Dreamy Wedding: Heather + Dana!

We recently came across our friend's Heather + Dana's wedding photos and they were so beautiful, we had to share. I talked to Heather a bit about planning her DIY wedding and she provided the following insights.

If you plan on doing a DIY wedding, start early! We got engaged in December 2009, and as soon as we decided to get married at my fiancée's parents house (February), and planned for a wedding in September, I got straight to work on my DIY projects. It gave me enough time to get everything I knew I wanted done, done; and also gave me time to think of last minute touches without feeling stressed or overwhelmed. The day of the wedding was so easy because I just handed everything over to my coordinator and let her take it from there.

We knew that we wanted an intimate, low-key wedding, and really, wanted it to be more like a party. We were kinda over the run-of-the-mill weddings and the formality of it all, so we made it a bit more carefree with high top tables and stools where it would allow guests to interact with each other like a party.

We were a bit worried at first that it was so different from what people are used to, and that our guests wouldn't like the lay out, but actually, the guests preferred not to be stuck at a table talking to people they didn't know. The In-n-Out was actually an idea we got from a previous wedding we went to. Instead of steak, fish, or veggie options at other weddings, we loved the idea of having the In-n-Out truck come and serve everyone dinner. It was filling and fun, and made for some amazing pictures.

A lot of my decor inspiration came from magazines and websites. I would rip out pages and pick out things that I liked from different weddings I'd see and gave it my own personal twist. You'd be amazed at how easy a lot of these wedding decor things are. It just takes time and patience.

I started my mason jar lanterns super early because I knew that I would need a lot of them. I bought cases of mason jars in different sizes from ACE hardware and bought the wire from Home Depot and downloaded a template on how to make your own. Very time consuming but totally made the ambiance.

I borrowed a ton of my parents knick-nacks around the house for decor which cut down on costs and the signs were super easy. I bought a roll of burlap from Home Depot and some twine, cut out little triangles, bought a stencil from Michael's, and painted away. I used leftover slate from a project we did around our house as chalkboards, which was easier than actually buying a chalkboard.

All in all, our wedding day was hands down, the most fun wedding my husband and I had been to ( I guess every bride and groom should feel that way) because we were both so stress free and we planned far enough in advance to get the look and feel that we had hoped for on our special day.

Heather + Dana used the following vendors:

Photography: Jill Thomas
Videographer: Crafthouse Productions
Florist: Erin Nichols from Elm Design
Day of Coordinator - Once Upon A Time Weddings and Events
Food: In-n-Out, 24 Carrots Catering
Cake: Simply Sweet Cakery
Make up: Hair Comes The Bride
Dress: Enzoani
Shoes: Giuseppe Zanotti
Belt: Feathers & Frills on Etsy
Veil: borrowed
Bridesmaid Dresses: Dessy
Grooms/Groomsmen Ties: Baby by Stevie on Etsy (note: the ties were custom ordered for adult sizes)
Locations: the ceremony was held at a local park and the reception at the groom's parents' house in Newport Beach, CA
Rentals: Signature Party Rentals
Decor: the bride herself, Heather Winters, with a little help from her florist, Erin Nichols

You can see more photos from the lovely couple's wedding here. Congrats Heather + Dana! ♥