DIY Wedding: Kristy and Jesse’s Dream Wedding Day

Kristy and Jesse shared their beautiful DIY Wedding with their family and friends, creating a day they would all remember forever.

Kristy and Jesse couldn’t wait to be married. After being in a long distance relationship, their wedding day signified the time when they could stay together. After the long search for the perfect ring, the couple set out to plan the perfect DIY wedding. Wanting to create and a memorable and fun day for their family and friends, Kristy and Jesse worked relentlessly on every aspect of the day. We got to speak to the newlywed couple about the day and all the work they put into it. From the hunt for the perfect dress, to marrying in a church very close to Kristy’s heart, they managed to create a day they will remember forever.

DIY Wedding Ideas

DIY Wedding Decorations

  1. Tell us a little about the proposal and the lead up to the wedding?

The decision to get married was really a mutual one for us. We knew we couldn’t fathom a life without one another and getting married was the next step. As we had been living 10,000 miles apart with Kristy in Sydney, Australia and Jesse in Louisiana, USA, we had made the decision that next time Jesse was in Sydney (at Christmas 2011), we would go looking for an engagement ring. Jesse wanted Kristy to choose whatever ring she fell in love with. We spent an entire month searching for rings, looking at jewelry store after jewelry store with no luck. It was December, stocks were completed and we couldn’t find a thing to suit Kristy’s tiny fingers.

DIY Wedding Photo Fun

Everyone joked that we were “unofficially” engaged and we decided to wait until I came over to Louisiana to start the search for “the ring” once again. After a week of searching with no luck, we stumbled upon the perfect ring just five days before Kristy was due to leave Louisiana for Sydney. The jeweler promised she would do her absolute best to get the ring in and resized in time for Kristy to head back home and she managed to pull through with her promise - but Kristy continued to wait.

DIY Wedding Kiss

Just one day before Kristy was due to fly out, Jesse told Kristy he wanted to take her “somewhere pretty to take photos”. Kristy is a photographer and loves nothing better than to photograph nature and Jesse knew this was the perfect time to propose. He packed a backpack with “water and snacks”, tucking the ring inside.

DIY Wedding I Dos

As Kristy busily snapped away at the gorgeous pine trees and forest scenary, Jesse got down on one knee, waiting for Kristy to put the camera down and turn around. We were finally officially engaged and our next chapter begun!

DIY Wedding Couple Photo

Full story can be found here, at Kristy’s Blog.

Rings for DIY Wedding

DIY wedding make-up inspiration

  1. What was the inspiration behind your wedding theme or vibe? 

We wanted our wedding to be a relaxed and fun event for everyone involved. Not wanting a boring sit down dinner, we decided to turn the traditional wedding idea on its head and do everything ourselves.

Black and white DIY wedding photos

We decided to rent out an empty studio space and hired a wedding stylist to transform the literal blank canvas into a vintage oasis. Mixing modern pieces with gorgeous vintage furniture and rustic elements, we created the ultimate “Southern In-Law” style. Mixing old and new, traditional and unique.

DIY wedding venue decorations

We did almost everything ourselves - from redoing furniture pieces that would feature in our reception to designing the invitations, RSVP cards and “wedding logo”. This even appeared on our cake to providing our caterers with recipes to suit Kristy’s allergies and creating our own lolly buffet.

Fun Reception Ideas for DIY Wedding

You can find a full recap of the wedding here, and Kristy’s Blog.

DIY wedding ceremony

DIY Wedding preparations

Favourite detail or moment of the day (besides becoming husband and wife of course! or Wife and Wife, or Husband and Husband!) 

It would have to be the ceremony. Our wedding day was one we had dreamed of for five years. After spending five years, 10,000 miles apart, dreaming of the day we would finally be together, that day had finally come and it finally felt real. When you spend so many years dreaming about a day it feels incredibly surreal when it actually becomes a reality.

Outdoor DIY wedding

A traditional church wedding was incredibly important to us as Christians. We were married in the exact same church, standing on the exact same steps, that Kristy’s Mum and Dad were married in almost 30 years earlier. 

Perfect DIY Wedding

Did you undertake any DIY projects, if so what?

Just about every part of our wedding was a DIY project!

DIY Wedding Reception Decorations

Invitation - designed by Kristy and sent to Invitation Tea Towels for Printing

RSVP Cards and Wedding Mad-Libs - designed and printed by Kristy

We re-did vintage furniture pieces that we had found at Vinnies and on Gumtree which featured in our wedding.

Wedding Canvas - Kristy designed and created our wedding canvas which featured in our reception.

Bride And Groom Images DIY Wedding

Wedding “logo” - Kristy designed a wedding logo (a heart made up of dozens of smaller hearts) to represent all of our friends and family who came together to make our dream a reality. This logo appeared on our invitations, RSVP cards, printables and even our cake. (see the cake here).

DIY Wedding Decoration Ideas

Groomsmen Suit Ideas DIY Wedding

Gluten Free Candy Bar - we hired the majority of our candy buffet pieces and then sourced all of the lollies and pieced it all together ourselves

Candy Bar DIY Wedding

Wedding Menu - as Kristy is a coeliac with many allergies, it was incredibly important to Jesse that Kristy feel “normal” on their wedding day and be able to enjoy all of the food without worry. For this reason we created our entire wedding menu and ensured all food at the wedding was gluten free. Kristy developed all of the recipes for our wedding which were then handed over to our caterers who created our incredible buffet spread.

Delicious DIY Wedding Food

Healthy DIY Wedding Ideas

Any family or religious traditions incorporated into your day?

We were married in the church Kristy’s parents were married in - and in the same church Kristy and her sister Katrina were christened in. As Christians, it was incredibly important that we had a traditional church wedding with traditional vows.

DIY Wedding Bride and Groom Photos

Family DIY Wedding Photos

Talk to us about your dress, where is it from? How long did it take to find?

I had randomly stumbled upon my dress on Pinterest when we were “unofficially engaged” and fell in love. I was desperate to see it in real life, however, after spending many hours searching, I found that it was nowhere to be found in Australia. As Mum and I were planning on heading to Louisiana to see Jesse and his family, we contacted a dozen bridal boutiques in Louisiana. We stumbled across one three hours away that had my dream dress.

DIY Weddings and wedding cars

I booked an appointment for whilst we were in Louisiana, hoping Jesse wouldn’t mind driving us all the way to Lafayette because I needed to try on this dress.

Cute Couple Photos for DIY Weddings

Luckily, he agreed to drive the three hours to take me. We arrived at the store and I fell in love. It was the gorgeous mix of vintage, rustic, country, shabby chic that I love and there were hundreds of gorgeous dresses laid about.

DIY Wedding Guest Ideas

So my Mum, Jesse and I walked into A-Net’s Bridal where they quickly put Jesse out on the porch so I could try on my dress (which Jesse was seriously peeved about as he didn’t know the Groom wasn’t supposed to see the Bride’s dress before the big day!). We headed to the back dressing room which had a gorgeous old lounge, a hugeeeeeeeee ornate mirror and a gold Persian rug on the floor. The room itself made the process so much more special - it was grand and grown up and oh so exciting. I knew this was the same room that hundreds of other brides to be had found their dresses and the feeling was quite overwhelming.

forest fairytale DIY wedding

I held the dress in my hands and fell even more in love. The fabric was lush - it looked even better in person and had so much detail. As I stepped my feet into the dress, my heart started pounding.

I didn’t look until my mum had zipped me into the dress and when I looked up into that big ornate mirror, it felt like someone was pushing right against my chest. My chest was tight, I had a lump in my throat and I knew I was right.

Father and Bride at DIY Wedding

Wow Kristy… you were right,” my Mum said. But whilst I had somewhat of a moment, it wasn’t the moment. There was one thing that wasn’t right - just a simple addition that would make it perfect. I decided I needed a back on the dress and the team at A-Net’s Bridal Boutique assured me there was a modest version that would be absolutely perfect.

Classic DIY Wedding Dress

When the time came to order my dress, I took a huge risk and ordered the dress online. I ordered my dress from House of Brides and whilst it was quite a bit stressful waiting so long and not knowing if I’d made the right choice - my dress arrived on time, 6 months later. My dress took quite a bit longer than it usually takes as it had to be made in my size (they don’t stock the smaller sizes as standard stock so it had to be hand made) and it arrived in a teeny tiny little box.

Bride and Groom at DIY Wedding

I have to admit, I had a panic attack when it arrived. The box was shoe box sized and the outside of the package read Polyester Bridesmaid Dress. My dress certainly wasn’t polyester and I couldn’t imagine how it could fit such a tiny box so I thought there was a mistake. I opened the box with my heart racing and then I saw the lace. I pulled the dress out of the box and sure enough, it was my dress - and it was perfect.

forest DIY wedding

I can’t recommend House of Brides enough - I also bought the crystal sash on my dress from House of Brides and it arrived really quickly. I saved a fortune buying my dress online and if I had have gone with the store in Sydney who could have shipped it in for me I would have paid $2000 more. Even with shipping, I paid less than $1000 for my dress - and just slightly more than that once the sash was added.

Fun Bride and Groom Photos for dIY Wedding

More of the story can be found here and here.

DIY wedding decor

Any funny stories in the lead up to or on the day?

There were quite a few - from receiving my “Polyester Bridesmaid Dress” that was the size of a shoebox and freaking out thinking that I’d ordered the Barbie size to spending time getting to know the incredible (and hilarious!) Henry Roth himself as he personally altered my sister’s bridesmaid dress to ensure it was perfect.

Family at DIY Wedding

Advice for other couples planning a wedding?

People always say that your wedding day is “the best day of your life”, however, we truly believe it’s just a glimpse of what’s to come. Your wedding day is the start of your story together. Sure, there might be hiccups and mishaps on the big day, but just remember that you have the rest of your lives to spend together making memories!

Cute DIY Wedding Ideas

It’s an incredible day, full of joy, laughter, tears and plenty of planning - but it is just one day! Relax and enjoy every second because it goes by in an instant.

unique DIY wedding ideas

VENDOR CREDITS

Photos: Lucie Zeka Wedding Photography  (see full details - here)

Bridal gown:  Allure Modest Gown, House of Brides  (see full details here)

Shoes: Diana Ferrari

Flowers: Brides in Bloom

Bouquets: reception flowers purchased and arranged by bride from Sydney Flower Markets

Rings: Zales USA

Bridesmaids dresses: Henry Roth (Henry Roth 88888 Gown in Flamingo)

Grooms & Groomsmen suit: Spurling Formalwear (Beige Self Stripe Two Button Single Breasted Lounge Suit).

Ceremony - St Paul’s Anglican Church, Burwood

Reception  - Private Photo Studio in Sydney (we don’t want to share the details as we had a terrible experience with the owners)

Catering: Flavour’s Catering

Cake: Sweetcheeks Cookies and Cakes 

Reception stylist, any decorations or details: Nicolle at RaRa Kitty

Stationery designer - Kristy (who designs wedding stationery and accessories for clients at Kiss Freelance)

Hair and Make up: Nieves Calvo, Get Threaded Met Centre

Transport: Broadway Wedding Car Hire

Cinematographer: Adrian Tan and Amath Magnan

Photo Booth: PhotoSocial

Gluten Free Candy: Big Lolly

Candy Buffet Hire:  Unique Vintage Weddings

Vintage Fashion Inspired Weddings: Rockabilly Theme

This Rockabilly Themed wedding will take you back in time, and give you a glimpse of some vintage fashion ideas

Vintage fashion inspired wedding decorations

Melanie McNiven Portraits specialise in taking beautiful photos for special occasions. From newborn babies and children to weddings, these photos are unique and timeless. They recently received the opportunity to take photos for a vintage fashion inspired wedding. The theme behind the shoot was “Rockabilly”. We got to share some of the wonderful photos they took, as well as find out about all the different people involved in the shoot. From the makeup artist to the beautifully designed dresses, the detail and time taken made for a truly memorable shoot.

Vintage fashion inspired Bridesmaid ideas

Vintage fashion inspired bridal car

Vintage fashion inspired creative ideas

We got to chat to them about the different people involved in the shoot. The photos show the outcome of the fun and unique photos.

Vintage fashion inspired "I do!"

Rockabilly wedding Vintage fashion inspired

Parasols and design: Parasols with Love

Bride and groom shots Vintage fashion inspired

Vintage fashion inspired Bride and bridesmaids

Just marriedVintage fashion inspired

Flowers: Blooms of Noosa

Beautiful Bride Vintage fashion inspired

Black and white wedding ideas Vintage fashion inspired

bridal flowers Vintage fashion inspired

Makeup: Photo Finish Makeup

Vintage fashion inspired Bridal Party

Bridal Photos Vintage fashion inspired

Vintage fashion inspired Fun bridal party photos

Wedding Dress: Silver Sixpence

Vintage fashion inspired Bride and Groom

Bridesmaids dresses: That Shop

Beautiful wedding Vintage fashion inspired

Models:
Miss Frankie Mae Felon

Colourful Bridesmaids Vintage fashion inspired
Scarlet Tinkerbelle

Flower girl and Page Boy Vintage fashion inspired

Kiki Vanity

Groom Photo Vintage fashion inspired

Jordan Copper - Male Model

Bridesmaids Vintage fashion inspired

Head pieces: Marla Carmeta Designs

Vintage fashion inspired black and white wedding

The stationery used on the day was intricate and unique, adding another element to the shoot.

Vintage fashion inspired Detailed Envelopes
Vintage fashion inspired wedding invite

Vintage fashion inspired Invitation Ideas

Vintage fashion inspired Laser Cut Wedding Invites
They also prepared a beautiful, bright red setting which contrasted beautifully with the dresses and suits.

Vintage fashion inspired reception ideas

Vintage fashion inspired Creative Wedding Invites

Vintage fashion inspired Cute Wedding Name Tags

If you’re interested in having photos taken you can check out the Melanie McNiven Portraits website, or email them here.

Vintage fashion and Fun wedding ideas

 

Bollywood Weddings: Ideas for your big day

Bollywood Weddings by Sugar & Spice Events.

Sugar & Spice are an events planning company, based in Queensland. While they plan many different types of events, they specialise in stylish and unique weddings. With the beautiful work that they do, Sugar & Spice have been named one of the top 25 Wedding Stylists in the country by Modern Wedding Magazine, two years running.

Bollywood Weddings

Bollywood weddings are beautifully vibrant and fun. These photos are just a sample of the amazing wedding that Sugar & Spice styled. These wonderful photos gives you an idea of how Bollywood weddings can inspire a colourful and entertaining day for you and your guests.

Reception Ideas for Bollywood Weddings

Sugar & Spice recently styled a Bollywood inspired wedding. Incorporating bright colours and stunning textures they created a reception that was truly unique.

Henna for Bollywood Weddings

Creative Director of Sugar & Spice, Decinda MacDonald, described the wedding as “spectacular”, and we couldn’t agree more. These beautiful florals are shown throughout the reception and add even more to the colour and intricacy of the styling.

Setting for Bollywood Weddings

If you’re interested in having an event styled and organised by Sugar & Spice you can visit their website here. 

Beach idea for Bollywood Weddings.

Versatile, Sustainable & Beautiful: Silk Flower Wedding Bouquets

Interview with Anika from Prestige Flowers & Co.- Wedding Bouquets

We had the pleasure of chatting to Anika, owner of Prestige Flowers and Co. Have you ever considered a more environmental option for you wedding bouquet flowers? Read on for more information about these beautiful silk flowers, tips on choosing your flowers and how Anika got started.

wedding bouquets

  1. What are silk flowers, please tell me a bit more about this and the process involved in making them..

Silk flowers are the most realistic alternative to fresh flowers, and are available in every season. Hard-to-get favourites such as peony flowers come in a stunning variety of buds, flowers and colours and thus can even feature at Winter weddings. Many now are scanned from fresh flower specimens and recreated so that they’re botanically correct - with pollen and everything! We purchase our flowers from incredible Australian suppliers, and we only deal in exceptionally high end botanicals. Many of our silk florals are from the same supplier who provided the many florals in The Great Gatsby. It’s quite an amazing process, we receive them just like fresh flowers, and must remove leaves and stems and then arrange them according to the designs required.

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  1. When did you start the business and when did your love affair for flowers begin? And please tell me a bit about your journey in starting the business. 

My love affair with flowers began at a young age, growing up learning floristry from my Mother who was a master florist in the city, and has done arrangements for many politicians and celebrities such as Mariah Carey. I’ve learned the art of fresh floristry for over fifteen years now, and moved to silk flowers to provide my clients with something more reliable, and without seasonal limitations.

Silk Flower Bouquets 5

Silk Flower Bouquets 6

  1. What made you want to go down the path of environmental and economical weddings? What are the advantages of silk flowers when compared to real flowers?

Living in the beautiful Dandenong Ranges has always installed a love for nature, and the amount of wastage that is created by offcuts of both fresh and silk flowers can make a huge impact long term. Being that wedding bouquets are typically a single-use item, I’ve always been concerned about the collective environmental impact when making a new set for each client. Along with floral offcuts required with both fresh and silk flowers, there are also many delivery boxes and packing materials that must be taken care of. All of our promotional materials are printed on 100% recycled paper and Brides being able to hire their bouquets, means they are recycling items which would otherwise be made for single-use. We finely check all of our silk floral items between bookings, to ensure that every Bride enjoys bouquets just as they would look, if purchased brand-new.

Silk Flower Bouquets 9

Silk Flower Bouquets 2

  1. How do you recommend brides choose the right flowers for them?

Our hire ranges feature simple and classic designs that don’t stick to a theme, so they compliment almost any gown and Bridesmaids. We wanted something pretty universal that makes it easy for Brides to select their favourite package. I’m often consulting with Brides over the phone to ensure they are happy with their decision prior to booking. A great rule of thumb in choosing any wedding flowers is: if your gown has lots of detail, compliment with a simple, neutral coloured bouquet. If your gown is sleek and simple in design, you can afford to have a larger mix of florals and colours to balance the look.
Silk Flower Bouquets 3

wedding bouquets
Silk flowers are the preferred choice for many Brides who want to know exactly how their bouquets will look, prior to the day. It’s also an advantage for Brides who want a mixture of their favourite blossoms if they’re not all usually in season at the same time. For more information you can email Anika at - orders@tokeepyounear.com

wedding bouquets

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