With the goal of creating a “comfortable atmosphere that was elegant, whimsical and casual-chic,” this Bride and Groom infused their Pismo Beach wedding with DIY details, including the DIY bar top crafted by the Groom and the DIY wood transfer images of the couple and their families. Add into the mix gorgeous flowers like peonies, poppies, garden roses, ranunculus, and more, and you’ve got one perfect wedding day. See it all from Dave Richards Photography and Surreal Wedding Films in The Vault!
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From The Bride…Growing up in Southern California I had always imagined having a wedding by the beach. There are many beautiful beach locations in California, but for Niko and myself, none were more appropriate than Pismo Beach. The scenic coastline, the oak studded hills, and the relaxed, small town vibe were all too perfect! It had been a favorite destination of ours during the course of our relationship and will now be an even more special place to return to for years to come.
The beautiful natural scenery of both our ceremony & reception venues made styling ideas much less overwhelming! To accentuate the already picturesque surroundings, we stuck with a more neutral color palette of grey, linen, and white with pops of peach and coral. The goal was to create a comfortable atmosphere that was elegant, whimsical and casual-chic. I wanted the event to feature a classic combination of vintage and beach without being overly thematic. One of the few beach elements that we incorporated was the sand dollar. In the early mornings, sand dollars wash up on the beaches of Pismo by the dozens!
A number of elements were handcrafted to bring warmth and personality to the space: DIY wood transfer images of our families and engagement photos, sand dollar embossed place cards and table numbers nestled into natural pieces of driftwood, and a DIY bar top made by my super talented hubby! The last of these was easily our favorite DIY detail because of the unexpected flair it brought to the event space.
My favorite memory of the day was sneaking away to the beach just before sunset. At that point in time there was no stress, no itinerary, just me and my husband enjoying the peaceful sights and sounds of the beach. Not to mention the stunning photos which were captured in those moments (thank you Dave)!! Although we’d frequented Pismo on several occasions during our relationship, the sunset was more brilliant that evening than I can ever remember it being before.
Niko works for a nursery, so let’s just say flowers were an important aspect for us! Our florist, Katie Noonan, has an impeccable quality of work and hiring her was hands down one of the easiest decisions of planning. Our floral palette included light and fluttery peonies, poppies, and garden roses with more textured blooms of ranunculus, scabiosa, and Queen Anne’s Lace. The arrangements were understated yet dreamy and we loved everything about them!
Our desert bar included three small cakes of white velvet cake covered in Italian meringue buttercream, three varieties of cupcakes, and our favorite – browned butter sea salt chocolate chip cookies for all the late night sweets lovers!
With the help of my mother and sister-in-law, our guests parted with homemade Rosemary Sea Salts – rosemary because of its symbolism as the herb of love and remembrance, and sea salt because of its natural tie to the beach and our love of cooking.
As for advice to future brides-to-be, I’d say you can never start too early in your planning! I’m a planner by nature, and even with lots of help and 15 months to put it all together, I can’t imagine doing it with any less time. Sources like Pinterest and Style Me Pretty are wonderful for certain, but dialing in your own style can take longer than you’d imagine! I’d spent months planning around one color scheme and didn’t realize until much later that it just wasn’t going to work with my venue. Don’t forget to hire a videographer. It’s a once in a lifetime event so I promise you won’t regret it. Also, go ahead a splurge on a month-of-coordinator. It’ll be worth every penny to help save your sanity leading up to wedding day!
Photography: Dave Richards Photography | Cinematography: Surreal Wedding Films | Floral Design: Noonan's Designs | Wedding Dress: The Bustle | Invitations: Scriptura | Ceremony Venue: Ventana Grill | Reception Venue: SeaCrest OceanFront Hotel | Bride's Shoes: Jimmy Choo | Hair + Makeup: LunaBella Make-up and Hair | Calligraphy: Renee Troy Lettering | Lighting: Beach Butlerz | DJ: Alan Reno | Groom's Attire: J.Crew | Ceremony Music: Megan Washburn | Transportation: Elegant Image Limousines | Cake Topper: DoTheDeco | Coordination + Catering: Zest it Up | Custom Hangers: Einspanner | Desserts: Cake Cathedral | Driftwood Placecard Holders: Once Upon A Shore | Flower Girl Dresses: Etsy.com | Rentals: All About Events | Ring Bearer Attire: J.Crew | Ring Bearer Dish: Paloma's Nest | Slow Motion Booth: Le Slow Motion Booth | Thumbprint Tree: Fancy Prints
