Anytime Nicole from Green Ribbon Party Planning Co sends a wedding my way, I know I’m going to LOVE it. Remember this rustic red foodie wedding? Well, today’s wedding is another to love. The vibrant blues & yellows, the attention to detail, the bride’s gorgeous sleek gown – I’m loving it all! The bride’s own words about the wedding:
With our families living on the east coast and abroad, we were excited to have a “destination wedding” roughly two hours from our home in Los Angeles. Nicole, our wedding planner, suggested Condor’s Nest Ranch. We all headed down there together and with our adoration of animals, nature and all things vintage, we quickly fell in love with the charm of the ranch.
Virginie Mai, a close friend of mine, wanted to contribute her creativity to the ceremony, never mind that she lives in France and is a busy mom to two adorable boys. Virginie made the ring pillow using fabric she found at her local fabric store in Valence, including a piece of vintage yellow velvet ribbon and hand stitched our initials and wedding date. Virginie also made the crystal and raw silk ribbon necklaces for the bridesmaids and bracelet for the Maid of Honor.
I love succulents and they accented the yellow and white flowers in my bouquet just perfectly. The vintage beadwork that wrapped the handle of my bouquet had previously adorned the Juliette cap worn by my grandmother on her wedding day in 1950. The locket on the bouquet held vintage photos of my parents, always near and dear to my heart.
Aren’t these first look photos THE BEST!? The look on the groom’s face is priceless.
My custom gown was designed by my longtime college friend, couture gown designer, Casey Cadwallader. The epitome of rustic chic, the lace on the bust and back straps added a romantic and vintage touch. The silk chiffon skirt draped perfectly, creating a very feminine silhouette and was so comfortable to wear. Most brides want to feel like a princess on their wedding day, but I was never the type to fantasize about my wedding day growing up. However, when your dear and talented friend custom designs your gown, it is impossible not to feel like you are in a fairytale!
We wanted to highlight the many talents of our friends and family and it was important for us to find meaningful ways for our loved ones to be a part of our wedding day. One of the most meaningful aspects was having my brother, Matthew, who resides in the UK, officiate the ceremony.
My advice for those planning now: leverage your resources and delegate. My sister, who was my maid of honor, selected the dresses and shoes for the bridesmaids. She has great taste and knows my style so that was a huge help. Spend as much as you can afford on your photographer, as that is the only tangible way to capture memories you will cherish for a lifetime.
Justin designed honey jar labels and we decorated each jar with cheesecloth and a bumble bee stamp on the lid. The sweet honey for these favors was sourced from bees kept on Justin’s parents’ ranch in Okeechobee, Florida.
I wanted to find a special way to honor my late father’s spirit on this important day and I found a sweet way to do so. My parents were high school sweethearts and would celebrate my father’s high school basketball game wins at the Sweet Shop in Hicksville, NY in the early 1970′s. Still operating today, with not much changed, I decided to forgo a traditional wedding cake and fashioned a dessert table as a re-creation of the Sweet Shop. I displayed framed menus from the original Sweet Shop and the red and white table runner was reminiscent of the red and white awning on the store front. Our friend Jessica, a talented graphic designer, created a replica of the neon Sweet Shop sign. Guests indulged in all of the traditional desserts found at a vintage ice cream shop and were invited to make their own ice cream sundaes, root beer floats and treat themselves to delicious cookies and brownies. Justin even created Sweet Shop stickers for the ice cream cups!
Don’t you love all of the personal touches and family & friend contributions to this wedding. I am seriously loving the bride’s custom gown – it is modern, sleek, and sexy without being TOO sexy, and still completely a bridal gown. Those necklaces made for the bridesmaids are pretty fab too! And the vibrant blue and yellow palette is so joyful. The bride’s nod to her late father is one of the best I’ve seen. I was also a bride whose father had passed away prior to my wedding, and I had a hard time finding a way to include my dad in my day without it being too sad or memorial in nature. This bride made it such a celebratory idea, which I love.
Congrats to Jolene & Justin and many thanks to Nicole for sending this beauty of a wedding my way! Be sure to check out the gallery for even more.
{Vendors} Venue: Condors Nest Ranch / Event Planning: The Green Ribbon Party Planning Co. / Photographer: Swoon by Katie / Makeup: Samantha Salk / Hair: Bride’s brother-in-law, a talented hair stylist at Murphy’s Hair in London / Gown: Casey Cadwallader / Bouquets and Boutonnieres: Brown Paper Design / Ring Pillow and Bridal Party Jewelry: Virginie Mai / Sweet Shop Sign: Jessica Frucht
