High school sweethearts Michelle + Jimmy had one of the most special and personal weddings I’ve seen in a while! Since they grew up just a few houses down the street from each other, they decided to celebrate at both of their parent’s homes — with a memorable ceremony at a ”chapel in the woods”, handcrafted by Jimmy in his parent’s backyard, followed by a gorgeous reception underneath a light-filled Sperry tent in Michelle’s parent’s backyard. Such a sweet way to take advantage of such a unique situation! Here’s a bit more from Michelle about their inspiration for the day:

We wanted our wedding to be about celebrating our love with our family and friends. We didn’t want to have a traditional wedding filled with things that “you’re supposed to do”. We wanted to spend every minute enjoying each other, the day, and our friends + family. We have been together for about 12 years, since high school, and we wanted to embrace that in our wedding. Our friend married us, and everything said and read at our ceremony was something that had true meaning to us. We wrote and read our own vows to each other, which was one of my favorite parts of the whole day.

Big thanks to Pat Furey for the stunning photography + congratulations Michelle + Jimmy!

Walking barefoot up the path in the woods to see Jimmy for the first time. It was such a beautiful setting ... after 1.5 years of planning, the roller coaster of dealing with Hurricane Andrea + all the rain, the moment couldn't have been more perfect. I was so happy to see him. It was only drizzling but we were covered by the trees, and the sun actually came out as we were taking pictures.

Loving Jimmy’s awesome, unconventional attire + Michelle’s pretty, textural bouquet!

Processional: Bridesmaids: Love Story – Taylor Swift; Bride: Pachelbel's Canon

Recessional: Send Me On My Way – Rusted Root

First Dance: Who Are You When I'm Not Lookin' (originally by Blake Shelton), played live by my brother, Matt + my cousin, Dave

In addition to the extremely personal setting, there are tons of lovely details throughout – so much inspiration for all of you throwing a fun backyard wedding!

Pick a few things that are most important to you and your fiancé and stick to making them happen. Let everything else go. Remember that the day is about the two of you celebrating your love, nothing else, so no matter what happens it will be the most perfect day in itself.

photography: Pat Furey // venue: parent’s backyards, New Jersey // event planner: SociaLife // floral + event design: Faye and Renee // wedding dress: Wtoo ”Bristol” // hairpieces: flowers by Faye and Renee // shoes: Toms // bridesmaid dresses: All different from different stores // hair: Milagro // makeup: Glow Artistry // groom suit: Michael Bastian // videography: Endless Wave // paper goods: Art Paper Scissors // catering: Pat Conte // cake: Cupcake Magician // music: an awesome band starring my younger brother, my cousin, and two family friends

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