Backyard Fiesta Wedding by Cameron Ingalls

I was so thrilled to stumble upon this gorgeous backyard wedding by Cameron Ingalls. I've been a fan of his work for some time now so I'm delighted to feature it on the blog. Danielle & Seth had the most stunning of weddings in Seth's parents backyard... I think it must be so lovely to get married in your backyard... you'd always have such lovely memories of it. I love that they created their own little fiesta, and by all accounts it looks like such a fabulous and fun day. And can I just say how utterly gorgeous Danielle is!! I love that long stunning veil she is wearing. I implore you before you peruse the images of their day, check out this incredible film of it by The Cana Family... I can't promise that you'll have dry eyes at the end of it!

Wedding Preview: Seth and Danielle at the Lakes from The Cana Family on Vimeo.

From Danielle, the bride: My husband proposed to me 3 days after our one year anniversary (of dating), which obviously completely caught me off guard! I had figured that if he was going to he would have done it on our anniversary. He however, wanted to wait until the first day of Spring because it was the season of new life and it was the beginning of a new season in our lives! We were living in Santa Monica, CA, and he had planned a picnic for our date night, and we sat up on the cliffs overlooking PCH and the ocean. He's already a pretty romantic guy, so I didn't suspect anything. He reminded me that it was the first day of spring and I thought that was cute he noticed and must have been why he thought of packing a picnic. After we finished eating our sandwiches, he told me he had finished making my anniversary gift and wanted to give it to me. He pulled our this small black notebook with hand drawn pictures of all our fun memories and adventures together. On the last page of the book, he had drawn a picture of a ring, with a question mark... I was a bit confused for a second, but then just as I figured out what it meant I started crying and before I knew it he was down on his knee proposing to me. It was completely magical and perfect!

We both wanted our wedding to feel peaceful, relaxing, fun, and inviting. We were married at his parent's home, by a lake, and had our reception in their backyard! The mariachi band was our one reception "splurge" because I had always felt it would be something special and so memorable. My husband and I made all of our evening playlists, and he mixed them to perfection. We had our talented friends play live songs during dinner. My aunt made all of the desserts and even took the time to hand make "R" initials and hearts  for the cupcakes. My stepfather and Mom made most of the appetizers and salads, and I really feel we accomplished the elegant fiesta backyard wedding we were dreaming of :)

Photographer | Cameron Ingalls, Wedding coordination | Debbie Peak, Corrinne Roberts, Meg Roberts, Bride's hair | Sunnie Brook, Brides Wedding Dress | handmade by Jennifer Blue of Something Blue, Dinner catering | Garcia's (Atascadero, CA), Videographers | Cana Family, Bride's Bouquet and boutonnieres | Lori Boe

Dreamy DIY Backyard Wedding Part II

Today's wedding from Mandy Lynne and Alisia K really is one of the cutest, most adorable weddings I've seen, filled with so many inspiring and thoughtful details. DIY played a huge part in Todd & Cyndi's wedding as the bride shares with us...

Burlap played a big part in our decor. The groom and groomsman's ties were handmade of burlap by a good friend of mine. The table runners were burlap. The party favors were little burlap bags filled with cookies :) And the runner down the aisle was burlap. Owls were incorporated as well. In the grooms handmade boutonniere. The owl cake toppers were handmade by Kelly DeFore, wedding coordinator. The boutonnieres were made by my friends and I! Using fabric, buttons and thin green wire to make the buttons look like flowers. Buttons were something I had to use because that's what Todd has called me since we started dating!! You know: "Cute as button" hehe :) All of the DIY details wouldn't have come about if it weren't for the help of all my super creative, supportive friends because of course I couldn't have come up with all of it by myself, in two months! They really helped me bring my vision to life! Alisia Dickerson my m.o.h. was my "right hand woman" in planning the big day! Thank you friends :) I loved the idea of having burlap and lace mixed because it's kind of manly and girlie in one!

I had my heart set on an a dark ivory all lace gown, but I saw this dress and fell in love with the vintage glam style of it. It was a drop waist gown made for a 6 ft tall woman I'm pretty sure. And I'm 5'2! Because of the mermaid style of the dress, we couldn't have it taken up in length as much I needed it to, so I had the waist raised to fit more like an empire waist. I ended up adding lace to the bottom for the touch of lace that I wanted... I feel like my dress added a new element to the natural, country, urban feel I was going for.

Any advice?  I would say to try as hard as you can to not let the stress of planning ruin parts of the process. Because it is a once in a lifetime experience! And to do as much as you can yourself, because it's cheaper and more unique. Also, don't be scared to ask for help, you will need it!!

Most memorable moment? Seeing Todd during our 'first look' time under the yellow willow tree. That tree was amazing! I will never forget his face when he saw me, he teared up and said "I love your dress" and "you look so beautiful"... such a great moment.

Dreamy DIY Backyard Wedding

I think today's wedding from Mandy Lynne and Alisia K may just be my favourite one I've ever posted... there is just SO much goodness I'm going to have to split it into two posts so you don't get eye candy overload!! Brides... you'll want to take notes as there is a LOT of inspiration here for you! Where to start... there are just so many things I love about this wedding, from the colour of the mis-matched bridesmaids dresses, the  burlap ties, the gorgeous first look under that stunning yellow willow tree, and the bouquets made by the bride and bridesmaids themselves... and the brides gorgeous ankle boots!! Todd & Cyndi planned their wedding in 2 short months which is no mean feat considering all the DIYing they undertook. Cyndi is a girl after my own heart... she was inspired by Naturehad this to say about it...

"We met officially 4 years ago at a wedding in Kansas City, MO. But had known each other existed a few years before through family and friends just never pursued anything because we were so young :) On September 4th 2010 my friend Alisia took me out for the evening in downtown Des Moines, IA and we had girlie time :) After dinner we stopped at this area called 'Gray's Lake' and ate chocolate cake! Gray's Lake is big body of water with trails and trees and picnic tables. Like a park. Over the water is a huge bridge. Alisia led me over to some tables that had a big bouquet of red roses and note that said "Meet me at the bridge". So I walked over and there he was turned away from me and then as I got a little closer he immediately turned around and asked me to marry him!!! It was around 9:30 at night so the bridge was all lit up with lights really beautifully. I started balling because I had waited for this moment for a very long time! We started wedding plans the next day. We had a long courtship but only 2 months to plan the wedding! Which was a big challenge with all the DIY details.

Favorite detail of the day: When I walked up to the ceremony site as it was beginning with the 'wooden wall' built by Todd's brother, it decorated and the alter wall decorated along with the rush of emotions of seeing my soon-to-be husband was so magical! The wall was just scrap wood from a privacy fence found in grooms parents backyard.

Since I was little, I had always dreamed of an outdoor wedding. Something about the sunshine and nature made it seem so beautiful and calm :) How a wedding should be! So Nature I guess really inspired me. Wood, grass, flowers, wheat fields, trees and of course sunshine! I grew up in the city but I love the country. We tried to keep the budget as low as possible and do as much as we could ourselves. Very difficult! That is where the DIY stuff came into play...

Our flowers were yellow and white Ranuculus, Peach Roses, Mini Peach Carnations, Yellow billy balls, white daisies, and babies breath. I added some little twigs in my bouquet to give it some rustic charm :)

Board#59: Backyard Picnic

We're back with another backyard wedding inspiration board. If you missed our previous backyard wedding inspiration board from earlier in the week click here. This one has a completely different look with a more muted colour palette.What's your preference? Mine is definitely this one, but then I'm always instantly drawn to a more rustic look and neutral colours. Saying that I totally think the other one is a lot of fun!


Photos from top left;Table setting and Green Bottles via Young House Love, Antipasto Platter by Cameron Ingalls via Green Wedding Shoes
2nd row; Garden via Country Living, Couple by Allyson Magda, Cheese Platter via Sunday Suppers, Converse unknown, Lemonade Bucket via Country Living
3rd row; Bunting photo via Green Wedding Shoes, Soda unknown, Tablesetting via Young House Love, Food Platter via Sunday Suppers