Old barn doors. Cream eyelet and Swiss champagne satin batiste. Mason jars of roses & forget-me-nots. Streamers of bright ribbon clutched by children. Tiny violinists under apple trees. Punched tin can lanterns. Sweet ancient songs sung by schoolchildren. Dancing wildly to a bluegrass band. Sugary white cakes. A tiny wedding night cottage. Tealights floating in the pond where children try to catch frogs. Arbors woven with roses.
Yesterday was my sister-in-law’s sister Myra’s wedding, held at the farm that has been in their family for many generations. As a wedding present, I designed, patterned, and sewed her dress, somehow got wrangled into doing her hair and makeup, put together the bridal bouquet from white roses & bits from her grandmother’s garden, and arranged the flowers for the bridal table. Who knew I had a secret one-stop-wedding-shop inside me just waiting to come out?? (And stood in as amateur backup wedding photographer!)
My mother sewed the bridesmaids dresses, as well as the ties & vests for the boys. A very DIY wedding – flowers from the garden gathered into maple sap buckets by the bridesmaids, a potluck meal, a cake made by an aunt, handwritten vows, handbuilt pews (and outhouses!) & a lot of love.
You did a gorgeous job Tamera, even the photography looks lovely, you must be proud and exhausted!
WOW! Seriously! Absolutely stunning! You must have been feeling the pressure as a one-stop-wedding-shop, but you sure can’t tell by looking at these photos! That dress is so pretty! You brought that cotton eyelet lace to a whole new level. The flowers are so sweet. I think they were lucky to have you as the “back-up photographer” as well… looks pretty pro to me!
Fantastic job my dear!
Holy-holy, girl! This all looks so amazing- every bit is so perfect, and these pictures you took are beyond! You are a tiny dynamo and everything you touch turns to pearls and roses. Love on you!
The fabric choosing was my favorite part, I think! I knew I wanted something clean and not fussy, but pretty – it’s a country wedding! She danced all night in it and it was holding up when I left, late.
It was definitely an honor to be trusted to the dress, hair and makeup, but she declared it all exactly what she had envisioned – so – success!!
Thank you for the sweet comments!
Angel: When I move to Austin, we start a magical event planning / antique shop / cupcakery / witchcraft on demand shop. Yes. Also Holly.
you clever thing. it all looks so super-special and homespun and, of course, magical. i especially love the pearly roses and forget-me-knots.
what a day to treasure.
tamera. that is so amazing. i would hire you in a heartbeat.
But really, really?!
Amazing.
You are one wonderfully talented woman, T.
amazing and perfect and magic.
So, so, so lovely.
These take my breath away – everything a wedding should be, but so often forgotten is here. Love, attention to detail paid with caring hands and words from the heart look like they made this the day of their lives – Congrats to all involved =)
Magical. You do everything so well.
all of it, absolutely stunningly beautiful. it looks like it was such a happy day, and i knew you could make that dress look as amazing as you wanted to. really good job. i’m glad she loved it, too, but i didn’t expect any less.
now i need to find someone to marry so you can make MY dress. 😉
i actually really want to just have the fun party. the guy would only be secondary.
singing girls photo is the best.
Dress Launderette
i really love the last picture, it’s very sally mann!
“Amateur” photographer, she says! You did a fantastic job – photos, dress, hair and all! I think you have a calling.
As a newly engaged woman myself, I think I want to hire you as my wedding planner!
(Oh, just out of curiosity, what’s the age diff between the bride and groom? I’m just curious because my fiance is 10 years my senior, and it looks like there are a few years between these two. Boy, oh boy, though, don’t they look happy!)
Magpie: Maybe I have a new calling indeed! It was fun. They’re 14 years apart, she’s 27 and he’s 41. Cute though!!
What are you planning for your wedding?
oh my…what a breathtaking day…
wow! you did a fantastic job, what a beautiful wedding! i like how everything is very elegant but still simple. yr shot of the couple kissing with her veil sweeping out is heartstopping.
What a lucky girl to have you around to do so much and to do it all so beautifully!
thank you so much! it certainly was rewarding to see it all come together.
It is absolutely stunning! Kelly
Hello, I’m here from the Vintage Glam Wedding Blog. Myra’s dress is *spectacular*. I wonder why you aren’t selling custom gowns through Etsy. Again, *amazing*
Thanks, Hanni!!
I have a full time job working for Fair Trade Certified as a web strategist, which I love -no time for many side projects!! I am making another custom dress for a friend, but this is a friends and family benefit only!! Brides are too much to handle! Hee.
That dress… OH that dress! I’m seconding the Etsy shop rec. I’ve been looking for that dress for 9 months, ha ha!
AHHHAHAHHAHHHHHH! This is youuuuu. Well, not you as in yours, but you as in you wrote it. Someone sent me a link to this post (of course) last year, and I was like, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, it’s really great, but it’s so awkward that the bride is 16.” And she’s NOT 16. Suddenly it all becomes clear.
Off to look at pictures of their baby.
Ha! Seriously, though – this experience, before being engaged or even THINKING about being married, made me feel comfortable putting on a wedding. Within ONE WEEK, we put everything together, and it is DIY in a real Vermont sense, not in a crafty-blog sense (though I wish someone had DIY’d the hems on the men’s trousers, sheesh) – if they hadnt spent $ to get electricity to the land, they would have spent around $2000 total.
And yes, she’s 28 here. Older than MANY brides on APW, for sure.
Dress: made by me
Hair and makeup: me
Bridesmaids dresses: fabric hand screen by a friend of the groom, dresses sewn by my mother
Arbor / benches for ceremony: made by the groom
Venue: bride’s family farm
Flowers: wild / arranged by me
Cake: bride’s aunt
Cupcakes: my brother
Food: potluck
Photography: me, her sister, etc. (http://www.flickr.com/groups/1113584@N24/pool/with/3646095434)
Maybe I could do a “wedding test run” post for you, about the experience, and how it’s feeding into my own wedding planning??? Hee.
I am happy there are cool people in this world like you. Beautiful job, and I LOVE your strawbale house.
Ben…