Anniversary Wedding Recap
This past October, my husband Lance and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary! I thought It would be fun to share a wedding recap—I had a lot of insight and unique ideas going into wedding planning as someone who had been a wedding photographer herself! So, check out my cray amount of DIY’s, some of our cute photos, some of the best Central Illinois wedding vendors, and how I had a cute boho wedding at a venue that cost me $150 (yeah, you read that one right).
Our Vendors
Photography:
Krystal Richmond Photo
Videographer:
Nikki Erin Films
Florals:
Straw Flower Floral
Makeup:
Lauren Schwei + Kayla Pritchard (mine only)
Hair:
Kayla Boyd
Dress + Bridesmaids Dresses: Cloud Nine Bridal
Design Elements - Custom Vans, Florals on invite, Jean jacket:
Lil & E
Engagement Ring:
Bremer Jewelry
Lance’s Wedding RIng:
Etsy (Ringsbylux)
My Wedding Band:
Etsy (Coolringjewelry)
Jewelry:
Our Spare Change
A fav small biz of mine. I purchased pearl bracelets for me and the bridesmaids to wear as well as my beaded ring!
Favorite Wedding Things We Did
Getting ready
I rented an airbnb for getting ready so we would have great lighting for photos + space for the ladies. It also served us for a place to stay the night of the wedding.
Special Family Moments
I wore my grandmas earrings + had a custom necklace made that is from a diamond that my late grandpa gave my grandma - I still wear it daily. I liked wearing jewelry that I could wear outside of the wedding day.
A grandma dress reveal - I wanted a special moment with the grandmas so I did a reveal with them and our daughter.. Although she was sleeping! I also did the traditional bridesmaid + father first look.
We had these custom funny socks for step dad + husband with photos of our faces on them.
Details
I had Marissa from Lil & E make me custom vans - this felt so fitting for my style. I didn’t want to wear heels all day. Comfort is key! My MOH also had her make me a custom floral jacket - perfect for the reception since our day was all outdoors
Most of my bridal party was made up of other photographers—this gave me a couple of challenges. Like choosing a date that we would all be available for based on weddings already booked. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Having like minded photographer friends is valuable beyond words.
Including my photographer, there were 5 photographer schedules to work with, we we decided to do a Friday wedding. It ended up working out PERFECT. We had the weekend to decompress.
We had rescheduled our original wedding date because of COVID, and it honestly made our day so much better. Our original date would have had awful rainy, windy, cold weather ANYWAY, so it all works out in the end.
Polaroids
I brought my polaroid camera and had several packs of film. I had my bridesmaids capture the day and candids. I loved having these memories on film.
Our “Ring Briar”
We knew we wanted our pup, Briar to be involved in our day because, obviously.
Private Vows/Bride + Groom Photos
Lance and I did a first look + private vow reading to each other. Instant tears. Videographer and Photographer were the only ones present. It was one of our favorite moments. I recommend doing this for many reasons, I loved how intimate this moment was. We both cried tears of joy and set the tone for the rest of the day. Doing a first look gave us more time to spend the day together (which goes by so fast)
I went hard core location scouting for our photos - I truly wanted to LOVE these photos and the location. I blame the photographer in me. So, I scouted back roads to fit the vision I had in mind. I found the PERFECT location… but, it was on private property. That didn’t stop me from seeking permission. I knocked on the door + the neighbors, no answer.. I didn’t give up yet. I looked for a piece of paper in my car and found a small envelope. I wrote a note asking for permission and left it in the mailbox. I couldn’t help but noticed the name on a piece of mail that was in there.. That led me to Facebook creeping. I was obsessed with this location, I was going to do whatever investigating was needed to use it. Creepy or determined...? I was able to track down the owner and get permission, they were so sweet and welcoming!
The Venue
Would you believe me if I said our venue costs $150… Yes, I’m serious!!!
Your venue is your vibe, but I personally didn’t want to spend thousands on a venue. I’m a DIY girlie, I could make something beautiful with a vision. That is exactly what I did.
So let’s chat DIY - I thought of all of the decor and set ups.. Planning this out took up a lot of my time, I won’t lie.. But as a creative, I really loved tackling that job. I hit a lot of thrift stores to bring this vision to life.
We wanted everyone to feel like they are coming to a backyard party.. This venue fit that exact vibe. The biggest concern was weather for our day. With everything being outside, I prayed hard for amazing weather. I didn’t have many options for a plan B… We got amazing 70’s day and I couldn’t be more thankful.
The ceremony set ups, I kept very simple. We we went for an open field set up. I knew I wanted floral towers to be the statement piece. Caitlin at Strawflower Floral blew it out of the water for these towers, they were the first ones she has ever done. Paired with a thrifted rug, chefs kiss.
Chill, Backyard vibe
I really wanted our guests to have fun—the last thing I wanted was a room full of my favorite people bored out of their minds
So with that, I tried to do a lot of interactive things with yard games, the lounge area, etc. We didn't even have a sit down dinner. It was just... eat whenever you're hungry and mingle and hang out. There was no assigned seating (which I not-so-secretly loved not having to deal with). It was just a very chill night. Like going to your friend's backyard and hanging out and enjoying yourself.
Custom Coloring Pages
I had some custom coloring pages made from Etsy for our kids area! It was a sweet touch.
My Reception DIY’s
Thrifted Decor
All vases were thrifted and painted by me and a bridesmaid.
Bride + Groom Table
We did a painters drop cloth table cloth, thrifted glasses, recycled name tags from a previous wedding we attended, dried palms that I already had, thrifted lace + vases, and I found these CUTE wicker chairs from estate sale for $25.
Hay bale Lounge Area
I thrifted a bunch of pillows and blankets to set up this lounge area. It was pretty simple and went a long way to help us establish the backyard feel.
Handmade Macrame Chandeliers
This was a pretty simple DIY, all it took was some macrame cord and a few YouTube videos.
Memory Table
We went pretty simple with this one. We used thrifted frames, vases, tablecloths, and borrowed the wicker divider from a friend.
Handmade Signs
It pays to have a handy husband..
Lance made our arch signs for an unplugged ceremony. I have seen many guests fill the aisle with phones, that was the last thing I wanted.. we created the arch signs and paired it with a small rug and mini pink pumpkin towers from a local farmer..
Traditions We Skipped
By the time my wedding came around, I had been in the wedding industry for a hot min. I had gathered some things that I didn’t really want to include in my own day. Making intentional decisions like this helped us to enjoy our day at a level we just couldn’t have done if we had all of these things going on that didn’t really align with us and our personalities.
No Bridal Bouquet Toss
This one is a tradition I didn’t love, so we through it out.
No Speeches
I hate public speaking, I wasn’t going to make our close friends go through the pain.
No Cake Cutting
We did a dessert table instead—it was so much easier.
No Bridal Party Entrances
We walked through a tunnel and danced to a fun song that we had the band play, but skipping the entrances felt so much more authentic to us!
No DJ
We hired a live band instead! Matt Miller band was awesome!
Our Wedding Recap
This day was so special to me and I loved all of the little ways we decided to be intentional and true to ourselves as a couple.
While I don’t shoot weddings myself, I am booking engagement/couples photography! If you and your person want to get in front of the camera and actually have some fun, check out my couples photography page and get your session on the books.
Peace! ✌️
