by riley | Nov 12, 2020 | news
Caitlin and Farley’s Australian-inspired wedding at The Highlands Estate was full of tiki drinks, an oyster bar, a life-size cardboard cut out of Steve Irwin, and a 90-year-old grandpa dancing to Marvin Gaye. Sound fun? We know! The couple proved they know how to throw one serious party.
With the help of planner Brianna Lopez, the two combined their love for the land down under and San Francisco–where the two met. While we could do all of the talking about this colorful DIY affair, we love how their photographer Paige Nelson described the details!
Photographer Paige Nelson On The Couple’s Special Day
The couple currently lives in Australia and planned their destination wedding day at The Highlands Estate–just outside San Francisco, where the couple began their journey. Farley has a Ph.D. in Ornithology, and his research focused on the Australian magpie, so his suit jacket lining had a custom embroidery of the bird. All of his groomsmen had personalized Indochino jacket linings with embroidered inside jokes as well.
Caitlin, Farley, and her mom made the cheesecloth table runners. The mother of the bride made all of the bouquets. Her sister, Megan, made the three cakes that featured handmade toppers of their cat and dog. Her best friend and bridesmaid, Sarah, did her hair and makeup.
The oyster bar–one of Caitlin and Farley’s food obsessions–opened at cocktail hour. Farley is passionate about tiki drinks and Caitlin loves gin, so the couple offered a “his” and “hers” cocktail. For her speech, the groom’s sister brought in a life-size cardboard cutout of Steve Irwin.
The Couple:
Lauren and Erik
The Wedding:
The Highlands Estate, Cloverdale, CA
Combining Australia and San Francisco
Our relationship evolved in San Francisco, and we spent a lot of time exploring the more rural areas of California. We both love the Californian landscape–vineyards mixed into the rolling hills and the surrounding forests. Australia became home for the last four years, so it was important to combine the two lifestyles together. Family and community are incredibly important to us, so we wanted to create a vibe that connected everyone and everything that matters to us. This is how the farm table, family-style meal came to be. Touches like the table names of where our guests traveled from, hints of our obsession with games, and our two favorite cocktails helped us create this personal “us” vibe.
Why The Highlands Estate
We wanted an outdoor venue. We liked the option of having the barn in case the weather was bad. What really sold us were the included farm tables. Those were non-negotiable for me, and including them in the venue cost sealed the deal.
Personalizing The Ceremony
Farley’s father and best friend were our celebrants. Mike told a personal story of us, and Jack (Farley’s Dad) did the official ceremony. We did a handfasting ceremony with rope from his family sailboat. We said our own vows. Then, we toasted with everyone after we said, “I do.”
Wedding Planning Date Nights
Farley established “wine wedding Wednesdays” where every Wednesday for most of the year in the lead-up, we ate dinner and drank wine while we planned. Not every night was productive, some ended in fights, but it meant the wedding was planned together, and it ensured both our voices were heard.
A Non-Stop Dance Party
The dance floor was incredible. We kicked the reception off with a shared first dance–inviting our guests to join us, rather than watch us. This ignited a dance party that had nearly every single guest on the dance floor most of the night. Caitlin’s Irish 90-year-old reserved Grandfather even grabbed her for a dance that shocked everyone.
Congratulations again to Caitlin and Farley on their colorful DIY Aussie-inspired wedding at The Highlands Estate. We’re so glad Paige Nelson Photography was there to capture every detail. If you’re feeling inspired to add some DIY touches to your wedding, check out our DIY wedding guide where we breakdown everything you need to know about planning your own!
The post Colorful DIY Aussie-Inspired California Wedding at The Highlands Estate appeared first on .
by riley | Oct 20, 2020 | Wedding
Is there anything more romantic than an intimate ceremony followed by sunset portraits? We don’t think so! Bianca and Deneen’s minimal and romantic Eaton Hotel wedding in DC was light and whimsical with tropical touches–including floral centerpieces of palm and monstera leaves, created by Rocking Bird Flower Company.
The couple wanted to make sure that their love for whales was a large part of their special day. With the help of planner Jade & Joy Events, the two included a video of whales for guests to enjoy while they waited for the ceremony to begin, had a whale photography book as a guestbook, and even included stuffed whales in the favors for the kids! Now that’s what we mean when we talk about planning a unique wedding! Keep scrolling to see the beautiful photos Casey Crowe Photo captured of this minimalistic lovefest.
The Couple:
Bianca and Deneen
The Wedding:
Eaton DC, Washington D.C
Minimalistic Romantic Wedding Vibes
Our wedding experience concept was love and light, and we aimed for a wedding vibe that inspired romance in a minimalistic way–think soft light and warm whites. When we found our wedding venue, we folded in some of the principals of the interior design. The hotel celebrates authenticity in the non-traditional, and we found that speaking to us as a same-sex couple. Love is love, after all!
Personalizing Their Ceremony With Their Love For Animals
To personalize our wedding, we shared our love for whale watching. Our planners created a video compilation of whales for our guests to watch as they waited for the ceremony to begin. We provided a whale photography book for our guests to sign, accompanied by a list of lessons from a whale. Some of the lessons were always to carry a song in your heart, no blubbering, and don’t forget to come up for air. We included tiny stuffed whales in the kids’ favors. And, as an extra special treat, our baker used wafer paper to craft an extruded whale tail design on our cake. It was unique and beautiful!
Why An Eaton Hotel Wedding
We chose the Eaton Hotel for two reasons. Firstly, it’s beautifully designed. The space has an urban feel with roots in artistic expression and soulful sophistication. Secondly, the Hotel has an incredible mission promoting collective advancement in social activism. Eaton is “a gateway to a more humane, conscious future.”
Congratulations again to Bianca and Dedeen on their romantic Eaton Hotel wedding in DC! We’re so glad Casey Crowe Photo captured and shared their special day with us. If you’re stuck on how to make your wedding personal to who you are the way these two did, check out our guide on how to host a unique wedding!
The post Minimal & Romantic Eaton Hotel Wedding in DC appeared first on .
by riley | Oct 16, 2020 | Wedding
What happens when it’s a wedding planner’s turn to plan her own special day? Pure magic. Having planned multiple weddings at The Old Schoolhouse, Lenna knew that she wanted to tie the knot with Patrick amongst the orchards. With the help of planner Olive + Rust—yes, even wedding planners need planners too—the couple created an autumnal celebration that featured Oregon’s natural beauty and changing seasons.
Thanks to the deep gem colored hues, large neutral floral arrangements put together by Brier + Ivy, and the large dining table set amid the trees, Lenna and Patrick’s special day was as cozy as it gets. Along with the whimsical touches, the pair also made sure they stayed true to who they were with bolo ties, giant shaved ice from Wailua Shaved Ice, and a wedding logo that acted as a tribute to Patrick’s career in MMA. Let this serve as a reminder to always include small details that are special to you and your partner–it makes your wedding more memorable.
We could go on about this harvest lovefest, but we’ll let the photos that Baylee Dennis Photography captured do all of the talking. Grab your hot cup of coffee and keep scrolling to be transported to a fall wonderland.
The Couple:
Kayla and Patrick
The Wedding:
The Old Schoolhouse, Newburg, Oregon
Seasonal Wedding Vibes
I wanted my wedding to be kind of a “farewell to summer/hello to fall” celebration—a nod to the change of seasons in the Pacific Northwest. For the tablescape and wedding color palette, I took cues from the natural surroundings of the Oregon wine country. We chose neutral decor with pops of marigold, forest green, and maroons–colors typical to a Pacific Northwest fall.
Why The Old Schoolhouse
I had coordinated weddings in the past at the Old Schoolhouse, and it didn’t take me long to fall in love with the space myself. In my years as a wedding planner, I hadn’t seen anything like it. There are so many layers to the venue, yet everything is in such close proximity. It was almost like being in three different spaces at once. I saw us committing our vows to one another inside the schoolhouse and then opening the side door to enjoy a cocktail on the vast garden lawn. Or we could walk out of the schoolhouse foyer to see a cozy farm table dinner in the orchards. The venue is both dynamic and simple.
An Emotional Moment
There is a photo of Pat and me in the Schoolhouse foyer right after the recessional, at the end of our ceremony. I didn’t think anyone was around when my emotions got the best of me, and I melted right into him and started bawling right then and there. Of course, I should have known, our brilliant photographer, Baylee, caught it right before the guests flooded into the space. And I’m so happy she did!
Wedding Day Advice From The Bride
Hire a team that resonates with you both as a couple and trust them! Whether that is just one photographer and an officiant or a 20+ vendor crew—I cannot express this enough. Of course, do your research and ensure that the vendors are legitimate and recommended by former brides, but I firmly believe having a solid vendor team was the primary reason I not only had the wedding of my dreams, but I had 0 stress or concerns leading up to the big day
Adding Personal Touches
As a wedding and event planner myself, it was only natural to draw inspiration from events I planned in the past. But when it came time to plan my own wedding, I found it incredibly important to keep Pat and I as a couple at the forefront of everything. I focused on what tugs at our heartstrings and represented us best as a couple. We fell in love in Hawaii, so I found it only fitting to have a shave ice bar, complete with a massive shave ice “wedding cake” instead of actual cake. A lot of our family is from Arizona, so Pat’s father worked with a Navajo Native American to create bolo ties out of gorgeous dark turquoise stone for Pat and his groomsmen. Our “wedding logo” used on our invites and favor tags had a bar-wire octagon caging that encircled our initials, which was a nod to Pat’s UFC fighting career in MMA.
Congratulations again to Lenna and Patrick on their purely Pacific Northwest wedding at The Old Schoolhouse! We’re so glad that Baylee Dennis Photography was there to capture the beauty of the day. If you’re planning your own autumnal wedding, check out our favorite fall wedding dresses that are cool and cozy!
The post Purely Pacific Northwest Wedding at The Old Schoolhouse appeared first on .
