Real talk, ladies. When wedding planning, Pinterest can be a blessing and a curse, even for the most organized bride, especially when you’re trying to incorporate all of the special things that represent you as a unique couple! But with the right vendor team by your side, you CAN turn your oodles of inspiration into a fairytale-like reality. Take a look at this whimsical garden wedding captured by Aga Jones Photography and filmed by Amari Productions, which incorporates a plant-based and earthy theme with travel influences and a little Peruvian heritage in a way that appears seamless, all thanks to Tres Chic Affairs.
[iframe http://www.youtube.com/embed/fwht2ovKfs4 600 338]
From the bride… Wedding planning is a crazy process. My biggest advice for couples is to hire a wedding planner early on. Well not just early on, but first. As in before you do anything else! I am pretty organized and creative, plus our venue came with an on site coordinator, so I figured not hiring a wedding planner was a great way to save on the budget. I could not have been more incorrect, and wedding planning quickly went from something I had dreamed of since I was a little girl to a stressful experience. Hiring Molly from Tres Chic Affairs helped to streamline my ideas and turn my vision into reality.
Pinterest was a blessing and a curse. When I hired Molly, I had about 3000 wedding pins. I knew I wanted a whimsical yet natural and organic feel, but I also wanted to incorporate our love of travel, a few family heirlooms, Martin’s Peruvian heritage, our dog, and our plant-based lifestyle. This was no small feat, and I even remember Molly saying at one point, “We might be trying to do too many styles,” but I had faith, and in the end, we were able to weave everything in to create a wedding that suited us as a couple perfectly.
Molly truly took all the stress off of my shoulders and made the process so much more enjoyable, as well as provided valuable vendor connections. We had obvious travel influences such as globes and suitcases and featured a menu with foods from our favorite countries such as coconut curry, bruschetta, gazpacho, and yucca fries. We made our signature drinks travel themed including the “Lima Llama” – a twist on the Moscow Mule – and “City of Love Lavender Champagne” – a nod to our engagement in Paris. We also included signage that we felt reflected our love of travel and each other including one of my favorite quotes, “Hold my hand, and I’ll go anywhere with you.”
We both love nature, and Twin Oaks Garden Estate was like walking into a secret garden hidden in San Diego. We knew we wanted lots of greenery and florals to emphasize the natural feel. I also loved the earthy look of agate for escort cards and table numbers. Martin and I are both plant-based vegans, so using fruit in addition to flowers for the decor made perfect sense and further emphasized the organic, natural feel. Noemi from Trendee Flowers went above and beyond our expectations and created amazing, lush centerpieces and accented the entire venue with beautiful florals.
My second biggest suggestion is to hire a photographer whose style aligns with your wedding vision. Photography is not an area to skimp, budget-wise! Your photos are something you will look back on forever, and you don’t want to wish you had a different photographer. Having a travel and food blog, I am pretty into photography, so I knew that was one of the most important aspects of wedding planning. I also knew I wanted a soft and romantic look and ideally a photographer who shoots with film. I looked at hundreds of photographers and took months to finally choose Aga from Aga Jones Photography. I actually had a ton of anxiety that I wouldn’t ever find someone or that the person I fell in love with would be booked on my wedding day. Aga did an amazing job, and I still get goosebumps when I look through our wedding photos.
For all the brides out there who struggled to find a dress, I feel your pain! I went to seven or eight bridal stores and probably tried on around 70 dresses. Here is the reality – you might not cry when you find your dress, and that is okay. You just want something that you feel beautiful in and is true to yourself. I really struggled with choosing a more form fitting, mermaid style or a more princess-like ballgown. In the end, I reflected on how I had always dreamed of feeling on my wedding day — I had grown up imagining feeling like a fairy princess, and even though the mermaid dresses were beautiful, they made me feel sexy and not like a princess (not that there is anything wrong with that!). The Chandon ballgown by Hayley Paige ended up being the perfect dress for me. I loved that it wasn’t white, had layer upon layer of romantic tulle, and had a gorgeous ballerina back (I danced ballet for about 15 years). I truly felt like a princess the entire day, and it could not have been more perfect.
For my bridesmaids, I wanted each of them to feel as confident and beautiful in their dress as I felt in mine! I ended up deciding to do a mix and match approach with different colors and styles. BHLDN had an amazing selection with a ton of color options, so the majority of the dresses came from there. I think the best way to create a cohesive look is to pick 10-12 dresses that all look good together and then encourage your bridesmaids to choose from those.
Our wedding involved a lot of DIY projects. I think it is great to DIY, but it is important to recognize limitations and decide what is worth your time and what is better to leave to a professional. We decided to make our own invitations, signage (with a few exceptions), menus, cake, seating display, and ribbon wands. The invitations were the most work as we hand tore them all, cut our own ribbon, and had to stamp about 150 wax seals, but it ended up being a ton of fun and a great bonding experience. It was so special to have Martin involved in these projects and really heightened the realization that it was OUR wedding.
All in all the whole day goes by in a blink of an eye. Sometimes it can be difficult, but try to enjoy the entire process. I had always dreamed of a fairytale wedding, and thanks to a group of awesome vendors, my husband, and our amazing family/bridal party, we were able to make that dream a reality. Everything comes together on the actual wedding day, and you feel like you are floating on cloud nine.
Photography: Aga Jones Photography | Cinematography: Amari Productions | Coordination: Tres Chic Affairs | Floral Design: Trendee Flowers | Wedding Dress: JLM Couture | Cake: DIY Project by Bride | Invitations: DIY Project by Bride | Bridesmaids' Dresses: Lulu's | Bridesmaids' Dresses: BHLDN | Makeup: Blush and Adore | Hair: SV Glamour | DJ: Adam Trigg | Groom's Attire: Ermeneglildo Zegna | Groomsmen's Attire: Friar Tux | Venue: Twin Oaks Garden Estate | Bridal Boutique: JLM Couture | Donut Bar: Nomad Donuts | On Site Calligraphy: Four Things Paper | Photobooth: A Little Scene | Rentals: To Be Designed | Work Out: Studio Barre Carmel Valley