I’m sending a little shout out to all the DIY brides out there today, particularly this stunning Bride. In the midst of planning my own wedding, going the DIY route sounds appealing, but it’s a ton of work! So when I see it pulled off oh-so-beautifully in this mountain fete from Candice Benjamin, I say kudos to this lovely lady for glamming up a vintage chandelier, crafting a gilded LOVE sign, wrapping over 200 votives in lace and gold and so much more. Don’t miss the sweet film from Cloud 9 Cinematography!
From the beautiful Bride…We were engaged November 2012, and shortly after we drove out to see a venue that I had fallen in love with online, called Serendipity Garden Weddings. It was located at the top of the San Bernardino Mountains, in Oak Glen, CA. I was nervous and excited, I was hoping it was as beautiful in person as it was in pictures. To my surprise, it was even more beautiful in person. Derrick and I loved everything about it, it felt perfect for us. We had never been to an outdoor wedding and we were a little nervous about what our family would think. We decided to bring them out to see it for themselves, and they fell in love with it too! They spent 3 full hours walking around the garden and they didn’t want to leave, we knew then that we had their blessing. The venue was booked every weekend for 2 full years, so we decided we would have our wedding on a Thursday. We were married on a beautiful sunny day on Thursday, August 15, 2013.
I wanted a vintage wedding with a classic, romantic, feel. I love details because they personalize an event. I DIY’d a large portion of our wedding, and loved every bit of the process, it allowed me to be creative again. Over the course of 8 months, I gathered ideas and began tackling each project. My first project was glamming up a vintage gold chandelier that we used as a backdrop for the ceremony. I spent 10 hours gluing crystals to it, and it was worth it. The outcome was just what I had envisioned. It was the first of many projects and it really set the tone for the rest of the wedding. My projects for the ceremony area included a wooden aisle sign , reserved seat signs, flower petal cones made of doilies, chalkboards made from vintage frames, the ring bearers sign, and the flower girls basket and head piece. My brother in law surprised me by hanging crystal strands to the alter. I still remember arriving at the venue, driving up over the mountain and catching a glimpse of the chandelier and the crystals sparkling in the sunlight and swaying in the breeze, it was so beautiful.
I was inspired by a photo that Derrick and I took in front of the LOVE sign in his hometown of Philadelphia. We had lots of Derricks family and friends at the wedding and I wanted to honor his hometown. I found silver LOVE place card holders that we spray painted gold and finished off with a coat of glitter. My lovely and very creative sister Flower hand wrote each of our guests name on cardstock which we used as seating assignments. Flower also wrote our guests name on brown cardstock that we added to each of our guests wine glass using tiny clothes pins. I made a large LOVE sign out of cardboard, glitter, a vintage frame, and a chalkboard, that we placed on the outdoor fireplace. The DIY projects at the reception area also included a chalkboard menu and bar sign, bathroom signs with our baby pictures, Mod Podged ampersand sign to link our chairs together, my bridal hair piece, table numbers, and thank you cards placed in photo booth pictures sleeves.
I love candles, I purchased over 200 votive candles and wrapped half in lace and half I painted gold. They looked beautiful surrounding the gorgeous arrangement made by our wonderful florist at Flowers Ect. I provided him with lace and he wrapped each wooden box with it. I also provided our florist with lots of globe vases filled with glitter that he added small flower arrangements to. The candles, flower boxes, and glitter globes created a gorgeous runner for our long wooden tables.
We love sweets. We added mini cupcakes to our cocktail hour, and they were a hit with our guests. I stained wooden boxes and with the help of my sister Yoli, we created tiny chalkboard signs to label each flavor. I surprised Derrick with a Grooms cake in the shape of a large pink Homer Donut. He loved it, and it was really yummy too! Cucamonga Cakery did an amazing job.
The most memorable portions of the wedding included waiting at the top of the hill right before the start of the ceremony in the horse in carriage and looking down at all our guests, seeing Derrick as I walked down the aisle, my mother daughter dance, Derrick being thrown into the air by my cousins, our first dance, and our human tunnel grand exit.
Our wedding truly felt like a fairytale. We were surrounded by so much love, it was the most beautiful day of our lives. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day. We are so grateful for the outpouring of support from family and friends and to our amazing photographer Candice for capturing these precious memories that we will cherish for the rest of our lives.
Photography: Candice Benjamin Photography | Cinematography: Cloud 9 Cinematography | Floral Design: Flowers Ect. | Wedding Dress: Pronovias | Cupcakes: My Delight Cupcakery | Wedding Cake: Cucamonga Cakery | DJ: Matt Phipps | Grooms Attire: Friar Tux | Groomsmen Attire: Friar Tux | Bridesmaid Dress: Aspeed | Ceremony + Reception: Serendipity Garden Weddings | Rentals: With Love Event Decor