Mammoth Lakes Wedding from joielala photographie

There's DIY weddings and then there is this lovely Mammoth Lakes affair captured by Joielala Photographie, which is taking craftiness to a whole new level with some of the coolest DIY details I have ever seen.  I'm talking a customized gown, fab decor and giant paper flowers that are beyond amazing. And with every last moment a true labor of love by the bride and groom, Joyful Weddings & Events and awesome friends and family, it's making for one seriously pretty gallery.  Join me there for more.
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From the Bride... We wanted our wedding celebration to accomplish three things. First, we wanted to create the atmosphere of a weekend-long party for our family and closest friends. Second, especially because we had a destination wedding, we wanted our guests to be well taken care of. Third, we wanted our celebration to exude our style and personalities. We were so lucky to have succeeded in all of these respects. We chose Mammoth Lakes as the location because we’ve spent many winters skiing and snowboarding there, as well as many summers downhill mountain biking. We were able to rent a condo with a sizable downstairs living area to host a welcome reception, a post-wedding party, and a brunch on the morning after the wedding. Guests told us they truly enjoyed themselves and each others' company in the setting of a three day celebration.

I chose our wonderful photographers, Taryn and Shelby of Joielala Photography, knowing simply that I liked the style of all of their wedding photography (and knowing that they had previously traveled to Mammoth to photograph a wedding). I chose to work on the design with Bre Nelson at Joyful Weddings & Events because her work reflects personalized, handmade details. She was able to help me narrow down thousands of pinned ideas to a clear, concise, and personal vision for our ceremony and reception. We chose a bicycle theme, built around two vintage late 1970’s bikes the groom acquired as castaways from a co-worker’s parents. Our wedding colors were chambray blue, yellow and brown with pops of poppy red. Although our wedding was not traditionally Chinese, red was chosen because it’s a lucky color in Chinese culture.

For our invitations, I chose a plain design from David’s Bridal and customized the cards with an embossed tandem bike stamp and baker’s twine. To address the invitations, I taught myself calligraphy. My dress was inspired by Gia Canali’s photographs of a short green dress with lace doily overlay. My interpretation of the look was created by purchasing a long, champagne bridesmaid’s dress from David’s Bridal and using fabric glue to attach doilies to the entire body. I loved the giant crepe paper flowers seen on Green Wedding Shoes, but I couldn’t find crepe paper in the appropriate colors. So I made the flowers out of white crepe paper and spray painted them red and yellow. What I lacked in sewing skills, my mother and now mother-in-law made up for by sewing giant tablecloths and bridesmaid’s sashes using a sewing machine borrowed from a friend. Although my family doesn’t live nearby, they flew into town a week before the wedding and helped finish the long list of DIY projects, down to my dad and brothers cutting Q-Tips and sticking them into styrofoam balls. My father accompanied me down the aisle in a glued-together dress with a spray-painted coffee filter flower clipped into my hair and a giant, spray-painted flower in my hand, looking just as I had envisioned.

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Wedding Photography: Joielala Photographie / Ceremony: Sierra Star Golf Course in Mammoth Lakes, California / Reception: Eagle Lodge in Mammoth Lakes, California / Event Design: Joyful Weddings & Events + The Bride / Event Planning + Coordination: Mammoth Weddings & Events / Flowers: DIY by the Bride / Catering, Wedding Cake + Cupcakes: Mammoth Weddings & Events / Cake Decorations: DIY by the Bride / Wedding Invitations: David’s Bridal + The Bride / Wedding Dress: David’s Bridal + The Bride / Bride's Hairpiece: DIY by the Bride / Bride's Shoes: Kenzie via DSW (Circa 2005) / Hair: Lisa Peterson of American Beauty Salon /  Makeup: DIY by the Bride + Bridesmaids with MAC Products / Bridesmaids' Dresses: J.Crew / Bridesmaids' Necklaces: DIY by the Bride / Bridesmaids' Sashes: DIY by the Mother of Bride / Groom’s Jacket: Burberry via Nordstrom Rack / Groom’s Shirt: English Laundry via Nordstrom Rack