INSPIRATION FOR YOUR DESIGN. The venue we chose was a huge inspiration for our wedding style. The beautiful gardens and manicured lawns were practically begging for this look. The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe is lavish but not flashy, organic but not too rustic, and high end but not stuffy. The perfect description of our style as a couple. As soon as I laid eyes on the property, ideas for our design started flying into my head but I couldn’t quite peg the style in my head because it was something I’d never seen before. I started our design with ivory florals, soft greenery, and touches of gold and the design expanded from there.

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Flowers...The florals quickly became the focal point of the entire wedding. Especially because the venue itself has such a garden feel, it only felt right to have the entire property dripping in luxurious flowers and greenery. I worked with my florist, Diamant, to create the most stunning floral design for our big day. We opted out of having any linens (besides napkins) on the table and replacing them completely with lush garlands, made completely of florals and greens. For the meal indicators, we used different types of greenery: silver dollar eucalyptus, olive leaf, and rosemary were placed under the glass, gold-trimmed chargers. This choice was both practical and pretty!

Cake...For our cake, I really loved the idea of semi-naked but wanted to glam it up slightly. We worked with Laura Marie to create the perfect balance of organic and glamour! We did a three-tier cake with vanilla buttercream just barely covering the outer layers. To add glitz, Laura added a few sheets of gold foil to the center of the cake. She also added some of our florals to the top and bottom tier to make the cake fit in with the rest of the décor. Also, she made the most gorgeous gold foil donuts I have ever seen. Almost too pretty to eat!

Signage...For laser cut signage, we had multiple words and quotes made by The Confetti Home. This kept the all of the reception décor consistent – we used the same font, size, and color for all of the cutouts. They were placed throughout the reception – behind the bar, as a backdrop for the head table, on the donut bar, and at the artist’s station. For the rest of the signage, I opted for a much more modern look. The main reason for this is because I didn’t want the signs to distract from any of the other décor. Also, I knew I didn’t want anything wooden because that was more rustic than I wanted. I went with acrylic signs by Details, Darling and they were perfect! She made all of the acrylic pieces – the seating chart, table numbers, welcome sign, unplugged ceremony sign, and candle ceremony quote. I worked with the shop owner, Mackenzie, to personalize the fonts so that they coordinated with the calligraphy style used on the other laser cut signs.

Ring Bearer & Flower Girl Style...To continue the acrylic theme into other areas besides the signs, I found acrylic square boxes for our ring bearers to carry the rings in. To keep them from looking too modern, my florist filled them with olive leaves to place the rings on top of. For the flower girl, I didn’t want a cheap fabric basket and it was impossible to find a cute option! I ended up finding a gorgeous gold basket and had my florist add some pretty greenery around the handle to tie it in with the wedding’s style.

Ceremony Details...During the ceremony, we did a candle lighting ceremony to recognize all of our family members that have passed away. I framed their photos, all in black and white, in gold frames and had them set up next to an acrylic sign saying “We know you would be here today if heaven was not so far away.” It was such a special way of honoring our loved ones that I am so glad we incorporated.

Seating Chart...Although the wedding was ultra formal, we wanted to be sure to add in a few fun touches to show our humor and personality as a couple. On the seating chart, instead of writing something super traditional, we had “seat yo’ self” written in gorgeous calligraphy. Very elegant while still being fun!

Fun Details...One of the biggest details that made a huge impact was the King Louis Chairs. This was one of the first things I rented because I knew it was going to make a big difference in the design. To save money, I used the same chairs at the ceremony and reception and had the company come and move them from one site to another while the guests were at cocktail hour. I know for a fact the wedding wouldn’t have looked as upscale without these chairs.

Best Advice for Couples-To-Be...One thing I want to tell brides-to-be is to enjoy every single minute. I know wedding planning can get stressful but try not to let it! Keep reminding yourself that you only get to do this one time. It’s not just the actual wedding day that flies by, it’s the entire planning process. Enjoy this time with your fiancé because you don’t get to be engaged for very long!

If you’re not the kind of bride that loves planning and getting into every little detail, invest in a wedding coordinator. It will make your planning process so much more fun! Even if you are the kind of bride that loves planning and getting into every little detail, invest in a day-of or month-of coordinator. It’s a life saver! Do whatever you can to make the process more fun for you! If that means getting family involved, do it! If that means having a longer engagement, do it! If that means having a tiny wedding, do it! Whatever makes you the happiest bride, do that!