Emma and Chris just moved back to Austin from NYC and planned their gorgeous DIY wedding with family and friends in mind.

Emma is an incredible illustrator and designer who  used her own blog in the planning process Her  theme was  an eclectic mix of everything they love: the old west, mexico, succulents, vintage ephemera, moss, Liberty florals and their French Bulldog- Colby.

Chris' sister Kelly Lynn James is the  photographer that did their amazing Mexico inspired engagement session. (We loved that she carried around her Holga all night!)

Here are some notes  from the bride on her planning:

"Our centerpieces were a wonderful collaboration of family and friends. My mother and our dear friend Ann gathered all the succulents and potted them the day before the wedding in little terra cotta pots. They arranged them on the tables with Mexican tiles that had been brought to us from Mexico from my sister-in-law, Kelly. For the table names I used scans from a book from the 1940s that I found in a thrift store years ago called "What kinda cactus izzat?". I had used cactus on our invitations so I loved being able to incorporate the cactus motif but in a more humorous way.

 I designed and printed all of the escort cards and program fans, which were inspired by old timey western posters. I love moss and had to incorporate it somehow so we covered a table with it and stuck all the escort cards into it. It was possibly my favorite detail of the wedding.

For my dress I had a vision of this shimmery fabric and I couldn’t find a dress with it anywhere so I ended up making it. I found the fabric and vintage metallic trims in NYC and instead of making my dress from scratch I re-vamped a dress that had a perfect fit that I bought off the rack.  My Matron of Honor, Tina, designed my headband, necklace and bracelets out of re-purposed vintage pieces. My sandals were from Steve Madden (conveniently called the “bride sandal”).

 I had my bridesmaids wear a range of vibrant warm colors. They got to pick their own dresses so there was an element of surprise when they all got to town and we got to see them all together. I had the florist make their bouquets with Ranunculus and succulents. Each bouquet had a different color Ranunculus, which tied the girls together nicely. My Bridesmaid, Susan, styled the bridesmaids with color coordinated rings and bangles from Dinosaur Designs.

 We had the Groomsmen in light grey suit pants and vests from J. Crew and had them wear Liberty of London for Target Ties. They all grew their own mustaches -except one!"


We set up a backdrop for formals and shot a little film and polaroid- her friends made up the best toast- Mad Lib style and the funky boxing gloves made the photobooth lots of fun!

Cheers to Chris and Emma and their new adventures in Austin!

See their SLIDESHOW here!
And see the feature on ONCE WED here!























Vendors/Resources:

Wedding Coordinator: Lindsey Webb
Vintage Trim: Tinsel Trading Co.
Bridesmaids Jewelry: Courtesy of Susan Beh at Dinosaur Designs
Antique Wedding Band: Erie Basin
Bridal jewelry: Tina Lurvey
Centerpieces: Ann James
Flowers: Verbena Floral Design
Venue: House on the Hill
Catering: Matt’s El Rancho
Dessert: Amy's Ice Cream