Wed: Sarah & Mike in Delray Beach

I'm a bit of a sucker for weddings that show up in my mailbox and describe the couple as lovers of vintage, "found" items and everything crafty. When Shannon of Mi Amore Foto sent over this beauty, and the bride told us that the groom actually enjoys knitting {yes! How awesome is he!} I had a feeling that this was going to be one wedding that our readers would enjoy!

Sarah and Mike had known of each other for many years. It wasn't until they were both members of Sarah's friend and Mike's brothers wedding party that they really got to know one another and actually walked down the aisle together. As Sarah says, she guesses that was destiny! They dated long distance for over a year, going back and forth from Arizona to Florida. After a visit of spending seven consecutive days together, Sarah decided to take the plunge and move to Tucson. I can agree with Sarah, having been in a long term relationship for years, it turned out to be the best decision of her life!

After getting engaged in Chicago, Mike and Sarah decided to get married in Florida. They chose such a fun venue in Florida, The Old School Square Gymnasium in Delray Beach. The bride gave us a little insight on her venue selection process and inspiration for her big day: "I knew I wanted something somewhat rustic and somewhere that I had a lot of creative freedom. I didn't see us celebrating in a big, fancy hotel banquet room and a lot of other vendors were very strict about what could and could not be done in terms of decoration. I just so happened upon the Old School Square while doing some Googling one day and it ended up being perfect! The wood tones in the gymnasium, the landscaping outdoors in the ceremony area and the flexibility of the space really lent itself to a lot of creative opportunities. On top of everything it's a state-designated historical site!"

"The inspiration behind our wedding was to incorporate vintage, found and crafted items. We wanted to incorporate these types of details in our wedding. Pinterest was a big help as well, like most brides would probably say these days, it helped me come up with the color scheme and ideas as well." I am a bit obsessed with the mismatched bridesmaids dresses - I absolutely love when brides allow their girlfriends to select their own dresses, and these ladies looked lovely!

"Everyone involved in our wedding from Mike and myself to friends and family, really went above and beyond helping us find and create unique elements for the day. We had everyone we knew scouring thrift stores and garage sales for bottles, keys, wood pieces - you name it, everything. If we couldn't find something we liked, we made it. I'm especially fond of the bars we used for the reception. I didn't want your run-of-the-mill, black plastic bar carts so I had a family friend (and gifted carpenter) make us bars from scratch using wood and stain I picked out."

One detail that is one the biggest decisions of a bride at her wedding is, the dress! Sarah gave us a little insight into when she found the one: "I wasn't always one of those girls who dreamed about what my wedding dress would look like. I did know there were somethings that I didn't want and that actually helped me narrow it down more than trying to think of what I did like. I tried not to try on too many dresses because I think it just makes the decision harder. I took only my mother and went to a small boutique that focused on quality over quantity. I loved the lace detailing on this dress and thought it would fit in perfectly with the theme of our day. I also loved the shape. I'm a girl with hips so I decided to embrace them and be comfortable instead of stuffing myself into something that wasn't right for my body."

"Planning your wedding can be stressful, but try to enjoy the ride and remember what everything is really about - the person and people you love. It can be a lot of extra effort but I also recommend making and doing as many things yourself as possible. Not only does it save money, it just adds so much more character to the day and seeing everything come together at the end is such an amazing feeling."

Sarah mentioned that some of the best advice she got from friends was, not to worry, everything would fall into place. By the look of their wedding, everything sure did! What a beautiful day. Congratulatons Sarah and Mike! Thank you for sharing it with us.

VENUE/VENDOR INFORMATION:

Ceremony & Reception Venue: Old School Square Gymnasium | Photography: Mi Amore Foto | Floral Design: Honey Bunch | Hair: Robyn at Odeon Salon | Dress: Pronovias from Bellissima Bride

you might also like:

• Engaged: Stephanie & Marcus at South Pointe Park
• Southern Old-Florida Wedding: Alexandria & Chad in Lakeland
• Making It Fabulous: Just Save The Date Event Planning & Design
• Miami Dolphins Engagement: Andrea & Jason at Sun Life Stadium