“Michael + Sarah were married overlooking the gorgeous mountains of Charlottesville, VA! Sarah’s attention to detail was flawless. She not only kept her vineyard theme throughout the entire day, but also incorporated sentimental touches such as her grandmother’s blanket and jewelry box to make her decor all the more special. Grapevines, wine cork key chain favors and lots of Tiffany blue! They got creative and used an old door frame, vintage mantel, old clocks and candle sticks to give their ceremony a rustic look. The lighting was perfect, the dance floor was never empty and cake was delish! This DIY vineyard wedding could not have been any more perfect!” – Tamara Pizzeck Photography

“Hands down, walking down the aisle with my father and seeing my husband’s face smiling back at me. I had been a nervous wreck all morning/afternoon and seeing him standing there with the biggest grin on his face was instantly calming to me. It really was the greatest moment and feeling I have ever had – in that moment I felt like the happiest and luckiest girl in the entire world…

..When planning our wedding it didn’t seem like I had that much DIY, but now looking back, I really did! My mother and I hand-dipped, decorated, and packaged 100 caramel apples as our favors, the Friday before the wedding. I made the key chains from wine corks that were given to me from the vineyard. Our reception centerpieces and ceremony aisle decor was pieced together from random things I found and loved at Garden Ridge. Table numbers were printed and placed in frames I bought on clearance from Pier 1 and Home Goods. The wooden shutters were painted and hinged by my father who I had hammer nails into them to hold the escort tags which were handwritten by me. I also wrote our ceremony program, bar menu, and menu on old wooden windows that came out of my parent’s basement. I also found the ceremony mantle in the basement, which had come out of a house my grandfather used to own. Everything else, the random knick knacks, mantle decor, and welcome table trinkets all came from junk stores or were antiques I borrowed from my grandmother… I took a jewelry box right off of her dresser and I even used a blanket of hers that was handmade and given to her on her wedding day over 50 years ago. As for the door frame, it came out of an old house in my home town that I purchased from the Habitat for Humanity store in town. I had my dad add the metal address numbers to be the date of our wedding. Our fingerprint guestbook was designed and drawn by my younger sister and bridesmaid, Amie…

..Yes, kind of. I forgot to ask to borrow something until I was walking down the aisle, but three out of four is good enough right? My something new was my dress and veil, blue was my shoes, and old was my garter which was given to me to wear during an impromptu bachelorette party I had after one of my bridal showers…

..Don’t let anyone interfere with the way YOU see your dream wedding. If they don’t like the meal you are picking because it’s non-traditional, don’t let them be a deciding factor in whether you choose it or not. If they don’t like the dress you are absolutely in love with, don’t let them make you second guess yourself into purchasing another one. It’s your wedding day, not theirs. You are in control of your choices, they are not. Stick to what you believe in and you will truly be happy with the results.” – Sarah, the bride

photography: Tamara Pizzeck Photography // venue: Keswick Vineyards, Charlottesville, VA // dress: Allure Romance #2512  from Caryn’s Bridals in Farmville, VA // bridesmaid dresses: Bill Levkoff Style 334 in Glacier // mens atttire: Jos. A. Bank // cake: Chandler’s Bakery // flowers: Special Touch Designs // caterer: C&O Restaurant // rentals: MS Events // favors, centerpieces, table numbers, ALL ceremony decor including shutters and wooden door frame: DIY-ed by the bride and her family // guestbook tree: DIY by the brides sister Amie