An Al Fresco Celebration That’s Giving Us Major Heart Eyes

We first met this pair in San Fran at their engagement shoot and feel pretty lucky to bear witness to the rest of their happily ever after adventure. Cassi Claire captured their al fresco “I do’s” and provided us with a gallery of gorgeousness – we’re talking dahlia and succulent filled centerpieces and a ceremony set up that has us all heart eyed. See it all right this way!

Colors

From the Bride… We met on a school trip in France! We had been in a few classes together, but didn’t think too much of each other. We were seated next to each other on the plane and started to hit it off and spent the next few weeks falling in love in the most romantic place in the world!

For our wedding, I wanted a outdoor garden soiree type of event. Something beautiful, soft, romantic and a little bohemian, while still having a touch of class and lots of flowers! I loved all the Pinterest posts of brides with lots of greenery so I chose succulents, eucalyptus and bay leaves to decorate (and smell great!) while the other flowers just added contrast. I liked that it was a neutral palette and everything just flowed together.

We chose our venue, Hacienda de las Flores, because it was naturally beautiful. I had a lot of little details to add to make it our own and unique, but the venue itself didn’t need to be touched. I wanted the natural beauty. Also, I really wanted to dance outside so I loved the fact that we could have our band in the alcove and we could dance under the stars!

We had so many DIY projects! We grew the succulents for months before the wedding to make our centerpieces, our cake toppers were hand carved and painted by Alex, and all of the bouquets, corsages, and boutonnieres were made by me and my bridesmaids the night before. The programs were created by a bridesmaid, the ceremony arch was decorated by friends, the aisle decor was DIY flower arrangements, we made our own batch sangria “cocktails”, and even made our own photo booth area! We borrowed a friends camera and rented the vintage couch! We also created game board rules and score sheets on chalkboards for the lawn games.

My favorite memory of the day was seeing Alex as I walked down the isle. I couldn’t stop looking at him! I was so nervous until I saw him there and I knew that he is the only one I wanted at the end of that aisle. We loved taking communion for the first time as a married couple and having my sister and brother-in-law pray over us and hearing our friend Pat play one of our favorite hymns. Our first dance, I surprised Alex with our band playing La Vie en Rose in both English and French, he speaks French so it was a fun surprise!

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO BRIDES PLANNING NOW?

Definitely tap into your friends’ talents! Our friends did such a great job setting up and got so creative with our archway! My sister also does wood burning and did all of our signage. Friends are an endless source of talent and are always happy to help with such a big day! Don’t be shy to ask. Also, definitely keep to a timeline, things got a little dicey at the end with our super long to do list! Find creative ways to keep the budget low! This is definitely the time to call in favors, like using your friends talents, a coworker’s connection to linens, etc. And if your venue has no or a low corkage fee, it is always cheaper to get wine from a wine store and they will probably get you a better wine at a better price than the venue. Find a caterer that will do personalized menus. The food quality will be better and it will give a touch of personality to your wedding. Every wedding can have pot stickers or chicken satay, not every wedding will have porchetta or tortillas espanolas!

Lastly, something will always go wrong, try to keep an open mind. At the end of the day, the little details that go wrong will be so insignificant compared to marrying the person you love. On our day, the table linen was too short, the string lights over the dance floor didn’t go up, our delivery was late, but it all was okay. It was still beautiful and everyone had a great time!





Photography: Cassi Claire | Floral Design: DIY | Wedding Dress: Essense of Australia | Cake: SusieCakes | Invitations: Hello Hapa | Shoes: Frye Boots | Bridesmaids' Dresses: Morning Lavender | Catering: Butter And Salt Gatherings | Hair + Makeup: Michelle Nacar | Favors: Plain Jane | Groom's Attire: Macy's | Groomsmen's Attire: Jos. A. Bank | Venue: Hacienda de las Flores | Bridal Boutique: Flares Bridal | Cake Topper: DIY the Groom | Music: Hella Fitzgerald | Personalized Tie Clips: Tammi James | Signs: We Are Clay Studios | Ties + Pocket Squares: The Tie Bar