I’ve always known that I’ve wanted a late spring wedding (in part because that’s when peonies are in season), but the more New Year’s Eve weddings I see, the more I want one. And, after looking at this gorgeous and glamorous day photographed by Honey Honey Photography, you will, too. From the Bride’s Pronovias gown and beaded bolero from Hayley Paige to the Gatsby-meets-organic vibe, this wedding was the perfect start to the new year and a new marriage! Fall in love in The Vault!
From The Bride…I first met Erik at a Superbowl party in college at Northern Arizona University over 10 years ago – he walked up to me, told me I was beautiful, then walked away. After that strange encounter (or suave, as Erik would say), we became good friends, often bumping into each other at events and both secretly having crushes on each other that would come to fruition much later in life. After college and both of us dating other people for several years, our paths crossed again in Phoenix, Arizona (where we both lived) after Erik sent me a “just checking in” message on Facebook. We were inseparable after our first date and were engaged less than a year later.
Our engagement was everything I could have hoped for. We went to my family cabin in Big Bear Lake, California to celebrate my birthday weekend with some of our closest friends. After everyone had arrived and cocktails were in hand, Erik got down on one knee on our back deck that wrapped around the house to propose in front of our friends. It was a very special weekend surrounded by some of the most special people we know, and gave us something to celebrate all weekend.
We began planning our wedding knowing we wanted to have a longer engagement, as well as give both of our respective siblings enough space for their weddings (which were also in 2015). After several discussions we both kept coming back to New Year’s Eve, and how it would be an amazing way to ring in a new year as husband and wife. Location was a relatively easy choice, my grandparents were not able to travel and a lot of Erik’s family is from the midwest, so a destination of San Diego, California (my hometown) seemed like the natural choice. Once we had location solidified it took us all of 2 seconds to contact Molly from Tres Chic Affairs to be our coordinator. Molly & I went to high school together and I knew she would help us see through our vision.
Our ceremony was at St. Gabriel’s Catholic Church – a beautiful church that features traditional California mission style architecture with a lot of beautiful wood accents. A Catholic ceremony integrated with personalized touches (such as our priest reading love letters we had written to each other) felt extremely intimate and personal for us as well as our 190 guests.
Given the celebratory nature of our wedding date, we knew we wanted to have a NYE feel, while mixing in some of the natural beauty of our San Diego location. We envisioned Gatsby meets organic – with some glamour touches such as indoor market lighting and a black & white checkered dance floor. With a lot of florals being out of season, we looked to our amazing florist Bethany from Splendid Sentiments to make recommendations of how to keep the look glitzy without being over the top. Incorporating light blush tones with anemones and peonies, gold spray-painted succulents (a nod to our Phoenix, AZ home) with beautiful eucalyptus leaf garlands kept our florals dynamic without being too precious.
Our cocktail hour and reception at the Rancho Bernardo Inn rocked the house. We carried over the black, white, gold and organic elements to the ballroom, with a mix of striped runners, gold sequin table cloths, and a striped table cloth for the head table, in addition to eucalyptus trees on select tables. Dinner and drinks flowed as our parents and friends gave speeches, and our amazing DJ kept everyone on the dance floor well into the night. With it being the holiday, we made sure our reception went into 1am so that we could all ring in the new year together at midnight. We all filed outside to light sparklers and do a countdown, and it was such an amazing moment to be celebrating the new year with my husband, friends and family.
The best part of the entire day was knowing that all of our favorite people were gathered in one room to celebrate with us and hearing / seeing how much fun everyone had made all of the planning for 16 months worth it. We made sure to add in some elements that were truly “us”, such as ice cream sandwiches for our main dessert, to late night snack foods like mac n cheese, sliders and fries to keep people energized throughout the night. A photo booth and cigar bar added extra entertainment to our lengthy reception, and the night felt like it absolutely flew by!
I cannot say enough about Molly and her team, she was a complete gem to work with through our entire wedding planning process. Her vendor recommendations were always spot on, including our insanely talented photographer Emma who was able to capture the nature of our day so beautifully.
Photography: Ether & Smith | Floral Design: Splendid Sentiments | Wedding Dress: Pronovias | Cake: Hey There, Cupcake! | Stationery: Ashley George | Ceremony Venue: St. Gabriels Catholic Church | Reception Venue: Rancho Bernardo Inn | Bride's Shoes: Valentino | Rings: PV Coin & Jewelry | Bridesmaids' Dresses: Adrianna Papell | Makeup: Shelby Mcelroy | Hair: Heidi Marie Garrett | Backdrop: Splendid Sentiments | Backdrop: Tres Chic Affairs | Bridal Boutique: Schaffers Bridal | Bride Bolero: JLM Couture, Inc | Bride's Earrings: Nordstrom | Cigar Bar: Payne Mason | DJ + Lighting: Music Phreek | Dancefloor: Classic Party Rentals | Design + Coordination: Tres Chic Affairs | Guitarist: Antony Garcia | Ice Cream Sandwiches: The Baked Bear | Linen Rentals: APR Fine Linens | Photo Booth: Pixster Photo Booths | Robes: Just Cottons