Lakeside Celebration

December 16, 2011 in
Real Weddings
Etsy.com handmade and vintage goods

Kim Grassie Konen
tinyhearts

Kim Grassie Konen works on the Etsy Support team. She started selling handbags and neck accessories on Etsy in 2008. Her current shop is called GoneAgain and features tiny embroidered words that get stuck in her head. She lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband Shane, a musician, recordist, rock 'n' roll trooper, and fishing enthusiast.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/GoneAgain

My husband Shane and I have a favorite spot on Elkhart Lake in Wisconsin that we sneak away to every summer. When he asked me to marry him — a proposal that happened in a canoe — we agreed that we should plan our wedding near our favorite lake.

We started planning our summer wedding in the fall of 2010. It was difficult to feel inspired by the Wisconsin sunshine while trudging through the slush and wind of New York City. Our save-the-dates from GoGoSnap inspired us to theme the wedding around lakes and canoes. We followed up with invitations by TrulyNoted, which were adorned with a tiny row boat and an invititation for supper and shenanigans after the ceremony.

With the help of our families, friends and talented artists on Etsy, our handmade wedding blossomed. The ceremony took place in a large grassy meadow, with the lake as our background. The day was beautiful; the clouds looked like gigantic cotton balls and everyone pitched in to start the celebration. Our talented friends Mark and Galynne sang and played acoustic guitars as everyone sat down. I asked my aunt Julie to sing Gillian Welch’s “Dear Someone” as I walked down the aisle with my dad. Shane’s parents built and decorated the arbor where we said our vows.

My parents found several vintage mason jars on Etsy, as well as in Texas flea markets. Each jar became a centerpiece at our reception. They also found three vintage frames that they stripped, distressed and painted light blue, which was one of the muted colors we chose for our theme. Our close friend Heather Grace flew up from Texas and created all of our flower arrangements — she’s an incredible artist and we trusted her eye. [pullquote]Our bouquets included lilies and thistles, which perfectly matched the lakeside surroundings.[/pullquote]

[pullquote]We weren’t sure whether to have cupcakes or go with a traditional wedding cake, so we did both![/pullquote]Shane’s aunt Cheri, who is locally known for her wedding cakes, made several flavors to choose from for our cupcake reception, which was a massive hit with our guests. And what’s a summertime party without some bunting? Our cake topper from Company B matched the long bunting banner I handmade from scraps of fabric leftover from my days of making handbags.

My aunt Julie not only sang during our bridal precession, but she also made over 200 tiny white chocolate hearts for everyone at the reception. She also searched Etsy for a sign and had one custom-made that included our names, the date, and the song that accompanied me down the aisle.

My favorite part of planning our wedding was buying gifts for our wedding party. Standing up in weddings can be so fun, but it’s also really exhausting, and we wanted to make sure each person knew how much we appreciated their friendship and support. Shane loves fishing, and what goes really well with fishing? Beer! He found handmade leather beer cozies on Etsy from Leather Works4 u and had them personalized for each groomsman.

I had been playing around with embroidery and found myself visiting Danielle’s Etsy shop repeatedly. I ordered four custom hand-embroidered necklaces for my beautiful friends, as well as one for myself. For my wedding day, I chose a dress that was very simple; I coupled it with a round feathery hairpiece from Twigs & Honey. [pullquote]For my dress rehearsal I wanted something more rustic and playful, so KT Jean and I worked together on a custom vintage slip dress. I felt so adorable in it, and it worked perfectly with a pair of vintage Frye cowboy boots from my mom.[/pullquote]

After the ceremony we all gathered on a veranda overlooking the lake while my cousin, Scott, and uncle, John, played folk songs. As our guests entered the 100-year-old theater for the our reception, they were greeted with a rustic, handmade place card holder from Treehouse Wood Designs. I was particularly moved by this seller because they had made the original place card holder for their own daughter’s wedding. It told a wonderful story, and right after our reception I gave it to our photographer, who was about three weeks from getting hitched herself. To them them for sharing in our special day, our guests received screenprinted tote bags that we designed. We filled them with beer cozies, handmade candy from my mom and tiny Wisconsin treats from Shane’s parents.

[pullquote]There are three essential items for a truly fun reception, in our opinion: good tunes, free booze, and talking the DJ into staying an extra hour so you can keep cutting a rug.[/pullquote] Our friends and family made our wedding the warmest day of our lives. Even though most of our family members were meeting for the first time, they were like old pals by the end of the night. After the sun went down, we were blessed with a huge thunderstorm, so everyone who was sweaty from dancing could run in the rain to cool off. Then we looked up and saw an aurora borealis; it was the perfect end to the most amazing day.

All photos by Jennifer Brindley, except the bridesmaid photo by Bob Grassie and the hand-embroidered necklaces, which is from The Merriweather Council. 

Etsy.com handmade and vintage goods
Etsy.com handmade and vintage goods

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