I might get hunted down and shot down for saying this, but personally, I’m a little “over” the whole rustic wedding look these days.
Sure, I love a beautiful outdoor wedding as much as the next person. But the whole barn/cowboy boots/bark/twine/dress-hanging-from-a-tree/pretty-country-table-setting-in-the-middle-of-a-huge-field-for-no-reason look is … well, it’s just that I’m getting a little tired of seeing it everywhere.
So I had to make an effort to overcome that inital reaction when I picked up a copy of Rustic Chic Weddings: 55 Projects for Crafting Your Own Wedding Style. Because, honestly, if I had reviewed it two or three years ago, I would have oohed and cooed over the gorgeousness and “uniqueness” of everything in the book.
Now … not quite so much.
Still, “rustic chic weddings” are insanely popular for a reason! So for those of you who haven’t promptly exited this window swearing never again to return to my site and muttering to yourself, “What does a piano player know about getting married in a barn, anyway?” let’s proceed with my review …
My favorite projects in this book all were the ones in the first section, entitled The Shabby Vintage Couture Wedding. I found this kind of amusing, because if someone came up to me said, “Hey Jenny, are you a shabby vintage couture wedding kinda girl?” I would have replied, “Um … huh?”
This look is described at the beginning of the chapter by saying, “If you are a lover of roses, feminine elements, and soft textures, these projects will make your heart beat fast.”
Well, okay, that does kinda sound like me. I did like, for example, these Garden Table Numbers:
And as a writer, I’m a sucker for any writing utensil, so of course I also liked this Moss Guest Book Pen:
Notice how in the left side of the page they have several numbered photos in the directions. I liked that too. I do not consider myself a natural crafty, DIY kinda gal, so if I were to ever tackle something like this, I would need all the help I can get.
I also liked how, for each project, they clearly laid out both a list and a visual of all the supplies you needed, as you can see here:
Some of the other chapters in this book included The Country Farmhouse Wedding (of course), which included projects like the Twig Cake Topper and Twig Chalboard Bride & Groom Chair Signs (of course); and The Classics, with Love Bird Cake Toppers and Grapevine Ball Lanterns.
Oh, and I loved the Bridal Bouquets & Bout Pins sections in the back — check out this Fall Harvest Bouquet, for example:
So if words like shabby, chic, rustic, vintage, and country are some of the words that come to your mind when planning your wedding, you should probably run right out to get this book right away. It has plenty of projects (55, to be exact, just like the title says), detailed photo instructions, and some really beautiful bouquets.
But if you have no intention of having twigs, chalkboards, bark, and boots anywhere near your wedding, but you still like the idea of DIY-ing some of your wedding, then you might want to check out some of my other Books for Brides DIY reviews.