1. Real Weddings

A Bird-Themed Wedding

Though Dorie noticed that John’s heart was beating faster than normal when they woke up, she wrote it off as a side effect of caffeine. A little while

Though Dorie noticed that John’s heart was beating faster than normal when they woke up, she wrote it off as a side effect of caffeine. A little while later that morning, John called her back to the bedroom and asked her to pull up his website SongFight.org, a songwriting competition website he runs. Dorie saw a competition titled “The Proposal” and a list of songs John and his friends had written asking Dorie to marry him. She played John’s tune, which ended with the refrain, “Will you marry me?” The Bride Dorie Turner, 30, journalist The Groom John Nolt, 37, product manager The Date September 26 Dorie wanted to wed in her hometown of Memphis, so the two planned a bird- and arts-and-crafts-themed wedding at the historic Inn at Hunt Phelan. The result? A green and brown wedding packed with rocking DIY details.

Using stamps and leftover cardstock from the DIY wedding invitations, Dorie created note cards with “wishes,” “wisdom,” and “thought” printed at the top for guests to sign and leave in a basket with pictures from their photo booth.
Dorie wore a fitted gown by Alfred Angelo with a sweetheart neckline and lace straps. Three strands of pearls accessorized the ensemble -- one from each of her grandmothers and one from her mother. Dorie went barefoot for the ceremony, which had always been her dream. “It’s the hippie in me,” she says.
Dorie spent a lot of time hunting down photos of her and John’s family members on their wedding day -- which turned out to be more difficult than she had originally thought. “Turns out that of all our grandparents, only my mother’s parents actually had a wedding,” John says. “Everyone else eloped.” The couple strung the photos with clothespins around the wedding cake.
As a favor, guests also received a CD of the songs John and his friends wrote when he proposed to Dorie.
For an arts-and-crafts twist, the couple decorated these bird salt and pepper shakers to look like a bride and groom for their wedding cake topper. Dorie made the tiny veil out of a piece of her mother’s veil, and John made the top hat and shoes from polymer clay.
Dorie, John, their families, and their best friends literally tied a knot in two ropes to symbolize the joining of their two communities. Dorie used a climbing rope to symbolize her family’s love of the outdoors, and John used a “lead line” to represent his family’s history of raising and training horses.
Dorie crafted her wedding hairpiece out of tulle from her mother’s veil and a silk flower.
The bride and matron of honor’s bouquets were purchased sight-unseen from a Memphis flower shop. The matron of honor’s bouquet was comprised of green and brown mums.
Guests went home with vintage-style lamps purchased from a number of stores, including Big Lots, IKEA, and Pier One.
This wooden sign was propped up on the cake table, but their photographer couldn’t resist incorporating it into their photo shoot.
John and Dorie hung photos of their friends and family near the bar and wedding cake so that guests could look at them while they mingled.
Bright green spider mums, green hydrangea, and brown button mums made up the bride’s bouquet.
The paper boutonnieres were made out of maps, which the couple bought online.
Instead of wedding cake, the bride and groom served 12 flavors of cupcakes. John’s favorite was strawberry, and Dorie’s favorite was the Elvis cupcakes -- peanut butter and banana!
Handcrafted J and D wooden letters hung on the front gate of the mansion where John and Dorie held their ceremony and reception.
Custom green signs pointed guests in the direction of the ceremony.