DIY Backyard Weddings | Wedding Photography | Seattle, WA and Beyond
Recently (probably because of the pandemic) there has been an increase in backyard weddings and elopements at Airbnb’s or Family or friends property. And you know what? I love it! Over the last year and a half, almost every single wedding I have shot has been at one of these private locations. These kinds of weddings are very often DIY, do-it-yourself. I have been more than impressed with these weddings by how they have created dreamy settings and decor that looks 100% professional.
So without further ado, I am going to share with you some of my favorite DIY weddings and wedding decor from the past year and a half.
** Now when I say DIY I mean didn’t hire a coordinator, designer, planner but it CAN include Etsy-designed.
So lets begin…
Floral
Flowers are an incredible way to bring in color and personality to your wedding. Some people choose to buy pre-made arrangements from a florist, but these couples chose to design their floral arrangements.
All of the flowers below were hand-picked or selected from Pike Place Market in Downtown Seattle. but they were arranged by the bride or the bride's friends. The photo on the top left corner is of Pike Place flowers, and you might recognize it from Ben and Jess’s Airbnb wedding Blog! Backyard weddings that have tons of flowers make it easy to arrange things. Jen and Jacob’s wedding in the mountains of Washington had incredible macramé all over that was filled with flowers from the property (top middle and top right photo).
Chris and Cameron had a beautiful beach wedding in Ocean Shores Washington, that featured the floral on the bottom right hand corner. These were picked up at a local GROCERY store in Ocean Shores. How beautiful is that? You can see more of that wedding here!
So as you can see, no matter where you find the flowers, no matter how you arrange them. They are always stunning! :) Not sure I have seen a floral arrangement I didn’t like!
Arches and Alters
An alter, or an archway is the centerpiece of the wedding decor. It can be simple, intricate or a view! But the individual creation of these things is pure magic. Over the last year I have seen arches and alters that are unique and HAND MADE by many of the couples families and friends.
For example, photo one of the top row is a beautiful example of family putting in the work to show the couple how much they love them. They grew and groomed this arch for a long time waiting for this couple to get married. (Blog to match coming soon!)
Kat and Evan had their family made this pretty twinkling arch way as seen in the top middle photo below! Adding twinkle lights made this simple yard arch feel magical and add to their fairytale wedding theme.
And Look at that GEOMETRIC arch that was built for Jaz and Cody’s wedding last summer in Whatcom County. Her family hit the NAIL ON THE HEAD. with that magical concoction.
And Lastly Chris and Cameron coming in clutch with the Ocean Shores beach view and arranging logs they found on the beach! They attached silk flowers, that looked real to add a romantic wedding touch that suited them perfectly.
Archways paired with floral magic, or twinkle lights is the way to go. These are all created by non wedding professions and are 100% dream wedding Pinterest worthy!
Table Settings
Okay, we can’t just stop at archways and flowers, there is so much more to weddings than we expect. Table settings is something EVERYONE is going to notice. Ever seen four weddings on TLC? Table settings are always the talk of the town. I think DIY wedding centerpieces can be the most difficult part of decorating a wedding. I know I struggle with creating cute table settings, but these couples nailed theirs.
Again Ben and Jess’s wedding table settings were beautifully done (top left and center photos). They used items from around their home, from Walmart, and from collecting over time. They even used pillows and things from the Airbnb they utilized for their elopement. Jen and Jacob (blog to come) used little signs, photos, and miss-matched cubes to bring their wedding look together (top right, middle center and left photos).
Kat and Evan had beautiful mini pumpkins to go along with their fall theme (center right and bottom left). Kayla and Tyler made the cutest Little Mermaid themed table settings to complete their beach look.
Lastly, Chelsea and Kevin had beautiful blue flowers from their family’s yard to complete their table setting flow.
Signage
Signs are subtle pieces of a wedding that complete the look. Having a friend or family member with really nice hand writing is key! Or being clever with typefaces on photoshop or Etsy!
The first photo is signage from Jen and Jacobs wedding! Jen and Jacob’s family came together to create a mismatched looking signage to direct their guests around. While the second photo is from Kayla and Tyler’s family who created themed photos to place around the space. Other ideas include taking reclaimed wood, or shaped chalk board signs and use what you have around the house. Ben and Jess (Last two photos) had blankets for the evening fire pit so they added a cute sign to complete the look.
The Extras
So many weddings need that little something to make it feel complete. These extra’s are here because they didnt really have a category because everyone does something different. So let’s start from top left to bottom right!
Top left: Jaz and her gals made Friends themed t-shirts to complete their “getting ready look” this isn’t something I see often just robes. And I thought this look created a complete fun vibe for Jaz and def showed her personality in her wedding fun!
Top Second and center photo: Jen and Jacob used fun things from around their farm and did a DIY magnet for all their guests to take home, I have one sitting on my fridge as we speak here. They completed the looks with hand picked flowers and photos.
Top fourth photo: Ben and jess put together little details for gifts, cards and memories to write. Simple but complete for their style.
Last on top row: Hand made personalized cakes from family is epic. Most people order cakes but when family can put these together its the best.
Bottom images show a variety of cute ideas used to decorate spaces and create special and personalized vibes. Chelsea and Kevin had a shared photo album they used to show family and friends their romantic wedding journey.
Then End, but not for good.
Thanks for coming to my wedding Ted Talk regarding how to do a beautiful wedding yourself. Many of these weddings will turn into blogs so check back later to check out more details of each of these weddings. Doing it yourself is a lot of work, but each and every one of these now married couples have found that doing it themselves made it feel way more personal and magical on the day of.
What are your favorite DIY wedding decorations etc. Let me know so I can share more in the future.
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