Leave It Better Than You Found It Wedding
As avid hikers and fans of taking in the worlds natural beauty, Ami and Chaz decided that their big day should be a leave it better then you found it wedding! They recycled, upcycled, repurposed, and DIY-ed their way to one fabulous event!
Don't believe us? Take a closer look at even more of the adorable details photographed by With Love & Embers in the full gallery here!
A Unique Dress
From Little Miss Lovely: Chaz knew that his future wife would ask him to make more than 20 wooden boxes, 40 bud vases out of branches that had fallen in their back yard, and endless slices of wooden logs. He knew that his bride would ask him to help cut fabric while she sewed 200 napkins.
He did it all for his bride because he knew that she would want a one-of-a-kind, eco-friendly wedding filled with hand-made details that would capture their personalities and interests perfectly… What he didn’t know was that his bride would show up to their wedding wearing a gown made of feathers.
The bride’s gown, designed by Jovani, was an eBay find. Ami had tried the exact dress on while shopping for prom dresses nearly 10 years prior and memorized the designer and style number stating that she would have a “feather dress” as her wedding dress one day. Fast forward 10 years and she scored the exact gown, in her size, for a steal of a deal.
A Rocking Ceremony
The bridal party was small. The groom chose his only brother as his Best Man. The bride chose her only sister as her Maid of Honor. The couple’s dog, a Labradoodle named Sandi, played the part of flower girl and walked down the aisle alongside the bride and her father
Hiking is one of Ami and Chaz's favorite hobbies. Since their first hiking trip together the couple has collected rocks as keepsakes from their journeys. All of the rocks collected from their adventures were labeled and used as a memorable part of their wedding ceremony. The couple elected to have their mothers add their own rocks to a cairn, (a pile of rocks used to mark a trail or passage while hiking) atop their collection of rocks.
Upcycling & Repurposing
The couple wanted to use as many eco-friendly items as possible while planning their wedding. With the help of her mother and grandmother, the bride collected 200 vintage and antique china plates for their wedding guests. Guests used plastic stemware and flatware that were recycled.
The interior springs of a mattress were hung and repurposed as a display for place cards. Tins collected at yard sales, mason jars and vases from flea markets and estate sales, and old bottles pulled from hiking trails, were filled with flowers and used as centerpieces.
A Mismatched Masterpiece
The fabric used to create the linens and decor provided inspiration for the flowers. A color scheme of deep red, burnt orange, coral, mustard yellow and gold was paired with neutral accents of ivory and tan.
Billowing garlands of greenery were draped from the custom-made ceremony backdrop, tee pee, photo booth backdrop and escort card display. More than 80 floral arrangements were placed throughout the reception tent.
- Event Planning & Design: Jovani
- Cakes & Catering: Desserts by Rita
- Cakes & Catering: It's Just Barbecue
- Flowers: Little Miss Lovely
- Jewelry: Kyle Edward Fine Jewelry
- Photographers: With Love & Embers
- Rentals: Hess Tent Rentals