This week we are spotlighting a full DIY Wedding! Kat and Nick Toman of Milwaukee, Wis., had creativity not only inspired, but also sustainable. They enlisted the help of small and local businesses; re-purposed Kat’s wedding dress and recycled fabric for her wedding shoes; they even used living centerpieces. Most touching was how they incorporated loving messages from their friends and family as a theme throughout their wedding. There was no part of this wonderful wedding that didn’t get brushed by Kat and Nick’s personal touch and promote an abundance of love.
PART ONE: The Bridal Ensemble
The Wedding Dress
I wore my mother’s wedding dress from my parents’ wedding in 1973. Sue at Fitting Sewlutions did an amazing job. We had it altered a bit (removed the puffy sleeves; flipped the Nehru collar inside-out) and added a teal sash. Teal is my favorite color, and the main color of the wedding. The dress was incredibly comfortable, and I loved that it was a part of my parents’ marriage.
Wedding Shoes
I really wanted custom Chuck Taylor’s for the wedding, since they’re my favorite shoes, but my dad really wanted me to wear anything but sneakers. We compromised: I wore flats for the ceremony and first dances, but then I switched into my Chucks. I also got to wear them before the wedding because it was raining and they were more appropriate for walking through puddles. I just added some orange and yellow ribbon for the laces to bring in all of my wedding colors.
Jewelry & Wedding Accessories
I customized all of my wedding accessories with the help of Katie at Cultivar. She beautifully and professionally put together my custom bridal hairpiece. We used a pin that belonged to my great Uncle Bernard (a favorite relative, who passed away many years ago) and custom bead work I did myself. Both of these items I used for my custom wedding jewelry.
In addition to my jewelry, Cultivar also assembled my bouquet and my fancy shoe clips, which were made out of recycled fabric.
Flower Bouquet
I wanted to have a bouquet that I could keep forever. At my shower, my friends and family wrote notes and drew pictures on 1-inch circles of Shrinky Dink plastic. My maid of honor and future sister-in-law painted the backs of these circles yellow, then we shrunk them down and glued them in the center of each handmade flower in the bouquet. I was able to read personal messages while walking down the aisle, reminding me to ‘Smile! Breathe! Kiss! Have fun!’ It was so cool to have a little piece of these loved ones with me as we said our vows.
