Wedding attire… Well, here’s what we did. We established our color scheme, girls in navy and guys in navy with touches of brown, orange, etc. We then gave our party free range on their attire with those simple instructions. We certainly wanted to feel like ourselves and we also wanted our wedding party to be comfortable and reflect their own style. Everyone looked amazing! It was super fun to see all of our favorite people looking so gorgeous and awesome! Some of us did have a little help with hair and makeup from the amazing, talented, and awesome Rebecca Gohl. We got engaged and I quite immediately messaged her to see if she was available on our date! She was, I’m not even kidding when I say I would have changed to the date if she was not, that is how good she is. I had also previously hired her for Naomi when my brother Stephen and her got married. Now let’s talk about our attire. Stephan and I both felt like shopping for a suit and traditional wedding dress didn’t quite feel right. SO here’s what we did, we added wedding attire to the list of our usual thrift store runs and we picked up a nice menagerie of mix and match pieces for him. We ended up spending a whopping $15 on his outfit, and another $35 on some sweet shoes on clearance. He looked great, like himself, and I think honestly like he fell out of a late 70’s JCPenney catalog in this pic, perfection! Now onto me, a much more difficult case. I’m not a fan of clothes shopping. I never like anything, it’s too expensive, it doesn’t fit right, never fits my bust, annoying, ick ick ick. I knew I needed to start right away. I scoured the mall looking at formal dresses, more casual white dresses with a 60s vibe, hit a couple of big bridal boutiques, thrifts of course, and I was coming up short. I didn’t really like anything or what I kinda liked was of course waaay too expensive and also not available in time, I was also re-confirming I didn’t like all white. I then purchased a dress on clearance that was way too big and was going to have it remade, but couldn’t find a place I was comfortable with. Then, a friend of ours told us about a lady opening up a new shop in South Bend, Indiana. It’s called Hourglass Bridal. She specializes in custom and sample gowns, works with all sizes, and everything in the shop was under $700. I immediately scheduled an appointment and my mom, our friend Judy, and I had all the time we needed as Angie schedules individually. I liked 2 gowns, the fit of one was perfect but too traditional and also white, the other had the elements and color I was looking for, so I ended up ordering a custom gown combining the two, and the kicker is it came in in less than 2 months, and was $470!!! Yes, a custom wedding dress under $500 in less than 2 months, worth saying again. I’m telling you the price because it’s insane as far as wedding dresses go, especially custom. Anything even close to this already in the store would seriously be at least $1200. Angie also has an amazing seamstress she works with, Diane, of Diane’s Sewing in Osceola, IN. Amazing work, amazing price! These 2 ladies are gems and really really know what they are doing! Go see them if you’re in the market for a wedding dress, formal dress, or need alterations. It’s worth the drive, trust me. And another great perk, I was able to support 2 awesome small independent businesses as well! Accessories: Cute shoe pic, yep. I grabbed these sorta late 60s early 70s looking shoes at Nordstrom rack, and then I nabbed a vintage gold clutch at the thrift store. I made a hair comb for myself with some family items. Grandma’s comb, a blue leaf from her hat, a button of her’s, and a handmade doily from the Price side. I purchased a small off white silk rose and sewed it all together. I wore a string of pearls that was an add a pearl necklace given to me by my cousin. I entwined it with a set of my grandma Price’s baby rings that were made into a necklace and given to me long ago. And I also sewed a ring bearer pillow out of some fabric from my grandma’s, and the fake rings were from my parents wedding pillow. And by now you may know I’m a sentimental sap. I adore meaningful things, things with stories, and items with family history. So, when we got engaged I had an idea about my ring, and since I’m not much of a jewelry person it was extra important to me to have something very special and sentimental to wear forever. My grandma Price had her wedding and engagement ring made into another ring after my grandfather passed away. I’ve had her ring for sometime and have worn it on a couple of very special occasions. I wanted to have it remade into something that felt more like me, and I knew exactly where I wanted to go. Over the years I’ve seen the work that’s come out of Metal Art Studio here in Grand Rapids. I knew they would do a great job and create something I would love and treasure forever. So I had my grandma’s ring lovingly remade. Before on the left, after on the right. I need a better camera with a micro lense, I can’t do this ring justice. It’s way more beautiful in person! They created a modern twig engagement ring with offset large diamond and 6 tiny diamonds on the band, and then my wedding band in the same pattern with small diamonds is attached to the diamond creating the illusion that it goes through. I wanted a modern looking bezel set ring, with a natural element, with the diamond lowered so I wouldn’t catch on things with my busy hands! I just love it! And finally here we are together! Taking a little walk in the wildflowers. What’s so sweet about this pic is that Stephan had leaned down and picked a little dried flower pod and is holding it in his hand. It was such a beautiful happy loving day in so many ways!