A couple months ago I received an inquiry for day-of coordination from a friend of a friend. The bride to be outlined her “rustic, casual, heavy-DIY” farm wedding in Virginia and I nearly cried as I read the date – a date I was already attending a friend’s wedding on.
Fortunately Allie remained a fan of our blog and the minute she had her wedding pictures (and all the DIY details) in hand, she rushed to submit it to us! I cannot WAIT to share this one with you guys, between the super rad farm venue and the bright & colorful details, this wedding was a TRUE DIY wedding – and Allie & Marko have a TON of details (and tips!) to share on how our readers can do this for their own wedding!
A special thanks to Bryan Johns Photography for sharing his images!
Allie & Marko’s Colorful, DIY Farm Wedding in Charlottesville Virginia
Vendors:
Photographer: Bryan Johns Photography | Venue: Montfair Resort Farm| Bridesmaids Dresses: Modcloth | Cake: Albemarle Baking Company | Catering: BBQ Connection LLC
About the couple:
We met through mutual friends, moved in together 10 months later, and adopted our dog (our love and light!) shortly after that. We were comfortable with our relationship as it was, but it wasn’t until a little after the 4-year mark that we began to openly discuss where we were going as a couple.
We’ve nurtured our communication to become really strong in the sense that we understand how important it is for us to always feel we can communicate to one another freely and openly in order to understand, grow, and love fully.
Why & how they decided to get married (I really love this story!!):
We talked hypothetically about alternatives to our relationship, one of which was breaking up. For some people, it may be unromantic or insensitive, but for us, its really helpful to understand each other deeply and respectfully by communicating this way. The mere conversation of us talking about a hypothetical break up mutually freaked us both out, something we quickly realized after the idea really sunk in and we couldn’t help but tearfully laugh at our agreeing responses.
It was then that we understood in ourselves and each other that we not only had no desire to be apart, but that we had this new-found appreciation for our union . We then wanted to cement this awesome love and friendship in an even deeper and more meaningful way than before.
^ WHAT?! I am in LOVE with Allie’s casual, short wedding dress – it was actually re-designed from her mom’s wedding dress…LOVE LOVE LOVE!
On their wedding theme, details & plans:
When we started wedding planning, we immediately knew we wanted to do things differently. This wasn’t just for the sake of being different, but for the sake of highlighting the true purpose and meaning of a wedding, something we find becomes overshadowed by the glitz, glamor, and “necessities” couples think they need in order to have a successful wedding. As the bride, I was really excited to create a lot of the decorations myself to make them more sentimental (and more budget friendly).
THIS:
There were many times when making decisions throughout the wedding planning process that we reflected on our values and compared them to our gut feeling, and a lot of the time, venues/officiants/caterers/ideas just simply didn’t feel right… so we didn’t go with them.
It’s so important to understand what you two want, and not necessarily what others think you should have or do.
The best thing we did through out our whole wedding planning process was sticking to our true selves and always remembering why we were doing this is in the first place.
What’s not to love about a groom in khakis, suspenders, and a billyball boutonniere?
On their wedding venue selection:
Marko and I are both from DC but we chose the venue because it’s a rustic, casual, and appropriately priced location for the kind of wedding we’ve always envisioned having. It’s called Montfair Resort Farm and is nothing short of a DIY/Rustic/Vintage Bride’s dream location!
Its a family owned campground and was the only venue we found that allowed the flexibility a true DIY bride really needs, making the (quite scenic) drive completely worth it.
Click inside for SO MUCH MORE from this awesome, DIY Virginia farm wedding ~ including some gorgeous DIY centerpieces & decorations!
Read the rest of this entry »
Pin It
