A wedding may be about making memories, but couples often arrive at their big days with plenty of memories in hand. For Adrienne and Dan, the home and backyard of Adrienne's parents is not only where the bride grew up and experienced her childhood but also the very place that she and Dan fell in love. It was this memory, and many others from their experiences together and with each other's family that the couple wanted to celebrate and highlight at their special event. Mandie Lousier of KHB Photography wonderfully captures the vintage and handmade touches that dot Adrienne and Day's day, but the stories of how those elements came to be (as told by the bride following the images) perfectly demonstrate the importance of love and family to this newlywed couple.
Sweet details from the bride:
The venue: We knew right away that we wanted a venue that was important to both Dan and me. After we realized that we wanted to have an outdoor wedding, my parents house was a natural choice. My family moved into that house when I was in 5th grade. I have memories of building forts in the backyard, getting ready for high school dances, celebrating high school and college graduations, and dates with Dan. When we first met, I was still living at home. We had many special moments there when we first began dating. I would say that this is where we fell in love. The pond where we went to take wedding pictures was the place that we would walk and spend time talking and getting to know each other. Family is a large part of both of our lives and being able to be married in a place that holds so much significance was so special. I also loved that Dan and the boys got ready in our basement. Dan and I spent time playing games there and watching movies together. The memories of our relationship are forever imbedded in my parents home.
The plates: Dan's mother, grandmother, and I were able to find all of the plates at estate sales, thrift stores, and auctions. We collected them over a period of eight months. This was something that we were able to do together. When we would go to Dan's parents house, we always went home with another box full of dishes. It was a bonding experience to collect them together.
The Arbor: Both my dad and Dan enjoy woodworking. When I showed Dan a picture of the arbor that I found on Pinterest, Dan and my dad set to work making it become a reality. The wood came from a barn that had fallen down. They stopped and asked the owner if he would be willing to sell them the wood. He said that they were more than welcome to take whatever they wanted free of charge. They came home that day with a trailer full of barn wood. Dan went out to my parent's house after church one Sunday, and they spent the entire day building it together.
The mason jars, crates, and pie safe: These all came out of an old apple orchard. Dan's mother helps to clean out houses for estate sales. The estate sale had taken place and there were lots of things left over that were going to be thrown away. We took all of the jars out of the barn. The crates were under the barn and we had to pick through them to find the good ones. The pie safe was in pieces when we brought it out of the barn. Dan was able to bring it back to life with a good sanding and some repair work. The buckets that we used for drinks were all from estate sales.
The centerpieces of the white birch logs were significant because they came off a tree in my sister's yard. Last summer my sister bought a house, and Dan and my dad renovated it. The logs came from one of the limbs that needed to be removed. Dan and my dad drilled the holes for the candles. The lace table runners also came from estate sales. Dan and I enjoy going to them, and they were collected over the course of our engagement. My dad made the card box from the barn wood that he and Dan got.
The seating chart was made from windows that I found on the side of the road. Dan and I weren't engaged yet, but I just had a feeling that I would want them for my wedding. They sat in my garage for about two years before I got to use them!
The last and probably my most favorite part of the wedding decor was the family picture table. I got wedding pictures from parents, grandparents, and great grandparents. It was important for Dan and I to recognize all of the strong marriages that went before us. I scanned all of the pictures in and made them black and white. We want to stand on their shoulders in our marriage and not stand alone.
