Author: Alexa | Photography: Renegade Photo
Some love stories unfold in the most unexpected ways, and Hanna and Joe’s is one for the books. What started as a friendship—formed under the most unlikely circumstances—grew into a beautiful, lasting love. After six years together, they finally tied the knot in a stunning Valentine’s-inspired celebration, filled with bold florals, twinkling disco balls, and heartfelt DIY touches. From designing her own florals to crafting personalized details, Hanna poured her creativity into every part of the day, proving that DIY-ing a wedding is not only doable but also incredibly rewarding. Keep reading and get all tea.
Tell us about your relationship
Joe and I were both in relationships with other people when we met through our then significant others! He was actually supposed to be the best man when I was engaged to someone else. When that engagement didn’t work out, we became great friends, and now 6 years later, we’ve tied the knot! Such a crazy story, but I wouldn’t change a thing.
Why did you choose to DIY your flowers?
Honestly, I love flowers, but I didn’t love the price tag! A couple years back, a friend and I took a flower arranging class locally, and it sparked an idea that I could do them myself and get exactly what I wanted for a fraction of the price!
How did you go about choosing your wedding color palette?
Did it change throughout your planning process? I always knew that I wanted a February wedding because it’s my favorite time of the year! Initially, we were going to do a pastel Valentine’s Day theme, but the more that wedding planning proceeded, we decided to lean into a classic Valentine’s Day pink and red pallet, and I am SO GLAD WE DID! The romantic pinks, reds, burgundy and the disco balls! A dream.
What was your favorite part about DIYing?
It was honestly fun! I wanted fairly non traditional florals (hello anthurium heaven!), and it brought me so much joy to see my vision come to life.
Who did you have help from?
My mom and fiancé helped me clean the florals. My sister in law (maid of honor!), and I did the bulk of the arranging! We even had my little brother filling Bud vases and watering cans at one point!
Where did you get married and why did you choose this location?
We got married at the North Park Lodge right outside of Pittsburgh PA. We chose it because it was just a blank canvas for us the do whatever we wanted. I wouldn’t quite call it a destination wedding, but it was about 1.5 hours from our house, so we did have a little extra destination like work to get the florals to the venue!
What was your favorite part of your wedding day?
The best part of our wedding day was right after the ceremony was over, the stress was finally gone, and I could truly just enjoy my HUSBAND, and all of the hard work we put in leading up to our wedding day!
In hindsight, is there anything you would have done differently? I wish that I would have brought in more help for our florals. At any given time, there were only about two of us cleaning, or designing. I wish I would’ve had a team of 4 to 6 people instead.
Tips for future DIYers?
First of all, don’t be intimidated. It can seem overwhelming, but take your time and make sure to clean everything really well. KEEP THE BOXES AND LIDS THAT YOUR FLOWERS SHIP IN! That was one of the best things we did, because we had our flower shipped to our house, cleaned, and hydrated them at our home, but then had to transfer them on Thursday about an hour and a half away. We kept all of the boxes and lids that the flowers were shipped in, and we were able to get three to four little trash cans with flowers per shipping box or lid. It made transport so much better than having loose things in the back of our car!
Were there any funny or strange mishaps you can share?
Somehow, we ended up with way more florals than I realized. I had purchased extra bud vases, more than my designer, and I discussed, just in case. The night before our wedding, I had trash cans with extra roses, and anthurium, So anyone who is at the venue helping us set up, I just had them throwing extra roses into Bud vases! We ended up with florals EVERYWHERE! Such a happy accident!
How did you add personalized touches to your day?
I basically DIYed our entire wedding, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. The small personal touches were some of the best parts of our day. For our seating chart, I made personalized sunglasses for every single guest. They were such a hit, everyone wore them all night and it made our photobooth and dance floor so fun!
Which part of your wedding are you most proud of?
I’m really proud of everything we DIYed. I made all of our signs, my husband and his groomsmen hung HUNDREDS of disco balls, our florals were so fun and unique. I am just so amazed at how our vision just came to fruition.
Anything else you would like to add?
My best advice, do what feels authentic to you! If you’re not a white dress girly, get the red dress and wear it with confidence! If you want the funky florals with fun colors, DO IT! It’s YOUR wedding day! You don’t have to do tradition because someone said so.
About the Author
Alexa is Flower Moxie's half-Colombian/half-Palastinian wunderkind. She equally loved Pilates and Tarantino flicks, and will road trip with you so long as Tracy Chapman and Santana are on your playlist.
