The Mister and I had the pleasure of attending our friend Mary's wedding to her dashing fella Jared on June 16th in Fresno, California. This wedding wowed! So before I dive into the details, meet Mary & Jared!

Aren't they beautiful? Mary and Jared really wanted a vintage feel to their wedding and with the help of friends and family they accomplished that in just three months.

Tons of family help went into the DIY elements of their wedding. In fact the only true vendor they used besides the venue, which was their church, was their photographer Rachel McNamara. Between the paper flowers that hung from the ceiling during their reception, all of the table decor, a beautiful song that was played by Mary's talented sister, and the sweet guest "book" art, Mary & Jared's wedding turned out beautiful and very personal.

I loved Mary's dress, the detail was beautiful and she looked stunning in it. Mary made her own veil. As her "something borrowed" she wore her mother's pearls. The pearls were a gift from Mary's father to her mother whom had passed two years prior (but I know was right there beside Mary). She also included lace that her mother had at each of the tables. For shoes Mary wore Toms to match Jared's which was too cute for words and an amazing way to avoid uncomfortable heels!

You all know how much I love sweets and not only was the cake delicious, it was also super cute! The song decorated onto the main cake is an actual song, how neat is that? The song is Cantaloop by Flip Fantasia. A couple days after Jared and Mary started dating, the song came on the radio and he sang along with it. It was the moment Mary started falling in love with him! I mean seriously? It doesn't get cuter than that...except when you hear about how Mary had the rings attached to the sweet plush dog Jared used to propose to her with as a surprise during the ceremony. This day was so full of love.

Since not everyone can pull off a wedding so pretty and sweet in just a few months, I asked Mary if she had any tips for brides trying to do so, or tips for planning a wedding in general. Mary had this to say:

Only select a few ladies closest to you to do most of the helping. Having too many people involve can add stress on you and sometimes if not everyone is in the loop people can start to feel left out.
Make sure you stand up for yourself if your feeling overwhelmed or even not well in general. Trying to tough through it could cause resentment on your end for not having time to yourself and resentment from others who may feel like you're not pulling your weight that day. Even with just a few months to yourself, you need time with your fiancee and time for yourself.
Lastly, soak in all in! You will be sad when the only way you get to see all your hard work and that of those who helped you come together is in pictures. It your day, so make sure you take lots of mental pictures and enjoy the fruits of your labor with your new hubby!

I also made sure to ask what the favorite memories were from their big day. Mary said that taking pictures in front of the hay and Jared reading his vows were her favorite. Jared's was seeing Mary for the first time that day and I can't blame him, she was stunning!

I can't end this post without sharing my personal picture of the Mister and I and the lovely newlyweds!

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