our wedding without this person there?
Would we go to dinner or drinks with this person outside of our wedding day?
Will it bring us joy to have this person at our wedding?
How long has it been since we’ve seen or spoken to this person?
Did this person invite us to their wedding? (Note: Reciprocal invites are not a must!)

photo by Nessa K Photography

6. Send save the dates.

You’ve done it! Time to shop for save the date cards . Remember the 10% rule: At least 10% of your guest list might not be able to make it to your wedding. In this case, it’s OK to have a back up list of people who you’d like to attend in their place. Pro tip: This is why we recommend sending out save the dates as soon as possible! It’s alright if you haven’t taken your engagement photos yet — there are plenty of invites that are beautiful without a photo!

photo by Maggie Grace Photography

7. Stand your ground, lean on each other as needed.

Emotions are tough. Sometimes people won’t understand your perspective — but that’s OK! Take it as affirmation that you made the right decision by leaving them off of your guest list. You don’t need those negative vibes! Use this time and these potential tricky situations to grow closer to your person. Come wedding day, this will all be behind you!

Feeling confident with your wedding guest list? Here are a few posts to help you with the next phases of planning:

The Ultimate Guide to Finding Your Wedding Venue

60 Stunning Simple Wedding Invitations on Etsy for the No-frills Couple

2019 Winter Wedding Guest Dresses

photo by Hailey Pierce Photography

This Stanley, Idaho Wedding at Park Creek Ranch Features Florals in the Front and Mountains in the Back

December 4, 2019 | brooke

dark pink light pink yellow

If you love mountain views and boho florals, you’re going to be obsessed with Jessica and Scott’s wedding at Park Creek Ranch! The couple planned their dreamy wedding from thousands of miles away — but with the help of their seller coordinator, Emily Aitken, and all-around awesome vendor team, their day was one to remember! Since Stanley, Idaho is boasting with natural beauty, Jessica decided to focus her attention on the florals versus a lot of decor. Floral designer Historia Florals created absolutely fabulous bouquets for the ‘maids and an arch piece added the perfect touch of color to the already picturesque ceremony space. Scroll on to see the cutest photo booth from Treasure Valley Photo Booth and so many more special moments captured by the oh-so-talented Maggie Grace Photography!

The Couple:

Jess & Scott

The Wedding:

Park Creek Ranch, Stanley, Idaho

I wanted something natural looking. My dress was from Grace Loves Lace, so I was going for a subtle look. I wore really pretty anklets with stones from Grace Loves Lace and jewelry from Anthropologie.

It can be hard to plan a wedding thousands of miles away! The photographer (thankfully Maggie was such a dream and made the process so easy), my amazing coordinator who was so helpful with every step of the way (don’t think I could have done it without her) and the right amount of color through the florals was very important for me. I didn’t feel like I needed a ton of decor and florals, but the bouquets and the arch florals stood out for me which added just enough color so I was super happy with the outcome.

Saying our own vows was the moment for me that stood out the most as well as the most memorable knowing we wrote our own vows. It was important to both of us to write our own which was a bit nerve wracking but it made it that much more special knowing our family and close friends were there.

Wedding planning advice from the bride: Do not stress over the little things come the big day, I felt so much more relived when I let go of the things that I knew I could not control and the outcome of that, made me overall happier to be there in the moment. Also helps to have a destination wedding, think of it as a big weekend trip with close friends and family and let the rest fall in its place.

Maggie (our photographer) makes her job look so easy! I loved how fast she took photos, she made it painless for us! She also is the sweetest person and made the day feel so comfortable and personable. Her dog Carol is a also a huge bonus!

We chose Stanley, Idaho because we wanted to choose a place that was special for the both of us. We went there two summers before our wedding weekend and fell in love with Stanley. My husband’s father also drove through Stanley when he first moved to Idaho and knew the area well before we started going with our families before we got engaged. It’s one of those places that feels secretive and is even more beautiful every time we visit. The venue felt private and the backdrop views were stunning with the Sawtooth Mountains in the background. I found the venue knowing I wanted something a little more intimate, so I started looking at VRBO and Airbnb with back back yard properties and eventually I came across Park Creek Ranch.

The Wedding Team:

Photography – Maggie Grace Photography
Event Planning – Emily Aitken
Wedding Venue – Park Creek Ranch
Floral Design – Historia Florals
Catering – Dutch Oven Den
Cake – Cristina’s
Makeup Artist & Hair Styling – Shawna Hines
Wedding Dress – Grace Loves Lace
Bridesmaids’ Apparel – BHLDN
Photo Booth – Treasure Valley Photo Booth

Congratulations Jessica and Scott! We’re feeling thankful for Junebug member Maggie Grace Photography who shared their dreamy day at Park Creek Ranch with us! For more of Maggie’s work, be sure to check out her page in our vendor directory.