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Tasha Could Make That

Tasha Could Make That

Vintage knitting, sewing, and a lifetime of craftiness

Our wedding day

July 15, 2011 by Tasha 51 Comments

I finally had a chance to sit down and write up my Big Wedding Post!

Before I get started, let me say that most of the photos in this post are from our photographer, Kimmy Noonen. The few non-watermarked photos were taken by my mom and step-dad. Kimmy was a joy to work with. By the end my dad said she was like an old friend. Her photos are so amazing I can’t stop looking at them all. Suffice it to say this is a really, really image-heavy post, and only a drop in the bucket as far as memorable photos we have from that day!

As you all know, Mel and I got married on Friday, June 17th. Up until literally the day of the wedding we’d been having pretty crappy weather in Chicago that month. Case in point two days earlier, my dad flew in from New Mexico and it was pouring cats and dogs. But the forecast all week looked good for Friday, and it stayed that way. The weather was absolutely perfect! Which is a good thing, since it was an outside wedding and we really had no alternate plan other than umbrellas.

This was a guerrilla wedding. No reserved location, no aisle, no wedding party, no bouquet. It was held along the trails at the North Park Village Nature Center, 155 acres of nature smack dab in the middle of the city. When you’re there it’s hard to imagine you’re in Chicago. We had no idea exactly how it would go, descending upon the place with our parents, Mel’s sisters, their husbands and 5 kids total, our closest friend in Chicago and our photographer.


But it was perfect. The place was almost empty. Seriously, we saw about three people the entire afternoon and not a single soul during the ceremony itself. It couldn’t have been better!

We all gathered in the parking lot beforehand. Our friend Jen kindly supplied Mel and I with flowers, gorgeous yellow mini calla lilies. My mom helped Mel with the boutonniere.

This was my “how the heck do I put this corsage on?” face. Why do I look so horrified? It’s a corsage, not an alien life form. I laughed myself silly the first time I saw this photo.

But I figured it out…

I know I mentioned that I worked on something special for our ring bearer pillow. I embroidered a vintage handkerchief with our names and the wedding date. I used a small ball of yarn to form a ‘pillow’, wrapped the pressed and starched hankie around it and tied it at the base with ribbon. I threaded two buttons onto ribbon and tied them through the ball of yarn, to tie the rings. I used toothpicks on the underside of the ball of yarn so that the thread didn’t pull up through the ball of yarn and release the carefully orchestrated pillow. Plus in doing that I was able to pull the thread tight and make the buttons taut against the pillow. The pillow was tucked into a pine needle basket that my step-grandmother made, and I carefully arranged the folds of the hankie around it. Once the ceremony was done, I snipped the ribbons and thread and now I have a keepsake hankie. (I’ll be doing one for Mel, too.)

Talking to our niece about the rings. Our two nieces (cousins about the same age) were our ring bearers.

I’m sure you want to know about my outfit! I knew I wanted to go non-traditional and casual from the beginning, due to the location and guerrilla nature of the wedding. I found the most perfect dress on Etsy from ReEnhabit. It’s a 1940s dress with a peplum and a collar that overlaps and buttons at the center. I wore it with 1940s pee wee cowboy boots and lots of vintage family items. Earrings and brooch set that were my mom’s mom’s. High school class ring from 1931 that was my dad’s mom’s. Hankie tucked into my belt (which I later realized was off-center all day long) that was my mom’s grandmother’s. It was my something blue. And my something borrowed was my mom’s pearl necklace. The celluloid bangle was my own.

You can see my grandma’s art deco class ring and my half moon manicure (currently my favorite way to do my nails).

Mel was wearing a black vintage blazer with subtle vertical stripes, light yellow shirt, a straw hat and a hand-painted tie from the 40s.

Did I mention how great the weather was? Seriously. It was clear and in the low 80s with barely any wind. Just ideal.

And then we headed towards the ceremony site. Actually we didn’t know the exact site until we all got there and decided. 🙂

These are our little ring bearers and two of my most favorite photos. They were just adorable.

Inside the actual Nature Center building (you walk through it to get to the trails) they have bee hives. The bees have access to the outdoors through tubes cut out through the windows. It’s a pretty ingenious display that they’ve had since I was a little kid. I’m so happy they still have it. And yes, while you can’t tell, the bees are behind glass.

Aren’t the girls so sweet?

We meandered down the trail until we decided on the site, a small grassy clearing under oak trees, on the edge of the path. You aren’t supposed to go off the trail so we just barely stepped over and tried not to disturb anything.

Mel’s dad, a retired judge, officiated.

We wrote our own ceremony. It was short, sweet, and beautiful, if I do say so myself. 😉

And the KISS!

Look at how our niece was in the corner of this shot, ha ha!

And then the ceremony was finished! We all spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the wooded and wetlands trails.

Isn’t this a great photo of our cowboy boots? Mine in the middle, my mom’s on the left (which she thrifted!) and Mel’s mom’s on the right.

I wanted a shawl for my wedding day, so my mom graciously obliged and knit me a gorgeous shawlette in a yummy silk wool blend. I love it and can’t wait to wear it this Fall!

This is another favorite of mine. In case you’re wondering where my other leg is, I had it up in the air.

The rings!

There were deer (several!), there was gorgeous flora and fauna, wood chip paths, wooden bridges and big blue skies…

Did I mention my other crafty project? We brought a cooler with bottles of water for everyone after the ceremony and walk, since we figured people could use a cool drink. I personalized them with packaging tape, a color printer and Photoshop.

They were well received!

There was laughter, there was silliness, smiles, and bubbles…

And a good time was had by all.

After frolicking in the park we all went out to a fantastic Southern-style dinner at Wishbone (who handled our large but not huge group beautifully), where two more of our close friends joined us. After that we had a couple of drinks with our friends then retired to the very posh Hotel Monaco for the evening, where we were greeted with a complimentary bottle of champagne in our room. I felt so fancy!

So that’s the wedding in a nutshell. When the only thing I recall being amiss is that I forgot to put on blush when I did my makeup that day, I think I can safely say:   it was the perfect wedding day!

If you’d like to see the whole set of photos, there’s more on Flickr. Thanks for indulging me while I shared our wedding day! It means a lot to me to be able to share it with you all. 🙂

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Filed Under: Vintage Dibs and Dabs Tagged With: wedding

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Shrinky Inky says

    July 15, 2011 at 9:30 pm

    Just beautiful!! Everything was lovely and perfect and you both look so happy! Mazel tov!

    Reply
  2. Cheri Pinktrix says

    July 15, 2011 at 9:32 pm

    The photos look so fantastic!

    Reply
  3. Tickety Boo Tupney - A Dash OF Worcester Sauce. says

    July 15, 2011 at 9:34 pm

    Stunning pics! I was smiling through the whole post too!!! Tups x

    Reply
  4. Tickety Boo Tupney - A Dash OF Worcester Sauce. says

    July 15, 2011 at 9:34 pm

    Stunning pics! I was smiling through the whole post too!!! Tups x

    Reply
  5. Eartha Kitsch says

    July 15, 2011 at 9:42 pm

    Absolutely beautiful! The perfect kind of wedding – those closest to you…homespun details…and lots of love and happiness. May you grow old together and then some!

    Reply
  6. phenolicfanatic says

    July 15, 2011 at 9:46 pm

    truly divine- thanks for sharing your special day- the colours are so vibrant- just perfect! michele xx

    Reply
  7. Rueby... says

    July 15, 2011 at 10:02 pm

    You dress is fabulous! As was the wedding 🙂 Looks like it was a wonderful day. Congratulations again!

    Reply
  8. Zootsuitmama says

    July 15, 2011 at 10:04 pm

    Perfect and beautiful! The dress is pretty and I like the hankie…the just right touch. Much happiness!

    Reply
  9. Mrs Juzzie Green says

    July 15, 2011 at 11:05 pm

    Oh a little tear just had to be wiped away. Many good wishes to you and your lovely wife. It reminded me of my wedding, many moons ago.
    Thanks for giving us a look

    Reply
  10. Kim Bombshell says

    July 15, 2011 at 11:24 pm

    What a romantic setting. I looks absolutely perfect and your hair is magnificent! You made a beautiful bride and the both of you look so happy.

    Congratulations and I wish you both a lifetime of happiness!

    Reply
  11. Valerie says

    July 15, 2011 at 11:41 pm

    You two are so cute! You make me so happy; you can tell you love each other very much. Congrats!

    Reply
  12. thezenofmaking says

    July 15, 2011 at 11:56 pm

    Beautiful! I love all of the colors. 🙂

    Reply
  13. Riikka says

    July 16, 2011 at 1:27 am

    These photos are so beautiful that they brought a tear to my eye. Most sincere congratulations to you both! What a gorgeous couple!

    Reply
  14. ❀Young Vintage Girl❀ says

    July 16, 2011 at 2:51 am

    Congrats to you both! I wish you guys a forever lasting and trusting relationship! 🙂

    Reply
  15. eileensbasement says

    July 16, 2011 at 3:20 am

    My wholehearted congratulations to you both. I love love!

    Reply
  16. Sparkleneely says

    July 16, 2011 at 6:16 am

    How marvelous! Congratulations and wishing you a lifetime of happiness!

    Reply
  17. delia hornbook says

    July 16, 2011 at 6:18 am

    Wow what a wonderful location and such beautiful photo’s. You both look amazing and i love the little ring cushion you made. I wish you both many happy years together, dee x

    Reply
  18. Straight Talking Mama! says

    July 16, 2011 at 7:18 am

    What a beautiful wedding! Such a beautiful setting with lovely people and clearly a lot of love going on too! Those are beautiful memories.

    Reply
  19. Dolly Cool Clare says

    July 16, 2011 at 8:06 am

    Really amazing photos, I also smiled all the way through! Love the mixture of black and white and color photos, and the location/setting is idyllic :))

    Reply
  20. Roobeedoo says

    July 16, 2011 at 1:50 pm

    Aw that was lovely! Thanks for sharing your pics with us – it took ages for them to load on my pc which added to the “episodic” style. The “cooky” photos are the best!:D

    Reply
  21. Miss Magpie says

    July 16, 2011 at 1:52 pm

    Thank you for sharing this with us. x

    Reply
  22. Debi says

    July 16, 2011 at 3:53 pm

    Such beautiful photos! I love them so much! What a special day!!! Thanks for sharing! xoxoxo

    Reply
  23. Moxie Tonic says

    July 16, 2011 at 4:48 pm

    Such a gorgeous and perfect day! Considering how unpredictable Midwest weather can be, I’d say it was meant to be 🙂 Wishing you both a lifetime of love and happiness!

    Reply
  24. Lauren Hairston says

    July 16, 2011 at 6:35 pm

    I LOVE how the wedding just screams you! you! you! I’m so happy for both of you and thanks for sharing these wonderful photos. I would definitely get a large copy of the photo of you with the corsage! It’s the perfect antidote to all those perfect, plastic-y wedding photos one sees in friends’ houses.

    Reply
  25. Living Vintage says

    July 17, 2011 at 8:53 am

    YOu made a lovely bride and it all looked so perfect. Love the photos your photographer did a crack up job and my favorite part is all is seeing all your facial expressions that we miss out on in your posed photos. Thanks for sharing and congratulations!

    Reply
  26. Ivy Black says

    July 17, 2011 at 10:40 am

    How beautiful Thanks for sharing your day and those gorgeous photos.Congratulations!xxx

    Reply
  27. Sassy Lassies Vintage Life says

    July 17, 2011 at 3:14 pm

    So lovely and perfect. Wishing you both oceans of happiness together.

    Reply
  28. TheBlackPinafore says

    July 17, 2011 at 4:32 pm

    O mio Dio, mi sembra di essere lì con voi, ma voglio fare un matrimonio intimo, ma qui in Italia un matrimonio del genere è quasi impensabile come sinonimo di povera gente. Ma io amo gli americani, e lo farò anche
    un matrimonio a casa, sola con la famiglia …..
    Debora

    Reply
  29. erinnn. says

    July 17, 2011 at 4:43 pm

    Oh Tasha, I am just SO happy for you and Mel! This looks to have been such a marvelous day for both of you and I wish you many years of bliss! You’ve inspired me to finally write up my June wedding, I’ve been slacking terribly!

    xoxo

    Reply
  30. Crafty Doll says

    July 17, 2011 at 5:13 pm

    What beautiful pictures. I love your wedding dress! You guys both looked great. Congrats to you and your wifey and thanks for sharing such a fabulous and intimate occasion!

    Reply
  31. Dakota says

    July 17, 2011 at 9:27 pm

    Such a beautiful ceremony! I love the simple, heartfelt feel! Congratulations to you both!! Oh, and I just love what you chose to wear in lieu of the traditional white. I’ve been to too many generic weddings; y’all show such delightful character!

    Reply
  32. Casey says

    July 18, 2011 at 11:49 am

    I know I’m simply going to echo all the other comments, but what a beautiful ceremony!!!! Just the happiness of you and everyone else shines through in these photos; I love it! 🙂 I especially love the profusion of cowboy boots–so fun! Your outfit is lovely as well; a simple “everyday” outfit is such a great alternative to the traditional wedding garb (said by she who kinda/sorta still wishes she had done a courthouse ceremony and worn a 40s suit! 😉 hehe.). Beautiful!!!!!

    Reply
  33. Liz says

    July 18, 2011 at 5:27 pm

    YAY! Thanks for sharing all of your wedding day photos. I love the sepia/B&W toned ones especially.

    Congrats again!

    P.S. I’m going to have to schedule an outting with Felix to go to your wedding park. I didn’t even know that the North Park Village Nature Center existed.

    Reply
  34. Carla says

    July 18, 2011 at 5:58 pm

    Oh seeing all the photos made my heart melt.
    Such a BEAUTIFUL and loving ceremony! I’m smiling from ear to ear.
    Thank you very much for sharing, Tasha.

    Reply
  35. Bex says

    July 18, 2011 at 11:37 pm

    So so beautiful! Congratulations!

    Reply
  36. Kelly Schmidt says

    July 19, 2011 at 10:35 pm

    So sweet! Looked like perfect weather too 😉

    Reply
  37. daisy says

    July 22, 2011 at 5:59 am

    great photos – what a great wedding and perfect weather for it – everyone looks so relaxed and happy 🙂

    Reply
  38. Sunny Buick says

    July 23, 2011 at 9:17 am

    Congradulations! You guys are cute!

    Reply
  39. BaronessVonVintage says

    August 1, 2011 at 4:22 am

    I somehow missed this post…so forgive my belated comment, but WOW! Just a creative, cool, and heart-felt wedding. Awesome! Congrats again you two

    Reply
  40. Rachel says

    August 5, 2011 at 5:42 pm

    What a beautiful wedding! The setting was absolutely gorgeous, and I love all the ladies’ cowboy boots! Congratulations! 🙂

    Reply
  41. Anonymous says

    August 11, 2011 at 9:36 pm

    Congrats! Your special day was lovely, and so “you’
    (or at least how I imagine you are 🙂

    Kim (Matlie on RAV)

    Reply
  42. Edamommy says

    August 29, 2011 at 1:39 am

    What a lovely day!

    Congratulations!

    Reply
  43. Sarah says

    September 24, 2011 at 10:34 pm

    This is just wonderful! Congratulations and thank you for sharing this very special day with us, I jsut love looking through people wedding photos! I adore your guerilla wedding plans, hope one day I can mimic something similar; low-key and beautiful. Some of these photos are just precious, the one of the little boy on his dad’s shoulders, awesome!! xox

    Reply
  44. Frau M. says

    July 8, 2012 at 11:51 pm

    Everything, just perfect!

    Reply
  45. Nika Chick says

    December 9, 2012 at 1:54 pm

    Lovely and so special wedding! Be happy together 🙂

    Reply
  46. Meg the Grand says

    December 10, 2012 at 7:23 pm

    These photos are just perfect 🙂

    Reply

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Welcome! If you’re into vintage style, knitting, sewing, and general craftiness, well then grab your favorite drink because you’re in the right place! I’m Tasha. Read more...

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