A Wedding To Remember - Bookmark This Beauty!
Save this one here ladies because I can guarantee you'll be coming back to this wedding over and over and over again - it's that good. With a venue that'll leave you speechless, DIY place cards that so do not look DIY, and photos from Sara Weir that make you feel all the feels, it's a winner through and through. See the love story play out below and there's even more pics right here in our gorgeous gallery!
From the Bride... It really was the wedding of my dreams. I tried to make it a point throughout the evening to stop and take it all in. There was one particular moment on that beautifully-lit terrace; we were surrounded by our dearest friends and family and I felt like it was a scene from a movie. Everything was in slow motion, including the laughter and chatter in the background, and I just felt overwhelmed by love. I remember thinking to myself, “Is this really my life?”
In planning the wedding, the most important thing for David and I was that the evening would be a romantic date night for our "couple" friends - a night sans kiddos to take a breath and enjoy reflecting with their honey. For friends and family, we wanted them to get away and experience the joys of community. For David, the next elements at the top of his list were food and cake. Simple items for the foodie I fell in love with. For me, it was the vibe - that the details were a reflection of our taste and personality and that it all felt personal. Not-so-simple, for I happen to be an extreme visual curator and co-partners (with my matron of honor) of a boutique branding and creative agency.
What brought all of these elements together was picking the right venue. We toured 15 spaces in the search for “the one.” My guy really deserves a special reward for that. Villa Del Sol D’Oro was one of the early stops on our list. I think I knew walking the grounds that this was going to be the perfect backdrop for our nuptials. Meeting Sandi and her crew (who are like family to her - and some really are), was the icing on the cake. As we joked around about getting married on April Fool’s Day, her warmth and candor made us feel like she was our fairy godmother. We felt completely reassured that she was going to take care of us and that she truly cared about our union. What I love is that the venue is old school. No fancy ads in giant bridal publications and websites - mostly word of mouth. Our estimate was written out by hand by Sandi herself while we sat across her at a small table in the kitchen. The venue was really a total package of all the details I was looking for, without the à la carte charges: long tables for family-style dining, chandeliers in the trees, votives around the fountain, lights strung up on a garden terrace, historic architectural details, parking, a trusted dj and photo booth vendor, delicious food, gold charger plates, Chiavari chairs, and indoor spaces for inclement weather. And to think, we found the venue by stumbling across a friend’s photo in my Instagram feed.
The rest was so much easier to piece together after the venue was checked off our list. Well, I guess “easy” might be the wrong word. After a lot of hunting, I found my dress at a fancy bridal boutique. My matron of honor, in a stroke of brilliance, found the same dress during a last-minute Google search, but at a fraction of the cost for no shipping, no tax and a free veil from mybridalcloset.com. The groom's suit was an accidental score at Bloomingdales after scouring the usual spots for the perfect bright French blue. The signage, invitations, programs and place cards were all elements that I felt I needed to hand make (since that is what I do for a living). That was quite an undertaking - especially the marble hexagon place cards. Let’s just say, the Pinterest D.I.Y. should have said, “use an electric sander to remove the mesh backing from the tiles” instead of a nail file which was the actual suggested tool. The experience bonded us as a family since it ended up involving most of our immediate family to accomplish.
Partnering with the right vendors was key to making our wedding feel personal and intimate. And most of our vendors were drawn out of our talented community. Everyone had a hand in it - from the florals and the custom wedding jewelry to our jazz quartet, our officiant, our guitar and worship leader, first dance choreography, custom framed engagement photos, boba tea station, hair and makeup, and even our printed paper goods. Our biggest find and new friendship was our photographer. Since I’m usually behind the camera producing photo shoots for work, I knew we needed to find someone who shared my love and eye for capturing beautiful moments. This person also needed to make us feel at ease and less awkward in front of the camera. And you can see that she did just that.
The biggest compliment you can receive as a bride is to hear that your guests had an amazing time and recall all of the details that made it just so. I’m happy to say, my dreams came true.
In planning the wedding, the most important thing for David and I was that the evening would be a romantic date night for our "couple" friends - a night sans kiddos to take a breath and enjoy reflecting with their honey. For friends and family, we wanted them to get away and experience the joys of community. For David, the next elements at the top of his list were food and cake. Simple items for the foodie I fell in love with. For me, it was the vibe - that the details were a reflection of our taste and personality and that it all felt personal. Not-so-simple, for I happen to be an extreme visual curator and co-partners (with my matron of honor) of a boutique branding and creative agency.
What brought all of these elements together was picking the right venue. We toured 15 spaces in the search for “the one.” My guy really deserves a special reward for that. Villa Del Sol D’Oro was one of the early stops on our list. I think I knew walking the grounds that this was going to be the perfect backdrop for our nuptials. Meeting Sandi and her crew (who are like family to her - and some really are), was the icing on the cake. As we joked around about getting married on April Fool’s Day, her warmth and candor made us feel like she was our fairy godmother. We felt completely reassured that she was going to take care of us and that she truly cared about our union. What I love is that the venue is old school. No fancy ads in giant bridal publications and websites - mostly word of mouth. Our estimate was written out by hand by Sandi herself while we sat across her at a small table in the kitchen. The venue was really a total package of all the details I was looking for, without the à la carte charges: long tables for family-style dining, chandeliers in the trees, votives around the fountain, lights strung up on a garden terrace, historic architectural details, parking, a trusted dj and photo booth vendor, delicious food, gold charger plates, Chiavari chairs, and indoor spaces for inclement weather. And to think, we found the venue by stumbling across a friend’s photo in my Instagram feed.
The rest was so much easier to piece together after the venue was checked off our list. Well, I guess “easy” might be the wrong word. After a lot of hunting, I found my dress at a fancy bridal boutique. My matron of honor, in a stroke of brilliance, found the same dress during a last-minute Google search, but at a fraction of the cost for no shipping, no tax and a free veil from mybridalcloset.com. The groom's suit was an accidental score at Bloomingdales after scouring the usual spots for the perfect bright French blue. The signage, invitations, programs and place cards were all elements that I felt I needed to hand make (since that is what I do for a living). That was quite an undertaking - especially the marble hexagon place cards. Let’s just say, the Pinterest D.I.Y. should have said, “use an electric sander to remove the mesh backing from the tiles” instead of a nail file which was the actual suggested tool. The experience bonded us as a family since it ended up involving most of our immediate family to accomplish.
Partnering with the right vendors was key to making our wedding feel personal and intimate. And most of our vendors were drawn out of our talented community. Everyone had a hand in it - from the florals and the custom wedding jewelry to our jazz quartet, our officiant, our guitar and worship leader, first dance choreography, custom framed engagement photos, boba tea station, hair and makeup, and even our printed paper goods. Our biggest find and new friendship was our photographer. Since I’m usually behind the camera producing photo shoots for work, I knew we needed to find someone who shared my love and eye for capturing beautiful moments. This person also needed to make us feel at ease and less awkward in front of the camera. And you can see that she did just that.
The biggest compliment you can receive as a bride is to hear that your guests had an amazing time and recall all of the details that made it just so. I’m happy to say, my dreams came true.