Bethany & Justin’s DIY Barn Wedding at Washington County Fair Park

A Rustic Kind of Love Story

Justin and Bethany met through a mutual friend who bumped into Justin, started chatting with him, and then said, “Hey I know this girl…” The two met, hit it off, and the rest is history! Justin being an avid hunter told Bethany one day that he wanted to check out some public hunting land. “We ended up at a secluded lake,” Bethany says. “He proposed right in front of the water.”

Wedding at Washington County Fair Park

While planning their big day, Bethany and Justin stopped by the wedding show at Washington County Fair Park. They also decided to host their wedding in one of the barns there. “The theme was country and rustic, with touches of Disney. Colors were dusty rose, ivory, and wildflowers.”

Both the ceremony and reception were held at Washington County Fair Park. The bride and groom said “I do” alongside one of the retention ponds. “It was a casual ceremony,” Bethany describes. “All the guys were in boots and jeans, and myself and the girls were in boots too.”

DIY from the Heart

Most, if not all, of the decorations at Justin and Bethany’s wedding were made with DIY love. “Since we chose the sheep and swine barn at Washington County Fair Park, it meant we needed to bring in all of the decorations,” Bethany says. “It also meant I could make my vision a reality. Both Justin and I are DIY-ers, so this was just another project to tackle.”

Justin and Bethany actually live on a family farmstead, at which Justin had originally hoped to have the wedding. “It wasn’t feasible, so we decided to incorporate pieces of our barn into the decorations. We used old barn planks and the hayloft ladder to make our favor display. An old barn door was turned into our guest book. The wood planks for our centerpieces came from an old barn beam. Justin built the bar counters, and our directional signs were barnwood as well.”

Being a crafter at heart, Bethany took upon other decorative pieces herself. “The lighted signs on the tables with Disney love song quotes, the lace-backed windows with parts of the ‘love is kind’ Bible verse, our birdcage card box, our memorial display, the hand-dyed wood flowers—these were all done by me.” But the biggest and most-beautiful DIY was the wagon wheel and mason jar chandelier that Justin and Bethany hung from the center of the barn.

A Casual Barn Reception

Justin and Bethany aimed to throw a reception that was relaxed and casual. “Everyone was just there to celebrate. We turned the barn into a beautiful space that encouraged the relaxed atmosphere.” The couple opted for a dinner of comfort food favorites from Catering by Bryan. “There was roast beef, turkey, mashed potatoes, and at Justin’s request, mac and cheese. The bar was provided by Washington County Fair Park—they did an awesome job!”