Etsy's Handmade Blog
From Seedling to Sachet: Growing Your Own Wedding
Story by mosey
Published on June 9, 2009 in This Handmade Life 		Photo by

Karen Rusten


My husband, Alexander, is a librarian and musician. We met at a show that a mutual friend threw for my birthday and had invited his band, Ponies in the Surf, to play. I remember calling my dad that night and saying, "I met the boy I'm going to marry!" Little did he know then he'd be planting the seedlings that would furnish our entire wedding menu.

I am a crafter of recycled woolens at mosey, but I also have a small line of wedding goodies (cake toppers, boutonnieres, simple dresses), so when it came time to start planning my wedding, I knew I would be obsessing over the tiny details. I have been crafting full time for a few years, and I really wanted to make my wedding a handmade event. Almost everything was handmade, handpicked, handsewn and handcrafted. We rounded up a number of friends who were artists and bakers, farmers and gardeners to help make this our perfect day.

Lucky for me, my mom, a.k.a. thecrystalpansy, is a pretty crafty lady herself. She was there with me the whole way — making and baking and putting the finishing touches on everything. We knew every artisan involved, but our cake decorations were Wendy Kromer's "Magical Marzipan Forest Cake Kit & Birds," our big splurge! Our inspiration was drawn from our location: the rocky eastern coastline, the mossy green woods, and the apples growing in the nearby orchard. We really wanted to make everything as local as possible. Alex works summers on a nearby sustainable farm where most of our produce was picked by friends and all of our lovely flowers grew.


Since our wedding took place close to the fall equinox, traditionally the harvest time, we were very inspired by the the natural color palette of fall. Rosy apple reds and Japanese lantern oranges, bittersweet yellows and ruddy root vegetables. Our flowers were picked the morning of the wedding by the ladies in my family. Ranunculus, larkspur, yarrow, eucalyptus, straw flower, snap dragons, Chinese lanterns, and zinnias. We had a wonderful time getting out there in the misty morning and collecting the finds for the day. It was a great time to relax a bit and literally smell the flowers before the big day really started.

Alex and I got married under a very simple Huppah (Jewish wedding canopy) that was fashioned by our friend, Jared. I stitched up the canopy from duponi silk, and my mom decorated it with bittersweet and crab apples from our yard.



We switched up the cocktail hour for "apple hour," where all the treats served were apple inspired. Apple cider, apple tartlettes, and candied apples were served. We had reception at the local restaurant and art gallery, Chase's Daily, where our invitation invited guests to a "feast of locally grown and hand-harvested goodies." The menu used all local produce and cheeses with handmade breads and seasonal salads. We had three types of tiny savory pies all made in my kitchen. Root vegetable, Blackbird pie, and my favorite, The Boleta Tart with wild mushrooms hand-gathered by the groom's family. We also put together an heirloom tomato salad with over 30 pounds of farm tomatoes! Guests were invited to share their handmade favorites and to bring pies, tarts, cakes and the like to add to the bounty.

Our place cards were apples picked from a local orchard with calligraphy leaves. We wanted our tables to really bring home the woodland theme and decorated them with moss, Chinese lanterns, acorns and tiny pumpkins. The favors were knitted sachets of rose hips grown in my parents garden.


I decided to make my own veil using simple tulle, and I added a pearl rosette from my great grandma's wedding dress (something old and blue). My grandmother's pearls were something borrowed, and my dress was something new. Alexander wore a natural linen suit, and all the groomsmen wore orange ties. The flower girls' dresses were simple white cotton embellished with satin and grosgrain ribbon. They each wore crowns of vine and vintage millinery of toadstools and crab apples from my shop. My mom made my crown from bittersweet vine and rosemary from my own tiny backyard garden.


Our rings were one of my favorite details. Fashioned from rose gold with a look similar to tree bark, I just loved how they tied everything together.

We were lucky to have our fantastic photographer Karen, who used both digital and vintage analog cameras. She made sure our day translated so lovingly to print!

At the end of it, all it was so wonderful to sit back and see what the hands of everyone we know and love had crafted for us...and to appreciate what our own hands made too!


Further Resources:

For more gorgeous photos of mosey's wedding, check out the posts on oncewed.
Indie Wedding Guide
Brooklyn Bride
Eco-Chic weddings
Wendy Kromer
Brownmouse Photo

Last year, mosey made a custom wedding dress, and shared the story with The Storque! Pop over to the article here. If you want to share photos of your handmade or vintage wedding, link us up in our flickr pool. For more wedding posts and handpicked items, check out these links:

Handmade Weddings Posts | Weddings Category 

Sponsored Items by Wedding Sellers | Weddings and Celebrations Gift Guide

Tags bridal, brides, celebrations, centerpieces, decor, decorations, dining, Earth Tones, eco-friendly, engagement, entertaining, food, Handmade Weddings, hosting, local wedding, Maine, party, plants and edibles, real weddings, sustainable wedding, This Handmade Life, THIS HANDMADE LIFE, wedding band, weddings, woodland wedding
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107 comments     Login to add your own!

June 9, 2009 at 4:34 p.m. adoreneko

Apple hour is ingenious and sounds so delicious.
Thank you for sharing a wonderful and beautiful handmade wedding recap!

June 9, 2009 at 4:37 p.m. diffractionfiber

Wow, wow, wow! Looks amazing! Congrats!

June 9, 2009 at 4:38 p.m. jessicaschuler

What a beautiful palette of colors and aesthetics mosey. Definitely different and beautiful! Great collaboration of your loved for your special day!

June 9, 2009 at 4:38 p.m. foamywader

How elegant! We've got bridesmaid gifts:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?...

June 9, 2009 at 4:42 p.m. younghairlove

I think everyone and every thing looked so beautiful at your wedding!! congratulations!! also, what incredible food you guys had!! looks so yummy!!!

June 9, 2009 at 4:44 p.m. missindie

oh my gosh! that is so romantic!! :]

June 9, 2009 at 4:45 p.m. beautifulbridget

So elegant and romantic!!

June 9, 2009 at 4:45 p.m. TeenAngster

This is unbelievably beautiful.

June 9, 2009 at 4:46 p.m. belovedbaglady

Stunning! Beautiful! Love the black and white photo...vintage romance at its best

June 9, 2009 at 4:50 p.m. thestapeliacompany

That is probably one of the most beautiful fall weddings I've ever seen. That cake is absolutely stunning. Wow.

June 9, 2009 at 4:57 p.m. HibouCards

That is beautiful and I agree with the person above me, the cake pictures is amazing! Everything looks really beautiful and sends good vibes of happiness!

June 9, 2009 at 5:03 p.m. lilworkerb

More wedding talk, just reminds me I've never even been on a date! Sweet ideas tho.

June 9, 2009 at 5:04 p.m. aBreathofFrenchair

Beautiful!

June 9, 2009 at 5:06 p.m. littlepancakes

basically my dream wedding!

June 9, 2009 at 5:09 p.m. CarryTheWord

Beautiful! The food looks fabulous!

June 9, 2009 at 5:09 p.m. gloilocksandbody

Ohmygosh. All. That. Food.

NOMS.

June 9, 2009 at 5:11 p.m. aimeesarmoire

What a beautiful wedding, and fabulous picks!

Why is it that the DIY & homepsun goodness brides never seem to be Bridezillas?

Although, a knitting-needle-soldering-iron-pliers-paintbrush-wielding Craft-Zilla is quite the hilarious image! tee-hee

June 9, 2009 at 5:12 p.m. worksofwhimsy

Just Stunning...all of it! The bouquet is gorgeous and I'm very hungry now.

June 9, 2009 at 5:22 p.m. AlliumDesign

So simple, natural, and beautiful...takes my breath away! It must have been a wonderful day! Thanks so much for sharing your story. I'm truly inspired!!

June 9, 2009 at 5:23 p.m. jennifermorrisbeads

what a sweet and perfectly perfect wedding!
i'm so inspired..

June 9, 2009 at 5:27 p.m. VintageEye

that is a wedding i would love to attend. the importance of the marriage, not the just wedding day, is center stage. best wishes for years of happiness to you both!

June 9, 2009 at 5:31 p.m. bellasparty

Wonderful! I love everything! Congratulations!!

June 9, 2009 at 6:09 p.m. Divanni

This whole wedding is absolutely lovely, well done!

June 9, 2009 at 6:09 p.m. KOALACaddie

Blessings to you both. What a meaningful wedding! I'm sure you have inspired many others to follow your wonderful example.

June 9, 2009 at 6:17 p.m. Luciabella1

Everything I envisioned a perfect fall wedding to be! Love all the details.

June 9, 2009 at 6:26 p.m. myzoetrope

Wow, this is gorgeous. Congratulations!

June 9, 2009 at 6:52 p.m. mykonos

oh, I love those photos!!

June 9, 2009 at 6:58 p.m. DeborahVoizin

What a beautiful story.............and they lived happily ever after!

June 9, 2009 at 7:04 p.m. mazedasastoat

That's the most beautiful cake I've ever seen!

Love the whole apple/fall theme & the colours too.

Congratulations on a wedding not only unique, special & meaningful, but one that I'm sure will make a family legend as time goes on! :-)

June 9, 2009 at 7:05 p.m. MyJunkyTrunk

Wow! Everything is just so stunning! Makes you want to go right out and get married! LOL!

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?...

June 9, 2009 at 7:09 p.m. 4TheSparrowsNest

Now THIS is a perfect example of a handmade wedding!! VERY inspiring.

June 9, 2009 at 7:33 p.m. lauraprentice

Awesome! My fiance is GROWING all of our flowers and favors for our outdoor handmade wedding!

June 9, 2009 at 7:35 p.m. StudioCherie

Absolutely beautiful. I am going to share this with a friend who is getting married this Fall. I especially love the bouquet. This series of articles should win some kind of award. All so inspiring...

June 9, 2009 at 7:47 p.m. SweetwaterGifts

Love the apple theme! Wow the work!

June 9, 2009 at 8:01 p.m. ChaseNorway

I love that shot of the groomsmen. That's what I'd want my wedding to look like.

June 9, 2009 at 8:08 p.m. dandelionland

Beautiful! What a unique wedding!

June 9, 2009 at 9:15 p.m. PenelopeAndAnastasia

Awww...sniff, sniff...happy memories of my own wedding 10 years ago!!

June 9, 2009 at 9:15 p.m. OhFaro

stunning!

I love making hairpieces and offering rhinestone jewels for weddings. The brides of etsy are so fantastic to work with. Indeed!

June 9, 2009 at 9:18 p.m. APunkinCardCompany

So beautiful! Makes me want to get married all over again..

June 9, 2009 at 9:19 p.m. dogties

Simply Wonderful!

June 9, 2009 at 9:29 p.m. andreasjewelry

The whole wedding event looked beautiful! I love the elegant but natural feel of all of the decorations. So much more "inspired" than most weddings that you see! Thanks for sharing!

June 9, 2009 at 9:30 p.m. JBirdHome

punkin card you took the words right out of my mouth! just about to type the same thing. maybe we'll just to have to renew our vows....

June 9, 2009 at 9:34 p.m. TreeHuggerStudio

Congratulations! The pictures are gorgeous.

June 9, 2009 at 9:36 p.m. pennyspug

sooo nice :)

June 9, 2009 at 9:47 p.m. chARiTyelise

wow- what an enchanted wedding! i loved reading this and pouring over all of the beautiful photographs! what an amazing way to make such a special day even so much more special with all of the loving handmade touches!

June 9, 2009 at 9:59 p.m. secretjewellz

I really enjoyed reading and looking at all the photos. I love how everyone you know was involved in some way or other. I wish you both all the best.

And thanks for sharing your wonderful wedding.

June 9, 2009 at 10:04 p.m. TheBrassHussy

looking forward to this being available for everyone!

June 9, 2009 at 10:14 p.m. PrudenceOctavia

what a stunning wedding

June 9, 2009 at 10:49 p.m. TheCottageCheese

What a beautiful and oh-so-personal wedding! Articles like these continue to inspire me when it comes to making decisions about my own wedding coming up in a few weeks.

June 9, 2009 at 11:05 p.m. recycledwares

another great wedding to make me cry. why do these stories always make me cry?

June 10, 2009 at midnight pandawithcookie

Sweet sweet pie.

June 10, 2009 at 12:06 a.m. ArtDecoDame

so pretty!

June 10, 2009 at 12:19 a.m. artfulife

What a perfect start to a happy life together. Congratulations!

June 10, 2009 at 12:24 a.m. vantiani

How I keep smiling while reading this...thank you so much for sharing:)

June 10, 2009 at 12:29 a.m. littlepinkpebble

the food looks absolutely fantastic~!!

June 10, 2009 at 12:46 a.m. FluteTeacher

Beautiful! Thanks for sharing.

June 10, 2009 at 1:13 a.m. siennaorlando

wow wow wow!

June 10, 2009 at 1:28 a.m. pinklilypress

What a BEAUTIFUL wedding! There's nothing better than nature :)

June 10, 2009 at 2:29 a.m. dinosaurluncheon

So beautiful! Autumn is my favorite time of the year, and I can't imagine a more lovely wedding. The palette is inspired! Congratulations to you both.

June 10, 2009 at 3:18 a.m. SundraSandrusi

What a beautiful story.............

June 10, 2009 at 3:41 a.m. ExQuisiteInVitation

That story just felt natural...Congratulations.

June 10, 2009 at 5:17 a.m. BabbidgePatch

lovely ~ thanks for sharing

June 10, 2009 at 5:32 a.m. inodaknit

Lovely....thanks for sharing

June 10, 2009 at 5:55 a.m. feltanomicon

beautiful... such a classy look and so simple too. great ideas!

June 10, 2009 at 8:14 a.m. Tumus

This is just lovely ^_^ Makes me want to plan mine over again LOL

June 10, 2009 at 8:27 a.m. lovelygifts

Great story.

June 10, 2009 at 8:43 a.m. jenniferlynnstudio

Enjoyed reading the story and looking at the pics...Love how everyone pitched in to make this one intimate and love-filled event! Congrats!

June 10, 2009 at 9:09 a.m. kidacollective

Just beautiful. Congratulations!

June 10, 2009 at 10:34 a.m. PipocaHandmade

Such a gorgeous looking wedding! Wonderful read!

June 10, 2009 at 10:45 a.m. MossRoseDesigns

Your wedding was absolutely beautiful!! What an inspiration. The girls that believe they have to spend many, many thousands of dollars to have a gorgeous celebration and memory should read this and take heart. Thank you for sharing.

June 10, 2009 at 10:52 a.m. mossyrockpottery

Love the apple theme... I grew up running around my Great-Uncle's Apple Ranch in Sebastopol, CA. http://www.twinhillranch.com/ A wonderful childhood, thanks for bringing back that memory. May your hearts be filled with love and peace each time you enjoy an apple.

June 10, 2009 at 11:36 a.m. 1AEON

super sweet!!!!!!

June 10, 2009 at 11:42 a.m. HappiestApple

so beautiful!

June 10, 2009 at 11:44 a.m. esmeraldadesigns

Awesome, thanks so much for sharing-I love the locivore theme especially:)

June 10, 2009 at 1:55 p.m. PAINTINGSBYSAM

What a wonderful idea. Thank you for sharing.

June 10, 2009 at 2:07 p.m. sandyhall

A real feel-good read. I wish you all the best!

June 10, 2009 at 2:15 p.m. magnoliastreet

Elegant and beautiful and lovely. :) Congratulations on your marriage!

May I ask where you found your wedding bands? They're beautiful. I love rose gold.

June 10, 2009 at 2:58 p.m. carissamay

wow! inspiring love it

June 10, 2009 at 4:16 p.m. VintageBookStore

how wonderful.

June 10, 2009 at 4:46 p.m. CityChicCountryMouse

Wow, gorgeous photos of your special day! Such a sweet wedding! Congrats!

June 10, 2009 at 6:02 p.m. mosey

thanks everyone for the super sweet comments and well wishes- right back atcha!
magnoliastreet ~ also our wedding bands were the ny designer hannah clark:
http://www.hannah-clark.com/

xxo

June 10, 2009 at 7:42 p.m. beccamari

So, so, sooooo pretty!

June 10, 2009 at 9:32 p.m. CollectionObsession

Beautiful wedding. The food looks fabulous. And that cake!

June 10, 2009 at 11:59 p.m. llisaer

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June 11, 2009 at 12:44 a.m. jennyleefowler

beautiful beautiful beautiful.
& who made those rings?

June 11, 2009 at 4:07 a.m. vilte

what a beautiful wedding!

June 11, 2009 at 6:36 a.m. steinschmuckdesign

WOW!

such a beautiful wedding!

June 11, 2009 at 9:50 a.m. MoolyArt

I am inspired. I just began my first blog last week http://www.moolyart.blogspot.com/ And now I know how it should feel. I was just pulled along with your text and then I stayed for the pictures.

June 11, 2009 at 9:53 a.m. MoolyArt

Hmmm, I meant I was intrigued with the text...as in 'just enthralled'. :)

June 11, 2009 at 10:40 a.m. littlemoandfriends

just beautiful:) congrats!

June 11, 2009 at 4:26 p.m. belledentelle

This story is quite inspiring. I can't wait to share it with my brother who is about to tie the knot.

what a truly beautiful wedding!

June 11, 2009 at 4:37 p.m. TheCraftyRagamuffin

I love Ponies in the Surf! My husband and I saw our first show back in 2004 or 5 I think it was.
Oh, and beautiful wedding too ;)

June 11, 2009 at 5:25 p.m. Missevilkitty

very cute wedding .. i love your colors

June 11, 2009 at 7:18 p.m. cocoachuchu

Lovely wedding! I love the cake :)

June 12, 2009 at 4:27 a.m. lazulibluecreations

what a beautiful wedding story, love the flowergirl's dresses.

June 14, 2009 at 12:47 a.m. jurgitahandmade

wow! Beautiful wedding!!!!

June 14, 2009 at 3:21 p.m. MarniesMenagerie

You are very creative. Just beautiful and what a memory! Have a happy day! Marnie

June 14, 2009 at 10:42 p.m. jenuinejems

What a lovely wedding! Thank you for sharing!

June 15, 2009 at 2:08 a.m. Lunatiger

That's just too beautiful for words!

June 15, 2009 at 8:38 a.m. KellySchwarkDesigns

What a wonderful article for me to catch on our 8th wedding anniversary! It brought back many great memories of our own special day, at the same time as making me wish we could do it all over again! Simply BEAUTIFUL!

June 15, 2009 at 1:58 p.m. BluCille

Looks like a beautiful wedding. It sort of reminds me of mine. We planned our wedding for August, but just before the date I read through several magazines that already had autumn crafts printed and I changed everything at the last minute to have a fall themed wedding! Our cake was full of leaves like the one above and we had marzipan acorns galore. My little sister made my flower bouquet and I made tons of candy for our reception!

June 15, 2009 at 10:09 p.m. urbanheirlooms

Just beautiful! The crab apples on your canopy are a lovely touch.

June 16, 2009 at 8:39 a.m. fotogenic

Beautiful pics

July 8, 2009 at 5:29 a.m. PoorRobin

What a beautiful and collaborative wedding! It must have been such a special day for both you and your guests Mazel Tov!

July 24, 2009 at 6:59 p.m. MountainGirlClothing

I LOVE your shop and your article was amazing = ) Such an inspiration = )

Aug. 25, 2009 at 5:30 a.m. buddhanature

What a beautiful crown . . . I love it! Very Lovely!

Aug. 31, 2009 at 10:36 a.m. TheSingingBird

Jes, this is so lovely! Every time I've read your blog or looked at your flickr photos I've wanted to see more, because the colors and the woodland designs and textures can't help but draw us in. Thank you for sharing your beautiful day here, and I hope you decide to publish a book, so I can happily add it to our library. :) xo

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