Mom Brings Pinterest Ideas to Life at Logan + Bryan’s Personality-Filled, DIY Wedding
Friday, August 21, 2015
Many brides find their wedding inspiration from Pinterest. Few, however, are able to take those ideas and make them uniquely their own. With the help of her mom, friends, and family, Logan was able to DIY many aspects of her wedding. From the bridesmaids making their own bouquets, to hand-painted Kerr mason jars, this wedding was truly a do-it-yourself day.
This fun-loving couple was able to plan a wedding that reflected their personalities perfectly. The wedding was characteristic of Logan and Bryan from the beginning of the day all the way to the end. Take a look for yourself!
Logan + Bryan
Wedding Date: April 25, 2015
Ceremony Venue: Baskin Chapel at Brentwood Baptist
Reception Venue: Brentwood Country Club
Guests: 225
Budget: $20,000 – 30,000
Wedding Team
Photographer | Wild Cotton Photography
Videographer | Fox Run Films
Gown | Allure Bridals from The White Room
Bride’s Accessories | Pearls from Dad; Aquamarine pendant from Aunt; Veil; Garter made from Mother’s wedding gown
Men’s Attire | Street Tuxedo
Bridesmaids’ Attire | Bari Jay
Hair | Megan Jarobe
Makeup | Beth McCord
Stationery | Costco
Caterer | Brentwood Country Club
Cake Artist | Publix Bakery
Floral Designer | Knestrick by Design, Terry & Kathy Bates
Ceremony Musicians | College Grove Strings
Reception Musicians | Top Tier Band
Rehearsal Dinner Location | Vanderbilt Legends Club
How would you describe your style as a couple?
We are a very laid-back couple in regards to style, but I would say we leaned more towards a traditional style in regards to the wedding. We knew we wanted to keep things simple and elegant – using natural lighting, candles, greenery, and a small amount of flowers. In regards to our personal styles: We both enjoy being outdoors in workout clothes or shorts and T-shirts, but also love when we have the opportunity to get dressed up for a night out. We wanted to bring that style into our wedding with a relaxed and fun atmosphere, but with a classy elegance.
Where did you get your inspiration?
Like most brides, my inspiration began through Pinterest over the last five years. I began gradually “pinning” random things and once the planning began, Pinterest was a huge help. I want to add that as helpful as Pinterest was for colors, flowers, and bridesmaid dress options, my mom was the brains behind the actual planning. She took my impossible Pinterest ideas and made something reasonable out of them. She took my wedding colors and made incredible centerpieces, and she made my idea for using “Kerr” jars a reality and helped center my scattered décor thoughts into the perfect wedding and reception. All in all, my inspiration was 20% Pinterest and 80% my mom.
How did you incorporate that style into your wedding?
We knew straight away that we wanted a traditional church wedding ceremony with a more laid-back and fun reception. My favorite colors in the world are mint, blush, and champagne – which, without any clue how they would look together, I chose. My bridesmaids and friends definitely had their questions about how well the three colors would blend, but I had a picture from Pinterest that completely eased my mind. Bryan and I knew that we wanted our ceremony to be a worship service to our Lord and creator of marriage – so Baskin Chapel was perfect for that. It didn’t need any decorations and was small enough to feel extremely intimate. Brentwood Country Club was an easy choice for us; it was two miles from the church, and had incredible food and a timeless, beautiful Southern mansion feel. Décor was the least of our concern, as we mainly focused on food, drinks, and dancing. We wanted our guests to feel at home at our wedding.
What was your (or your guests’) favorite aspect of your wedding?
My favorite aspect of the wedding was not one particular moment, but instead that Bryan and I stayed very true to who we are throughout the entire wedding day. Our personalities dripped from every moment of the day -- from the guys getting ready at my Dad’s house playing Wii and throwing Frisbee, the girls and myself getting dressed at my mom’s friends’ cabin with mimosas and a whole lot of giggling, to the first look with all our bridesmaids and groomsmen watching on in windows behind us, my dad walking me down the aisle, Bryan and I sharing our first communion as husband and wife or walking back down the aisle to “Rocky Top.” Every part of the day screamed “this is definitely Bryan and Logan’s wedding.” There is nothing wrong with wanting elaborate centerpieces, incredibly decorated churches, or fireworks to end the night, but, in reality, that was not us. We wanted the wedding day to feel like our relationship, and, personally, I think every second of it did.
Bryan’s favorite aspect of the wedding was saying the vows. He loved that we were able to say our vows surrounded by the people who have loved and supported us the most throughout our lives. Our ceremony was led by a very close family friend, mentor, and discipleship leader, David Freels, which only added to the joy of the ceremony. Bryan loved most that the ceremony was very intimate.
Where did you splurge? Where did you save/DIY?
We knew we wanted both a photographer and videographer. We had been told by many other people who had purchased just photography that they regretted not purchasing both. We also splurged on the band. A lot of people have awesome experiences with DJs, but we knew we wanted a big band feel that would bring a lot of excitement and fun to the reception. We absolutely loved having the band and paying the extra amount for the saxophone.
We saved/DIY'd a lot! My bridesmaids and myself made our own bouquets the day of the wedding (my oh-so-creative mother’s idea) while we were getting our hair and makeup done. I absolutely LOVED doing that with them and that each bouquet was different. My mom and her friends all got together the week of the wedding to pick out flowers and make the Kerr jar centerpieces. They painted the jars, arranged the flowers, and decorated the reception venue for us, which saved us an incredible amount of money. My mom’s friends, Terry and Kathy Bates, helped organize, design, arrange, and decorate the Kerr jars as well as providing discounted flower options to save. I knew I wanted flowers at the wedding and reception, but did not want to spend an arm and a leg on them. We also used Costco for our save the dates and invitations, which was incredibly beneficial. I cared the least about invitations and save the dates (because they are usually lost or thrown away) and did not want to spend anything on them. So Costco was the easy choice since their products are all $0.69 each and beautiful. I also opted for an RSVP via email to eliminate the RSVP card and postage. In addition, I chose not to have a ceremony program; they seem to be distracting and are invariably left behind in the church or thrown away. My mom and I pride ourselves on finding good deals, and planning this wedding was no different. Everywhere we could find a deal or discount, we did!
Who were your favorite vendors and what made them exceptional?
All my vendors were exceptional. Truly, we didn’t have a bad experience with anyone. The vendors who stand out the most are Top Tier Band, Wild Cotton Photography, and Fox Run Films. All three were incredibly professional, helpful, and experienced. I had at least 100 questions for each of them and they all three answered emails or texts almost immediately. They asked questions I wouldn’t have thought to ask and had answers for everything! Even on the day of the wedding, each of them saved the day at least once. Aly made sure that I sat down throughout the day to soak up the moments. She also made sure I was hydrated and fed, which can seem to slip any bride’s mind. She kept people from asking me questions and kept me HAPPY the entire day.
Dan and Alli with Fox Run Films acted as our day of wedding planners. They were incredible! When we forgot tiny details, they were there; when we were unsure of the timeline, they had it down pat; when we forgot bouquets or music, they were already on top of it. Having a photographer and videographer follow you around all day can be very intimidating (I loved it, but my fiancé hated the idea of it), but both Wild Cotton and Fox Run Films made us feel so comfortable. They were NEVER invasive or in the way, and the majority of the time we didn’t know they were there. At the end of the day, we were all friends. They all had made connections with our bridal party, and we are still getting compliments on not only their work, but their loving and engaging personalities.
Top Tier Band was the same way. We had forgotten to download our first dance music for them and when Dan and Alli frantically told them that, JD with the band said they had already downloaded the songs just in case that happened. They were on top of everything and were so awesome. Not only were all three of these vendors awesome and so easy to work with, but most importantly, they were ALL-STARS at their individual works. I couldn’t imagine more beautiful pictures, or loving our wedding videos more than we do, or a better sounding and more fun band! We cannot thank these three companies enough for the amazing work they did to make our day perfect.
Now that the wedding day is over, is there anything about your planning process you feel you could have done differently?
Truthfully, no. Planning was definitely hard and a borderline full-time job, but so worth it. We had a blast planning it, and it all came together perfectly. The ONLY thing I might have done differently is having a DAY-OF planner to make sure we were staying on schedule. It shouldn’t be my vendor’s jobs to keep that together, but instead it would have been nice to have someone watching the clock for us before the ceremony, during the ceremony, and during the reception. It would have made things go smoother. Other than that, everything was a planning dream.
In one sentence, what words of advice do you have for couples in the midst of their planning?
Stay true to YOUR vision - Don’t let Pinterest, parents, bridal party, or wedding planners morph your ideas into something that inevitably doesn’t look or feel like you. It’s you and your groom’s wedding day and it should FEEL like it ☺
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Posted on August 21, 2015 |
Filed under: DIY & Budget Wed Finds, Real Nashville Weddings,
