“Amanda is a talented artist with skills in graphic design and crafts. So, she hand crafted an arrangement of bouquets for her centerpieces as well as her own bouquet! The details were thoughtful, specific and creative, including things like eucalyptus leaves and fern leaves (made from paper). To add the couple’s personality, she paid homage to one of their favorite games – Nintendo’s Mario – by even making Piranha flowers for their cake table. The fun, vintage video game details continued in the centerpieces. They had light up figures representing Halo, Street Fighter, Zelda and Link, Mario, and more. For food indications on name tags, they used Pokemon stickers to represent fish or beef. Fish was Magikarp, while beef was Tauros.” –Krizel Photography

What is your favorite wedding day memory?

I had so much fun on my wedding day that it’s hard to pick one favorite memory! We had an absolutely wonderful bird show after our ceremony, and my husband and I got to interact with a vulture and an African Grey crowned crane. We also had a giraffe feeding and my hand got completely slimed by a giraffe’s tongue {their tongues are up to 20 inches long}! My dad and I also did a silly disco dance for our father-daughter dance and it’s such a great memory!

What did you DIY for your wedding?

I DIY’d tons of stuff for my wedding! For my invitations, I first sketched a design on my iPad, vectorized the drawing on my computer, printed them, and then did a “hot foil stamping” process to make my design metallic. It was a lot of work, but the invitations turned out so cool! My mom helped me assemble them all, and it made the process a lot faster. I also made all of the paper flowers for the bouquets and centerpieces for my wedding. I used my silhouette paper cutter to cut out over one thousand flower petals, leaves, and filler plants. I used A LOT of paper for this project, and it took over one month to cut out every piece! Luckily, when it came time to assemble the flowers, I had tons of help from my family.

My husband and I love video games, so we had a video game themed wedding. In addition to the floral centerpieces, I made the seating chart, table numbers, and place cards. Each table featured a different game we liked—we also found some really neat lights shaped like pixelated game characters, and they looked very nice at night. My aunts and sister also made a kransekake for the wedding which is a traditional Norwegian wreath cake. The cake’s decorations were inspired by video games and it was super delicious!

Did you have something old, new borrowed and blue?

I did! My something old was a hand embroidered handkerchief that my great-great grandmother made. Each bride in my family has carried it and I carried it wrapped around the stem of my bouquet. My something new was my dress, veil, and a necklace my aunt got me. I borrowed a pair of pearl earrings from another aunt. My mom sewed some blue threads in my dress for my something blue.

Any advice for brides currently in the planning process?

If you’re doing a lot of DIY things for your wedding, make sure you have a backup plan just in case things don’t work out. Also, don’t be afraid to ask for help from family members and friends! – Amanda, the Bride

Event Credits

Photography: Krizel Photography // Venue: Fresno Chaffee Zoo // Wedding Planner: Your Inspired Event // Cake: Nothing Bundt Cakes // Desserts: Sprinkles Donuts // DJ: Light Up the Walls // Engagement Ring: Alternatives Lapidary // Bride's Attire: Kenneth Winston // Bride's Shoes: Nordstrom // Bride's Necklace: Fandom Regalia // Bridesmaid's Attire: ASOS // Hair: Michael Blunt Salon