If you enjoy DIY details, you’re sure to love this Virginia handmade wedding! Meet April and Tom, an amazing couple that were just hitched this September. Their wedding in Round Hill, VA was at the Stoneleigh Golf and Country Club. This wedding’s beautiful details will inspire you and give you insight on how to DIY your special day. April and Tom’s handmade wedding was captured by Jan from Jan Michele Photography. See the handmade details and hear from the bride after the click…

Virginia Handmade Wedding

April tells us, “Basically everything at the wedding was made by my sisters or friends! Most of the paper items were ideas we found on Pinterest and decided to try out. The paper cranes, paper hearts down the aisle, tissue paper puffs, and the candle decorations are all examples of this. The flower I wore in my hair was made by my sister Lauren’s friend.”

“The salt and pepper shakers favors were inspired for several reasons. I like the saying “we go together like salt and pepper”. The bigger reason behind it though was growing up when my sisters and I left the salt and pepper shakers by our dinner plates, our dad would ask if he could borrow our “personal” salt and pepper shakers. It also turned out that Tom’s grandmother had a wide collection of salt and pepper shakers which we didn’t find until after she passed away.”

“The letters on all the tables are from my mom. She has been collecting them for as long as I can remember and has passed this love of letters as décor onto her girls! I wanted to do something different for the tables, so I asked her to take them down off of her wall and let me use them for a personal touch.”

“The cake topper on the cutting cake is from my mom and dads wedding!”

“I really wanted everything to feel rustic and comfortable. I wanted it to feel like a backyard BBQ but a little nicer! We also had a corn hole game which my brother-in-law Jerry made and my sister Heather painted.”

Jan their photographer tells us, “I knew April and Tom were working with a limited budget, and I was so impressed by how much fun April’s family had working together to make their wedding festive and beautiful – and certainly not lacking in personal touches. A wedding is really about the heart behind it, the love and support that comes from family and friends, and this wedding was overflowing.April chose the perfect location, it was scenic, rustic, and child friendly for the nieces and nephews to have a contained space to run – not easy to find only an hour from Washington, DC where Tom and April live. April’s sister, Lauren, designed the wedding invitations. Her sisters, Heather and Kristen, made all the other décor – from the “I spy” game on the tables to the origami crane and tissue flowers to define the sweet heart table space. Using some slices of trees and burlap also really dressed up the tables with rustic texture.

Mason jars with twine and paper hearts made perfect candle holders and tied into the casual country theme and the wedding colors of yellow, gray and navy blue. The paper hearts were used on the candle jars, the escort cards and defined the walk down the isle.
During the ceremony each guest was given a stone to hold. The guests placed their stones along with their well wishes for the couple into a bucket at the conclusion of the ceremony. These stones will be kept by the couple as a reminder of the love and support given to them on their wedding day.
It was also sweet to include precious family memories, like the letters from April’s mom’s wall to designate the tables. The sisters talked about playing wall scrabble with them growing up. Also, the family joke April’s father started with the salt and pepper shakers meant sharing a bit of their family history with guests, and remembering and including April’s Dad in her wedding day.

Using her parent’s wedding topper was another way to include family history in a day that celebrates the heritage of April and Tom and sends them off to start their own family. The Georgetown Cupcakes (from the TLC show DC Cupcake), are a favorite of April’s and a frequent stop for April and Lauren when they spend time together.”

Vendors:
Officiant: Jeff Mazsal
Venue: Stoneleigh Golf and Country Club
Cupcakes: Georgetown Cupcake
Florist: James Cox
DJ: Harrison Beacher
Decor: Bride’s sisters – Kristen and Heather

If you enjoyed this Virginia wedding and you’re looking for your wedding photographer, contact Jan Michele Photography for all of your wedding photography needs.

All images courtesy of Jan Michele Photography. All Rights Reserved.