Real Bride: DIY Details from a Block Island Wedding

Janice and J.P. decided to opt for a backyard wedding -- just not in their own backyard. They picked Lynn's Way House, rented on Block Island, Rhode Island for a wedding that felt outdoorsy, but still elegant and chic. "My mom was a big help with the DIY projects as she runs a business called Design & Details," says Janice. "We worked together on all the projects for the wedding." Lucky for us, Janice dished on how to steal her style.

Favors & Place Cards. (below, middle photo) Our place cards were our favors! Being that our wedding was somewhat of a destination, we decided to go with a travel theme and do luggage tags. We purchased blue and green tags for the guys and pink for the girls (we bought them at Michaels Craft Store). We tied each couple's tags together with ribbon. My sister-in-law is a graphic designer, so she printed the inserts for each luggage tag; and my mom bought an antique-looking wooden baker's rack from which to hang them. (Total project time: 2 hours)

Centerpieces. (bottom row, right photo) We needed to choose a flower or plant that was resilient since we brought the plants over to the island with us. We chose Kalanchoe because you could plant them early and they won't wilt because they're a succulent. Since it was an outdoor wedding with a natural feeling, we decided to go with a plant versus a flower. My mom came up with the idea to purchase clay pots and paint them. (Total project time: 3 hours)

Guestbook. (bottom row, middle photo) We bought a book of Block Island photography and placed it on a vintage music stand that we found at a consignment shop. Guests could sign on a page of their choice. The book of photos along with beautiful comments from each guest now lives on our coffee table as a great memory of the day. (Total project time: 30 minutes for set up)

Check out the gorgeous photos below from Rose Schaller Photography, and see all of Janice's vendors at the end of the post.