DIY Garden Wedding | Jen & Matthew

If there’s one thing we love, it’s when a couple makes their wedding their own. With thoughtful details and a lot of help from their awesome family and friends, Matthew & Jen threw the perfect DIY garden wedding. Everything from the signs to the wedding bands was DIY! Jen & Matthew said:

We made almost all the signs that we placed around the venue, and spent a fair bit of time painting/customizing bottles and lanterns that we used as decorations. Our “guestbook” was a globe that we painted over in blue and copper to have people sign. Flowers were a family affair. The bride and bridesmaids made their greenery crowns. Various small hand-written signs and the chalkboard sign were done by bridesmaid, Chelsea. We made the “Always” cake topper and the bride made the leaf cupcake toppers. The gum paste cake succulent cake toppers were made by a friend of the bride.

Still can’t believe Matthew made that ring box and their wedding bands!

Favorite moments of the day:

His: The first look! I was standing there waiting for her, so excited (and a bit nervous, I’m sure), and I heard footsteps. I couldn’t believe I was about to see her! The footsteps got closer and stopped, I figured it was time and probably stopped breathing for a second — but then I find out it’s Cat coming to lead me to a different spot, and I had to keep my eyes covered while walking across unknown terrain! I was laughing to myself about it, and that definitely helped relax me. I got to the new spot, Jen came out, I turned around, and just… Wow. It was such a great moment, one I’ll always cherish. Close runner-ups would be our “personal messages” during the ceremony, and the sparkler sendoff.

Hers: Although the first look was pretty great, my favorite moment was when we were just hanging out together behind the doors waiting to be announced [into the reception]. It was a minute to breathe, let the realization settle in that we were officially married, and just enjoy each other’s company – while spying on our friends and family from between the cracks!

The inspiration for their big day was “fairy forest.” Jen envisioned twinkle lights and a forest setting, Harmony Gardens certainly provided the perfect vibe for their DIY garden wedding.

The actual “ring-bear-er” :)

A cat lady after my own heart. ;)

These two made all of their awesome signs – I especially love their save the sea turtles sign! They had almost zero single-use plastic at their wedding. They skipped the unnecessary straws, used cloth napkins, and opted for biodegradable bamboo plates! Their take-home gift was reusable cups which also change colors with hot/cold – I totally took one of those home. ;)

Matt has a serious love for baseball, so it was only appropriate that he and his mother dance to “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.”

Annnd as a Marine Biologist, Jen has a serious love for sharks. In lieu of the traditional garter/bouquet, Jen tossed a stuffed whale shark and Matthew, a stuffed Oriole – the crowd was clearly into it. :)

I feel like I used 20 smiley emojis throughout this blog post but I just couldn’t help myself – their whole day had us smiling hard! Jen & Matthew are a one-of-a-kind pair and it was a true honor to document the start of their marriage! I kiiiind of wish we could do it again! :)

Much Love – The SFP Team