A Marin Headlands Wedding: Melissa + Mike

sarah seven wedding dress

For Melissa + Mike, it really all started with the space – the Marin Headlands Center for the Arts. It was the first + only space they looked at and it’s such a beautiful building and area. It was an old army barrack, renovated and revamped by artists and it has an amazing vintage and lived-in feel that was the perfect representation of the city they love and live in, San Francisco. Using the venue as their inspiration, Melissa crafted all the decor – from the flags hanging from the lights, the banner, the floral arrangements, and so forth. It was all done with the space in mind and reflective of their love + appreciation for taking advantage of what was already there. Big thanks to the talented Ben Blood for sending this gorgeous wedding my way!

pink and yellow bouquet

groomsmen, susupenders

first look

first look

bride and groom

groom kissing bride

bride and groom, fog

sarah seven wedding dress

bride and groom

sewn booklet invitations

button escort cards

We created most of the decor from hand and that tied into everything else we did – the invitations were designed and screen-printed in our apartment, we hand typed the name cards, we designed and made buttons, the programs were screenprinted on our gocco and sewn together, and we made two beers (a Black Wheat and a Summer Rye) that were served all night long. This reflects who we are to our friends + family and what we do: we make things that look and taste awesome. :)

ceremony decor

indoor ceremony

indoor ceremony

Our Favorite Memory From The Wedding

Prior to the wedding, our great friend and officiant emailed our friends and family and asked everyone to send him a few words about us and our relationship. During the ceremony he read some of these quotes to everyone. From "Mike and Melissa are perfect together" to "I have never seen either of them this happy", it was a really nice touch and a thoughtful gesture. But to top it off, one of our friends quote was the famous line from The Godfather- "And may their first child be a masculine child" - this brought the house down, loosened everyone up and was just an amazing moment during an amazing ceremony.

indoor ceremony

bride and groom

bride and groom

Our Musical Choices

Processional: Rumpus Reprise – Karen O. & The Kids

Recessional: I Must Have It – Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks

First Dance: This Will Be Our Year – The Zombies

Melissa + Mike by Jen Campbell on Grooveshark

indoor reception

indoor reception

bunting chair decor

bunting table decor

airplant favor jars

bunting and twinkle light decor

dessert bar

first dance

Our Advice To Those Planning Now

Our main advice is to take time to enjoy the process. It's cliche, but don't sweat the small stuff is really the key to having not only an amazing wedding day, but enjoying yourself throughout the planning process. Also, if you have enough time, give yourself a few weeks or a month off here and there and don't do anything wedding related! It's nice to be able to take a break and refocus on the life that is going on around you. Finally, DIY as much as you can! It saves a ton of money and adds so much to the day when you've put that extra love into it. We'd do it every year if we could!

photography: Ben Blood // venue: Headlands Center for the Arts // day of coordinator: Rebecca Pfiffner of Be Hitched, Event Planning & Design // floral design: Farmgirl Flowers and StudioChoo (bouquets) // wedding dress: Sarah Seven via Lovely Bride // hairpiece: Tessa Kim // shoes: J. Crew // bridesmaid dresses: Laila Azhar // makeup: Karen Quetano // groom suit: ASOS // cinematography: Steve and Angie Tures // invitations+ paper goods: DIY // catering: Katie Powers Catering // cake: A selection of desserts from Fat Bottom Bakery, Cinnaholic and Mission Pie  // music: cocktail hour: Gaucho Gypsy Jazz Band, DJ: Mark Barrite

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