A DIY wedding filled with handcrafted details you have to see to believe is just what this Thursday needs if you ask us! Cyndi, the beautiful bride, made just about every detail for her + Sean's wedding, including the placemats, place card holders, oversized dream catchers, macrame alter curtain, paper goods, centerpieces, cake topper, and more. Talk about a hands-on bride! :) Below, Cyndi shares more about the inspiration behind their celebration and she has more details for us throughout the post, too. Fellow DIY brides take note! You just might learn a couple of tips from this crafty duo.

Every little detail of our wedding was both a representation of meaningful things that we mutually love as well as a glimpse into our relationship that we have built over the past 9 years. Our parents were married in the 1970s and we wanted to convey that same free-spirited attitude on our big day. We incorporated many vintage antiques from our own home to decorate the venue with and additionally made many handmade goods. We can proudly say that we did not hire anyone to design or create our wedding. We set out to design and create every aspect and element ourselves, and with the help of talented family members and close friends we were able to pull it off!

Thanks so much to Caleb John Hill for the beautiful images below...

On her (gorgeous) dress, Cyndi says, As for my dress, the funny thing is that growing up I never really had a "dream" dress in mind for my wedding day. I do remember my mother having vintage 1970's, crocheted pattern books. And she would say that some day she would crochet a dress for me for my wedding day.By chance, the dress I ended up falling in love with (by Kite & Butterfly) was a beautiful head-to-toe, French, crocheted, lace dress. You never know what will make a lasting impression on you as a young girl, but I couldn't be happier that I found something so reminiscent of my memories.

Sean: I loved seeing my Bride-to-be for the first time during the "first look" moment. I'm not an especially nervous guy, but it was at that moment that everything became real and I finally felt at ease with everything. We had spent the morning apart as we both got ready and hung out with friends. So when it came time to see her for the first time in her dress (which I hadn't previously seen), I became really emotional because it was the realization that all of the hard work and dedication spent toward creating this day had finally become about that very moment. And she looked more beautiful than I could have ever imagined. She was glowing and her warm smile melted my heart in that moment. There could have been a million people surrounding us, and I wouldn't have even noticed because I was blown away by her beauty. This was the woman I was about to marry and she looked perfect! We got to take our time and enjoy each other, all the while taking a huge breath and realizing that everything was now out of our control and we could spend the rest of the day enjoying what we had worked so hard for. For me, that moment was about us and our love for each other.

Cyndi: The dinner was magical! The bistro lighting created a perfect glowing tent over the tables in the
meadow.

We loved looking out at all of our friends and family at the communal style tables laughing and enjoying themselves.

It was the one part of the day that I actually remember talking to and laughing with my new hubby.
I am so glad we sat together at our own table. It also allowed me to soak in the moment and look at everyone else.

Each guest was given a tiny gold spirit animal that held their place cards. And our very sweet 2 year old nephew ran from table to table collecting the animals and would then run to our sweetheart table to give them to us!

Processional: Groom + Wedding Party: Stand By Me - John Lennon; Bride: Cindy - Johnny Cash + Nick Cave

Recessional: Electric Love - Borns

First Dance: Happy Together - The Turtles

Want to see more? Of course you do! Check out the film below by Morgan Hydinger:

On the day, schedule time to step away with your new hubby/wife to enjoy all of the things that you have worked so hard to create. Also remind yourself that no matter how hard you try to plan everything out, something is bound to go wrong. Just know that and be okay with the unexpected.

photography: Caleb John Hill // venue: The 1909 Topanga, California // event design + planning: By the coupleflorals + hairpieces: Wildflora // wedding dress: Kite & Butterfly // shoes: SOTO // bridesmaid dresses: Dillard's (Girls), Forever 21 (Teenager) // hair + makeup: Tokiko Inoue // groom's suit: Macy's (Jacket), Joe's Jeans (Pants), Hudson (Boots), Ted Baker (Vest), Nordstroms (Shirt), J.Crew (Tie and Pocket Square) // videography: Morgan Hydinger // paper goods: DIY Project with help from Dennis Wanbaugh (talented brother-in-law), Color Images Burbank CA for printing // catering: DJ's Catering // cake: Jeremy Arredondo (talented Brother-in-law) // rentals: Siren Studios, The 1909, DJ's Catering // officiant: Rody Rafeh (Dear Friend of the couple) // music: Jonathan Rosales from Redshoe

GWS Preferred Wedding Artist Guide Members

Love our partner's work featured in this post? See more of it by visiting their Artist Guide profile.

J. Crew

Interested in becoming a GWS Preferred Artist? Apply Here.