November 7, 2015 was a live-changing date for me. After eight years of dating (technically seven, since we broke up for a year, but he doesn’t count it), I got married to the funniest guy I know and celebrated with family and friends.
Getting to that point, however, wasn’t entirely easy. Like most engaged couples, we were hit with the usual dread of planning a wedding: setting a budget, creating a guest list, finding a venue, crafting a menu, etc. but I took things a step further by turning my wedding into a DIY project.
From the moment we started planning, I knew that I didn’t want to be traditional with several aspects of the wedding, especially when it came to the bridal bouquet and centerpieces, and at the insistence of my friend, I made a Pinterest board with everything I thought would make our day special.
Bridal Bliss: Cassandra and Jurriel’s DIY Wedding Rocked
I’d fought back and forth with my mother over wanting alternatives to the conventional big floral bouquet and stumbled on photos of burlap, brooch, and fabric flower bouquets. Deciding to do a mix of the three, I continued searching on Pinterest for inspiration when I came across a rustic paper bouquet by crafter and designer Lia Griffith.
I was immediately smitten and then had a stroke of genius: what if my centerpieces were paper flowers?! Lia also had tutorials on her site and I was motivated further after falling for an adorable flower pom on Pinterest.
As a jewelry crafter and hobbyist, turning my bouquet, centerpieces, jewelry, and veil (oh yes, my veil, too) into a DIY project was right up my alley. The work, however, was as grueling as it was fun.
Wedding Trend of The Week: DIY Flower Fun
While dealing with everything else, I also had to make hundreds of flowers, and with limited help since I only had a maid of honor (whom I love to death), who was often busy.
I had to really streamline things, and so the first thing I took care of were the bouquets. If I didn’t finish anything else I planned to craft, my maid of honor and I would at least have our bouquets.
Read more of the D.I.Y. bride’s story at InStyle here.