You're not going to want to miss ANYTHING from this dreamy DIY wedding!!!
Shea Shoemaker
Shea Shoemaker February 06, 2019

Dreamy Handmade Wedgewood Vellano Wedding

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What is your favorite wedding day memory?

I remember being in church during our ceremony and looking back to get a peek at our guests. I turned and saw everyone’s faces looking forward, the people in our lives we love so much who came from near and far to be there for us. Total mental snapshot right then and there. The pews were filled with the most special people to us and seeing their faces in that instant is a memory I will never forget. It was amazing to be surrounded with that love and happiness all around.

Leading up to the wedding my favorite memory is having my partner in crime right there with me through all the late nights after work, crafting and DIY’ing. When I decided to design, print and wax seal 200 save the dates. I melted, he stamped and we folded and stuffed 200 favor boxes with all the madness sprawled out on our living room floor? He was right there too. One night I was going nuts trying to get our entrance mirror design applied straight, but there he was to save the day and draw grid lines so I could get it just right. His support kept me sane and kept me going in my sea of DIY projects and overall wedding planning.

What did you DIY for your wedding?

I love weddings and I love crafting. I was ready for the job. We DIY’d our little hearts out from start of the engagement through the wedding. I absolutely love my Cricut machine and would not have been able to pull off all my projects without it. For my Maid-of-Honor proposals I used my Cricut to put “Will you Be my Maid of Honor” on giant pink balloons and filled them with chunky gold and white confetti. Popping them with the girls was super fun and made for a cute boomerang on Instagram. I did some digital DIY and made an engagement announcement/save the date video clip. I’m not a professional AT ALL, but I made a quick save the date clip using iMovie to send our family and friends. I also did a quick video to announce my official bridesmaid squad to the tune of Golden Girls, you know…thank you for being a friend! The golden girls are who I want to be when I grow up, and it was easy to text or put on social media to share the wedding excitement.

I didn’t have a theme per say but my favorite book is Pride and Prejudice and so I wanted to incorporate vintage vibes. Going with the vibe, my husband hand painted blank wooden peg dolls from Amazon for our cake topper to look like Darcy and Elizabeth. They came out adorable! He also hand painted the “Up” House on balsa wood for our guestbook so guests could sign little wooden balloons and stick them above the little Up house on a wooden board he made. We plan on framing it and hanging it in our home. I ordered magnets for Save the Dates, but instead of just mailing them out as is, I printed a design I liked on vellum paper, made a sleeve for the magnet and sealed them with some thin gold string and a wax seal. I ordered our initials on a wax seal on Etsy for cheap. For the seating chart I wanted to have something a little different and with the help of my amazing dad, he built a standing seating chart with hanging acrylic squares for the tables. I used my Cricut to put our wedding logo on it and my husband helped me write all the table numbers on there and I traced all the names of our guests after I print them out. I am not a calligrapher and my penmanship is quite bad but I was able to fake it. I love love love how it came out. Our florist decorated it on the day of the wedding and it was quite a beauty. My dad was also able to build a wooden arch that went above our sweetheart table for the reception- which we can repurpose, maybe in the garden with some climbing jasmine? (next project). I wanted some tables to be different at the reception and scoured the internet to find supplies to make hanging bridge centerpieces. We bought pre-cut wood at home depot and painted them, found glass globe tealight holders on Ebay and fishing line, vases from dollar tree, and bought some metal stands to hold up the wood pieces. I think they came out dreamy. All the drapery for the entry/and exits and sweetheart table I bought in a big roll at wholesale pricing in our local garment district. All the table numbers were made by us too. My dad cut the acrylic and cut the little slats of wood to hold the numbers. We stained and painted and I used my Cricut yet again to make the numbers to go on them.

I called my bridesmaid with a Cricut and as an excuse to hang out we tag teamed to make 30 hotel guest bags using iron on vinyl and our wedding logo. She also made hotel door hangers for our guests that went in the bag. Other Cricut DIY projects included the signage on our entry way mirror, ring dishes for the bridesmaids, lettering on the card box, memorial table mirror, and tissues packages for the wedding guests for their happy tears. Another thing we did to DIY is print our own menus at home and ceremony wedding programs using a home printer.

I am half Mexican and Filipino so I wanted to incorporate some culture into our wedding and introduce my new family to some of my other side. My very own family learned and performed a traditional Filipino dance known as the tinikling where dancers imitate the tinikling bird and it’s grace and speed by skillfully maneuvering between large bamboo poles that are beating and tapping on the ground against each other. My Mom sewed all the costumes for our family troupe of dancers and coordinated all that practice! The best was when our guests were invited try the dance and seeing my groom and our families take a turn at it.

Did you have a something old, new borrowed, blue?

My Mama (Grandma) wrote me letters and for my something blue I was able to get her handwriting embroidered in blue on a vintage floral piece of fabric. I then hand stitched the fabric patch into my wedding dress a few nights before my wedding. It reads “Te quiero mucho, tu Mama Julia”. My Grandma was my other Mom growing up and was the biggest blessing to my life. She passed away when I was in college and not a day goes by that I don’t miss her. I of course was a bawling mess as I stitched it in place, but it is to me the most special piece that I will cherish for always. I reached out to Shawne Bennett of Embroiderwee on Etsy and let her know my idea, not knowing if this is something she’d be interested in doing. She loved the idea and was on board immediately. She was absolutely the best and so amazingly talented (If you know Pride and Prejudice I think the fact that she is a Bennett meant our stars were aligned).

For my something old I had my Tia Socorro’s necklace pendant. My grandma’s sister passed away a year before and I was lucky to take home with me her pendant. I asked our florist to put the pendant on my bridal bouquet and walked down the aisle with that special piece too. My new was my dress and veil. Who knew the something borrowed wasn’t only for brides! My husband’s something borrowed was his best man’s cufflinks that he wore on his own wedding day. For me -I borrowed my bridesmaid’s heel guards that kept my heels from going into the grass during pictures. Those were a lifesaver!

Any advice for brides currently in the planning process?

I can’t recommend Etsy enough. I love supporting small businesses and you really feel like a VIP on Etsy because you can get anything custom, custom, custom. Don’t be afraid to message the shop owners and ask for what it is you’re looking for or any customization you need. 9/10 they can make it for you. I had so many custom requests and the shop owners were always so friendly and helpful. Hire a great photographer – like we did, Nataly at MFD Photo is amazing. This person will be with you more than your own family on your wedding day up close and personal and having someone you genuinely like is icing on the cake and makes your wedding memories enjoyable.

I don’t remember the stress so much, but what I DO remember is the best memories that came from it like so much quality time with your friends and family. Also, beautiful does not need to be expensive. A lot of our décor I shopped right off my Mom’s living room walls (the entry way mirror/candle sticks from my aunt). I found so many great décor pieces at flea markets, swap meets, thrift stores, Marshall’s, OfferUp, etc. I had so much fun with my husband, mom and friends finding gems along the way. There are so many little decisions you will have to make on the journey to the big day, if there is something you really want to splurge on, do it and find other ways to cut back in other areas. I lost sleep over minor things like mercury votives that were out of budget, but after hours and hours of looking at them and deliberating a wise friend said Just.do. it. So I did and moved onto the next thing. If you do get overwhelmed, call your bridesmaids and vent and take a break from wedding stuff when you need to. – Tiffany, the Bride

Event Credits

Photography: MFD Photo // Ceremony Venue: St. Thomas More Church // Reception Venue: Wedgewood Vellano // Florist: Royal Bee Floral Design and Event Styling // Invitation Design File: Fabled Weddings // Videographer: Kreate Entertainment // Transportation: Luxury Coast Charters // Engagement Ring: Happy Jewelers // Bride's Attire: Allure Bridals // Bride's Shoes: Badgley Mischka // Bridal Earrings: EAB Designs // Hair + Make-up: Glamour on the Go // Groom's Attire: Dolce Vita // Wax Seal: Zakkaparts // Dress Embroidery: Embroiderwee

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