The wedding fairies were feeling extra generous at this Southern California wedding by Heidi-O-Photo. You can’t really go wrong when your venue is the Leo Carillo Ranch. The setting is beyond beautiful and it seems like every couple who weds here is bubbling over in the creative juices department. All the delicate and feminine details, paired with Modern Bouquet‘s always exquisite floral design, bring a soft and tender glow to the ranch. The full gallery is stuffed with more DIY details and beautiful blossoms.
Click here to see more inspiration in the full wedding gallery!
I jumped up and down with excitement the moment I laid eyes upon our wedding venue at Leo Carrillo Ranch in Carlsbad, CA. Leo Carrillo Ranch embraced everything we wanted in our wedding. The site is beautifully landscaped, has a simple color palate with wonderful patina and plenty of southern California history and charm.
Most of the DIY projects were inspired by wedding blogs. To be honest I was a blog addict and found myself adding more and more pictures to my inspiration board each day. At one point I forced myself to quit hunting for inspiration and start hunting for deals. I scored most of the DIY supplies at local thrift stores but also frequented several discount retailers like TJ Maxx and Homegoods. The biggest savings and one of my favorite inspired ideas was the lace on the back of the reception chairs; all of that lace found at a thrift store for only $6! My mother who lives in another state also helped with the hunt for deals. She scored the salt and pepper shaker bride and groom as well as the vintage shoe clips at her local thrift stores.
We designed and hand crafted all of our paper products such as invitations, programs and menus most of which were inspired by one blog or another. We made the directional signs, fabric flowers for the aisle, boutonnieres and corsages, reserved seating signs as well as refurbished the wine barrels and desk. I also spent months collecting imitation mercury glass for the centerpieces. I wanted each table to have a uniqueness from the other meanwhile creating consistency with the muslin table runners my mom made. There are numerous little details we put into our wedding and I tried my best to share the process on my own blog.
Designing and crafting the entire wedding was time consuming but selecting vendors was the most stressful part of wedding planning process! However, we felt our best decisions were made when it came to our vendors. To start we selected a phenomenal DJ, Vynce Pham of Music Phreek, and he referred us to our amazing caterer who happened to be his neighbor. Barry Layne of Coast Catering hooked up the best Santa Maria style tri-tip we’ve ever had! It was first class treatment from the very start at Coast Catering and I couldn’t be any happier with them. I found my awesome florist Hannah Sampson of Modern Bouquet from a blog I was following. She was very receptive to my ideas and did an excellent job personalizing the bouquets. And my favorite connection of all is my photographer, Heidi Orcino of Heidi-0-Photo. I entered her booth at a local bridal bazaar and we soon realized we graduated from the same high school in Northern California. Well needless to say the personal connection was comforting, but ultimately we hired her on the talent she possessed.
Wedding Photographer: Heidi-O-Photo / / Wedding Venue: Leo Carrillo Ranch / Florist: Modern Bouquet / DJ – Music Phreek / Catering: Coast Catering / Wedding Cake: Twiggs / Wedding Dress: La Sposa / Bridesmaid Dresses: Watters and Watters / Hair: Rebecca McLaughlin of Beaucage Salon