Oh, Darlington House. You never fail to seriously amaze me with your stunning setting and downright gorgeous weddings - and today's fabulous vintage chic affair by Shirock Photography is certainly no exception. With a groom in uniform, a breathtaking lace gown and a plethora of sweet DIY details, it's a garden love-fest like we have never seen. Needless to say, I plan to spend my ENTIRE day soaking in every last ounce of lovely, including those beautiful blooms by Sweet Pea Flower Company and the cuter than cute vintage spoons. Join me, won't you?
Darlington House Wedding by Shirock Photography
Click here for the FULL wedding!
And a breathtaking film by Josh Knoff to sweeten your day even more...
From the Bride... As soon as we got engaged, we both knew that we didn't want to wait very long to get married, so we gave ourselves six months to plan, and boy, that time flew by. We both wanted to make our day a unique, personal affair that reflected our personalities and cultures. Family is extremely important to us both, so we also wanted to include our talented families and family traditions wherever possible. I knew from the beginning that we had to find an intimate venue with beautiful surrounds, and La Jolla's historic Darlington House was just the place — what a gem! The house provided us with exclusive access to its rose garden, Andalusian patio, the library and the house itself. The wedding party had access to the upstairs quarters to get primped — it's simply exquisite, and I would recommend this venue to any bride!
When I envisioned the day, I pictured an elegant garden party with a vintage feel, but nothing too matchy-matchy. The preparation for the big day surely was a family affair and both our families got stuck in and made the day a dream come true. The devil was in the details (literally), and to name just a few: For our invitations, we designed and printed handkerchiefs entitled "happy tears" for our guests, and many brought these along to the actual ceremony. Many beautiful flowers were picked from my mother-in-law's blooming garden, and the rest were provided and beautifully arranged by Sweet Pea Flowers. I was so pleased with how they looked! We baked homemade cakes and cookies for the dessert table and lots of homemade jam for the guest favors. I also custom-made vintage spoons for each guest with their nicknames (in place of escort cards), which was a huge hit. Another huge hit was the photo booth wall that was wonderfully made by the groom's brother. One of the most favorite moments of the day was when my brother-in-law sang Ray LaMontagne's "You Are The Best Thing" for our first dance, and my sister dedicated the song "Have I Told You Lately" to us — what a tear jerker!
Everything on the day was perfect, and now that the day is over, we can relive the memories through our beautiful photos by Sarah and Duane from Shirock Photography and awesome video footage from Josh Knoff. Sarah is so talented and a riot to hang out with — I cannot wait for an excuse to work with them again!
Wedding Photography: Sarah & Duane Reed of Shirock Photography / Photographers' Assistant: Brandon Barclay / Wedding Venue: Darlington House in La Jolla, California / Floral Design: Michelle Schumard of Sweet Pea Flower Company / Event Coordination: Darlington House, Emilie Jacquot + Eventity, Inc. / Wedding Cinematography: Josh Knoff / Ceremony Music: Caprice Strings / Band: Baytown Band / Lighting: Drew Rivera of RED Audio/Visual (eajmedia.drew@gmail.com) / Props: Kim Teal of Teal Green Design / Rentals: Lister Party Rentals / Wedding Dress: Lusan Mandongus / Hair: Jamie Rosa (jamiecerrissa.@gmail.com) / Makeup: Masked by Nicole Miller