Jenny and Ryan didn’t want a wedding that felt like it could be someone else’s. They wanted one that felt like home. So, they got married in theirs. Having the day in a place where their life together already existed meant they were automatically surrounded by the things that mattered to them. Their backyard became the reception space, filled with their own furniture and handmade details. “The inspiration was items from our own home and the life we had already built together,” Jenny said. “It was colourful but sentimental and romantic.”

They invited 53 people and had no wedding party, speeches, bouquet or garter toss. Their kids walked out with them during the ceremony which featured a live violinist playing covers of their favourite songs. Their children walked out to Jason Mraz’s I’m Yours. Jenny walked to Reflecting Light from Gilmore Girls. Their officiant, a long-time family friend, kept the tone balanced with humour and emotion and Jenny’s father sang a James Taylor song from her childhood.

Dinner was build-your-own rice bowls from a restaurant down the road, and the couple’s daily ritual of eating Ben & Jerry’s became the dessert. The card box was a vintage hat box once belonging to Jenny’s grandmother, still tagged with her grandfather’s handwriting. Every detail was intentional, chosen, and familiar.

This was a DIY wedding through and through. Jenny did all the flowers herself and built the book wall that created the backdrop. Each guest got a handwritten note, some with poems, some with personal messages. The bride’s dress was second-hand from eBay and the groom’s suit came from Amazon.

“We really focused on sharing our love with the people we love,” Jenny concluded. “I’m also so glad we waited to get married. We are older, we have a life together already. We had the day we wanted and if we had done this any sooner, we probably would have the day we ‘should’ have and what other’s expected.”