Blending Caribbean Vibes With a California Zip Code

Erin Lepperd
December 15, 2017
Categories: Cultural Beauty, Real Weddings, The Blog

I’m 100% convinced it’s not possible to love a wedding any more than this beauty. Combining the bride’s Caribbean roots with the couple’s California zip code, this celebration is a mix of vibrant color, gorgeous nods to heritage and fun, modern details all planned by Sweet Emilia Jane, along with florals by The Little Branch and gorgeous images by Rebecca Yale. From leaf signage to a healthy dose of fuchsia, get inspired by an affair filled with modern, tropical vibes.

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Bridgette and Alex were married on August 6, 2016 at a private estate in Rancho Santa Fe, CA. The bride and groom are both software engineers and met in 2011 while building custom animation software for the film industry. They worked together on How to Train Your Dragon 2, King Fu Panda 2, Puss and Boots and more. The bride currently works at Dreamworks and the groom at Flipagram.

Bridgette and Alex are fun, adventurous and have a love for good food and drink. Sweet Emilia Jane highlighted those aspects of their relationship throughout the wedding design. They incorporated Bridgette’s Caribbean heritage in a way that was elegant and modern. Every detail from the invitations to the place settings had a modern tropical vibe with bright splashes of color. From the guestbook and cake flanked by oversized palm leaves to the palm leaf and rose adorned arch, the wedding felt distinctly unique and tropical. The lush landscape, bright pops of bougainvillea and incredible architecture were the perfect backdrop for the day. Elements found around the property were tied into the design from the tropical leaf signage to the bougainvillea on the wedding cake.

The bride wore a custom Sarah Nouri gown and placed white flowers in her afro on one side and braided the other with delicate pink flowers tucked underneath. The groom wore a blue suit and Shinola watch, gifted to him as a surprise by the bride the morning of the wedding. Instead of a traditional wedding party the bride and groom had their large families serve as their attendants, the bride’s three brothers as her bridesmen, and the groom’s four older brothers and sister as his groomsmen (and woman). The groom’s niece and nephew served as ring-bearer and flower-girl and the other many nieces and nephews got together for a large group picture and helped get the party started dancing the night away.

The bride chose to walk by herself down the aisle while a guitarist sang All of Me, meeting her dad at the very end for a hug before handing her off to her groom. The couple wrote their own vows and finished the ceremony by jumping the broom, which had been decked out in flowers to fit the Caribbean theme.

Since they are foodies and cocktail-lovers the food from Root Cellar and drinks from Snake Oil had to not only taste good, but look good. The bride and groom had four signature cocktails, two named after themselves, that guests sipped throughout the evening. Cocktail Hour took place at the back of the estate and guests enjoyed passed hors d’ouerves and a market table with fresh fruits, charcuterie and cheeses. At the end of the cocktail hour Root Cellar surprised the guests with a whole roasted pig, Caribbean style, which had been cooking all day.

The escort card table was set next to the dining area with each guests name written on a leaf and placed in wooden bowls full of coffee beans. Guests were welcomed down to the tables as the sun began to set, which were decked out in blue Ikat tablecloths with bright blooms and string lights above. Each guest had a piece of sea glass on their seat serving as their place card and a coconut shell with the salad course awaiting them. It was the perfect way to tie in the overall design of the day into the design of the food in a way that was unique and unexpected. The groom surprised their guests by serenading his new bride to Elton John’s, Your Song, during dinner followed by traditional Caribbean music that got everyone up and dancing between courses. After dinner guests returned to the house’s patio for cake and more dancing. The bride and groom’s entire family ended up jumping on top of the fountain on the patio and dancing the night away atop it.