DIY Breckenridge Wedding by From the Hip Photo

A DIY mountain wedding in Breckenridge, CO

Katy is the definition of a DIY bride! She tackled a ton of projects for her June wedding at the gorgeous T-Bar restaurant at the base of Peak 8 in Breckenridge. She and Dan were joined by family and friends to exchange their vows, and every handmade detail reflected them as a couple! From the Hip Photo captured their day.

Dan and I met in college through mutual friends. We don’t really have a sappy story, we both just knew that it was right. We got engaged in Las Vegas about 3-1/2 years after we met. Dan took me out to a nice dinner then popped the question by the fountains at the Caesars Palace gardens. We had a fairly long engagement (1-1/2 years) so I had a lot of time to DIY EVERYTHING. Part of it was wanting to save some money and part of it was wanting things to look exactly how I imagined. I regularly scoured GoodWills and vintage stores to collect all the vintage appetizer plates used for the guest place settings and over 100 mismatched vintage vases used for centerpieces. Similar to the bridesmaid’s handkerchiefs, I also embroidered ones for me and Dan. His says, “You will forever be my always,” and mine says “Today I marry my best friend.”

One of my favorite projects was the wedding favors. They were muslin bags filled with coffee and stamped with these adorable custom stamps from the Etsy shop “doodlebugdesign.” Some other DIY projects were paper garland, MR & MRS chair signs, the wine box we used for the wine ceremony, the ribbon wands at the ceremony exit, the Instagram baby picture display, the vintage plate and candlestick cupcake stands, the “Cheers” drink stirrers, the embossed guest name place settings and the vintage window seat assignments.

The “guestbook” was a vintage ski poster I had framed at Hobby Lobby. I was so happy when we set up the reception venue with all of the decorations. I was nervous that the random decorations might clash, but everything came together beautifully. My favorite part of the wedding (aside from marrying Dan) was having all of our closest friends and family in the same place all at one time. It was so much fun and it went by way too fast.

For my wedding gift, Dan secretly kept a journal in the six months leading up to the wedding, writing down what he loved about me every day. Some were funny, some were sweet, and some were sentimental. I am not a sappy person but when my MOH gave it to me before we left for the wedding I couldn’t help but tear up. I can’t believe all the thought and time he put into it.

My favorite detail that I put together was my bouquet accent. I made a charm with a picture of my Grandpa who passed away a few years ago, my mother’s engagement ring, and a cute gold koala pin that had been a gift for my Grandma from my Grandpa.

My dress was “Bernadette” from Maggie Sottero. I randomly came across it on Pinterest and fell in love. It was the only dress I tried on. Shoes were “Goodie” by Badgley Mischka. Earrings and bracelet were Nadri from Nordstrom. I also wore a pearl and diamond ring Dan gave me for our first Christmas together. The purse I carried was a vintage find.

My birdcage veil, garter and hair comb were all DIY. For the veil, I ordered netting and a hair comb online. I bought a clear and blue stoned earring at Forever21 and feathers and crafted it all together with a lot of hot glue. The hair comb was made of four costume jewelry earrings fastened together with wire and small pearls. The garter was made from an appliqué and lace that I bought online.

I am not really a fan of the typical matching overpriced cookie-cutter bridesmaid dresses, and I had a hard time finding dresses in the light blue color I wanted. So, I asked each bridesmaid to pick out a white dress made from a dye-able fabric around knee length and I hand dyed them all. They came from a variety of stores – consignment shops, Gap, Hollister, H&M, etc. The prices varied from about $5-$50, and the bridesmaids were able to pick out individual styles and cuts that flattered them. Everyone was a bit nervous about me dying them, but the final product was gorgeous and we couldn’t have been happier with the outcome. The bridesmaids chose and wore their own jewelry.
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The nun who sang at our ceremony was a childhood friend of the groom’s mother. It was very special to have her be an important part of our ceremony. All of the stationery (save the dates, invitations, programs, thanks you cards, cake & heritage table labels, bar menus) were DIY. I used a variety of fonts and designs to craft them and put them together.

Part of the bridesmaids gifts were kimono floral robes I ordered from the Etsy shop “Just Cottons” and tiny hand-stamped heart necklaces with the bridesmaid’s initials on them from the Etsy Shop “Moncadeau.” I also bought them each vintage handkerchiefs from an antique shop and embroidered their initials on them (thanks to YouTube video tutorials). Part of the groomsmen gifts were whiskey glasses and beer mugs that I etched with their initials (glass etching kit from Michael’s) and cuff links that I made with their initials and epoxy. – Katy