We can’t resist sharing a wedding with a shebang of DIY goodies. What Mrs. Abby, our bride of the day, and friends created for this wedding, is eye candy in the sweetest form. Painting, sewing, printing, gluing – it’s all here! But, aside from the eye candy, Abby + Julian’s wedding was straight up, fun! And, their venue, the Beech Alpen Inn? Geez, we wish we could spend every weekend frolicking around with a drink in our hand and a game of cornhole amidst such pretty scenery. It’s no wonder they rented out the entire space (20 rooms included), and decided to turn their celebration into a weekend long hangout sesh. We would have too! So happy Heidi from Our Labor of Love was there to capture it all.
Abby designed & printed the entire invitation suite herself and admits it was actually pretty easy. Great tip from Abby, in case you’re considering taking on this project yourself: Hand paint one invitation suite, then just scan it into your computer at a super high resolution and continue to print the rest from there. (Hello, genius!). The grand total for invitations, details card, rsvp card, sunday brunch invitation + envelopes, stamps and ink to print? About $400 for 180 suites!
Try not to get too teary-eyed when you read what Abby did for her bridesmaids:
All of these girls are so important to me and I didn’t want to give them just a random gift. I assigned each girl an attribute that I feel like over the years has made them stand out above others and helped me become who I am. The attributes were humor, joy, creativity, dependability, encouragement, generosity, acceptance and strength. I then put in each locket “ I love you for your (attribute)”, so they would never forget how much I appreciate them.
The “here comes the bride” flags began as a long string that one of my bridesmaids (Kate Grigsby) made for my lingerie shower – then Ashley, our wedding planner, turned it into something the flower girls could walk down with. I absolutely loved it. A helpful tip: save decorations from showers if you happen to have creative friends. You never know where you could use it to decorate for the wedding!
Their best man made the cornhole set and Abby painted it. Don’t you just love the colors and the monogram?
Abby’s friends are something else. One of her friends made the above guest book quilt. Guests signed happy little notes and it has quickly become one of Abby + Julian’s favorite possessions.
Abby got clever with the craft supplies that were left over. The cardboard, brown paper bags and yarn all got put to work with the “Love is Sweet” sign, JHA cake topper, “Beloved” cake topper, and photo-booth props. She also sewed 6 standard sized curtains (3 on each side) together to hang between trees to walk through during the ceremony, which later became the backdrop for the dessert table.
We love a good dance party + smoochfest! Congrats Abby + Julian!
Photography: Heidi of Our Labor of Love / Wedding coordinator: Ashley Baber Weddings / Videographer: Thaddeus Ellenburg / Catering: Beech Alpen Inn / DJ: Scott Haynes at Haynes Event Productions / Officiant: Carl Clawson, pastor of Banner Elk Christian Fellowship / Florist: Peggy Mendell at Pearl’s Garden / Bride’s dress: She wore her grandmothers wedding dress, that her mother also wore, purchased in 1949 / Bride’s shoes: Dyeables / Bride’s headpiece: Oh My Deer
