Real Wedding: Meaghan and Steve

I am so in love with this sweet and rustic DIY Savannah wedding. The details are so charming and totally reflect the couple’s personalities! I love the cute portraits with the vintage cameras and books too!

The sweet bride Meaghan shares all the details:

Well, it was all DIY. We didn’t have a wedding planner or designer — just very helpful friends and family. There were a few things we tried to keep in mind — that many of our guests had never been to Savannah and we wanted to show them what it was like to live here; that nothing was fancy or uncomfortable; that we were incorporating our personalities into it.

We achieved the first thing by using all local vendors. I bought my dress at a local store (not a chain), our desserts were from a restaurant, etc. We also picked a venue that represented Savannah’s vintage style and charm. A brick ruin of a train shop isn’t the most obvious wedding venue, but it was for us! The brick walls, wrought iron, grassy lawns, open space and nooks and crannies all spoke to us. It is historic without being old.

Which brings me to being “not fancy.” That doesn’t mean we wanted it to be ugly. Just not fussy. Our invitations were made to look like old train tickets. We used glass canning jars from my grandfather root cellar in Illinois, wild (and wild-looking) flowers instead of formal arrangements, homemade table runners, cobalt blue glass bottles and lanterns collected along the way, and wooden folding chairs from the county fair in Illinois (also where Steve proposed). My bridesmaids were given a color to wear, but they picked their own dresses. We hired long-time friends bluegrass band Larkin Poe to provide fun and funky music and set a relaxing atmosphere. Our officiant was a noted public speaker, so she was relaxed and funny.

Our personalities definitely came through. In addition to all the above being extensions of us, we also took up a collection of gently used books for the local library. Guest favors were bookmarks, stickers and info about the library. I’m also an amateur photographer, so I had photos of family (both sides) strung up. We also have a couple of pictures with instruments, cameras and books. I gave Steve some Edgar Allan Poe cuff links. I had a “Grape Soda” pin from the movie UP on my bouquet.

I think for us we were most surprised at how much fun we had! We had been expecting to be stressed or so busy that we would just want it to be over, but we had a blast! We did a great job choosing who to work with, which made it easier. We also let the space and the evening do the work for us. We didn’t try to overdo it.