1. Real Weddings

A Casual, DIY Backyard Wedding at a Private Residence in Vancouver, Washington

The quaint, shabby-chic cottage and the lush surrounding gardens set the scene for an ideal backyard wedding. Melissa Archer (29 and a preschool teach

The quaint, shabby-chic cottage and the lush surrounding gardens set the scene for an ideal backyard wedding. Melissa Archer (29 and a preschool teacher) and Carl Bycraft (28 and an electrical engineer) had their casual, rustic wedding filled with DIY details in Melissa’s aunt and uncle’s backyard, decked out in a green and white color palette. The couple wanted to keep their wedding attire simple and within their budget. Melissa chose a casual white dress with lace straps that opened up into a keyhole back, accented with a silk green ribbon belt, and Carl wore khaki pants and a button-up shirt he already owned. The ceremony took place in front of the small cottage, which was painted a light green color and had hanging paper decorations in front of the windows, all captured by Crystal Genes Photography and filmed by Robb Cummings Media. The reception took place in the backyard, with dining tables dressed in simple white tablecloths that were decorated with arrangements of baby’s breath, chrysanthemums and stock. We love how creative they got with their guest book! Instead of going a traditional route, the couple rented a photo booth and filled blank pages with photo strips of their guests taken throughout the wedding day. “We splurged on a photo booth, which was one of the things I couldn’t budge on and I’m so grateful,” Melissa says. “The photo strips were signed and taped into our 'guest book.' The photo booth printed two, so it was also our wedding favor!”

Melissa wore a pair of casual sandals with green straps wrapping around her feet that were light brown at the bottom. Her shoes reflected the rest of the simple wedding day attire. Melissa chose an ivory wedding dress that had lace accenting the sleeves and a bright green sash around the waist that matched her shoes.
Melissa wore a simple ivory wedding dress with lace accenting the sleeves, opening up into a keyhole design on the back. She had a bright green ribbon sash wrapped around her waist, adding a touch of color to the wedding day attire.
Melissa held a DIY bouquet made by her mother-in-law on the wedding day, which was filled with ivory stock, green button mums and baby's breath, held together with a white wrap around the stems.
Melissa and Carl got married in front of the shabby-chic cottage that was located on her aunt and uncle's private property. The windows of the shack were decorated with green and white paper decorations, along with hanging chimes.
Carl wore a casual blue striped collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up, which was underneath a tan vest. "Carl wore clothes he already had -- khaki pants and a button-up shirt that was supposed to be white, but he didn't remember that and wore light blue," Melissa says.
At the backyard reception, dining tables dressed in simple white linens were decorated with glass milk bottle used as vases, filled with green button chrysanthemums and white stock accented with baby's breath. The top of the glass bottle was wrapped with green ribbon.
The wedding cake was designed to look like it was covered with bark on the surface. The cake topper had two wood figurines that resembled Melissa and Carl dressed in their wedding day attire. Little animal figurines and natural accents also decorated the top. The dessert was positioned on top of a paper stand decorated with a flower design.
Melissa and Carl shared their first dance as a married couple outside at their backyard wedding. Guests surrounded the couple as they danced in their casual wedding day attire. Melissa wore an ivory dress with lace sleeves and a keyhole back, while Carl chose a blue striped shirt with rolled-up sleeves underneath a brown vest.