“Nancy and Chad are both artists {she works in fashion + he’s a lighting designer}, brought together by their love of science fiction. Together, they handcrafted a wedding day filled with amazing DIY details and nods to their favorite sci-fi shows. Some of my favorite DIY details include the macrame ceremony backdrop and boutonniere, the vintage chairs collected by the Groom’s family from yard sales, flea markets and the homes of friends, the dip-dyed Shibori photo booth backdrop and embroidered signage, and the floral napkins that Nancy plans to make into a wedding quilt. The ceremony took place at Chad’s childhood home on Cape Cod, in the same spot where his parents were married. The whole thing was planned and DIY-ed from across the country in California, where the couple lives, and shipped over to the East Coast.” – Jennifer White Photography
What is your favorite wedding day memory?
There were so many great memories from the day, but what I remember the most was when I was walking down the aisle towards Chad. I remember the overflowing feeling of warmth and love I felt from all my friends and family. Everyone coming together and helping our magical wedding come to fruition was an amazing and beautiful experience. I’ve always wanted to get married where it was meaningful so it was even more special because we were wedded in Chad’s childhood Cape Cod home, the same exact place and spot his folks were married at, as well.
What did you DIY for your wedding?
I was inspired by everything Chad and I loved, beaches and our shared love of science fiction. I wanted to have a bohemian and rustic charm with touches of sci-fi and glam. We are big DIY people so it was important to us that our special day would have our touches. One of my favorite flowers is lavender, so I used that inspiration for my bouquet and the color palette with accents of gold and navy. I found eclectic floral prints on yardages that matched my color scheme throughout the year and collected them to sew fabric napkins for my tables. I wanted to use these napkins to make our wedding quilt, as well after being used for the big day. Chad’s family collected wine bottles that we spray painted gold and placed baby breath in it as part of our floral table arrangements. For our table names, we named them after sci-fi spaceships, like the Serenity and Tardis as our ode to our favorite shows, accompanied by sprayed gold frames. I love anything geo, so I fell in love with these Etsy chevron table runners. I also couldn’t resist the gold geo vases and mercury votives for a more glam feel.
To incorporate the beach vibe, I looked to Free People for my inspiration, and for my wedding dress. For my ceremony backdrop, I was inspired by a Free People’s rope and muslin strip wall hanging in their window display. I learned how to macrame and handmade a beautiful wall hanging paired with a starfish trio centerpiece. Chad used wooden dowels to make a simple A-Frame to hold my work. I loved using the rope medium so much, I made Chad a knotted boutonniere. Along with the beach look, I learned how to Shibori dip dye that we used for our Bride and Groom chairs and my photo booth backdrop accompanied by sci-fi theme props!
For the rustic feel, I wanted Shabby Chic like furniture so it was important I found rentals that catered to that. Chad’s family went to estate sales, yard sales and junk yards throughout the year to find vintage chairs for cheap or free. We had generous friends and neighbors that loaned us there personal chairs from home, too. I also wanted touches of lace here and there, so I found lace table cloths from flea markets. From a local craft store, I found a lace pattern I really liked and created tons of lace bunting to adorn our outdoor ceremonial tent. From there, I created additional bunting signs with burlap and acrylic paint. For additional rusticity, I sprayed chalkboard paint with found gold vintage frames from the flea market and collected vintage thread spools. For additional rustic touch, I learned how to hand embroider to add touches of heirloom signage!
My Sister’s hand lettered all of our chalkboard signs and window guest seating sign! They also made the coffee gift bags with the loving stickers in remembrance to my late grandmother, exactly one year ago. Last but not least, Chad made a wooden sling shot for a shooting game on the other side of the yard accompanied with the classic corn hole game for our reception.
Did you have a something old, new, borrowed and blue?
My something new was my Free People wedding dress. My something old, was the Cape Cod bracelet Chad’s family got me for Christmas the first year we were together. My grandmother passed away exactly one year ago to our wedding and I was heartbroken she couldn’t be part of our special day. She was an important part of my life growing up and I wanted her to be a part of my special day somehow. As another remembrance, I wore my Grandmother’s jade ring for my necklace for my something borrowed. Lastly, my something blue was my vintage sapphire engagement ring Chad found at an antique store.
Any advice for brides currently in the planning process?
Our wedding was everything I expected and more. Even though it was a challenge planning a wedding on the opposite coast, I really did enjoy every moment. It helped to plan early and ahead as much as possible and expect constant changes. I had a plan A, B and C. At the end, I loved that it was a relaxed, cozy and a intimate gathering with our loved ones. It was the ultimate DIY wedding! Grom the handmade napkins to the personalized playlist, it was just our style. I am a person who doesn’t like to ask for help, but I knew I couldn’t do this alone. We could not have achieved everything without the help of our family and friends. I felt blessed and thankful for them each day as we got closer to our big day. It literally took a village to make our wedding come to life! We had friends of family who offered their homes for free for our families to stay, borrowed chairs from all over town and discounts from local stores in town because it was for a wedding. Once I started letting go, and let people help us, everything fell into place. Lastly, don’t get caught up in the small details, because in the end you remember what’s important. The things that were surprises are sometimes are the best memories. When I was walking down the aisle, I felt very humbled and overwhelmed from feeling of love I felt from everyone. All I can say was my wedding day was perfectly magical. It is a day I will never forget. -Nancy, the bride
Event Credits
Photographer: Jennifer White Photography // Venue: Private Residence - Cape Cod // Wedding Planner: Agnes Kim Event Planning // Florist: Flowers by Mary // Catering: Clambakes, Etc. // Cake: Cottage Street Bakery // Rentals: New England Country Rentals // Bride's Attire: Free People // Bride's Shoes: Vince Camuto // Bride's Necklace: Madwell // Bride's Reception Headpiece + Earrings: Avigail Adam // Groom's Shoes: Clarks // Groom's Tie: Men's Warehouse // Groom's Socks: Target // Geo Glasses for Guest's Gifts: West Elm // Guest Gift Tote Bag: Pressed Cotton // Sci-Fi Button Pins for Tote Bag: Mine Press
