A DIY Camp Wedding

Today’s wedding has a venue you might not have thought of, camp! Lindsay and Ryan wanted a relaxed weekend of fun for their 250+ guests, so a camp wedding is the perfect solution. I am completely in love with the cute s’mores bar and all the rustic details. Plus, it comes from one of my favorite photographers, Lauren Piper! Most definitely a do not miss!

The lovely bride Lindsay shares all the great details:

Ryan and I were engaged in May of 2010, after 9 years of friendship, and only 4 months of dating! We lived at a distance, and didn’t want a long, drawn out engagement. Moving to the same state and starting our lives together was priority one. When planning our wedding, Ryan and I focused on one thing…COMMUNITY. Our guest list was plentiful, with near 400 guests to invite between our families, friends, and ministry students. Without hesitation, we went straight for a camp, which would give us the comfortable, yet rustic, outdoor, and community-based venue we envisioned.

Our wedding took place at North Bay Adventure Camp in North East, Maryland. Young Life, the company Ryan works for, rents this camp each winter and summer, takings swarms of kids to experience what the company calls “the best week of their life”. We rented out North Bay to give our loved ones “the best weekend of their life”…and the added bonus of seeing us get hitched! Our guests relaxed all weekend with activities like hiking, high ropes courses, zip lines, Frisbee golf challenges, cabin vs. cabin dodge ball tournaments, late nights around the fire, and so much more. North Bay offered us a one-stop-shop from staff, hotel-like lodging, and food, to entertainment, activities and fire pits! Our guests were able to live together, eat together, and play together. Having our wedding at North Bay also gave Ryan and me the ability to relax and visit with our friends for a weekend, rather than only for those short, blurry reception hours.

We built our wedding around our personalities and the things that are important to us like nature, faith, friends, family, and food! Guests walked around all weekend quoting how so very “Lindsay & Ryan” each event was. Our color pallet was simple with earth tones used in everything from the décor to the dresses. Lanterns, also used in our engagement, lit the aisle way, the ceremony stage, and the reception tables. We recycled tree trunks and limbs and fallen leaves, which had been knocked down by storms, to decorate things like the stage and our guests’ place cards. We even used the bark from the trees to create natural vases to hold the hydrangeas on the tables.

The most memorable part of our wedding was the dance party that ensued, hands down. Take 250 extroverts, some beverages and joy, throw in some of music’s classics, a disco ball, and glow sticks, and you’ve got yourself one memorable dance party. Our DJ even stayed an extra hour to accommodate the fun!