Vasilia and Joe’s wedding had an old timely feel. It was held in a friend’s back garden and all their guests dressed in their 1920s inspired finest! “Before we started planning, we sat down for an hour or so and each quietly broke out our thoughts for every aspect of our vision”, said the bride. “We quickly realised that we had very similar, if not the same thoughts on almost everything. I can’t say that anything in particular inspired us other than our desire to make a unique experience for our guests that showcased our personality and taste, without the regular formality and stuffiness of a wedding.”
“We asked guests to participate by dressing up in their best twenties gear, and did they ever! Our guests played a huge role in making our wedding work so beautifully. We had lawn games, romantic string lights, a photo booth I had set up with vintage frames and props (complete with a vintage suitcase I found at a nearby antique store), and a beautiful vintage Rolls Royce. The location also had great meaning as the ceremony was held at my best friend’s (Jessica) parents house (her dad drove us to our first look in his Rolls, and he hand painted the tire behind us which has a secret meaning to us).”
The bride’s favourite part of the day was their ‘first look’, where they saw each other before the ceremony. “The ceremony was probably my second most absolute favourite part of the entire day after the first look”, she explained. “Our officiant, Bill, worked with us to create a ceremony that was the exact mix of humour, faith, and personal to us that we were hoping for. We wrote our own vows and it felt like it was just us two up there.”
“As we didn’t have a ‘proper’ wedding venue I’d say the entire wedding was DIY!” she laughed. “My brother’s wife and her parents made hundreds of pompoms to be thrown at the end of the ceremony. My sister-in-law and her family helped Joe hang 300 feet of heavy duty string lights. His uncle and his kids helped Joe make the beer pong tables and the bars. I put together the photo booth and hand made some of the props, as well as our cake stand. My sister made our beautiful cake and her, my mom and her friends made all of the desserts. We tried to have a personal touch on everything, and I think it reflected throughout the day! And we most definitely could not have done it without everyone’s help.”
“My advice to other couples would be to be realistic in what you can and can not do with your time”, she concluded. “And not everything will go according to plan… You may have a vendor that does something that goes completely against your wishes. No one will notice but you, and in the end, it’s insignificant in the grand scheme of things! Oh, and you ALWAYS go over budget!”
