Weddings Week 2013

Not Your Mom's Wedding: Seven Ways to Have an Indie Ceremony

By Nicola Fumo Jun 11, 2013, 2:00pm EDT

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

Image via Green Wedding Shoes

Welcome to the age of Pinterest-fueled weddings, where there's more inspiration for upcycling a mason jar than there are hours in a day. No modern bride's big day is complete without the new hand touches (don't even think about computer printing those placecards). In the best world, your bridal party is comprised of friends whose day jobs include floral design and prop styling, with personalities that are characterized with words like "generous" and "patient."

If you can't count on your own banner-making and your worthless friends don't know a peony from a poinsettia, you can pay people to administer that personal touch for you. After the jump, seven ways to have an authentically indie ceremony, from the letterpressed invites to down to the succulent-studded bouquet—and the local vendors who'll make it happen.

A custom design from Mociun

1.) Design your own ring
There's no shortage of jewelry designers or interesting bauble shops in this city. To truly make it your own, hit up Anna Sheffield or Caitlin Mociun for a custom piece.

2.) Refurb a vintage dress
Take your great-grandmother's Victorian number—or your '70s Etsy score—to The Wedding Dresser, where they specialize in recycling dresses. Services include alterations and hand-dyeing. On the big day, "your Dresser will do everything from steaming your dress to walking the ring-dog." Because you're definitely going to have a ring-bearing pup.

Image via SF Gate

3.) Customize a veil (or flower crown, if you must)
Bridal Veil Falls can help you restore a family heirloom, create a custom veil for you, or you can shop their selection that includes fascinators and flower crowns.

4.) Register locally
Forgo the big box stores and register with local businesses. The Brooklyn Kitchen and Whisk can help you start your life together with everything you need for a well-stocked kitchen/home bar. Does Target even have stainless steal julep strainers?

Image via Etsy

5.) Make your own invites
Sign yourself up for an introductory course at The Arm ($150), then make your own letterpressed invites. Studio time will run you $20 per hour, and you'll need to show up with a pound of ink for the ink cooperative the first time you want to press.
Alternatively, you could take a quick DIY printmaking class at 3rd Ward ($134) and knock out the invites at home. Too lazy for all of that? Employ the quirky—and sometimes foul mouthed—folks at Terrapin for a custom job.

Why shouldn't your bouquet contain a few succulents? Image via Red Rose and Lavendar

6.) Get flowers that speak to you
Williamsburg's Red Rose and Lavendar specializes in matching people with flowers: "Flowers are beautiful and tell wonderful stories, each has its own language and meaning." Beyond bouquets brimming with off-the-beaten-path buds, they'll actually plan your whole wedding for you—founder Kimberly Sevilla was in the events business for 15 years before opening her flower shop.

If you'd rather do the arranging yourself but have no clue where to start, look no farther than Flower Girl. The shop offers seasonally-driven classes like "Head Wreath Making" and "Monochromatic Greens."

7.) Commission a statement cake
What's the indie bride with the indie dietary restrictions supposed to do for the big day? Order a cake from L?el, a Brooklyn-based operation that specializes in custom gluten-free and/or vegan cakes (they can even do a cake without refined sugar). Mix and match cake flavors like almond or orange-carrot with fillings that include chocolate curry and rosewater raspberry for a cake that says, "us." Thirty guest minimum.

For a cake that doesn't even look like a cake, direct your attention to Flour Shop. A current fashion party cater favorite, Amirah Kassem creates 3D trompe l'oeil masterpieces that you'd never assume were made of cake (think iPhones, cacti, skulls). Recently, a couple commissioned a pair of ribeye steak cakes to cut into at their wedding. See picture proof below.