Rustic Wedding at Spanish Oaks Ranch

Hello, lovelies!  I am SO into the wedding I’ve got for you today.  Amber and Sean were wed in one of the most exquisite natural settings ever, and I adore the way the love and happiness of the day shines so brightly through each and every sun-kissed image their amazing photographer, Ken Kienow, captured.  You know what else I love?  The fact that the bride was so inspired by her venue that she designed the affair entirely around its rustic vibe!  Mason jars, twine, and incredibly gorgeous florals abound.  Just the way I like it.  Ooh, and by the way, the desserts are to die for, and the diy details are simply scrumptious!  Even her groom ‘chipped’ in, contributing countless hand-made bits of decor, all crafted out of wood!  See that guestbook card box and those log table number holders?  All him.  And I sighed out loud when I read what he carved into the table he made by hand.  I think you might, too. Plus, Amber offers a nice little tidbit of advice to all you brides out there who are trying to tackle your wedding decor all by your lonesome.  Listen up, it’s important!  (Want to see all the gorgeousness at once?  Be my guest; click here for the gallery!  — xoxo, Alison of The Knotty Bride

{Check out the gallery for even more rustic wedding inspiration!}

From Amber, our bride:

My inspiration came from our venue. It’s such a beautiful location with oak trees and wildflowers and dirt roads; I didn’t want to compete with the rustic setting. So, the rustic vision was born! And my mother-in-law collects antiques, so all I had to do was go through her garage to find Coke crates, vintage doilies and over 300 mason jars! All we had to do was buy some twine and candles and we had our wedding décor!

My husband didn’t understand the whole wedding planning process, and he felt bad that he wasn’t able to help choose flowers or colors or music. So he decided to help in the only way he knew how: he built things! Sean made 3 wood crates out of old barn wood, a wooden cross, a box for our guestbook cards, the log table number holders, and the wooden wedding signs. He even made the solid wood table we used for our favors from a picture I showed him of a table I liked! When we got back from our honeymoon, we moved the wood table into our dining room and I saw that he carved our wedding date into the bottom of the table. He still surprises me with his sweetness.

I recommend staying away from the perfectly matchy color palette! I was a slave the purple/green color scheme I originally chose, and nothing felt right. I decided to use all my favorite colors, and things started to flow. My friends and family didn’t understand why the bridesmaids were going to wear eggplant if there was no purple anywhere else, but on the wedding day, everything just worked! And I’m glad I didn’t put my friends in a color they would have hated just so they would match our napkins. :)

I highly recommend commissioning the help of friends and family. I was a little hesitant to ask people for help, but I quickly learned that people who care about you truly want to be part or your special day! Sean’s mom and grandmother (and a whole crew of friends) made the burlap table runners, my parents made the bunting flags, a friend painted (freehand!) all the wedding signs, another friend acted as our day of coordinator, and everyone helped set up the day before the wedding.

xoxo!  Alison of The Knotty Bride

Venue: Spanish Oaks Ranch in Santa Margarita, CA / Flowers: April Flowers / Photographer: Ken Kienow / Video: Jack Hutchinson / Catering: Pacific Harvest Catering / Cake + Cupcakes: Cassie’s Custom Cakes in Atascadero, CA / Stationery: Jessica Lehry Bishop – JessLehry Designs