SHANNON MAY | WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER: August 2012

Glamour meets Nature in this detail laden DIY wedding, and it all beings with the dress.

For Amy, the perfect dress was one that she would be comfortable enough in allowing her room to eat eat at her wedding. She didn't want the super fitted, built-in bustier kind of dress that prevents most Bride's from enjoying the delicious meal they specially planned for their wedding! Thus, Amy ordered a dress (a size too big) that was styled so that she would comfortable and be able to delight in all the treats she had planned! To her disappointment, the dress arrived and it was discovered that the salon had actually ordered a size smaller!! She thought she might try to fit into it but in the end decided to order another dress, this time online. Again, dissapointment. She was scammed out of her money! At a loss of what to do, her soon-to-be mother in law arranged a trip to the fabric store with Amy and proceeded to make Amy her dress!! Yup, this gorgeous lace gown with a built in rose sash and button back was handmade by Amy's mother-in-law. Other than marrying her best friend and the love of her life Justin, I believe Amy's dress and the love that stitched it together was the best part of her day. Well and the food of the course since this was a big motivator for the style of the dress!

I first leanred about Amy's dress saga when she emailed me a few weeks before the wedding letting me know she and her bridesmaids, Ashley in particular, had been busy hand-making numerous details for her wedding. She was putting a lot of work and detail in making sure the DIY decor at her wedding was as beautiful as she imagined it. I imagine she is as addicted to Pinterest as I am and spent one too many late nights on popular wedding blogs looking for inspiration. I knew when I first met Amy that I was going to love her and that this wedding would be inspiring to photograph. After all, did use the magic word: Lace. Well, her vision of a rustic, vintage-inspired, DIY wedding came true!

Surrounded by family and friends who have loved and supported them, Amy and Justin were married. Even though the rain at thwarted their plans for an outdoor ceremony amongst the trees and beside the stream at the Atlantic Salmon Federation, the rain did nothing to squelch the joy shared by all on this day! And thankfully, prayers were heard, the rain stopped just in time for pictures.

Congratulations Amy and Justin! Thank you so much for including me in your day. Thank you Justin for putting up with all the picture-taking... it was so worth it, I swear!!! I wish you both the happiest of lifetimes.

Love & Sunshine,

Shannon-May

Amy and Justin made these necklaces and matching rings from spoons for each of the Bridesmaids and Amy's mother.

Justin kept secret from Amy the Groom's and Groomsmen attire. Until she walked down the aisle she had no idea what these dapper dues would be wearing!! Fun idea... and I think they did a pretty good job of keeping with the overall theme for the wedding!! I especially loved the bowties!

Amy's friend and bridesmaid extraordinaire Ashley did all the flowers as well as was Amy's righthand DIY gal-pal. Other DIY projects that made this wedding so beautiful and personal including hand painted signs, framed photos of Amy and Justin's parents and grandparent's wedding, handmade chocolate covered treats placed in mini-mason jars and decorated with lace doilies and twine, mason jar vases and tea-light holders decorated with lace leftover from Amy's dress, handmade drink tickets, and Amy rolled in a lace doily and tied with twine all the cutlery!!!

I love that Amy and Justin made is a priority to steal away during the reception so that we could get in some more photos. Between the fog that settled on Chamcook lake, the dusky light and sheer gorgeousness of these two people, these are some of the most romantic photos...