Today’s wedding is the gorgeous backyard wedding of Brittany + Mike – who is also an amazing wedding photographer! They wanted to create a causal gathering for their wedding and I just adore their color palette of dark navy blue, peach, gold, creams, browns and greens – so perfect for fall! Their ceremony (and pre-cocktail hour) took place in the front yard of the house and the reception was held on a large wooden deck in the backyard. Big thanks to the lovely Jill Thomas who captured it just beautifully!
A bit about the day from the sweet couple: “As part of the wedding industry, we wanted to do something that we (personally) have never seen before. So, we created a pre-ceremony cocktail hour for our family and friends to mingle while the shuttle was dropping guests off. We served almond champagne and a variety of freshly baked hors d’oeuvres. We hired a mobile wood fired oven catering company to prepare made-to-order wood fired pizzas and salads from a local farmers markers in Los Angeles. Our pre-ceremony cocktail hour featured the chef and his assistants making all of the hors d’oeuvres in the oven.”
We worked alongside DJ Matt Phipps, whom understood the feelings we were trying to create with our music. The pre-ceremony cocktail hour featured artists like Bon Iver, Fleet foxes, Jack Johnson, Adele. Brittany walked down the aisle to our close friend playing “Skinny Love,” by Bon Iver on the acoustic guitar. We danced for the first time as a married couple to “You are the Best Thing,” by Ray Lamontagne. We are in love with French Café music and decided to play this genre while our family and friends enjoyed their freshly prepared pizza and salads. The rest of the night was history – we played old school hip-hop, to rap and R&B hits. Best time of our life!
My little brother, Blake, (the cutest 10 year old ring barer in the world!) and I wanted to lighten the mood of the ceremony. It was Blake’s idea to buy a sock money jack-in-the-box and tie the rings to the monkey’s head. Can you imagine a large, quiet crowd standing around you, and then you have to wind this box listening to the classic jack-in-the-box song to get the rings out? It was a classic moment that we will never forget. It sure made Mike laugh, and not to mention the entire crowd.
Our Favorite Memory
Our favorite memory was our first look. We knew our wedding day was going to fly by, so we figured why not spend all the time we could with each other.
Another favorite memory was dancing with our closest family and friends. At the end of the night, we walked away with the biggest smiles on our faces. It was the best ending to our 10 year dating relationship, and better yet, the best first day of our lives as a married couple. Seriously.
And their sweet film by McDuff Productions…
Our Advice
Invite only the most important people in your lives. This day will never be forgotten and we can honestly say that we will never forget the people we shared this day with us. After all, it's your party, but you are also throwing a party, so choose guests that you adore to share the day with you.
Be sure the thank all of the important people involved. We couldn't have done this party without our brilliant beautiful florist, extremely adorable and talented photographer, generous friends who married us, sweet Kami for making us look beautiful, an amazing DJ who threw the best party, an artistic videographer who allows us to remember and relive our wedding day everyday, best cooked food by such an amazing chef, and a grandma who made delicious homemade chocolate cakes. Seriously, the list goes on and on. Remember to thank those who poured their hearts into making your day as perfect as possible.
Featured in This Wedding
Art with Nature
Interested in becoming a GWS Preferred Artist? Apply Here.
Other Vendors in This Wedding
Photography: Jill Thomas // Venue: private home // Bride's Shoes: Repetto // Bridesmaid Dresses: No Rest For Bridget // Hair Stylist: Kami with a K // Groom Attire: Bar III from Macy's // Groom's Shoes: Cole Haan // Videography: McDuff Productions // Catering: Pizzeria Olio // Music: Matt Phipps // bride's dress: BCBG // bride Earings: Trina Turk // groom's shirt: Nordstrom // bowtie: Nordstrom // cakes: homemade // cookies: homemade // table chart: Handmade by Bride
