DIY Beatles Wedding at the Smog Shoppe: Melissa + Chris

cut out props

Do you guys remember that fun Beatles inspired wedding I shared a few months ago at the Smog Shoppe? Well, today I have another Beatles inspired wedding – and it takes place at the Smog Shoppe also! So, I thought it would be a great way to show that two couples can have the same theme, at the same venue, and if they put their own touches on it – each wedding will be completely different. Oh, and these two weddings happened a few weeks apart so neither of them were inspired from the other – just a love of music + the Beatles. :) So, today we are sharing Melissa + Chris’ Beatles inspired wedding photographed by the lovely Ashley Rose! Congrats to Melissa + Chris!

mason jar invitation

red and orange bouquet

From Melissa: There are two things Chris and I love more than anything (besides each other, of course!) One is the Beatles. I don’t know any bigger Beatles fans than us. When we started discussing the theme and feel of the wedding, it seemed like an easy decision to choose a band that’s made such a huge impact on our lives. Plus, Smog Shoppe has such a unique, retro-feel that we knew it was perfect. It also gave us an excuse to play an obscene amount of Beatles music…and who doesn’t love the Beatles?

The second thing is In-N-Out. Honestly, prior to getting engaged, this was the only thing we discussed about our wedding. We knew we wanted a casual wedding with a dinner we’d actually look forward to eating. We live in San Francisco, so we initially looked at wedding venues in the city. But soon after, we discovered that the In-N-Out cookout truck only caters in Southern California. So we opted to get married in LA, where we both grew up, but more importantly, with In-N-Out!

bright bouquet and colored flags

flower girls in gold flats and ruffle peach skirts

smog shoppe wedding

Melissa and her bridesmaids made all the flags and bouquets! Super fun. :)

billy ball boutonniere, funky groomsmen socks

groomsmen with cut out props

groomsmen with cut out props

Most memorable moment of your wedding day? Our first look was most memorable. It was such a busy day and there was so much anticipation, and it was very emotional and exciting to finally see each other. It was the only alone time we had all day (well, with our photographer!) to talk and soak up the moment. We had a moment where I looked at him in his cute suit and he looked at me in my dress, and we both really realized the day was really here. After that, I was relieved and ready for the ceremony.

But it’s so hard to pin down one moment! My Aunt’s reading of my grandparents’ old love letters during the ceremony, along with an amazing moment where every single person at the wedding was dancing to “Twist and Shout,” are tied for our second favorite moments.

first look

smog shoppe wedding

smog shoppe wedding

bright bouquet, bride and groom with flags

bride and groom with flags

pennant banner ceremony

What song did you walk down the aisle to? I walked down to “Calico Skies” by Paul McCartney and we exited to “Oh Yoko” by John Lennon. We kept it all Beatles! The bridal party walked in to “Two of Us.”

smog shoppe ceremony

smog shoppe ceremony

smog shoppe ceremony

flag boutonniere

strawberry fields escort cards

beatles wedding flag table numbers

beatles wedding flag table numbers

soda bottle flags

in n out burger wedding

colorful flag candy bar

colorful flag candy bar, circle cake

A friend of Melissa’s made the cake – so cute! Cool Haus ice cream sandwiches AND In-and-Out? Total winner in my book with the food! :)

cool haus ice cream truck wedding

Any advice for those planning now?
Trust the vendors you’ve hired. They’ve done hundreds of weddings and they know what they’re doing. There were certain things you think you’ll have time to do on the actual wedding day, but guess what? You don’t. All you have time for is getting ready, mingling with your guests, and taking pictures. Don’t even try! Just let the vendors take care of it.

And you know all those tiny details that keep you up at night? Yeah, you don’t even notice them the day-of. I really wish I would have known this – it would have saved me so much time. I’m really lucky to have had so much help from my super-crafty friends. I told them my vision and they took care of the rest. They made and set up most of what you see here: flowers, candy table, pom-poms, pennants, they painted the Abbey Road photo booth background, and the list goes on…

vendors:

photography: Ashley Rose Photography // venue name: SmogShoppe // wedding dress: Saja // bride's shoes: Not Rated // hair stylist: 10.11 makeup // makeup artist: 10.11 makeup // groom attire: Hugo Boss // paper goods: Wedding Paper Divas // music: Waveform // cinematography: Chris Parisi // invitations: Wedding Paper Divas // catering: In-N-Out, Monrose and Coolhaus

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