First the bride’s sisters and her mother met weekly to put together a fabulous wedding shower for her.

As soon as that was over, we met weekly to create and glue and make and dream and talk and laugh and plan and gather supplies and create timelines.  It was a very DIY vintage-y wedding, for sure.

It is hard to recall who exactly saw which idea first but along the way we had giant paper flowers, and old frames with lace.  Tredessa brought a big stack of old lace curtains over and we created “lace balls” by using a glue mixture on the lace and forming it around balloons.  When it was dry, we popped the balloon and voila: a lace balloon ball to hang from the ceiling.

 UPDATE: tutorial for making lace lights.  They used kids balls, but essentially the same.  http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/12095885/list?utm_source=Houzz&utm_campaign=u292&utm_medium=email&utm_content=gallery19

Tredessa really liked the idea of a barn for a wedding and in short order her old roommate introduced us to a family who’d built a small barn on their 17 acres.  They used the downstairs of the barn for the owner’s hobby of hand-carving wooden carousel animals (which are amazing!) and the upstairs for family celebrations.  It was perfect!

We realized that to have a wedding ceremony, a celebration dinner, and photobooth and a dance floor all in one spot would be a tight, tight fit.  So Dessa decided to pray about finding a nice, small church for the ceremony and the next thing you know, New Horizons Christian Fellowship opened right up for us.  It was so cool, right across the interstate from the barn!

Here are some of Ellie’s photos {www.lilacphotography.com} showing the “things” of the wedding

We used things we have, antiques and vintage items to decorate at the wedding.  This old typewriter was at the guest table.

I have to say I have some talented kids.  Stormie designed and printed the super-cool wedding programs with the full love story on them.

Jovan created the flower mobile that hung over the guest table.

The wedding party on a framed poster.  Jar candles on a rustic candleabra for ambiance.

A felled branch was wrapped in white satin ribbon and candles in jars, along with lots of glass and heavy crystals embellished the “tree” we created.  The whole backdrop was draped in cottons and canvases creating a living room atmosphere.

The sidewalk to the church was lined in the trademark-Rhoades-family luminarias.  We used framed lace at both the church and the barn for the dinner celebration.

The gift area was comfy and merchandised with antiques.  Mercury-glass love birds on an old window from Tredessa’s grade school, touches of home.

Left, Tristan playing at the wedding.  Right, Tredessa and Ryan scattered photos of great-grandparents around the reception, witnesses to long love, a nod to their heritage.

An old brass and crystal chandelier got a coat of white paint for the wedding.  It hung right over the bride and groom during dinner.

Here is a look at things we made and the progression of the wedding as we were getting it set up.