Delanie + Mark | Magnolia, Texas Wedding Photographer

All you need is love… and a super fun DIY backyard wedding.

I asked the beautiful bride, how did Mark propose? She responded, “He attached the ring to my dog and surprised me at our home!” They have been together for 3 years and it was like they have known each other their whole life.

Mark and Delanie are the ultimate best friends. They are madly in love, super fun, they don’t take themselves too seriously, and their passion for each other is out of this world. Their happiness and kindness is so refreshing! Their intimate DIY backyard ceremony took place at the brides parents’ house in Magnolia, Texas on May 2, 2015. With a waterfall, line of fire, homemade people sized Jenga game, and DIY decor from the moment you walk into their home.. this modern backyard wedding is any bride’s dream. When guests first pull into the neighborhood they see a D+M sign that points to the direction of the house. At arrival, guests were greeted with a beautiful personalized entrance with Delanie and Mark’s wedding date banner and bikes. They love to ride bikes together and even incoprorated the bicycles into their engagement session! Throughout the entire wedding was personalized details about the two of them, even from as soon as the guest parked their car! Upon entering the house, Delanie had DIY signs that lead guests to the bathroom and other areas of the house and event areas. Every detail was perfectly planned to make for a smooth and organized evening. Their ceremony almost had me in tears. The vow exchange was so personal, sweet, and down to earth. Their officiant was a good friend of theres, and the readers were family members. This intimate ceremony was one for the books for sure.

They both enjoy drinking wine together, so a huge theme of the day was wine bottles. With each bottle or cork throughout the reception was a note that had a special or funny fact about themselves. (“Did you know?” Delanie and Mark took an ultimate Frisbee class together in college — Delanie secretly signed up to get closer to Mark). These two love birds met in college and were active in many different athletic events with each other. Their love story is so cute and I loved how they had it laid out for friends and family to see. Each thing that they loved individually and as a couple was presented someway creatively throughout the day. I loved the personalized “D+M” wine holders and beer coozies. They love classic music.. and The Beatles.. so of course “All You Need Is Love” was perfect for their wedding party signs.. all the way to the cake topper.. and the guitarist that played classic tunes during the ceremony.

There was not a single detail left unfinished. Her bridesmaids had custom getting ready robes from Japan. She had personalized cups made for the flower girls and ring bearers. She even had my husband and I custom water glasses for the night with cameras on them! I was so impressed with her attention to detail and every little thing that she did to put together such a beautiful day. It was a photographer’s dream! The couple made the Jenga game themselves out of wood, the bean bag toss games with custom words on it, and even a huge wooden “B” for their last name initial. Every guest even had a custom place setting! I remember Delanie telling me about her color scheme.. very classy black and whites. She told me she did not want any pops of color but wanted accent with greens. I absolutely love how everything came together with the nature inspiration of the pine tree backdrop, the greenery on the tables, and the beautiful wooded ceremony.

Words From the beautiful bride..

Delanie and Mark met in college at Texas A&M in 2008. Bonded by their love of scuba diving, the two quickly became great friends. It wasn’t until 3 years later that they began dating and grew a friendship into a loving relationship. The two travel the world as often as they can to exotic places such as Fiji and the Maldives and look forward to starting their lives together as husband and wife.

When the wedding planning process began, the bride’s vision was a simple, small, and intimate event. She wanted her wedding to be different and not just one she’s seen out of a magazine. Her parents own a house on a wooded 4 acre lot which was perfect for her vision and provided the unique and special factor that she wanted. Rather than selecting the traditional color scheme, the bride wanted to have more of a neutral palette with a pattern as her focal point. She felt as though this would help blend in with the outdoor environment while still providing an element of fun and modernism. She picked a black and white diagonal striped pattern and had customized table runners made as well other decor items that included the same pattern.

Aligning with the unique and intimate theme, Delanie wanted to hand make as many decorations as possible. Luckily, Mark is a true handyman and was able to bring life to his bride’s desire. From a giant B to a bags game set to a Jenga set to wine bottle tiki torches, the bride and groom worked diligently to have as many customized items as possible.

The wedding came and went, but both Delanie and Mark were thrilled with the outcome. They received the most compliments on their efforts for the handmade decorations as well as personalized hand written notes that were placed at each guest’s seat at the reception. After all was said and done, both the bride and groom were happy that they choose an intimate setting and personalized approach to the whole event. These aspects are what make the day memorable for not only themselves, but their friends and family.

Photographer: Endless Exposures Photography

Cake: Nothin’ Bundt Cakes

Catering: Mel’s Country Cafe

Rentals: Events Plus Event Rental

DJ: Disk Jockeys Now

Cake Topper: ChicagoFactory

Date Banner : ABannerAffair

Burlap Banner Sign: BridesandBellas

Wine Bottle Labels: Patrick Mauldin

Custom Decor: SweetestSaranade

Hangers : RosasBridalGifts Etsy

Guitarist: Tyler Ray