It's so hard to believe that the big day is getting closer and closer. I almost try to avoid looking at the countdown because it seems like the days are getting fewer and my lists are getting longer! I am so very excited to share in the day with all of our friends and family....in 4.5 months! It's crazy to think that we [and by that I mean me, lol] have been planning for so long and it has always seemed so far in the future. Not anymore! I guess I bet
 
In the last two days, I have seen so many rustic, farm weddings & wanted to share a few of my favorites:

Love the old truck, boots & reception [click here]
Bocce Ball Anyone? [click here]
Mason jars, direction signs & a barn....sigh :) [click here]

Love seeing so many creative ways to personalize a wedding...makes me feel not so crazy about mine :)
 
Last summer, my church group helped to tear down some abandoned homes here in our small town. One of the homes had been flooded. The other, a tree had fallen through the roof awhile back. It had some beautiful gingerbread work & solid wood floors....definitely would have been a beautiful house in its hay day. Anyways, when tearing down the second house, i was able to salvage some of the old doors. I wasn't sure at the time what I wanted to do with them, but ran across these images on some blogs and knew exactly what to do! Now, thanks to some handy family members, we will be turning them into the arbor for the front our ceremony. I love it because it's something we are DIYing, and we will be able to use it in our yard at our home for years to come. So super excited about this project!!
 
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So...knowing that I wanted to use Mason jars everywhere I can at the wedding, I have been keeping my eyes out for them in local ads and online. Guess where I found these beauties....Menards :) Made in the USA sale! So stinking excited! Now the people at the store were definitely giving me goofy looks, and I even got a 'My god, girl' as I was loading them into my car :) $6/case...meaning 50 cents a piece!! 

 
I love the fact that I have family that is willing [and able] to help with with some DIY projects. My dad's friend was tearing down his privacy fence. Thankfully, dad saved some of the wood to create directional signs for the wedding. I absolutely love these! They will be placed on main intersections near the farm, as well as in locations around the property to help direct guests. So super excited to share this sneak peek :)
 
I ran across this on another site and thought it was absolutely fantastic!! I searched it down to Martha Stewart's Weddings website and cannot wait to include it in our day. I think it would be such a great distraction for our guests while they are waiting for the ceremony to begin. 

"Find your birthday and its corresponding tree; see if the personality traits listed match yours. If you're an apple tree (December 23 to 31), are you flirtatious, adventurous, always in love? If you're a fir (July 5 to 14), are you sophisticated, moody, industrious? Let guests read up -- and let the conversations bloom."

Read more at Marthastewartweddings.com: Take a Bough: Wedding Program Idea 
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Last week, we got all of our save the dates in the mail [thanks to the future mother-in-law]. And the even better news is that we already have RSVPs! As an uber planner, that makes me super excited!!! So now for the breakdown. We ordered the S/Ds from The Blue Envelope on Etsy. To help our guests use this as a reminder [and not another piece of paper they could lose], we added magnets to the back of each invite :) We also had so many people asking about our engagements pictures that we decided to pick 6-7 of our favorites and include one random photo in each invite. What do ya think?!?!
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After making my to-do DIY list...I kinda panicked! I have A LOT to do still! So I decided that I would go ahead and do what I can now to get it out of the way. First thing to check off: Photo Sharing Cards
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With about 5 1/2 months to go [and through the suggestion of the MOH] I finally made my DIY To-Do list...and holy cow, do I have a lot of work to do :) Obviously, I will have some help on things with my mom and other family/friends. Here's a run down...

All Things Paper

  1. Invitiations
  2. Direction cards
  3. RSVP Cards
  4. Photo Share Cards
  5. Accordion Programs
  6. Table Numbers
  7. Escort Cards
  8. Favor Labels & Tags
  9. Wrap address labels
  10. Petal toss cones
  11. & symbol for pictures

Decorations + more

  1. Hay Bale seating covers
  2. Bridal bouquet [x7]
  3. Boutonnières [x9]
  4. Mason Jar Isle flowers
  5. Wedding Tree guestbook
  6. Muslin tablecloths
  7. Burlap table runners
  8. Twig centerpieces
  9. Vinyl saying for mirror
  10. Mason Jar chandeliers
  11. Cake Stand
  12. Framed engagement photos
  13. Card Box
  14. Yard game sigsn [corn hole, bocce ball, croquet, ladder golf]
  15. Escort Card window panes
  16. BBQ sauce favors for 200 guests
  17. Thank you cards
  18. Wedding dress sash
  19. Flower girl dresses
  20. Reclaimed Door Archway
  21. Bridal Flower Hair Piece
  22. Kids activity books
  23. Twine & Burlap wrapped jars