Before we sign off to prep our Thanksgiving feasts, we couldn’t resist showing you this DIY wedding our talented bride Kim shared with us. She was behind the illustrations, calligraphy, signage, and just about everything else Daniel Kim captured at Brix in Napa Valley. Kim + Steven are super crafty and love all things made by hand, so they wanted to make sure every little detail of their big day was personalized and thoughtful. Let us be the first to say, they know a thing or two about DIY!
Yep, safe to say we’re obsessed with these Alexandre Birman blush bow heels.
The bridal bouquet featured a variety of ivory + peach garden roses, cafe au lait dahlias, astilbe, and silver dollar eucalyptus to go along with their whimsical, charming DIY theme.
Rustic and Romantic DIY Napa Wedding
Kim says, As a hardcore DIY-er, the wedding creative process was easily the most time-consuming—but equally fun!—part for me. Practically everything at the wedding and reception was either made by myself or my husband, with our wonderful friends and family there to help us through the home stretch. Once I got started, it was hard to stop: I digitally designed our save the dates; painted watercolor artwork for our invitation suite, envelope liners, signature drink signs, and individual placecards; did both digital and dip-pen calligraphy for all the envelopes, wedding programs, signage, vow booklets, and custom wax seal; painted our welcome sign and cornhole game, complete with custom-colored bean bags; and designed button pins for our guests to discover throughout the day, decorated with our favorite puns (…we have a pretty corny sense of humor).
These signature drink menus she mentioned are the cutest, aren’t they?
All of their rustic yet romantic decor is just perfect for a Napa wedding, don’t you think?
A friend gifted them this handmade wedding cake anniversary piñata for guests to slip in notes, jokes, advice, and photos that they’ll break into on their 1st anniversary. Um, how rad is it to already have a fun anniversary plan to look forward to?!
Although I spent most of my time creating the visual elements of the wedding, one of my favorite parts was something we admittedly didn’t think to focus on until the final few weeks: the ceremony! If you’re on the fence about writing your own wedding vows, you have to just go for it. I needed to overcome several bouts of writer’s block (wine helped) and slight stage fright (…again, wine helped), but in the end, I’m so glad we did it. There’s nothing quite as unique, intimate, and cathartic as putting into our own words our fondest memories of the past and promises for our future. It was incredibly moving to see our family, friends, officiant, and each other tear up (and we’re usually not the crying type!). We still get compliments on our vows to this day!
DIY brides, be sure to pop into our inspiration gallery for a closer peek at all the handmade details in this Napa wedding…
Cheers to this sweet couple, and happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Photography: Daniel Kim Photography / Venue: Brix Restaurant & Gardens in Napa Valley / Coordination: Boutique Events Napa / Florals: Mae Flowers Sonoma / Photobooth: The Booth Bus / Bride’s Dress: Maggie Sottero ‘Ettia’ / Bride’s Shoes: Alexandre Birman / Groom’s Shoes: Allen Edmonds / Rings: Tiffany & Co
