What happens when two Grooms set out to host a whimsical fiesta wedding day? Crazy good things – just you wait and see. With the talented ladies of Beau & Arrow Events by their side, they pulled off an event elevated with design surprises, from gold foil invites to handmade tile escort cards, and every detail in between. See more from Honey Honey Photography and the The Yodsukars’ film below!
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From The Couple…In Spanish, the word “milagro” means miracle or wonder. We chose the milagro, a folk charm in Mexico, Latin American, and the Iberian Peninsula, as one of the stylistic elements for our wedding because of its symbolic meaning–it connotes wonder, healing, and surprise. These were the recurring themes of our special day. One of our vows, in fact, was a promise to “laugh, restore, and surprise.” Because wonder and surprise are so central to our relationship, we wanted elements of surprise throughout the day, and boy did we accomplish it with the help of some amazing people!
We wanted a whimsical fiesta feel for our La Jolla wedding (neither of us hails from Mexico, but that didn’t stop us!), and the fabulous ladies at Beau & Arrow Events totally ran with it (more on this amazing duo in a bit). They put us in touch with Odd Daughter Paper Co., who did a bang-up job turning the festive whimsy feel we were going for into gorgeous, unique invitations. We knew we wanted hand lettering and an invitation that invitees could cherish, so our stationer’s suggestion that we go with a gold foil technique was perfect! We had certainly never seen a gold foil papel picado design. When our invitees opened the invitations, they felt like they were opening a golden ticket. This was exactly the wonder and surprise we wanted our guests to experience from our very first communication.
The second surprise we wanted guests to experience upon arrival was the already breathtaking Darlington House in La Jolla decorated in an elevated Mexican style. In preparation for the wedding, we took a trip across the border to Tijuana to source colorful sombreros, decorative tiles, papel picado, milagros, and other fiesta-related decorations for the big day. (Our story of walking back to the U.S. with eleven sequined sombreros and multiple garbage bags full of other fabulousness is one for another day–and another blog.) The girls at Beau and Arrow incorporated these elements into a remarkable, elevated, colorful, and earthy Mexican-inspired design. A few of our favorite design elements: The inspired milagro escort display. Kate and Ellen at B&A personally hand made each tile so guests could take home a unique work of art. The striking dessert display of delicious pies by Elizabethan against colorful sombrero backdrop? Genius!
These ladies at Root 75 took some of our favorite flowers–dahlias, zinnias, proteas, and succulents–to level of beauty and whimsy that we never thought was possible. There are so many beautiful details that B&A and our vendors executed flawlessly; our guests were stunned, as were we.
The ceremony was certainly an unconventional one. Each of us had both parents walk us down the aisle. We thought it was important to make a statement, both that this would not be a traditional wedding and that we had the support of our entire families. Our little niños carried signs reading “Love Equals Love” to lead the procession with a statement of the universality of love. We felt this was important for those of our guests who had never been to a wedding in which both of the participants happen to be men.
Very early in the ceremony, we completely surprised guests with a dramatic reading of a poem that spoke to us. Our amazing officiant acted as if she was about to recite a poem, and suddenly our theatre friends pop out from various locations around the ceremony courtyard, each performing a stanza for our audience. This set the tone of wonder and surprise for our guests that continued throughout the night.
We also invented new traditions that night. Didn’t think that two men would do a garter toss? Think again! We surprised our guests with a sock garter toss! We also invented a musical send-off where guests gathered around a grand piano inside the house for a couple of songs. Jason sang a surprise duet with Aaron’s friend, Laura Bohn, who is a professional soprano. Then Jason and Aaron sang a duet of My Funny Valentine as a musical farewell to guests.
However, the most surprising aspect of the wedding was Aaron’s remarkable father-son dance, that occurred just when guests thought all of the surprises were over. You have to check out the video to believe it. Backstory: During the planning process, when we were brainstorming ideas, Aaron professed his love for Bollywood dance. Jason said in no uncertain terms: no. Aaron insisted. Jason said no. Aaron gave up. Or did he? During Aaron’s father-son dance, a troupe of Bollywood dancers emerged to the amazement of our guests — and to the astonishment of Jason, who never saw it coming. It was a jaw-dropping sight that we don’t think any of our guests will ever forget.
We can’t say enough positive things about all of the people who worked tirelessly to make this day of wonder happen so seamlessly. Everyone seriously needs to know how remarkable the ladies at Beau and Arrow Events are. This was the best investment we could ever have made in our wedding. B&A connected us with incredible vendors. From our florist to our photographer Honey Honey, who made us feel relaxed and captured our essences perfectly. Our videographers, The Yodsukars. (We dare you not to get the chills when you watch the highlight video.) Every detail of our big day was both flawlessly executed and a wonderful surprise to our guests and to us.
Photography: Ether & Smith | Videographer: The Yodsukars | Florist: Root 75 | Invitations: Odd Daughter Paper Co | Catering: Coast Catering | Calligraphy: Dear Darling | DJ: J.P. McLeod | Officiant: All Souls Church | Aaron's Jacket: Hugo Boss | Aaron's Tie: Alexander Olch | Aaron's Trousers: Armani | Bollywood Dancers: Bollywood Tranz | Event Planner/Designer: Beau & Arrow Events | Grooms' Custom Cufflinks: White Truffle | House: The Darlington House | Jason's Fiesta Bowtie: Dancechickendance | Jason's Shoes: Ted Baker | Jason's Suit: Dsquared2 | Linens: BBJ La Tavola | Pies: Elizabethan Desserts | Rentals: Abbey Party Rents | Spanish Guitar: Justin Helland | Women's Hair: Jax King