A 1940’s Inspired Wedding: Mary + Mel

Mary + Mel decided to finally have the “wedding” that they never had. They have officially been married for four years, but Mary had always dreamed of having her dream wedding with all her friends + family there. The first time was just with a justice and immediate family to witness. From Mary, “It’s true, girls will always dream of having their dream wedding and that’s what I wanted to have. But most importantly we wanted to have a celebration of our love with the closest family and friends that have supported us through the years.” I love that they decided to have their dream wedding – even if it was four years later! Thanks so much to Marianne Wilson Photography for the lovely photos!

babys breath bouquet

white bootie heels

birdcage veil

I choose the 40’s as my inspiration because I just love the fashion and lifestyle and I appreciate that era of our history. Anyway, I’ve seen plenty of vintage themed weddings. But I wanted to take it to the next step and try to get an authentic look as much as possible with every aspect of the wedding with having it DIY as much as possible.

During my planning I wanted my wedding planning to be consistent. I had a criteria that had to fit with final decisions on things; 1. Does it fit with the theme? 2. Does it convey a fun celebration? 3. Does it add an intimate and personal touch? So with that said I put a lot of thought through and through to make sure that every detail fit that criteria. From the venue, paper goods, the fashion, and LITERALLY everything else in between.

bridal feather hair piece

black bridesmaid dresses

bunting wedding invite, wedding flag

bunting weding invite

popcorn machine

california building

here comes the bride sign

bride walking down isle

What was your favorite memory of the day? I have a lot of favorites from my wedding! Dancing down the aisle to Nat King Cole L-O-V-E with my parents. My cousin Ray was our officiant for the wedding. I just loved the venue The Villa Del Sol being a historic building. And my dessert bookshelf and the I Love Lucie’s ice cream cart were both so fun.

outdoor ceremony

outdoor ceremony

outdoor ceremony

bridal party in black

bridal party fun

bride and groom

bride and groom

babys breath boutonniere

bunting escort cards

outdoor reception

just renewed wedding sign

sweet love bunting, dessert bar

sweet lucies ice cream

mr. and mrs. chair signs

I got plenty of inspiration from the blogs, but of course I had to add my personal touch to it and make it mine and of course I wanted a DIY to make it an even more personal wedding. I had help from my family and friends. My cousin Christine who was also one of my bridesmaids does design; I would bring her my inspiration or idea and she brought them to life. All the paper goods were created by us, and printed at home. My mother in law re-created the flower girls dresses to add a Shirley Temple look and was also the in-house seamstress. My dad helped with restoring some of the furniture, as well as Mel’s cousin. I had some homemade desserts made by my Maid of Honor and my cousin Cathy. Lastly my maids helped me with all assembling of the paper goods, the making of the centerpieces /bouquets and any final touches that needed to be done.

My planning experience was fun. I went to yard sales, estate sales, flea markes, craigslist, and thrift shops to find pieces that would fit into my wedding. Without my family and friends there helping me I really wouldn’t have been able to accomplish all that I had for my wedding day. Having a hand crafted wedding was hard work, but as the cliché goes… it was all worth it. We wanted our renewal to be memorable for us as well as our guests and I think we accomplished that.

vendors:

photography: Marianne Wilson Photography // venue name: The Villa Del Sol, in Fullerton, California // wedding dress: Galina Signature // hairpiece: Mignonne Handmade // caterer: Cafe Hidalgo // DJ: Double Jay Entertainment

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