Saratoga Wedding by Adele Cabanillas

This casual and colorful outdoor California wedding is just what the doctor ordered on this gray and cold New England day. We’re loving the bright touches of yellow, the sweet little mini buntings that adorn the cakes and pies, and of course, that amazingly cute flower girl dressed in a ball of tulle. I mean really, could she be any cuter? Adele Cabanilla was there to capture all the moments and details and as always, the gallery is full and waiting for you!

Click here to see the entire gallery of images!

From the Bride…We wanted to have an intimate outdoor wedding with a vintage rustic feel to it. Our ceremony and reception was at the Hakone Gardens, a beautiful Japanese garden in Saratoga. We wanted to incorporate rustic elements by having log slices support our center pieces – hand plucked flowers resting in mason jars. We love fashion from the 1930’s era and wanted to incorporate that in our attire from the glittery Enzo Angiolini pumps, the groom’s slim fit suit, the groomsmen’s suspenders and bow ties, the Chucks, and the denim bridesmaids’ dresses. I absolutely love details and wanted to be as DIY as much as time would permit. DIY projects included: the flower girls’ tutu dresses, our wedding invites, photobooth props, chalkboard heart table signs, cocktail stirrers, the thumbprint tree, and all paper crafts.

One of the challenges that we faced was executing the wedding that we envisioned on a realistic budget.  We made our own wedding invitations and had them printed and cut by a local vendor.  I invested in a Silhouette SD machine for all of my paper crafts and it really paid for itself! With coupons in hand, there were countless runs during my lunch breaks to Michael’s and Joann. Martha Stewart became my best friend. The one thing that we didn’t have to worry about during our wedding planning – was finding trusted vendors. We have amazing friends who just happen to be in the wedding industry- our makeup artists, Lili and Charlene, our wedding coordinators, Maritess and Jackie, our floral designer Ada, our bartender friends at Tipsy, and our second shooter, Lynna.  They were the heart of the dream team that made our big day possible.

Our one and only splurge was wedding photography because that is the only thing that we would have left to remember our wedding day. Being a photographer, it only made it more difficult to find the right photographer because I was so particular. All I knew is that I wanted clean, romantic, modern imagery that could stand the test of time. We are truly lucky to have Adele Cabanillas as our wedding photographer because she captured our day as beautifully as we remember it.

Wedding Photography: Adele Cabanillas / Second Shooter: Lynna Nguyen Photography / Day of Coordinators: An Inspired Event / Wedding Gown: Mori Lee via Elegant Lace Bridal / Veil: Lili Li / Bride’s Shoes: Enzo Angiolini / Hair + Make-up: Lili Li / Bridesmaid Make-up: Charlene Tran / Bridesmaid Dresses: New York & Co. / Bridesmaid Shoes: Off Broadway Shoes / Groom’s Attire: Alfani Red / Groomsmen Attire: H&M + Club Monaco / Groomsmen Suspenders + Bow Ties: American Apparel + Macy’s / Invitations, Flower Girl Dresses: DIY / Floral Design: Ada Wong / Wedding Cake + Desserts: Linda’s Bakery + Marie Callender’s Pies / DJ: Ngoc Hieu of  X-Generation Entertainment / Catering: Flourishing Gardens / Bartender: Richard Vo of Tipsy / Venue: Hakone Gardens