Boho Inspired Handcrafted Outdoor Wedding By Delaney Dobson

Well hello Friday! How the devil are you!?! We are so close to Christmas now you can almost touch it! How excited are you?? Dexter is still on the mend from his little trip to the hospital last week so we still haven’t done much with him in terms of taking him out on Christmas related excursions. We have been advised to keep him in and keep him warm to ensure he doesnt get poorly again. For this reason I am feeling slightly less festive than I should be, but excited for next week non the less. I am hoping by Monday it will be OK to take him to see Santa in town and we can start the Christmas celebrations from there!
So today, I have another wonderful wedding, a gorgeous outdoor wedding all the way from New Jersey. The couple Stephanie and Michael created a budget friendly Boho inspired day by creating lots of DIY projects themselves. With rustic decoration, gorgeous dried flowers, a beautiful gown from BHLDN and a wonderful outdoor wedding ceremony, this wedding is bursting with autumn sunshine and goodness. Big thanks to Delaney Dobson for the images.

‘The wedding was inspired but very budget conscience, with a boho hand-crafted feel’

Stephanie and Michael were married on September 27th 2014 at The Lakeside Clubhouse in Medford, NJ. Ceremony was held outdoors on the clubhouse grounds. ‘It was remote and in the woods, had a rustic cabin feel and was close to the bride’s family. We had 100 guests in total and it took 9 months to plan.’

How they met
We met nearly 20 years ago. The older brother of the bride went to high school with the groom and they became good friends. We’d been dating nearly 12 years when we got married and share one daughter, Izzie who is 4 years old.

The Proposal
It was on New Year’s Eve, a complete surprise! Right after the ball dropped and we welcomed 2014!

How did you allocate your budget
Venue and food/ catering had the largest bill followed by DJ and photographer. We felt this was what was really important, to us and to our guests. We wanted everyone to have a good time! My dress only cost $300, that puts our expenses into perspective.

How did you choose your photographer
She came recommended from the groom who teaches the arts and has a strong eye for talent. Delaney is amazing!

The Dress
BHLDN.com – Jenny Yoo. Jewellery was a combination of family heirlooms and Etsy buys. I found my shoes on solesociety.com , again it was about the design and price tag here not the designer label.

The Suit and Bridesmaids
Kenneth Cole – And bridesmaids – H & M!

Theme or Colour Scheme
Earth tones, beige, greens and browns to match the scenery.

Flowers
Dried flowers and herbs- Lavender, Santa Cruz Oregano, purple/blue statice, and baby’s breath.

Decoration
Wood slabs set the base for the center pieces which included candles, flowers and succulents and chalk board table numbers.

Food
Entrees options were Balsamic Chicken, Roasted Pork, or a Baked Ziti with assorted sides

Wedding Cake
Red Velvet with buttercream frosting and white chocolate shavings all around the outside to give a textured look. The groom hand painted the wooden cake toppers

Entertainment
Johnny from Everything Entertainment in Delaware

Buy or DIY your Stationery
The groom designed our Save the Dates. The actual invitations we ended up purchasing due to timing

Personal or Handmade Touches
The groom designed and decorated the alter/ arch for the ceremony. The favors were made by the bridal party. I mentioned the cake toppers were painted by the groom and the save the dates were designed by the groom. We were very involved in the ceremony program and wanted to include a “ring warming” tradition (this is when the rings get passed around to all the guests so they may pass on their silent blessings prior to the couples ring exchange.

Special Moments
The ceremony. Having my parents walk me down the aisle and seeing my groom waiting at the end for me there. Seeing my daughter as the flower girl and the joy in her eyes witnessing our marriage

Advice to other couples
Something will go wrong, so take it in stride. Most likely your guests won’t notice half as much as the details as you do. Relax and enjoy, it goes so fast!

Biggest surprise
How smoothly it all came together! That coupled with the amount of love felt coming from family & friends on the day.