Project Wedding Blog

First things first.  Big props to Dana for wearing this little red frock on her wedding day.  I love her retro look- from the glasses to the hair to the red lips.. perfectly photogenic!  From day one, Dana and Shane knew that their wedding was going to reflect them down to every last detail. The day was full of color, handcrafted details, outdoor fun, music, and good times with friends.  Inspired by her knack for planning her own wedding, Dana started a company called Orange in Bloom and plans weddings in the Chicago area. Have fun peeking thru their amazing photos by Hanle Productions!The couple and many of their guests made the short trek from Chicago to La Porte, Indiana to enjoy a rustic, lakeside experience at The Red Barn.  The ceremony was a quick one… outdoors, under the hot July sun, while the reception lasted long into the evening with fun and games like bags and croquet. 

Dana gives the full run down of her planning process just below…

All our best to Dana + Shane!

Planning a unique and creative wedding?  I was recently interviewed by REVEL blog about that very topic… {head over here} to read it!

Photos by Hanle Productions

Event Design by Orange in Bloom

Day Of Coordination: Get Hitched Weddings

Bride’s Dress by Anthropologie

Bride’s Hair & Makeup by Tigerlilie Salon

Venue: The Red Barn Experience in LaPorte, Indiana

Catering by Sweet Baby Ray’s Catering Company

Reception Entertainment: Style Matters DJs

From the Bride: Our wedding ended up being exactly what we had hoped it would be. A labor of love that we had put a lot of work into and a wonderful party that our guests enjoyed as much as we did. We spent months making the paper flower centerpieces. We also handmade our favors, which were family cookbooks with some of our favorite family recipes.

My mom made the table runners out of fabric that I had chosen and my lovely grandmother made hundreds of cupcakes. We had a “build your own cupcake” table with different toppings set out in mugs to sprinkle on top of each cupcake — chocolate chips, sprinkles, nuts, even gummy bears made an appearance. It was fun for the kids especially, but the adults loved it, too.

One of the greatest struggles we had in preparing for our wedding was the dreaded dance. Neither of us are dancers and at one point, we joked that instead of having a first dance we would have a “first game of bags.” We are both music lovers though and so we decided to suck it up and figure out a way to unleash our inner dancers. I suggested something that at first sounded crazy to us, but ended up giving us the direction we needed. We watched videos online, learned the Foxtrot and made it work with our first dance, which was to “Baby” by Devendra Banhart.

Our wedding ceremony was seven minutes long (we timed it) and included a Kurt Vonnegut quote (we have our wonderful officiant to thank for that). I know that the guests were grateful to only be out under the hot July sun for seven minutes. But, as the night progressed and the sun began to set, it was impossible for them to ignore the beautiful setting. The field was practically glowing and everyone was enamored of the stars.

We still get compliments from our guests who insist ours was the most enjoyable wedding they’ve ever been to. My advice to other couples is to be true to what you envision and go with your gut. Your guests will appreciate all those little details and see the love you put into it.

Tags: DIY, farm, indie, Real Wedding, red dress, unconventional, unique