We are obsessed with this rustic outdoor wedding FULL of handmade details!
Shea Shoemaker
Shea Shoemaker March 16, 2020

Gorgeous Handmade Wedding at Brown Family Homestead

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“From the beginning, Ashley and Dan knew they wanted to keep their day simple and laid back. When I first spoke with them, Ashley told me that they were just excited to get together with family and friends and be swept up in the beauty of their mountain venue. But with her being quite the creative mind and a big crafter, she couldn’t help but bring together so many little personal details to go along with a rustic camp + old literature theme. If you wouldn’t have thought to combine a camp theme with a bookworm theme—just wait until you see how these details go together.

Details included old-fashioned library catalog cards and card boxes, antique books, hand-made paper corsages and boutonnieres, wildflowers, campfire tins, a trail mix bar, and yard games. They even fashioned their own logo for their wedding day.

What really struck me about this wedding day, though, was how well Ashley and Dan, along with both of their families, truly seemed to fit together. It was as though this day was meant to happen all along, since the day they met at the Sasquatch Music Festival six years earlier. Everyone they loved came together in the mountains on a Tuesday to witness these two exchange heartfelt vows, make big speeches, and dance the night away like it was 1999.” –DBK Photography

What is your favorite wedding day memory?

The most amazing part of our wedding day was having all of our families together. We loved sharing our wedding vows in front of the people that we love dearly. One of our main goals in the planning process was to create an event that felt cozy and fun for everyone involved. It was wonderful to see everyone enjoying themselves at the homestead, and what can we say? Our family LOVES to dance!

Our absolute favorite memory after the ceremony was sitting under the stars at the ceremony site. It was lovely to be able to reflect on the gorgeous day, before retiring to the adorable treehouse on site. My dress was absolutely full of mud, but it was the perfect day!

What did you DIY for your wedding?

Wow! Where do we start? We DIY’ed pretty much everything. Daniel and I have always had a love for crafting and reading, so we wanted to create an event that honored our love for all things DIY. I hand stamped the hangers for all of the bridal party outfits. I hand made all of the boutonnieres and corsages. I created book page flowers, and handmade each piece. Daniel and I sewed 300-400 feet of buntings from reclaimed fabrics to hang from the outdoor tent. As a Library worker and as Daniel and I are avid readers, it was important to us to bring a little ‘library love’ to the event. We hand stamped a card catalog borrowing card with each guests name. We paired these with a hand stamped metal drink charm with the name of each guest. Guests drank from custom camping mugs designed by Daniel. We made burlap and book page table runners as well as book page and watercolor print table numbers, and created a box for our cards. We even made an absolutely adorable bandana for our dog of honor, Penny! One of our most treasured memories from the wedding weekend was visiting the Roots produce and flower farm. They created a stunning floral arch for our ceremony, and created the gorgeous flower crowns for the bridal party. The bridal party met at the farm and hand picked and assembled all of the centerpieces for the event. It was such a special morning! We were initially drawn to the look of wildflowers, but as gardeners it was so fun to choose local and seasonal flowers. It was such a blast. I can’t say enough about the amazing folks over at Roots!

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

Yes! I come from a happily mixed family, so it was special to be able to carry something from each side of my family. My ‘old’ item was a rosary belonging to my Godmother that had very recently passed away. It was comforting knowing that part of her was with me on my special day. For my ‘something new’, my mother lent me a gorgeous pair of diamond earrings. For my something blue, I was able to wear a bracelet with a pendant from my Stepmother and father’s wedding day.

Any advice for brides currently in the planning process?

We found so much joy in custom tailoring an event that just spoke to who we are. It was a difficult year, as during our planning process, I lost my Godmother around the same time that my husband to be had an emergency surgery about three months before the wedding. It was a period of loss, followed by a gorgeous, beautiful day and lots of love. It was nice having a few craft projects to fall back on while we were processing everything. Our number one tip for brides, and grooms currently planning (because our event was %100 percent a tandem effort) is to let go of the reins a bit and hire a wedding planner or at least a day of planner. We were so lucky to have one of our best friends, Lacey Johnson coordinating day of. She is a project manager by day, and a superhero by night (we’re pretty sure!). She made sure that set up went smoothly, and that everything went smooth for our vendors. Another point of advice is not to stress about the dress. Nontraditional dresses for nontraditional babes is a-ok! Don’t sweat the small stuff on the day of! Things won’t go to plan! We forgot the grooms/bridesmen’s custom suspenders at home in our closet the day of. We frantically called our apartment’s super and had them handed over to our good friend Vivian. Things will work out!! We learned to believe in a little bit of ‘wedding magic’! Days before our wedding there was an intense wildfire blowing through the areas surrounding our venue. When we arrived with the bridal party to our Leavenworth cabin, we were greeted by a yellow evacuation notice on the door. Luckily this was pre-emptive. We were able to enjoy our weekend and the day of our wedding the winds shifted in the opposite direction. We were so scared that we would have to cancel our day, or that our photos wouldn’t accurately portray the breathtaking views at the homestead but, how wrong we were! Honestly, everything came together better than we could’ve imagined. At the end of the night the homestead staff lead a white horse into the reception area. I felt like Stevie Nicks in a Fleetwood Mac video, which honestly is GOALS. -Ashley, the Bride

Event Credits

Photography: DBK Photography // Venue: Brown Family Homestead // Flowers: Roots Produce and Flower Farm // Catering: County Boy's Southern Style BBQ // Desserts: Homefires Bakery // Invitations: Minted // DJ: JMG Entertainment // Engagement Ring: Brilliant Earth // Bride + Bridesmaid's Attire: Lovely Bride // Bride's Shoes: Swedish Hasbeens // Frida Kahlo Shawl: Apple Branches Vintage // Hair + Make-up: Kat St. John Make-up and Styling // Groom's Attire: Men's Warehouse // Groom's Shoes: Clarks // Flannels for Wedding Party: JM Kiser Special Events // Kid Activity Books: Lovely Indeed // Guest Book Puzzle: Cat and Bear Creations // Wedding Mugs: Gift Yard // Library Borrowing Cards: Wrap Works


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