Photographer: Rachelle Baggett

DIYing your wedding flowers isn’t just about saving money—it’s about creating something deeply personal, and Kristina’s story proves just that! From creating vibrant orange bouquets to adding loving details that honored loved ones, her wedding was a perfect reflection of her and her partner’s journey.

Set against the stunning backdrop of Southern Illinois, every moment of her day was infused with meaning, love, and a touch of nostalgia. Curious how a college friendship blossomed into the love of her life and how Flower Moxie helped her pull off a dream wedding on a budget? Read on for all the inspiring details!

Jesse and I met in a biology class in college and spent time together via our shared friend group. We became close party buddies and regularly took Jesse's jeep to the city to see our friend Alex's band play in small venues across Chicago. After a year of parties and summer shenanigans we slowly started to realize that our friendship had this potential to be so much more. As fall and winter came and went we decided to see what more there was to our relationship and started dating on Christmas Eve of 2015. We fell in love sooo quickly from that point forward and haven't looked back.

Across our almost nine year relationship we have both shared that we had never imagined finding someone so easy to communicate with. I often share with friends that I want them to find an "easy" love. A love that is natural, kind, and fun and comes so easily to you both. We have been there for each other through hard things that life has thrown our way and buoyed each other through it all. It is a steadiness and support we both look forward to coming home to everyday.

The day Jesse proposed was one of the best days of my life. He had my Buma (my grandma) greet me on her front steps where she blindfolded me and took me to her and my Opa's (grandpa) back deck in the trees. She went on to reveal Jesse on one knee proposing to me at a place so special to me with my family present to share in that moment with us. We spent the whole night celebrating together. My Opa passed before our wedding and my Buma has been diagnosed with Alzheimers so sharing that moment with them in a place that was the background of my childhood meant everything to me.

Photographer: Rachelle Baggett

Not long after we got engaged I started to grow a hobby of creating with flowers. I found so much joy and fun in processing flowers and arranging them for our little apartment. I work in the conservation restoration field by day so I spend a lot of time outdoors restoring spaces by removing invasive plants or collecting and planting native seeds so I feel like I naturally gravitated to finding a hobby of creating things with natural materials.

During our engagement I had a friend who got married and used Flower Moxie for all her wedding greenery and I was so excited by the possibility of creating and having ownership over my florals while saving money in the process, so I decided to DIY as well!

Photographer: Rachelle Baggett

My sister!!! We really made it a two person job which I do not recommend, but I am so proud of us! I was the processing, bouquet, and compote queen and she was my boutonniere and wristlet connoisseur! She is a tiny details gal and she did an amazing job on those pieces and we tackled the arch pieces and bud vases together.

We got married in Southern Illinois in the Shawnee National Forest area. It was a semi-destination wedding with most of our guests including ourselves traveling from Chicago to a place where grandparents lived and was a second home to me growing up. We wanted to show our friends and family how beautiful that area is and give them an opportunity to enjoy all the hiking and lake life that makes that area so special.

Jesse and I asked each other this the night of our wedding and we both shared the same favorite moment. We did a first look and private vows and it was by far the most special moment of the whole day. Having that calm and excitement with each other before the day got busy was such a grounding and foundational moment. It was time to share the full reason we got to that day with each other for nobody else but us. It took away any pressure of an audience and allowed it to be so authentic to us and for us. It was the heart of such an amazing day.

Photographer: Rachelle Baggett

I would have written in an intentional moment during our ceremony where our officiant (Jesse's dad) would have told us to take a moment to look into the crowd and take in all of the faces that traveled to be there with us.

Seeing everyone's faces while walking down the aisle was one of the most surreal moments of my life and I wish we had an additional intentional moment to really take that in.

My Opa was really into photography and I took on that same hobby growing up so he shared with me he wanted me to have his film camera collection when he passed. We sadly did lose him before our wedding, but we made sure to use his favorite film camera during our day.

Right after our first look and private vows Jesse and I took portraits of each other using his camera. I know he would have loved that. I also wrapped my bridal bouquet and my sister's maid of honor bouquet in a pair of his corduroy pants.

Photographer: Rachelle Baggett

Adding more sentimental details - my dad, Jesse, my sister, and I also all worked together to build my vision of a vintage bar style photo backdrop. We crafted every inch of it by hand - my dad doing the woodworking, Jesse and I staining it, choosing fabrics, and filling it with sentimental items like letters from grandparents and their old sweaters and items found while hiking or antiquing together.

My friend Anna even drove over two hours to get a $50 facebook marketplace couch for it, which was one of the most fun wedding planning journeys! Our guests took photos in front of the backdrop and then taped the photos they took of themselves on vintage postcards that Jesse and I thrifted for every guest to write a note to us as our guest book.

Be open to different flower types that can still work to execute your vision! Many of my favorite flowers weren't available to me due to growing seasons, but there are so many options out there to still mimic those same looks or create something really stunning that might just be a bit different than what you originally imagined.

Be open to also going off recipe card and choose what looks good to you in the moment! I think I doubled my bridal bouquet size and added three more flower types to it because I wanted to! Just make sure when you first start creating that you set aside the things you want most in your most important pieces aside. When I got to my bridal bouquet I still had my favorite flowers left and was able to play with leftovers from other pieces that were open for me to use at that point in the process as well.

Also dear goodness plan time to wire ranunculus and time to cuss at them when they are being the high maintenance flowers they are sometimes. If you have flowers you will have to wire make sure you practice the process before the wedding, that saved me!

Photographer: Rachelle Baggett

My ranunculus were dropping petals like crazy so I literally waited until minutes before walking down the aisle to add them to my bouquet. I have photos of me in my dress adding and adjusting them (but they stayed all day and looked happy)!

The flowers and all the sentimental details we included in every aspect. It was truly a DIY wedding where everything had sentimental meaning to us.

Krystyna's story is the perfect example of how your personality can shine through in every detail of your wedding. Her journey shows that DIYing is not just about creating—it’s about having fun, learning, and experiencing incredible gratification when it all comes together.

And who says your college buddy can’t turn out to be the love of your life? Flower Moxie celebrates love stories like Krystyna's and is here to help make your dreams come to life on a budget. Trust the process, enjoy every step, and let your wedding reflect the unique love you share!