Melissa & Matt’s Rustic Honey Bee Themed Virginia Wedding

Q. What do you get when you take honey bee keepers with a love of vintage and rustic DIY details and have them plan a wedding?

A. You get one of my favorite real wedding features to date…

Meet Melissa & Matt, married in their backyard (love!) in Madison County, VA on May 7, 2011.

And thanks to Lisa Burgess Photography, we have ALL the details from their amazing, rustic, DIY honey-bee themed wedding!

First, from Melissa, an inside look at the theme of their wedding:

Overall we were going for a vintage “less is more” feeling. We got exactly that with a little help from the neighbor’s stuff in their yard that they had collected.

I’ve always had a passion for Honey Bees (born in Beeville, TX in Bee County) , and I (me and Matt) finally became Bee Keepers this year. When people see black and yellow or anything related to bees they think of me. It’s a brand I didn’t really have to work hard to get :)

Isnt this cake adorable?! AND Melissa made it herself. Yes ~ the bride made her own wedding cake! The Bees on top are Salt & Pepper Shakers!

The first pictures here are from Matt & Melissa’s gorgeous “Bridal Shoot”

(Dress love!!)

How gorgeous are these flowers? The best part ~ they were simply picked from the side of the road! Talk about a DIY Bouquet!

I just had to ask … why the boots, Melissa?

I was born in Beeville Texas, and I find any excuse I can to wear my cowboy boots. The boots just fit my laid back relaxed yet fun, impulsive/impatient personality. Why a wedding? Well I let everyone know they’re more than welcome to wear heels if they want to aerate my lawn or step in cow poo. I was going to be comfortable. ;)

You have to click inside to see the rest of their wedding pictures ~ some awesome DIY projects, amazing vintage details,  and get all the vendor goods!!

Talk about recycling: Melissa & Matt took pieces of an old Barn that had fallen down and some white paint to make their signs.

More from Melissa on the awesome vintage, rustic decor:

Table Numbers: I wanted an outdoor feel. The wood stump holders were cut from a tree in our yard, and the buttons was just an idea I came up with. I’ve never seen anyone make table numbers out of buttons!

Table Seating: Everyone wants something unique, I went with the clothesline look.

Melissa tells us how she found this amazing blue bookshelf:

[We] found it in a neighbors yard upside down, and asked to borrow it. Also,most the lanterns, vases & decorations were found at a Second Hand Store and my neighbors yard who is a junk (treasure) collector.

If I’m into bees, of course I had to give everyone Honey! Found cloth at the local craft store that fit the theme. Bought Honey Pots online & dippers from a wood carving company

How amazingly creative is this ~ Melissa & Matt used an old mattress frame for their picture collage! I love this. More from Melissa…

[We] found it on our property after we moved in, it actually was holding up a part of the fence and I had Matt rip it out with a tractor because I had atleast 100 photo’s I wanted to share from the wedding. I couldn’t choose which ones, I loved every single one from the photographer! (Yes she was that good!)

Congratulations Melissa & Matt ~ what a beautiful rustic wedding you had!! Thanks again to Lisa Burgess Photography for the pics!

~Vendor listings –

Bartender – SugarRimBar

DJ – Jay Iseli

Flowers – picked from the side of the road  (<- amazing)

Other than that (above) me and my mother (she was the chef in the kitchen!) did the rest! :)