The Details

Hair Clip & Boutonniere byPixel & Hank

Vintage Bow Ties by OMan77

Burlap Table Runners by Sweet Tea and Linen

“CELEBRATE” Banner by Classicly Amber

Bracelet by Sparrow

Mustache Buttons by Barrel of Monkeys

Cake Topper by Vintage by Crystal

Glass Decanter & Honeycomb Wedding Bell Decorations by Violets and Grace

Birch Sign Holders by Knitting Momma

Personalized Champagne Flutes by Laserbird

Jon’s Wedding Ring by Zoe & Doyle

Mini Chalkboards by Posh Pilfer

Digital Calligraphy by Ellas Paper

Vintage Postcards by Isabellablue

Vintage Buttons and Found Objects by Cameo’s Collectibles

Flower Embellishments & Vintage Carnival Tickets by wild heart

Guinea Feathers by KIMONOS

Photography by Nadia Huerta of June Bug Co.

Melanie and Jon’s chose Shipwrecks Beach  in Kauai, Hawaii for the location of their destination wedding.  The couple spent a week alone on the beautiful island before travelling home to host their reception.  90 or so guests celebrated with them at the Filter Building on White Rock Lake in their hometown of Dallas, Texas. 

What was your theme/colors and what inspired it? 

My theme was “Vintage meets Modern”. My colors were ivory (and other off-whites) with black like the pages of an old book. Very contrasty! I had three inspirations:

1. The building was a big part in the decorating/designing. That is where we first started. It was an old water utilities building that has now been restored for meetings, weddings, and parties. The inside still has it’s exposed red brick walls, iron trusses, concrete floors and a ton of beautiful windows overlooking the lake. It is very old and a part of Dallas history, yet it is now modern and industrial.  

2. BIRDS! I love birds. I slipped in ever so slightly the hint of birds in my decorations. The guinea feathers looked like leaves on the willow branches (in the bottles), our cake topper was a Mr. & Mrs. bird couple, our champagne flutes had birds etched on them, I had vintage bird figurines placed throughout, and I had a vintage birdcage I decorated with a vintage velvet bird to hold cards and messages in place of a guest book. 

3. Texture was another inspiration. With the bricks, concrete, & iron, I picked up on textures found in nature to balance out the industrial side of things. I chose burlap table runners, manzanita branches, willow branches and grapewood for my centerpieces, birch card holders for my signs, and more. I also chose lots of clear glass like tons of old bottles & cake stands to display my Ranunculus flowers & found antique items.  

I definitely wanted to be different with my centerpieces, so I designed everything myself. They were weird and modern in the sense of I knew a lot of my friends and family would have never seen anything like them at a wedding. They also featured a lot of old items like old bottles, vintage love post cards, keys, buttons, books, letters, and more, which we love – anything with history means a lot to us.

What was your favorite Etsy find? 

I loved our cake topper. Definitely unique and unusual for a typical wedding. Two love birds in a tree about to get married – perfect. The leaves were made from pages of an old book and the birds were dressed up old fashion style. It is now on display in my bedroom on a shelf. It’s a keeper!  

Also Jon’s wedding ring. It is Titanium and handcrafted by a fellow Etsy shop. It is very unique and I am happy to say that it was not store bought. Someone put their sweat and tears into that ring and it was specially handcrafted for my husband.

What creative (DIY) or personal aspects did you include in your wedding? 

Well, I basically designed everything myself. I designed the centerpieces from glass, vintage finds and natural items like grapewood, manzanita branches, and willow. I asked a friend to design the wedding invitations & signs, I ordered flowers wholesale online, collected vintage/antique & Etsy items, designed the “Cards & Well Wishes” (in place of a guest book) station by taking an old birdcage and dressing it up, collected old hats and bow-ties, made mustaches on sticks, and added a couple of pairs of funny glasses to make the “Dress Up” station for pictures, and I order wacky vintage candy online to create the “Candy Shop”. It included candy necklaces, wax lips, mustache pins, bubble gum cigars and more! Everyone had fun with it. To add to the wackiness (which is another fun aspect of Jon and I) we had stripey straws, vintage noise makers, and lil’ chalk boards to write messages for the photos.

What’s the best advice you have for planning your wedding now that you’re on the other side?

Definitely take your time & get organized. I enjoyed shopping on Etsy and going to antique stores to collect everything I wanted for the wedding reception. It took a little over a year, but it was worth it. Just by spending the time to blend my own quirky style with the ideas from several DIY/Indie wedding blogs, I came up with the perfect wedding reception that fit both of our personalities. 

Also count your family and friends on being in the “Decorating Committee”. Without them, it would have been hectic the day of the reception. I first thought that I could do it all by myself, but realized I was in over my head. I ended up taking the time to print photos of my decorations, then glued them on to paper and wrote “How To” notes on the assembly of each centerpiece and station we had. I also put everything in boxes and wrote what was in each box on the outside to match up to my notes. It was pretty much stress-free and we had a lot of fun setting up.

What is the most memorable moment of your day? 

I loved dancing all night long, seeing friends and family we had not seen in a long time and hearing how much everyone loved the reception. It meant a lot to Jon and I to share our union in marriage with our “near and dears” at the reception. I was very proud to see all of my hard work in action and that everyone was really impressed.