creative: backyard | handfasting wedding

We did not exchange rings. Curtis would never wear one due to his job and I liked my engagement ring on its own. It’s a platinum filigree ring with a black diamond made by Hugo Kohl.

My love of all things vintage and the 1950s mixed with Curtis’ love of eccentric items is what inspired our wedding. We wanted to take my grandmother’s attic and marry it to Tim Burton’s Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory or Alice in Wonderland.

We both love mixing simple things with the unexpected.

We did have a handfasting ceremony in which we used vintage ribbon from my grandmother to tie around our hands signifying our unity. We asked guests to tie knots into the ribbon before the ceremony to show their love and support for us.

The ribbons hang by our front door as a daily reminder of our commitment to one another.

The maids dresses were all handmade tea dresses in vintage pink floral fabrics by Made by Lousie Hadley, Sohomode.

All the guys were simply asked to wear shirts in a cream shade. They were given the Vans as gifts and were able to come up with the rest themselves. It made for a mix-matched look which was exactly what we wanted.

We chose not to use real flowers but instead purchased paper bouquets from Alternative Blooms and oversized paper flowers from Great Rooms Decor.

I collected vintage tablecloths that covered many of the tables. I the venue etc) hand tied vintage napkins that hung above the reception. We collected vintage pieces like scales, cameras, and doilies that went in the centre of each table along with the oversized paper flowers.

We rented some vintage pieces like suitcases, trunks, and wood ladders to fill the space with similar items. We also brought a ton of vintage toys for the kids to play with.

We had a vegan Mexican buffet by the Rainbow Restaurant. iPod, photo booth by Redeyebooths.com. We also covered the tables at the reception in brown paper and had mason jars with crayons so guests could draw while on them.

One of Curtis’ groomsmen let us borrow his tandem bike we rode to the reception.  :)

We had a little 6 inch round banana cake with peanut butter frosting. We also had an assortment of cookies (peanut butter, snickerdoodles, chocolate chip), cupcakes (peanut butter, chocolate, vanilla), doughnuts (apple, vanilla, chocolate), and pies (strawberry and peach).

ALl desserts were vegan and by Beet Box Denver.

We adopted a rescued barn owl through a local program on behalf of our guests and then gave each guest a heart shaped bird seed favour. We also had guests take desserts home and they were given copies of their photo booth pictures.

Favours were from Green Doxie Events,

Kelsey White of One O.a.k photo, was such an amazing photographer! We instantly felt like we had known her for years. Her style was exactly what we had envisioned.

It was refreshing to have someone involved that was as laid back as we were but still made sure that she got all the shots she wanted and knew we’d want.

Accept that you will have moments in which you will think, “Why are we doing this?” Accept that others will have their own opinions and wishes for your big day.

Accept that the picture you have in your head may not completely come to life in front of you. At the end of your wedding day, the details will be obsolete.

One of my favourite moments was as we walked up the aisle as newlyweds, all our friends and family made a huge roar with noise makers we provided them instead of flower petals or rice.

We then proceeded to take a quick stroll around our neighbourhood while guests moved on to the reception. It was such a perfect moment to be by ourselves and fully enjoy that we were not husband and wife.

What an awesome, awesome wedding! I love the eclecticness of it all! Thank you so much, Bailie & Curtis, for sharing your very personal day and Kelsey from One.Of.A.Kind.Photgraphy for sharing these beautiful images.

What do you think lovelies? A few of my favourite things from this wedding… Bailie’s Betsey Johnson dress, the bridesmaid dresses… so flippin’ cute and those Irregular Choice shoes. Tell me a few of your favourite things :)

Supplier Credits not included in the main body of text

Brides shoes ~ Converse (day of)  Irregular Choice (photos),

Curtis wore pieces he already owned