Brianne + Louie’s families had never met, so they really wanted to have a celebration that lasted a few days for everyone. Paradise Springs in Yosemite, California was the perfect location for their three day celebration with their families. They were on a strict budget of $10,000 and spent most on lodging for all their guests at the venue, so the rest of the day was DIY to the max! Since each person that they invited was so incredibly special to them, their favors to all their guests were personalized letters to them. So sweet! Brianne wore her grandmother’s wedding dress + veil (and her grandmother even saw her walk down the aisle in it!). Such a sweet + personal celebration. Congrats to Brianne + Louie and thanks so much to Othello Silla for the photos!
The gift Louie got for me was a box filled with 5 novels as pictured. They contained every text/ picture message we had ever sent to one another. He designed and put them together all himself and then got them published. And to finish it off, he went looking for a vintage box to put them all in; I am quite the lucky girl!
Love the fun pinecone bouquet Brianne made!
It is amazing how great our friends and family really are. Our families had never met, and by the end of the two days they were having three hour long conversations. Seeing everyone able to become ‘family’ gave us so much joy.
There are two specifics that we wouldn’t trade the memory of for the world. One was sitting around the campfire at the reception; no pressure, no awkward conversations, no feeling like we didn’t have time to eat... It was the most relaxing and amazing thing. Another was the moment we had everyone break into groups and pray for us during the ceremony as we took communion. This didn’t get us until we watched the video footage back and could hear all the prayers. We might have both cried.
For our honeymoon we were looking for somewhere that wasn’t touristy and was extremely pretty. It landed us in Iceland and we are so happy it did. It totally fit us and it was a trip we will never forget. We saw so many things including wild horses walking up to us, amazing views of the landscape and our favorite, the Northern Lights. If anyone is thinking of going there, here are some tips! We stayed at the Hotel Glymur (we stayed in the villas) and our favorite eats were: Stofan Cafe, The Fish Market, Hotel Glymur and Hotel Holt. Some awesome things to do: hiking, driving the island (waterfall “Gullfuss”, Geyser – hot springs, and many more natural beauties), talking to locals, visiting the Blue Lagoon, shopping in Reykjavik, finding our authentic Icelandic woolen sweaters…
Bride: First... Venue is so important. Not that it is the most pricy or impressive...but it needs to reflect you as a couple and the kind of wedding you want
Make memories. Mess ups and mishaps will happen and they become what you laugh about. Make the smiles on people’s faces and the laughter in the room be what you remember and focus on. You’ve done your planning; now enjoy the love being sent your way and do your best to not let the little things get to you!
Groom: Don’t let other people’s opinions get you down; you and your soon-to-be husbands opinions are really the only ones that matter for this day. You want to be able to look back on the day with no regrets.
photography: Othello Silla // venue name: Paradise Springs, Oakhurst, Yosemite, California // bride's shoes: Yes To Style // hair stylist: Andrea Lewis // officiant: Richie James // sign painter: Kenny Keyes // flowers: Brianne Bookout and Hannah Adams // guitar: Byron Aram // make-up: Andrea Lewis // invitations: graphics by Louie Bookout (groom), art by Kenny Keyes // food: Todd's BBQ, Brent's Deli // bride's dress: Vintage (bride's grandmother's), purse and earrings were Vintage // veil: Vintage (bride's grandmother's), purse and earrings were Vintage // groom: Shirt from J.Crew, Suspenders from Urban Outfitters, Pants from Topman, Shoes from Kenneth Kole
You always have to admire couples that have a DIY wedding. It’s always cool to see what they come up with. Louie and Brianne did an outstanding job. Othello always captured the wedding for the bride and groom in such an outstanding way. Good job to all!
what a sweet gift! and i love that she wore her grandmother’s dress :)
his gift to her is absolutely amazing. such a sweet couple.
I love these pictures. I have been a long time follower of Othello Sill and truly enjoy his work. I am glad to see him get the recognition that he deserves.
I love all of the DIY touches that the bride and groom put together for their wedding. Truly making it one of a kind.
i LOVE that they are doing what speaks to them as a couple and not what everyone else is doing for their weddings!
AMEN!
what a wonderful gift idea! how did he do it?!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE that gift Idea! I think that is possibly the sweetest bridal gift I have ever seen! So So sweet! I would also love to find out where he had them published/What the format was- it would be a beautiful gift for anyone close.
I LOVE the little personal touches like writing letters as favours – what a great keepsake that their loved ones will treasure!
The groom’s gift to the bride is so thoughtful and a great way to capture their love !
All in all, I just love this budget wedding and the lovely styling and rustic elements!
wow – how sweet. his gift to her is the cutest and most creative idea ever. love this wedding! i wore my grandmother’s dress too – it was so special to be able to have that experience.
Oh my gosh! I’ve wanted to get all our texts and picture texts published as well. We started out long distance so there are A LOT, where did you get them published?!? They look exactly how I envisioned doing them.
Oh gosh I love it. They look so cute together!
What an amazing wedding! Awesome location and such a sweet story. I really LOVE the pinecone bouquet! What a wonderful and great idea!
This is so stunning. I just love the groom’s style and those are the images that keep sticking out to me. I LOVE everything about it. My sister briefly considered getting married in Yosemite, but changed her mind- I wish she had. It would have been wonderful! I did a wedding there in 2011 that got snowed and flooded out (IN JUNE) and despite the issues, was absolutely amazing, memorable and one of the most incredible weddings I ever did. I’m sure all parties involved in this wedding feel the same!!!!!!! It’s such a magical place!
I love this! So many cute and unique details. You can tell it is exactly what they wanted.