Nashville Wedding Story: An “Anthropologie-inspired” DIY Wedding!
Monday, April 26, 2010
Boy do I have a fun wedding for you today! Golriz (bride) reached out to me last week and said...
"Your site was a wonderful resource for me as I was preparing for our wedding. We only had a couple of months and a very tight budget but I really feel like my fiance-now-husband, devon, and I pulled off a gorgeous, creative, and very unique wedding."
After seeing the wedding video and wedding photos from this Anthropologie-inspired wedding, I couldn't wait to share the incredible details with you. Disclaimer - the photography was not included in Golriz's budget but was a gift from the photographer friend:).
Here are just a few things that I love about her wedding - 1) it's the first Ive seen at Marathon Village (a new, edgy venue that Ive wanted to check out) 2) the couple added so many unique touches that I feel I know them 3) I love their wedding video trailer and their wedding photography, which capture all of the not-to-miss details.
This couple has a very whimiscal style and they expressed it in every aspect of their day. You should do the same! Make your wedding a day that represents you as a couple - as zany, traditional or funky as you are!
Bride & Groom: Golriz & Devon
Wedding Date & Time: April 3, 2010, 7pm
Ceremony & Reception Location: Marathon Village, Nashville, TN
Guest Count: 150
What were your top 3 priorities when planning your wedding?
1. Aesthetic - we wanted the wedding to feel intimate, creative and cozy.
2. Budget - we had a very limited budget ($5000) and we were very careful to not go over this figure.
3. Uniqueness - we really wanted to infuse as much of ourselves and our personalities into our wedding.
What was your wedding style? Whimsical and romantic
What were your colors? Why did you chose them?
White, bright yellow and turquoise blue. We felt the colors suited a spring wedding and brought in our favorite elements into our venue (sunshine and blue skies!)
Did you have a theme? What was it?
We didn't have a formal theme, but from the outset both of us said we wanted the wedding to have the vibe of 'Anthropologie'
What made your wedding creative?
We wanted every ounce of our wedding to burst with creativity, but my fiance and I were on a very tight budget. This was actually a blessing as it forced us to be really creative and think out of the box. Let's just say we became regulars at the local Goodwill store! A friend recently described our wedding as looking like a Wes Anderson movie, so I think we achieved what we were aiming for!
What did you use for inspiration?
Devon's brain! He came up with the paper chandelier idea and even created a little model out of a box so that I could understand what his vision was!
What was your budget? $5000
What was your wedding WOW factor?
The installation with the vintage TVs, 18 hanging umbrellas and lightbulbs. We had a slideshow on the TVs set to music showing pictures of ourselves as kids, and throughout our relationship. Our guests also went crazy for our homemade photo-booth.
What did you give as favors to your guests?
CD's that we had custom printed with 3 songs that Devon and I had co-wrote and recorded. We placed each of the CD's into a fabric hand-sewn case and hung them with mini clothes pegs to ribbon outside the door to the venue so guests could pick one up as they left.
How did you personalize your wedding?
Devon surprised me during the ceremony by performing a song he had written for me. The song reduced all of our guests and me to tears! It was so sweet.
What was your most special moment of the day?
Exchanging gifts with each other on the staircase. Devon got me a ukelele - an instrument I've wanted for ages but have no idea how to play (!), and I got us matching Vespa helmets.
Did you have kids at your wedding? What did you do for them?
Yes, several of our friends and family have young ones and we wanted them to enjoy the occasion. The kids loved the photobooth, the cupcakes and the easel we had where we asked each guest to paint us a heart. They also loved dancing!
What did you DIY/Do It Yourself?
We did it all ourselves with the help of our amazing friends and family!
What was your favorite DIY wedding project?
My favorite project was creating the TV/light/umbrella installation. Even going around to local thrift stores with Devon for weeks beforehand to find the perfect array of TVs was so much fun!
What were some (of the many!) other projects that you DIY’ed?
~A massive paper and twinkly light 'chandelier' above our heads, with handmade strands of fabric flower garlands hanging behind us.
~An art installation with 18 hanging umbrellas, bare lightbulbs and 9 vintage TVs. The TVs streamed a slide show of pictures of the two of us set to music.
~Our wedding favors - we printed CDs with songs that we had written & recorded and put them in hand sewn fabric sleeves.
~Our centerpieces - willow lights with hanging strips of ribbon and bright yellow button mums.
~Cake toppers - little fabric birds.
~Cake stand - instead of purchasing/renting a stand for our 150 cupcakes we built one (using Cetaphil containers and cake boards!)
What are some of the obstacles that you faced in planning a DIY wedding?
Time! Hand crafting all the decorations took up a lot of time. Thankfully a few close friends flew in early for the wedding and we put them to work creating fabric flowers, centerpieces, and the large art installations.
Wedding Resources:
~ Cupcakes: Effie Sahihi
~ Photographer: Ryan Lash Photography (gift)
~ Videographer: FullFrame Digital Cinema
~ Rings: Village Jewelers, Hillsboro Village, Nashville
~ Music: Joel Price, Professional DJ
~ Hair: Genevieve's Salon, East Nashville
~ Makeup: Neda Ferdowsi
What would you do differently if you could re-plan your wedding?
Delegate more! Devon and I both like being involved in all the little details but we could have probably delegated more of the tasks to our willing friends and family.
What was the biggest waste of time and/or money?
Spending a lot of money on a dress. My dress was from BCBG (the bottom half) and my talented mother created the top part/neckline of my dress. I was thrilled with it and I didn't spend a fortune.
What was the best value for the service and product?
Our photographer - Ryan Lash. He has a background as a professional documentary style photographer so he knows how to seem 'invisible' and capture the most intimate moments.
What was the neatest thing you found for your wedding?
I adore the fabric flower garlands that we hung in our backdrop and behind the dessert table. They added such a splash of color and brought springtime inside!
What was your biggest {and best} splurge?
Hiring videographers. We LOVE the trailer and can't wait to see the full video!
Was there one thing you wouldn’t change about your wedding?
I wouldn't change any of it! We had so much fun and our guests are still raving about the experience. It suited us perfectly and was the most amazing way to usher in this new chapter of our lives!
UPDATE:
Just when we thought we couldn't get enough of this wedding, we got the full-length video from the beautiful bride. We hope you enjoy watching it as much as we have!
Golriz + Devon :: Wedding Short Film from Jeffrey Holland :: FFDC on Vimeo.
