WEDDING BLOG

This Vibrant Texas Wildlife Sanctuary Wedding has All the DIY Inspiration You Need

May 27, 2019 | Junebug Weddings

Lord of the Rings fans, rejoice! Amelia and Luke’s wildlife sanctuary wedding has all the whimsical and non-traditional wedding inspiration you could ever want! The couple threw tradition to the wind and curated a day that was all about their love, their connection with nature, and their incredible friends and family who helped them pull off the entire event. Not only did they host their special day at their property but they created every piece of décor and the bride made her wedding dress! Every element was a celebration of nature, including the unity ceremony in which the couple planted a tree using soil from each of their childhood homes. We can hardly put into words how much this wedding warms our souls and how grateful we are Payton Marie Photography was there to capture every unbelievable moment!

The Couple:

Amelia and Luke

The Wedding:

Sanger, Texas

The biggest driving factor for all decision making was to make our day completely and authentically us. We scrapped many traditions to make our entire day sculpted to what would make us happy and feel genuine as we declared and celebrated our love for each other.

Everything for our wedding was DIY, except our photographer. All of our decorations, tables, setup and even our venue was DIY. We got married in a wildlife sanctuary and earth shelter community where we live. We lightly landscaped the areas for the ceremony and reception. For our ceremony spot, we cleared and planted fresh ryegrass right before a big rain, and it was perfectly lush and dreamy for the day-of. We also made an altar from tree stumps and moss, as well as an arc of flowers under an old oak tree.

Groom Entrance – “Concerning Hobbits” from The Lord of the Rings soundtrack
Bride’s Entrance – “La Vie En Rose” by Laura & Anton
Recessional – “You Do Something to Me” by Ella Fitzgerald

The entire day was the best of our lives, but two moments in particular really stand out. First, we were advised not to hold back on our first kiss because it was a moment we would want to hold close for the rest of our lives. So, we took that advice to heart and did a full dip as all of our guests laughed and cheered! Second, after the recessional, we had a few moments to breathe and soak it all up. We looked into each other’s eyes and cried, hugged, and kissed because we couldn’t believe how happy we were. It was a moment filled with emotion, laughter, and pure bliss!

For our reception spot, we strung lights between the trees and got silent generators to light up the woods all around the tables and dance floor. We had sculptures, taper candles, and even wooden candle holders we made ourselves. The day ended up being colder than planned, so we also had fire pits, hot drinks, and a wheelbarrow full of blankets for our guests. It was a huge undertaking but, ultimately, an amazing adventure!

The Wedding Team:

Photography – Payton Marie Photography
Floral Design – Haley Mulkey
Stationery – Amelia Clark

Our biggest congratulations to Amelia and Luke, and a special thanks to Junebug member Payton Marie Photography for sharing this unforgettable wildlife sanctuary wedding! Planning a forest wedding of your own? You have to see this green and gold forest wedding at Eagle Valley Retreat in the Squamish Mountains!

We’ve Got Heart Eyes for Days for This Rustic California Park Winters Wedding

May 26, 2019 | Junebug Weddings

dark red gold ivory light pink sage green

We might be just barely into summer, but Carly and Danielle’s Park Winters wedding has us already dreaming of autumn! These beautiful brides pulled out all the stops for their big day, creating a rustic, elegant, and laid-back farm feel that highlighted the very best of their California venue. Bewilder Floral did a phenomenal job incorporating fall hues into all the floral designs, from the table centerpieces to each brides’ stunning bouquet. We absolutely adore every detail captured by Victoria Carlson Photography but are especially in love with the brides’ coordinating yet totally unique wedding dresses. No detail or moment was overlooked, and the result was absolutely jaw-dropping!

The Couple:

Carly and Danielle

The Wedding:

Park Winters, Winters, California

We loved Park Winters because it is just a magical place! There were so many beautiful and interesting places for our guests to explore and enjoy. There were well-kept, beautiful gardens, both European and rustic Californian. In October, most farms are more bare and dry, so having maintained gardens on the property meant we didn’t have to worry about doing too many decorations past the basics. Additionally, Park Winters has a big patio where we could have a seated dinner outside, and a big modern barn for nighttime dancing. Basically, we fell in love with Park Winters and just knew right away it was for us!

We decided to go dress shopping together because neither of us had family nearby to go with us, and as two women, we wanted to make sure our dresses went together. We had seen pictures of many lesbian weddings where the dress styles and versions of white clashed. It was nice having each other’s support in picking out dresses, as it was actually quite stressful since we had to take time off from work to go, and the time slot was only an hour.

In trying on dresses, we realized it would look nice and work with our rustic farm theme if we picked different dress colors, and stayed away from stark white. Carly’s dress was a blush and mine was a white with a light pink tint that made it look vintage. We never thought the blush dress would work on the hanger, but on Carly it was perfect. We both selected strapless dresses with beading. Carly’s dress was fully beaded, mine had less. The two went nicely together, while still being different enough to make us feel like individuals. We ended up finding our perfect dresses at our first appointment within the slotted hour!

We had so many great moments, between the ceremony and dancing the night away. If we had to pick one, it would be our photoshoot after the ceremony and before dinner where we got to be together, just the two of us. Being surrounded by family and friends is amazing, but also can be overwhelming! It was nice to have a moment to be with each other and acknowledge that we just got married. The sun was setting and creating a beautiful sky over the farmland. We couldn’t help but smile, laugh, and enjoy our photoshoot in our beautiful dresses.

We wanted a rustic but elegant farm feel, so we didn’t want to pick one or two colors for everything. Instead, we wanted a good mix of fall colors. Early on we found a brilliant florist, Bewilder Floral in Berkeley, California. Their rustic big bouquets were the starting inspiration for our fall look and feel. We then found a four-color palette on Pinterest we liked that had sage green, gold, burgundy, and off white. We used this throughout our wedding planning.

The Wedding Team:

Photography – Victoria Carlson Photography
Event Planning – With Grace & Love Events
Venue – Park Winters
Floral Design – Bewilder Floral
Cake – Freeport Bakery
Live Music – Decades
Videography – Seafoam Films
Stationery – Fresh & Yummy Paperie
Hair and Makeup Artist – Dolce Vita Beauty
Wedding Dress – Oleg Cassini
Rentals – Blossom Farm Vintage Rentals

Congratulations to Carly and Danielle, and a special thanks to With Grace & Love Events for sharing this Park Winters wedding with Junebug! Ready for more dreaminess? The love in this Cuffey’s Cove Ranch wedding on the Mendocino Coast will take your breath away!

Boho Vintage Tennessee Wedding at Hiwassee River Weddings

May 25, 2019 | Junebug Weddings

champagne dark red gray light pink sage green

Lauren and Caleb’s celebration at Hiwassee River Weddings was a little vintage, a little boho, and a whole lot of dreamy! Their waterfront ceremony, which included a stunning pampas grass and antique rug setup, was perfect for their laid-back vibe and created the most beautiful natural backdrop for these photos from The Forwards Photography. For their reception, they brought in antique place settings and organic centerpieces created by Melissa Timm Designs to add a vintage feel to the rustic, indoor space. The ultimate bohemian detail was Lauren’s bridal look, which featured a Rue De Seine, king protea bouquet, and celestial-inspired accessories. Be still our boho-loving hearts!

The Couple:

Lauren and Caleb

The Wedding:

Hiwassee River Weddings, Delano, Tennessee

Having a wedding that truly reflected our style was really important to us. It’s easy to get caught up in worrying about the future and wondering if you’ll look back at your wedding and say, “What was I thinking?” We realized it doesn’t matter. Who cares if bell sleeves, velvet, or pampas grass won’t be trendy in the coming years. When we look back at our wedding we’ll see what described our personality and style at that time in our life.

We are so happy we chose to have a first look. It gave us a chance to calm our nerves and share an intimate moment with one another before the ceremony. It’s one of the sweetest memories for us!

We chose Hiwassee River Weddings because of the venue’s natural beauty. We fell in love the first time we visited and couldn’t imagine getting married anywhere else. The river made the perfect backdrop for our ceremony.

The wedding day look was definitely a bohemian, vintage vibe. Most of my inspiration came from the designer of my dress. It was a Rue De Seine gown with flowing bell sleeves and a wrap around the waist. I paired it with antique gold hoop earrings and a long half moon necklace. The bridesmaids wore long, velvet dresses with a deep open back. The whole look was a dream!