Our Wedding

For those of you who have been following along, this past summer the Mr. and I rounded up our friends and family, drove down the California coast, signed a legal contract, and threw one hell of a party. But not before I spent nearly ten months planning, fitting, and sewing my wedding dress, bridesmaid dresses, and about a dozen other pieces.

This month, we finally got our pictures in and I thought I'd do a little roundup and share the day with you. Honestly, I can't stop looking at these beautiful photos! Our photographer really did an amazing job of capturing the feeling, emotions, and story of the day.

And for those interested in the adventure of sewing my dress, you can find these posts here:


Whew! I'm tired just looking at that list.

Now for a little recap of the day.

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As I mentioned in my last post, we had a total blast at our wedding. More so than I really thought you could have in a single day, honestly. Our family and friends were there, the weather was perfect, the speeches had me laughing and crying (sometimes at the same time), and our friends' band had everyone on the dance floor.

We got married on the bluff in front of my childhood home and threw the reception at the neighborhood "clubhouse" owned by the rec district. The location was not only breathtakingly beautiful but also incredibly special and sentimental to me. I'm so lucky to have gotten to share that place with my friends and invite everyone into my childhood hometown.

Because our venue closed at 10, we finished out the night with a beach bonfire before retreating to a luxurious little honeymoon suite. And while the excitement and wedding nerves made it hard to fall asleep (did you see your dad trying to dance with your mom? can you believe they hid pirate's booty in the sand? do you think the photographer captured the kazoos?), we woke up the next day as a blissfully happy couple.

Here is a little rundown of all the activities (and more pictures!):


Friday afternoon after getting my nails done with the bridesmaids (and picking up some boxers for the Mr. because he forgot to pack any!), we gathered everyone we could find for the rehearsal. Like three of the groomsmen, including my own brother, missed it. We also had some extensive kazoo practicing of Here Comes the Bride on my parents' porch.




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Then we headed into town for a beautiful rehearsal dinner hosted by the groom's mom. She and her sister had gone all out with little cocktail napkins and decorations set in the most gorgeous restaurant garden. (See my rehearsal dinner dress here.)

After dinner, all our guests who were in town early were invited to join us for a no-host bar and little social hour. I highly recommend this as a great low-key way to get to hang out with your guests without totally breaking the bank. Most of our friends only lived a few hours away, but a number had come down in advance to enjoy the weekend. We probably had around 30 friends and family join us who we wouldn't have gotten to see that night otherwise! We finally hitched a ride back home around 10 to get some sleep before the big day.


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On the day of the wedding, I got my hair and makeup done nearby with the bridesmaids. We took lots of fun photos like this. I don't think I've gotten my hair done since prom, and never my makeup!

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An early hair and makeup appointment left the boys to set up the venue, but they did an amazing job. My mother-in-law taught all the groomsmen to fold napkins from her restaurant days, her sister filled the place with cute signs and touches, and my neighbor did the most amazing floral arrangements. 

While I mostly stayed away from any intricate decorating details, I did arrange for our parents to bring photos from our grandparents and their own weddings to display, along with photos of those family members who were no longer with us. It felt good to have them there. I also discovered that most of my guests were quite enamored with pictures of my husband's grandfather! 



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I opted not to do a first look photo, but we did take wedding party pictures before the ceremony. OMG I made all those dresses! (Bridesmaid dress info here.)






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Just before 4, the groomsmen escorted our guests down to the bluff in front of my parents' house for the ceremony. We weren't allowed amplified music so my brother played guitar while my sister-in-law walked our flower girl. I love how the bridesmaids dresses look flowing in the wind! And don't forget the Mr. with his parents, too. (Doesn't his mom just look so happy?!)




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One of the most fun moments was our kazoo processional. Before I walked down the aisle the groom instructed the crowd, who each had a kazoo in hand, to play Here Comes the Bride. It was the most hilarious, fun way to make an entrance! I think the laughter kept my mom and me from tearing up too much at the emotion of the whole event.




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And we made it to the alter on a surprisingly clear beach day in July. Our officiant, ordained online by the Universal Life Church, is a mentor of the groom and has worked on various TV shows and projects so was perfect in front of the crowd. He charmed with a few jokes, stories about the two of us, and some cautions about marriage. We read our vows - stolen from bits we liked on the internet - and exchanged rings. When I kissed my new husband, my makeup left a big red mark across his mouth! We paraded back down the aisle triumphantly.






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After a session with the photographer, we rejoined the party at the reception, hosted at the local community clubhouse where I grew up going to Halloween parties and Christmas caroling. It really is a beautiful building with wood paneling and tall windows. The flowers were all done by our friend and neighbor, a florist who took all the leftovers from her boss's wedding earlier that week and brought them for ours! The succulents came from around the neighborhood. Beatrix roved the floor as our videographer, and it was a bit overwhelming to have such a crowd of familiar faces.




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After dinner - a buffet of pork and steak with salads and scalloped potatoes - it was time for the speeches. My dad's made me cry, as I knew it would, but was also sweet and silly as dads are. The best man and maid of honor knocked it out of the park. My maid of honor retold our entire relationship as discussed over G-chat in the more than six years since I first met him. It had me laughing and crying at the same time.




Then we cleared the tables for dancing. The ten-piece band known as the Californicorns included three of our close friends and plenty of opportunities for kazoos to join in. There was also a rendition of the Cal drinking song complete with a guest appearance by a tuba (the Mr.'s college marching band instrument). Otherwise we were dancing along to a sweaty, sultry mix of jams that had everyone from my friends to my mom dancing. For the last song, we changed into our wedding-themed onesie pajamas and rejoined the crowd.






When the venue closed at 10 we took our drunk friends down to the beach where we had obtained an overnight beach permit. Bonfire, s'mores and a pajama party ensued. I even heard that there was some skinny dipping. I had ordered pizza delivery to keep the drunks in check, although I heard that more than one person unintentionally spent the night on the beach. And yes that is our friend dressed as a pirate in the photo below. Around midnight we snuck off to our hotel room in a nearby town, the gorgeous Railroad Baron room with a jacuzzi tub and room service breakfast.





We honeymooned for a few days on the gorgeous Isla Holbox north of Cancun in Mexico. It was a quiet island perfect for lounging on the beach with soft yellow sand and bright blue waters. The town center had more restaurants than we could try and plenty of places to get a drink, even on a little island with dirt roads. Our one excursion was especially memorable - swimming with the harmless but ginormous whale sharks about two hours off the coast (more honeymoon outfit pics here).



We returned home after a day of traveling to our dog and a house full of wedding stuff and we really couldn't complain. It was an amazing all-around experience, though one I never plan to repeat!



5 comments:

  1. that is one of the most perfect "California" weddings I've ever seen! so beautiful and great details. The photos are gorgeous. So much planning but it looks effortless :) and fun. You both look fantastic.

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  2. Fantastic wedding!! It's so interesting for me to see as it is so different from one in the Midwest. Thank you for taking the time to post and summarize the day. And I can't believe you did all that sewing while planning the wedding!

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  3. Your wedding sounded absolutely lovely! I'm so happy for you and your groom; much love & congratulations!

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  4. Gorgeous, in every way ... bride (what a dress!!!), groom, wedding party, parents, outdoor setting, decorations, friends/family, pup ... the happiness shows through and through. Congrats to you both!

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  5. So lovely to view and amazing sewing too - congratulations. Sam the Aussie

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