Planning a Country Wedding
My oldest daughter Stephanie gets married next June. As we plan for her formal wedding at Hotel Baker in St. Charles, I find myself looking back to my youngest daughter Bridget’s wedding this past October. While Stephanie’s wedding is all glitz and glam, Bridget’s wedding was a DIY rustic wedding held on a farm. We had so much fun planning a country wedding!
(All photos courtesy of Heather Douglass.)
Can’t have a farm wedding without a cornfield!
And cowboy boots. Oh yes, there must be cowboy boots!
The girl on the left is my daughter Stephanie who weds on June 9th.
The groomsmen chose suspenders and bow ties to match the groom’s tie.
The flower girl in a tutu, sitting with a friend of mine.
She was pulled down the aisle by her brother, the ring bearer, in this rustic wagon.
For some reason, I can’t find the photo of him pulling her down the aisle. Trust me, it was cute.
Did I mention they’re my grandchildren?
My son was the officiant. He’s never performed a wedding before, but he did a great job.
The couple wrote their own vows. The weather was perfect!
I love that Bridget chose a formal gown for her rustic setting when planning a country wedding.
The train was pretty long.
And there was lots of beading. She chose a simple birdcage for her veil …
… which was paired with a feathery flower.
And here’s my wedding hair. Lots of hairspray held it in place.
Sunflowers were arranged by a friend of the bride.
The cake was made by a friend of the bride and wore hand “painted” flowers and burlap ribbons.
I made burlap tablecloths for the reception. No sewing necessary … simply fray the edges! Planning a country wedding involves a lot of love and DIY and we had plenty of help from friends and family.
I hung photos of the bride and groom in various stages of their lives on this old white shutter of mine.
The chippy shutter was a garbage pick. It now decorates my family room.
The groom dancing his solo dance with his mother.
The dance floor was in the loft of the barn.
Little benches surrounded the dance floor for guests to take a break.
The groom hung all the lights and paper lanterns by himself the day before!
We made the food for the rehearsal dinner, which was held in another barn on the property.
Hubby made his signature BBQ chicken wings, requested by the bride.
The reception in full swing.
And the happy couple off to their honeymoon in Punta Cana.
More photos of Bridget’s wedding are here and here.
I’ll post photos of Stephanie’s wedding sometime in June.
It’s been fun planning 2 weddings of completely different styles.
Aww I miss this already..wish the corn pics were better. Oh well we had fun I’d do it again if I could except the planning part 🙂 thanks again for all your help! You made our day so special
Jennifer,
Amazing photos!What a beautiful wedding.Love that theme.And the baker hotel.That will be an amazing wedding too.I remember when that was vacant for a while years back.Glad someone bought it.What a beautiful hotel.
Anne
Fantastic photos ! Papa and I wed in our own country back yard in the month of August and it was beautiful weather we also wrote our own vows . I wore jeans , cowboy boots and a western top and hat and Papa was all done in cowboy wear as well and so were our guests it was all country themed ! Nothing like a country wedding ! Congrats to them both ! Have a great day !
I love the bride and her girls in their boots!! What a beautiful day…Angie
What a beautiful event! Thanks for sharing such a special time with us.
Your daughter had such a beautiful wedding! I really enjoyed looking through her pictures. Thanks for sharing her day.
Oh Jennifer,
Your daughter made such a beautiful bride. Such a pretty wedding…Did you know I got married in white cowboy boots too. I just love, love, love cowboy boots 🙂 Congratulations on your other daughter’s up coming wedding.
Hugs and Kisses,
♥Ana
I’m all about country! Loved the pics! Thanks for sharing!
I love a country wedding. That beautiful dress in the rustic setting is so stunning. What a beautiful family and a beautiful day!!
There’s nothing like a good outdoor wedding. I love the boots and sunflowers. Beautiful pictures. Thanks for sharing the day, and good luck with the upcoming wedding!
What a beautiful wedding!I love country weddings.Beautiful photos.
Kathy
Such beautiful photos! Loving the cowboy boots!
Victoria xx
How wonderful each Bride has the chance to express her own personality and preferences. The wedding looks like such fun. There is nothing I enjoyed more than planning my daughter’s wedding with her. Enjoy these special moments. Bonnie
What a lovely wedding! And a beautiful bride. It looks like you will have one of each, just like your blog name- Town & Country. We have 2 daughters and one had a lodge wedding and the other was married in a beautiful courthouse and held the reception in a wonderful old pub. Every wedding is beautiful on its own special way.
How nice that special people to the couple played such a big part in the country wedding. Have fun with the upcoming plans!
What a beautiful couple and wedding! I love the country style as it’s so casual and fun too. I’m sure your other daughter’s wedding will be wonderful to plan. Pamela
Wow, awesome wedding! Quite different and original! Great photos.
What a beautiful young lady she is! Her dress was gorgeous and it looks like her wedding day was just PERFECT! How exciting to have another daughter getting married as well. You have been very busy!
my kinda weddin!! cute, cute, CUTE!! it will be fun to see the wedding that is coming up too. you must be very busy with all of the plans!
take care,
erin
xxoo
So cool! I’m all for down to earth! Thanks for sharing these lovely pictures…your granddaughter is precious.
Sharon @ mrs. hines class
Oh such a wonderful wedding! I love everything!
Beautiful wedding! I love her dress too!
Love these photos. Boots and wedding dresses – yes, please! Lucky you to plan to completely different weddings. Thanks for sharing, liz
This is just a perfect setting. Really charming. I got married young and did what I could afford, but if I could do it all over again, I’d be all over this.
Two weddings…WOW…now that is a ton of work my friend. It’s kinda nice that they went with two different styles. Love how you displayed the pics.
Blessings,
Linda
Great photos! Your daughter is beautiful. Love the boots with the dress and her dress is gorgeous!
I’m your newest follower!
Cindy @ Art,Books,Tea
Living on a farm, I love this venue. Perfect!
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Manoli
such a beauitiful bride! what a creative, lovely wedding:) love your blog, jennifer!
Awesome!
~Bliss~
This is truly the most awesome Rustic Country Wedding I’ve ever seen!! Love all the special touches. Your daughter made such a lovely bride. And you almost stole the show with that gorgeous hair of yours! :0)
Love Bridget’s beaded gown AND her boots! The sunflower bouquet is great and the cornfield pic of the two of them just makes my heart race. I’m swooning over that precious lil granddaughter, too, and her special “ride”! How cute!
Thanks again so much for participating in the Wedding Party. Remember I left my linky up for 7 days, so you can add Stephanie’s pics when you get back, too, if you want! Hint Hint!
Big TX Hugs,Stephanie
This is so close to what I want! I’m getting married 9/29/2012 at a farm with a barn reception. I love the corn field pictures, that is one shot I really want
Another wonderful wedding! Of course I HAD TO COME just right now to see it…haha.
Yes, different styles but both of them were fantastic!
Besos!
What a fun wedding! Your daughter looks beautiful and all the handmade touches are great. The wagon is too darn cute! Looks like a wonderful family celebration.
Jeanette