The start of Carmen and Dusty’s story sounds like something Taylor Swift might swoon to sing about—the college quarterback asked the art major to the homecoming dance. “The rest,” Carmen said, “is history.”

The bride continued, “Well, actually, it has been an exciting seven-year adventure of graduating college, new jobs, changing jobs, living together, living apart and then a surprise proposal three days after New Years!”

When Dusty proposed during a typical walk with his mother’s wedding ring, he began a trend that would define the couple’s Snohomish, Wash. wedding—keeping things simple, and giving new life to family treasures.

The couple let their small-town upbringing influence their wedding, adding “a little bit of vintage flair and DIY decorations” to their country-themed affair, Carmen said. When they spotted Swan’s Trail Farm, “Dusty and I both looked at each other and said, “I can totally see us getting married here.”

They dug in to design their invitations and reused the bride’s grandparents’ cake topper. Carmen said, “we tried to use decorations that we already owned or that we borrowed from family and friends. Friends and family made homemade pies for our dessert table, and my great aunt made us a centerpiece wedding cake. It made it special for us to have all of our family involved, and that is what we wanted for our wedding planning process.”

The bride’s dressed was designed and sewn by her mother. It was “an amazing experience to go through with her and I loved the end result,” Carmen said. “We could not have done it without my mom! She put in so many hours researching, sewing my dress, scouring antique stores for cake stands, staying up almost all night to sew, fold and stamp invitations, shaping candles to fit into mason jars—you name it, she was on it! Also, all of our family and friends really came together and contributed to give our wedding the ‘family party’ atmosphere that we desired.”