• Real Weddings

The surrealistic cloud of being engaged left Diana with the very real task of planning a wedding, the first step was to prioritize. They knew they wanted an event that was comfortable and open in nature, a true celebration of their commitment.
She also was certain that they wanted to make this event “theirs” and decided the best way to do so would be through creating the entire thing from scratch. Crafting many of the projects on her own and leaving the tasks she knew were impossible to the professionals, making the perfect crafty DIY Texas wedding. To see more of this wedding captured by Elissa R Photography be sure to click here.

From Diana:

There were a few things I knew I wanted from the beginning. I wanted my wedding at Mercury Hall, a beautiful venue in central Austin, and I wanted Sam Doores and the Tumbleweeds to play – everything else I built around these two things. I tried to save money in all the areas that were feasible, but also knew where to spend it. For things I could not tackle myself, I found wonderful vendors, my caterer was amazing, my florist created the most beautiful arrangements of succulents and yellow billy balls that tied the wedding together, and of course my photographer was out of this world. 

We are lucky enough to be blessed with a large group of very talented friends, and it was through their help that we were not only able to have the wedding we envisioned, but to stay in budget too. We have a friend who is a great cook make our cake and all the pies, and a mixologist designed our signature cocktails. Not to mention the fact that my husband, being an owner of Austin Beerworks (a local brewery), took care of the beer. In addition, we had an entire team of worker bees get to the venue two hours ahead of time to set up. The day of the event I had decided that I would be happy with however they decorated, since I would have no control over it, but I didn’t need that encouragement; it was absolutely perfect. 

The wedding party wore clothing perfect for spring, sun dresses from Urban Outfitters for the girls and linen suits for the boys. I decided that since I was getting married I might as well have two dresses, so half way through I swapped out my beautiful lace wedding dress for a fun and swirly short dancing dress. Between the outdoor dance party on the lawn and the photobooth inside, our guests had a wonderful time through the night.

I also took on an insane amount of DIY craft projects to make the event personal. I made a pinwheel backdrop for the photobooth by creating pinwheels out of scrapbook paper and adhering them to twine dangling from dowel rods. The table centerpieces were decorated with wine bottles that had been collected over our entire engagement, felt flower garlands on twine, and paper pinwheels. I had my florist make beautiful succulent and billy ball boutonnieres for the wedding party, and I created fabric ones for family. All our signs and table numbers were picture frames and plates painted with chalkboard paint. For our favors, I wanted something that our guests could actually use, so, in their interest, I created an aphrodisiac love tea. An herbalist friend advised me on which herbs would best and I ordered them in bulk online. I then combined them into reusable tea bags and had a rubber stamp made to label each tag. 

Photographer: Elissa R Photography Venue: Mercury Hall Makeup: Rhea McCarter Caterer: Pink Avocado Coordinator: Kristi Treadwell with Joyful Details Dress Designer: Unbridaled Flowers: Pollen Floral Art Groom's Attire: Men's Wearhouse Jewelry: Etsy Shoe Designer: SeychellesVeil or Hair Accessories: UnbridaledReception dress by Aidan Mattox | Hair: Jenna Harrington | Cake: Alberto Nuche (friend of the bride) | Officiant: Tim Hamilton