Vintage DIY Autumn Wedding | Maeve + Zach

Today we’re delighted to share a gorgeous vintage DIY autumn wedding from photographer Serena Genovese. Almost everything was DIY, from decor to florals, creating an atmosphere that was both lovely and deeply personal.

From the couple:

We grew up less than 10 miles away from each other in Pittsburgh, but we did not meet until we were studying abroad in London, England in 2011. We used to walk on opposite sides of the road from the tube station to our dormitory in Ealing, and at first Zach assumed I was a local.

We talked very briefly in passing, but did not connect again until we were back in Pittsburgh later that year. We found ourselves in a very familiar situation walking on opposite sides of the street, but this time it was on campus at the University of Pittsburgh. Zach ran across to strike up a conversation and we made plans to get coffee. The rest is history!

Almost every part of our wedding decor was DIY! Maeve designed and coordinated everything herself with the gracious help of our family and friends. We kept the decor simple for the ceremony in the Ballroom in order to compliment the architectural details of the space.

The room was flooded with natural light from the huge windows and was so beautiful on its own. Our ceremony centered on a window with a large 14-inch white paper star, made by Maeve, suspended overhead.

The Ace Hotel Pittsburgh is located in a century-old former YMCA, so our reception was held in the Gym — a three-story space with large windows and a track running almost the full perimeter overhead. We did not get access to the space until midnight the night before and completed all of the set up and decorating by 2:00am (with a wake up call in 3 hours!!).

EF Lighting did an amazing job hanging four long strands of cafe lights that spanned from the track railings up to the ceiling. In addition to the lighting, we had strings of white bunting hung along the metal handrails of the track. 

The tables were a mix of rectangular and round shapes, and each was covered with an ivory table cloth. At each setting was a paper placemat printed with an ornate hand-drawn plate and utensils, giving the appearance of a place setting. We included a small glass bowl full of colorful crayons at each table for guests of all ages to color or draw. At the center of each table was a lantern with a white paper star suspended inside similar to the ceremony star — all handmade by Maeve.

Our flowers were a unique mix of dried, fresh, and silk, including safflowers, white and gold button flowers, lavender, larkspur, gomphrena, eucalyptus, lotus pods, anemones, magnolias, stock, lantern flowers, gypsophila, and berry branches. Maeve arranged the flowers in bottles and jars of various shapes and sizes, staying within a glass color palette of copper, amber, clear, dark green, and green milk glass. We scattered the leftover silver dollar and seeded eucalyptus across the center of each table.

Our society can sometimes make us think we need to do things a specific way. However, you should do everything the way that feels most true to you as a couple! Establish your shared values and a creative vision before you make any other decisions. Write it down and let it guide you.

For us, this meant mixing traditions with modern values and having a small marriage ceremony before planning our larger wedding celebration a year later. It did not matter if anyone else was confused by our decision because it ultimately felt true to us!

Walking into the ballroom for the ceremony and seeing all of our friends and family […] felt surreal and utterly magical! We had guests who traveled from near and far — Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, Maryland, Massachusetts, Delaware, New Jersey, Tennessee, Illinois, Indiana, Texas, Florida, Montana, and Serena our photographer flew over from Italy!

It was truly the warmest feeling in the world to be surrounded by everyone we love in one space…..[finally] In terms of marriage advice, be each other’s best friend and you will be golden!

Click below to see more details and images from this breathtaking vintage DIY autumn wedding!

Photographer: Serena Genovese // Other: Studio Forget-Me-Not! // Custom Portrait: Jordan Grace Owens // Groom Tie: Vestis // Invitation Designer: Susan Brown // Groom Shoes: Nisolo // Design and Decor: MaeveMade // Engagement Ring Designer: Erica Weiner // Wedding Ring Designer: Catbird // Groom’s Band: Studebaker Metals // Makeup Artist: Jae Lee Paredes // Hair Stylist: Betsy Schrecengost // Tuxedo and Mens Attire: Vintage Suit Hire // Seamstress + Tailoring: The Iron Horse Atelier // Lighting: EF Lighting // Gown: Flourishing Vines Gown by BHLDN // Event Venue: Ace Hotel Pittsburgh // 

Submitted via Two Bright Lights