Rachel and Jonathan's beautiful summer wedding ceremony was held at her father's church in Newbury Park, CA. Rachel's dad wore a red baseball cap which was given to him at Rachel's birth. It was inscribed with "I belong to the Rachel Elizabeth Ferguson Fan Club." When Rachel's father walked her down the aisle, he passed the cap to the groom when he gave away her hand in marriage. Photographs are by Karen Ard Photography.

Before heading to the barn reception, the couple and their wedding party kicked up their cowboy boots at the adjoining field for some great photos.

The bride's personal DIY touches set the rustic tones for this country-style wedding that included everything from burlap on the groom's boutonniere to the luggage tag escort cards.

Wedding Vendors:
Photographer: Karen Ard Photography
Hair Stylist: Tiffanie Cross at The Canyon Salon 
Caterer: Red's Barbecue and Grillery 
Reception Venue: Strathearn Historical Park and Museum
Dress Store: Casablanca Bridal
Makeup Artist: Westlake Village Salon 
Shoes: Ariat 

Today's Memphis country wedding of Whitney and Jason from Savannah and Philip Kenney of Ava Grace Photography is the ultimate DIY Wedding. The only vendors involved were the photographers and the venue, Bonne Terre Country Inn. All of the details were handmade by the bride herself, family and bridesmaids. Their wedding theme was a country picnic with tons of wildflowers - LOVE IT!!!! I don't usually show so many photos from a wedding, but I just couldn't narrow it down anymore. I love all the details and the wildflowers. Just wait until you see the picnic themed food spread. Delish...

Whitney's wedding dress was a J Crew gown that she found on ebay and her mom custom fit to her. They were still sewing the dress the day of the wedding.

This is just so sweet . . . Whitney's wedding present to Jason was this old typewriter that included a little typed love note.

The couple met up before the ceremony for a "first look".

The ceremony and reception were originally going to take place in a grove of tress but due to flash flooding the week before the wedding it was moved to an adorable white chapel in the country.

The wedding reception was decorated in wildflowers {which were ordered from a wholesaler online} and full of homemade foods that included miniature pecan pies, cobblers, pasta, chicken salad, fresh homemade lemonade, and organic cupcakes that were made and iced by the bride's mother. There was even milk and blueberry cake doughnuts {from Cafe Eclectic} for a grooms cake.

Savannah, the photographer, said that a little bluegrass, a little country, and a little Virginia wheeling made for a great party.

Love the getaway convertible car - Whitney's dad actuallly made this car for her mother and they still use it for fun drives.

Thank you Savannah and Philip for sharing todays' amazing DIY wedding with my readers. To see more from the wedding of Whitney and Jason, please see Part 1 and Part 2. And, of course to see more from Ava Grace Photography, please visit their web site / blog.

Today's earlier post featured a bridal and couple session complete with a bride in cowboy boots, so I thought it would be fun to feature some western wedding invitations for those looking to have a ranch wedding.

Invitations featured above {left to right}:

Matchbook Style Country Chic Wedding Invitation from Lani Blue Stationery on etsy

Western-theme Wedding Invitation {poster style} from Elum Designs, found via bride.ca

Rehearsal Dinner Round Up from Sweet Letterpress

Modern Wanted from Western Wedlock Invitations

Western Wedding Invitation in pale yellow from Modern Girl Invitations

Modern Wanted Save the Date from Western Wedlock Invitations

And, the following invitation is perfect for a western themed bridal shower or even a bachelorette party, it's from Western Wedlock Invitations.

As soon as I came across this bridal and couple session of Erin and Ellis I knew I had to contact Nancy of Nancy Hellsten Photography for a feature. There's something so beautiful about a bride in a natural outdoor setting in her wedding gown.
The couple chose to do their session on a day after the wedding, which also allowed for better weather than their actual wedding day.

Nancy also says there are several advantages when choosing to do the session
on a later day in addition to it allowing for a more relaxed wedding day.
1. The bride can look her best for the ceremony and not worry about getting dirty or disheveled during photos.
2. More time can also be spent on the photos
3. The couple doesn't need to see one another before the ceremony
Erin and Ellis were married at Blackberry Farm in Walland, TN and spent a few additional honeymoon days there after the wedding which let them practically have the place to themselves for the photo shoot. Since Erin is a real country girl {notice the cowgirl boots} and her family have horses in Kentucky, they borrowed one of Blackberry's during the session. Nancy's picture taking is superb and the photos are so natural looking and the scenery is amazing.
Thank you Nancy for letting me share these gorgeous photos with my readers today. To see more from Nancy, please visit her website and blog. More photos from Erin and Ellis' couple session can be found here. And, if you'd like to see the wedding of Erin and Ellis, please click here.

Coming up later morning I'll be showcasing coordinating western themed invitations.