Katie + Dean's DIY Pinterest Inspired Intimate Backyard Wedding

I’m not really sure where to begin with this amazing intimate backyard wedding. There are certain people in the world that you just connect with on a personal level and I am so lucky to be able to say that I have the most amazing couples. Katie and Dean are no exception. Their endless love for each other is so pure and genuine.

When I met K+D in the spring for their engagement session, we got on the topic of their day and what she had envisioned for their intimate wedding. This to me sounded like the perfect day: their vision/overall mood is exactly what I love about these types of love stories. The intimate. The romance. The pure joy. It was fun, colourful, bohemian, diy and overall just magical!

I asked Katie about her day and this is what she had to say:

What was your favorite part of your day? Anything in particular stand out to you? If you had to change anything, would you?

“Definitely the ceremony! The setting was absolutely perfect - a small island in a pond, under a beautiful willow tree, a bright sunshiney day. We had the best officiant we could ever have asked for - Jodi Hall. She worked so closely with us to make everything so personal; she knew we love RuPaul, so she worked in some funny references and really got the crowd involved and participating. She was heartfelt and serious at times but then funny and energetic too. She even helped us to do a tequila ceremony and that was a lot of fun! We also wrote our own vows and had some friends and family in the wedding party perform a song while we signed our marriage certificate, so when we watched the wedding video back (while we were away on our honeymoon) we were so struck by how sentimental and intimate everything felt - I cried the whole time. Dean (the groom)'s vows were so perfect. He's not used to showing a lot of emotion in front of other people but he really let it all out and I felt so loved. Our friends and family were so blown away and it felt really good to have everyone tell us how magical they thought it was too. At the time, we both felt like the only two people in the world and kind of almost forgot that other people were there too. I really love that our officiant was able to create that space for us but still allowed enjoyment for our guests.

Another part of the day we really loved was actually getting to break away with our photographer! We didn't get to take too much time for just the two of us except when it came time to take pictures, and it was so nice to be able to escape a few times to go have fun in the forest or the meadow and just goof around. We got some of those colour smoke bombs and made a big mess and just laughed it off. Maddie was really good at engaging with us, making us comfortable, but then also backing away and just letting us do our own thing. I don't think I would change anything about the day but I would tell others to make sure to set aside time to get those moments alone together because those are some of the moments we both remember the most”.

“You decided to have a pretty unique wedding (intimate + in a backyard with a lot of DIY projects etc.), and stayed true to you two as a couple. What made you decide to have an intimate wedding?”

“Dean and I had been together over ten years by the time we got married, so I think we were both focused on making it the funnest day ever for all of the people in our lives. They already knew that we love and are committed to one another, so we wanted to involve them as much as we could and just represent ourselves really truthfully - as a couple, and as individuals, as much as possible. Dean is a brewer and made all of the beer for the bar and that made an already fun thing more personal. We tried to do that with as many little elements as possible. I wanted to people to walk in and say "oh wow, that is so Katie" or "so Dean". I'm also an adamant pinterest-er and just couldn't resist trying to make everything pretty! I took some inspiration from Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom, boho style, and garden weddings - since we were making and setting up all of the decor ourselves, everything had a personal touch and that made it really impactful for our guests and ourselves. We basically just wanted to feel very much our style and I think we accomplished that!”

“If you're thinking about hiring her, just do it! She made us so comfortable right away - I am awkward in photos and she really just went all out being easy-going and fun. She was great with our guests, too and the end products were GORGEOUS! We love our wedding photos SO MUCH and I would hire her again in a heartbeat.”

~ K + D

Photographer: maddie mellott photography

second shooter: amarestudios

Florist: gooseberry floral design

Officiant: jodi hall-something new officiant

Cake: michelle kaatz

Band/Dj: samira somer
hair: samantha revell

Make Up: alysia m

Caterer: petojo food  

Wedding Dress: mikaellabridal + kleinfeldbridal

Grooms Suit: moores