We gave you a little sneaky peek of this next wedding in last week’s wrap up, but there really was no possible way to convey the absolute beauty of the day without sharing the full shebang. Photographed by Jill Thomas, who is quickly becoming one of our fav photogs, and designed by the FABulous Carissa of JL Designs…this wedding is all gorgeous. From the soft gray bridesmaids dresses, to the vintage touches and the organically chic florals…it’s kind of like all of my wedding dreams come true. If you want to see even more from the beautiful day, click right here.
{click here to see the full affair}
As soon as I got engaged I knew I had a lot of work on my plate because I was living in New York and would be planning a California wedding. To determine the theme of our wedding I scoured the internet looking at wedding blog after wedding blog. My fiancé is very outdoorsy and from Canada and I grew up in Souhthern CA so I wanted to have a theme that incorporated his style as well as mine. I knew for the reception it would be perfect to have a more rustic feel with a little bit of vintage. I also I really wanted a barn setting.
When a friend sent me a link to Brookside Equestrian I figured I should check it out. I flew home over Christmas and only had two days to find a location. The moment I saw Brookside I knew it would be the perfect setting. I loved all the trees and natural surroundings, the white picket fences and the vintage looking stables. Lisa, from Brookside, had so many great ideas to help my vision come to life. We really wanted the wedding to be fun and relaxed, almost like a glorified picnic. Rose Wade Events, who is Brookside’s preferred caterer, created the perfect BBQ menu for the event as well as helped to create the perfect atmosphere that day. They helped so much with all of my planning while I was across the country.
Carissa, from JL designs also did an amazing job on all the florals. From the moment I first spoke to her on the phone and described my wedding and what I was looking for I knew she would do an amazing job. The colors we chose for our wedding were yellow, brown and a pale gray blue. I fell in love with Billy balls and succulents as I was looking at blogs and knew I had to have those incorporated. I loved all the unique ideas Carissa had and I put my trust in her to create the perfect floral arrangements., which she did.
The Bridesmaids dresses were made by a friend, Jessica White, in New York, who is in Fashion School. I brought her a dress of my own that I loved the style of and she re-created them in a unique way for my bridesmaids. They were perfect.
I am a graphic designer so I wanted to do as much as possible myself. But living on the other side of the country, planning a move across the country, looking for a new job, and planning a wedding all once was little overwhelming. Thankfully I had so many people in California willing to pitch in and help me out. I did design and assemble all of the invitations, which was the most important thing I wanted to do myself. Here’s a pic…
{click here to see the full affair}
Also, my wonderful sister and mom made over 130 homemade jams to giveaway to guests. My mom had a friend cut down tree branches to make stands for table numbers, then a few days before the wedding my fiancé slotted the branches and helped me paint table numbers. Without the internet and all the amazing wedding blogs out there I would not have been able to plan the perfect wedding from across the country.
Photography: Jill Thomas / Invitations: Myself…kristinmackenzie.com / Venue: Brookside Equestrian, Lisa Walton-Cortes / Caterer and Venue Design: Rose Wade Events / Cake: Beverly’s Best in Fullerton CA / Floral Designs: JL Designs, Carissa / DJ: Fly by Night Entertainment / Brides Dress: By Allure purchased at RK Bridal in NY (they did fab alterations) / Grooms and Groomsmens Suits: Pronto Uomo from Menswearhouse / Bridesmaides dresses: Custom made by my friend Jessica White