M’dears, get ready to feast your eyes on urban zen desert love like no other. It’s organic elements turned wedding perfection, from the lettered name rocks to the watercolored rock-pattern paper goods to the air plants breathing life to the gorgeous pale viridian tablescape topped with blooms by Isari Flower Studio. There’s no question that Francine Ribeau Events killed it with her cohesive design vision. Get your Pin on in the gallery from Joshua Aull Photography and Sarah Kate Photography!
From Francine Ribeau Events…I (Danielle of Francine Ribeau Events) had the pleasure of planning and designing the wedding of a couple very near and dear to my heart. During their ceremony the officiant spent a little time educating all the guests on the political victories of the past year, also stating that it was probably everyone’s first gay wedding. It was mine, too. He said that not only did the couple not know what to expect but neither did we. That was the truth. What is the protocol? Well, the best part of it – is there is none and we get to create it!
The amount of love, admiration and support from their guests inspired the purpose behind this shoot. We also want gay couples out there to have more outlets to find inspiration for their wedding, something a little more masculine, but still celebrating the beauty of their bond.
While the backdrop of Green Acres in San Diego is very urban and industrial, we were inspired by the multitude of colors in the rocks and in the cacti. The colors reminded us of the soft white sand and the circular patterns of a zen garden. Our goal was to take these two very different landscapes and make them work together, sort of a celebration of the unexpected.
With our color palette and vision in mind, Taryn of Twinkle and Toast created her rock-inspired invitations. The watercolor paper goods from Taryn set the scene for the ceremony backdrop we built – acrylic sheets that we spray painted to mimic the design. The design was carried throughout, as Nichole of Nic.Roc.Designs also used this pattern to laser cut coasters out of wood.
We also watercolored rocks with blues, greens, citrus yellows and lavender purples to bring our their natural colors, and used them throughout the space, as escort cards and table decor. For deserts, we stuck to the desert theme and decided to DIY some popsicles. We wanted to keep with the desert sand patterns and was able to layer various flavors to achieve the look.
Tam at Isari Floral Studio is always patient with our crazy ideas. She was eager to do a shoot with us and we thought this was a great shoot to collaborate on. Tam brought in elements of stone, glass and wood, bridging that gap between urban and zen with adding clematis and soft white flowers juxtaposed to various succulents and cactus flowers.
We were lucky enough to be set up by Tam with Joshua Aull Photography and Sarah Kate Photography – both film photographers. Natural light was the perfect complement to this shoot; Joshua and Sarah’s talents gave the photos their own sense of serenity.
Looking back at the last several years and all the progress for same sex couples we have made, we feel honored and excited to be a part of building new traditions and celebrating love of any kind.
Photography: Sarah Kate, Photographer | Photography: Joshua Aull Photography | Event Design: Francine Ribeau Events | Event Planning: Merren Events | Floral Design: Isari Flower Studio + Event Design | Hair And Makeup: Kelsey Doonan | Venue: Green Acre Campus Pointe | Bar Ware / Coasters: Nic. Roc Designs | Invitations / Calligraphy: Twinkle And Toast | Men's Dress Shirts: Salon De Marcus