Darling and DIY: A Rustic Wedding in the Woods

Planning

DIY Wedding in the Woods

To DIY, or to not DIY… that is the question! For Karissa + Justin, the answer was simple- DIY it all and do it up big!! K + J weren’t afraid to tackle a lot of pre-wedding projects. In fact, they soaked up the time they got to spend with family and friends, making and collecting treasures they showcased around the venue on the big day! Handmade seating, family heirlooms, antiques, houseplants, baked goods and more! They turned their rustic wedding day at The Barn at Lone Eagle Landing into some serious inspiration for those DIY Darlings out there!

K shares:

Our wedding stands out from the crowd because it was so personally hand-crafted by myself and now husband. What started as budget constraints turned into a challenge to “do more with less” and that is totally my style. I love DIY projects and using items in unexpected ways. We wouldn’t have been able to pull it off it wasn’t for the help of many many friends and family. You know what they say – it takes a village!

Ready to look through the lens of Andrew Edwards and soak up every detail? Let’s get inspired!

Woodland Setting

DIY Wedding in the Woods

DIY wedding benches

Talk about the ultimate wedding favor! Aren’t these benches beautiful?!

We made all of our bench seating out of scrap cedar from a backyard family saw mill. This was so special because Justin’s dad came up with the design and we had so many days working together with Justin’s family. We were also able to give the benches to our family and friends in the wedding.

DIY Wedding in the Woods

K + J set the mood with The Robert Made Band. They played live bluegrass music for the ceremony!

Our Musical Choices

Processional:

Recessional:

First Dance:

DIY Wedding in the Woods

In perhaps the biggest DIY project for their rustic wedding day, K + J and their friends and family cleared out their own ceremony space at the venue! K shares:

We cleared brush and small trees, planted grass and added a mulch pathway. Originally, we had picked out a really large tree to get married under but by the time we came back to work in the spring – that tree had been struck by lightning and fell over! We told ourselves it *wasn’t* a bad omen and started on another spot.  Also, the big rug that we stood on for our vows was Justin’s mom’s hand-me-down. We gave it new life in our wedding!

DIY Wedding in the Woods

DIY Wedding in the Woods

Totally in love with K’s flowing wedding dress from Wear Your Love! With a deep V in the back and a long, romantic train, it’s the stuff dreams are made of!

Our Favorite Memory From The Wedding

My overall favorite moment from our wedding was the walk from the barn venue through the field, through the woods, and down the aisle. I actually made it halfway when I realized I had forgotten my bouquet so I had to run back to get it! I don’t think any one could see otherwise that might have looked bad. After I ran back – the rest of the walk was the slowest part of the day – like time was standing still as I walked down and took everything in. I remember getting to the woods and it being one of the most serene moments you can imagine. When I saw Justin – I was happy and excited to be walking towards him and our future together. It’s one of those moments that is exciting and nervous but comforting all at once.

DIY Wedding in the Woods

The Wedding Party

DIY Wedding in the Woods

Loving the warm tones everyone rocked on wedding day!

DIY Wedding in the Woods

Check out that gorgeous rustic ring box that shows off K’s Shane Co. engagement ring!

The Newlyweds

DIY Wedding in the Woods

Blossom Basket designed all of the bouquets and filled them with lush greenery, roses, berries and mums!

DIY Wedding in the Woods

DIY Wedding in the Woods

DIY Wedding in the Woods

We love a good mismatched bridesmaids lineup! Are you digging this color palette as much as we are?!

flower crown bride

K had the most beautiful hair and makeup look by Lalo Salon! Total boho beauty!!

DIY Wedding in the Woods

DIY Wedding in the Woods

Mismatched groomsmen? Yes please!!

DIY Wedding in the Woods

Our Advice To Those Planning Now

If I had to give advice to a bride planning now, I would say THROW OUT the rule book. Seriously, it’s so much easier when you start planning for what makes the two of you happy and not what you’re “supposed” to do. Also – “If it won’t matter in 5 years, don’t spend more than 5 minutes on it.” For instance, cupcake wrappers – I spent WAY too much time deliberating cupcake wrappers. We ended up making our own from paper I liked at Hobby Lobby.

DIY Wedding in the Woods

fringe jacket bride

K’s fringe bridal jacket is EVERYTHING! Thinking of stealing her style on wedding day? Complete your look with these rad bridal jackets!

Rustic Wedding Reception

DIY Wedding in the Woods

DIY Wedding in the Woods

If you’re wondering how K was able to DIY all of her wedding decor, we got the scoop from the bride herself!

I did my flower arrangements and it was one of my proudest moments. The flowers were where I doubted myself the most so I definitely had a florist do our bouquets but I really wanted to try the rest of the arrangements. I ordered flowers and greenery from Sam’s Club and definitely would recommend doing that. Vases I collected from resale shops and flea markets.

Our table number holders are mattress springs and the seating chart is made from old door screens. I also collected random wooden chairs that I came across over the year for the wedding party table. They had to be $10 or less!

I had to beg, borrow and steal (just kidding) to get enough oil lamps for our centerpieces. We borrowed from every side of the family and luckily my mom’s friend is an antique dealer and let us borrow the rest! Oil lamps were a part of my child hood and it’s something I’ve never seen done before and I liked that.

DIY Wedding in the Woods

Marriage is Sweet

DIY Wedding in the Woods

My mom made our cake and all of the cupcakes. Since my Grandma was a cake maker/decorator, she taught my mom all of her secrets. My special request was red velvet. She also made homemade snacks for the cocktail hour.

DIY Wedding in the Woods

Karissa + Justin, we are in awe of your DIY skills! Your warm and rustic wedding is sure to inspire others to get creative and crafty!! Congratulations from the GWS team!

Want to see this DIY day in action? Check out the sweetest film from Andrew Edwards!

photography: Andrew Edwards // venue name: The Barn at Lone Eagle Landing, Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, USA // florals: Blossom Basket // wedding dress: Wear Your Love // bride’s ring: Shane Co // hair stylist: Lalo Salon // makeup artist: Lalo Salon // videography: Andrew Edwards // catering: Uncle Linny’s // music: The Robert Mabe Band

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