Mis-matched jewel tones and a peacock theme were the order of the day for Sheila & Austin’s small and intimate wedding. The couple found the planning of their destination wedding in St. Petersburg difficult and enlisted the help of the bride’s Mother with all the organisations but really put their hearts and souls into creating the prefect wedding.
There were mishaps and hilarious moments but at the end of the day Sheila told me that none of that mattered as they were just so pleased to be getting married. “Don’t sweat the small stuff when it gets close to the wedding,” she told me. “That being said if you have the time customize your wedding, for me it was a great creative outlet. We handmade everything except for the food really. The hardest being we hand made our beach reed, peacock centerpiece wreaths. Luckily I only needed 6! As far as centerpiece tools I got the peacock feathers from eBay and reeds from TJMAX. Just dismantled other decorative house pieces. And my menu holders were picture frames. Really look everywhere for inspiration!”
“Basically we did things our way. We had non-traditional readings, video game music for ceremony music (Final Fantasy VII Piano Collection), sneakers for the grooms, a blue prom dress as a wedding dress, only 56 people attending (did an earlier dance for all our other friends), DJed it ourselves, had a honeymoon registry, had people RSVP via online (greener and cheaper!), designed everything ourselves & honestly didn’t give a care what people thought! But everyone loved it because it was us, and they were here to support us. And we were so happy to have done it.”
“Really as I see my other friends in their wedding processes, and it was a piece of advice someone gave me, all I have to say is this is the one party that you throw that is about you and your husband not everyone else. Have fun, don’t feel ashamed for your tastes & just have a blast!”
Thank you to Sheila & Austin and their photographer Hilary for sharing their beautiful wedding with us today
Photography Credit: Hilary Mercer Photography Sunken Gardens Reception Venue: Honey Moon Island Sherri Hill Bride’s Reception Dress: Vivien of Holloway Bride’s Tattoo: Johnny Flash Bridesmaid Fans: bought at a shop in Spain by one of the bridesmaidssee them here )Artistic Flowers Cake Topper: Sophia’s Workshop Program Printing: Charmed Beginnings Bridesmaids Necklaces: BirdzNBeez on EtsyTuxedo Junction Centerpieces, Boutineers, Pillow Pad, Veil, Party Favor, Design, Website: DIYHoney Moon Island LightScribe
You May Also Like
Retro & Pin Up Inspired Beach Wedding in Mexico: KO & Bre
Kat
Evangeline Lane
May 9, 2014
They were married on the beach at El Pez Tulum, a boutique ocean-front hotel, in Mexico. KO and Bre wanted their wedding to be a beachy pin up fairytale wedding and I think they achieved that wonderfully! The bride wore a vintage dress from the 1950s which she customised and had the skirt redesigned by Georgannette Chatterley. Her birdcage veil was also homemade.
Read more...
Colour Pop Glaswegian Wedding: Claire & Tom
Kat
Mirrorbox
February 18, 2013
Marrying her sweetheart in August of last year, newlywed Claire told me all about their Glaswegian wedding. "Whilst on paper our wedding wasn't overtly Rock n Roll, our journey to get down the aisle definitely offers a slightly offbeat tale. Namely because in the two years leading up to our nuptials we collectively lost ten stone between us - the equivalent of 20ish new-born babies, a Saint Bernard dog, or Britney Spears. The toughest journey of my life, losing 70% of our collective weight drop, I lived, breathed and blogged the whole shebang, and whilst I still have a few more pounds to shift, that I made it down the aisle in the most beautiful dress I've ever seen, no longer morbidly obese, is the proudest moment of my life so far."
Read more...
Intimate Wedding in the Middle of the Ocean: Thomas & Kimberly
Kat
Leonardo Melendez
April 22, 2013
Have you ever heard of a couple deciding to get married and do so within 12 short hours? And, no, a couple in a movie don't count! Well that's exactly what Thomas & Kimberly did whilst on holiday in Belize. They were married, just the two of them, in the middle of the ocean, on a sandbar in Ambergris Caye.
Read more...
Blustery and Bright Brighton Wedding: Charlotte & Leo
Kat
Devlin Photos
August 8, 2013
Charlotte and Leo, originally from Brighton but currently living in Liverpool, knew they wanted to marry in the city where they met. So they planned their wedding from afar and booked out an entire guest house right on the sea front to accommodate their guests! A Room with a View has nine guest rooms and was the perfect place for everyone to get ready. The floor to ceiling windows looking over the beach and pier made for some great photos from Lisa Devlin too!
Read more...
Intimate Wedding at Home in Spain: Ames & Tel
Kat
Jo Crawford
April 20, 2014
Ames and Tel met when they were twelve, at school. Needless to say it wasn't love at first sight! However eleven years later they virtually bumped into each other on MySpace and saw each other on a few nights out. Shortly after that they started dating.
"We didn't set out with a theme in mind for our wedding, we just knew we wanted a laid back relaxed do with close friends and family", Ames explained. "We didn't have much money to spend (our budget was £3000) so we wanted to do as much ourselves as we could. I think in the end we had a laid back, homemade vintage feel to the day."
Read more...
Button Moon, Moomins, Rainbow Petticoats and a Wedding in a Cave: Caroline & Johnny
Kat
June 12, 2012
When wedding photographer Sassy of Assassynation told me she'd booked a wedding through a feature on my site last year I was super thrilled. However my excitement was pretty much quadrupled when she them told me the bride was wearing a short dress... with a rainbow petticoat... with glittery turquoise leopard print wedges and ankle socks... oh yes and that they were getting married in a cave. I think died and went to wedding heaven right about then.
Caroline & Johnny were married on a Monday, on the 14th May this year. The ceremony was small - just the two of them, the celebrant and Sassy and her husband Ian, who not only photographed the event but acted as witnesses. The ceremony was at Carnglaze Caverns in Cornwall. "One fabulously weather proof venue!" the bride laughed. "Subterranean lake, 500 candles and really dangerous steps for the clumsiest bride. What could possibly go wrong?"
Read more...
A Colourful Country Garden Fete Wedding: Tom & Jenny
Kat
September 27, 2012
The DIY wedding of Tom & Jenny took place in Kent in July. After a church ceremony, their low key reception was held in Tom's parent's back garden.
The bride wore a short wedding dress from Yours Truly Bridal Shop in Maidstone which cost her just £180 with a gorgeous headpiece was by a Rock n Roll Bride favourite, Crown & Glory. Alongside her lucky bridesmaids, she wore Vivienne Westwood/Melissa Lady Dragon shoes and instead of bouquets they all carried a single giant faux flower stem, bought from Hobbycraft costing just £2 each!
Read more...
Rainbow Day of the Dead Wedding: James & Ashley
Kat
Peach Plum Pear Photo
February 18, 2013
High school sweethearts James & Ashley were married at Crane Arts in Philadelphia in October. Despite the Autumnal time of year, the couple didn't want an obvious colour scheme - they wanted a rainbow!
"Our wedding was very DIY", wrote the bride. "My husband and I can be crafty when we want to be and this wedding really let our creative juices flow. I hand painted all of the sugar skulls and signs while Jim was busy building the dance floor and the entranceway. We also got some old doors from my grandmother, painted them and used them for the ceremony backdrop. One thing I am particularly proud of is the beer bottle cap heart that we screwed to a pallet. We of course drank all of the beer ourselves! I also found some amazing Day of the Dead fabric that we used to make the photo booth, Jim's bow-tie, and I also wrapped the flower bouquets in it."
Read more...
