When I came across this next breathtakingly gorgeous bride’s blog I immediately tracked down super star photographer, Tec Petaja, and begged him to let me share the wedding of her and her cutie Joseph Gordon-Levitt look-alike groom. My crush on their Southern California soiree may have started with her fluffy, dream of a dress but the love affair only deepened with each little handcrafted detail. This vintage chic love fest continues in the full wedding gallery!
Click here for more INCREDIBLE inspiration in the full wedding gallery!
And if you haven’t got your fill of whimsy for the day then you are in for a treat! We also have a crazy beautiful film by Cana Video Production that captures this oh-so perfect Southern California wedding in all its glory!
From the beginning I just wanted the wedding to be a representation of Noah and I. All of the things we love and the people we love in one amazing celebration. Leo Carrillo Ranch absolutely inspired a lot of the choices, colors, decorations etc. we eventually made. The natural beauty of the ranch, the peacocks, the open and organic feel to all of it was so perfect. I guess you could say our theme was vintage-country-mismatched-colorful-chic. That’s a lot of theme, I know. Wedding colors just weren’t something we were able to settle on so we went with tones, bright tones. Throughout the planning process, I was so nervous that all of the different colors would be too much, but on the big day I was so so excited about the outcome! Combining colorful tones with the simple beauty of the ranch, the old cream and turquoise colored buildings and hints of ivory and white turned out to be exactly what I had pictured all along.
Our wedding was also a huge collection of DIY projects and efforts. For instance, I collected 200+ pieces of mismatched china in both dinner and dessert plate sizes as well as 200+ floral vessels and 200+ pieces of mismatched flatware. I also collected probably 40+ old silver platters to use for the dessert and catering areas. I went almost once a week to the local thrift store. It was a serious labor of love. Some of our projects included a colorful ribbon bunting that hung down the center of the aisle and around the bar area. Guests were guided down the path to the ceremony and reception by hanging lace, hay-bails and home-made planters constructed from old buckets and watering pails. There was handmade arrow-signage created from re-claimed wood all over the reception area and guests were finally led to their seats from assignment cards typed on shipping tags that hung from old nails which were nailed into an old door and window frame I found at a swap meet. Our invites were screen-printed on vintage hankies found on ebay and our RSVP cards were handwritten on vintage postcards. I spent an entire day putting together our program fans with family using scalloped scissors, tongue depressors and a hot glue gun. Our favors were homemade jams in tiny quilted jars and friends and family were also given small muslin bags filled with lavender to toss at us as we came down the aisle or when we left in our 1930s getaway car.
The day I got to marry Noah was everything I had hoped and more. It wasn’t just the beautiful setting or seeing everything come together exactly as I had pictured, it was the love and people that surrounded us that I will never forget. Our friends and family absolutely made our wedding everything that it turned out to be. On our wedding day and in the months following people mentioned to us all of the time how much they loved our wedding, how it was beautiful and “so us” and fun and so on, but the best thing that people told us and continue to tell us is that the love they could see between us and all of the people there was so extremely evident. That love, I feel, is what made our wedding day.
Wedding Photography: Tec Petaja / Wedding Venue: Leo Carrillo Ranch / Florals: Modern Bouquet / Videography: CanaVP / Dress: Monique Lhuillier / Grooms Attire: American Apparel / Bridesmaids Dresses: Rosebowl Swap Meet/HOME Mercantile / Make-up: Janelle Simonson / Film Work: Richard Photo