I just love the overall natural + pretty boho theme of today’s wedding! Jessica + Kevin tried to keep their wedding as eco-friendly as much as possible with DIY, thrifted, and borrowed elements. Even though Jessica was working with a relatively small budget, she was incredibly resourceful and you would never know the wedding had a small budget from the photos! A bit more about their day from Jessica:
From the beginning I was the wedding planner, coordinator and designer. I did EVERYTHING. I was dealing with 9 vendors at the time (while in school with 2 jobs) but really wanted to make everything truly meaningful and personal. We really wanted God to be reflected in our day. Simplicity, Love, Family and Friends were truly what we wanted people to see and experience through our romantic & personal ceremony, the many personal details, and just the overall vibe of the day! I tried my best to capture all of those things and we couldn’t be happier with how everything turned out. It truly was PERFECT and we really felt everyone was blessed by it (especially the guys since jeans were okay to wear to our wedding!) :)
Big thanks to SWOON by Katie for the photos and congrats to Jessica + Kevin!
I love being different and making it my own, so I wanted all my girls to be able to do the same. I gave them a color scheme to work with and different texture ideas to choose the color and price range that they wanted to work with (I am not a fan of making someone buy a $100+ dress that they will never wear again). So my girls were very excited to know that they could get what they wanted for how much they wanted and they all would wear it again!
Processional: I Will Not Take my Love Away – Matt Wertz
Recessional: Love Somebody Like You – Keith Urban
First Dance: Your Everything – Keith Urban
Kevin: Our vows. We wrote our own and made them very personal and meaningful to us - I think every person had at least one tear at some point during the ceremony.
Jessica: I will never forget the anticipation I had to see all the planning and executing of my DIY projects and overall design. I had planned for over one year and I never really knew what it would look like together until day of. As I walked through the ceremony and reception area with my bridal party, I cried at literally every single moment where a project of mine or personal touch was displayed. I was just so blessed and thankful that it all worked out so well! All the stress and breakdowns seemed to be worth it in those moments!
I love to dance and my husband... not so much (in public at least) :) but he took me by surprise! Being the selfless man that he is, he knew that I would want to be out on the dance floor, so we were out there the whole night just dancing around having a good time! I loved every minute of it!
I collected all the bottles from friends and family, and even drank lots of rootbeer and gingerbeer solely for the bottles! I ordered our eco bamboo plates and utensils from Marx Foods and stamped eco natural flour sac cloths from amazon, for the use of napkins and a gift if they didn’t mind taking home a BBQ sauced napkin to wash.
Honeymoon Advice: Don’t plan too many activities or rush out the next morning. Our wedding was on a Saturday and we left on Monday morning and I was so thankful for the extra time to rest, pack and not rush to jump on a plane. PLUS if you can spare a few days after traveling, having a few days at home before we headed back to work was THE BEST! We were able to open all of our gifts, handle returns and get things organized and situated in our new apartment before we were back to work and our “busy” lives. It felt like a second honeymoon.
• If you plan to do a lot of DIY projects or want to make things more personal, give yourself a good amount of time, plus more time to do them because things never usually work out as planned so you have to be flexible.
• Don't Stress!! As hard as it is, the breakdowns and stress isn't worth it.
• Prioritize your "to-do" list and hand off the "not as important" tasks to trusted family and friends (even if you are a control-freak/perfectionist/Type-A like me, sometimes you have to let some things go, because your sanity is more important).
• Make sure you eat on your Big Day! My husband and I weren't very hungry until AFTER the wedding, so we missed out on our amazing caterer, candy and dessert bar :( (Have someone save you a plate or two if you think you will be too busy or overwhelmed to eat - We wish we would have)
• The best advice I received that kept me sane: If at the end of the day, you are married, then your day was a success!
And of course, don't forget to have fun!! You're getting to marry your best friend!!
photography: SWOON by Katie // venue: Oak Canyon Nature Center // coordination + styling: Whit Mitt Design & Events // floral design + hairpieces: Vicki Doughty of I Create Flowers 4U // wedding dress: Miss Tashina // shoes: Bridesmaids, Love D; Groom, Aldo; Bride, Minnetonka // hair + makeup: Bride’s Friend, Chelsea Higley // groom suit: Joe’s Jeans, John Varvatos Shirt, Aldo Boots, Levi’s Belt, Vest: Tasso Elba (Macy’s/Bloomingdales) // cinematography: Bubba Durket // invitations + paper goods: Daniel Heffernan // catering: Lucille’s BBQ // cake: Bride’s Aunt // rentals: Orange and Riverside County Rentals // dj: Karl Sanger of Music Unlimited Talent //lighting: (Joe Paxton) Atmosphere Entertainment DJ & Lighting
I absolutely adore this “wedding with a difference” from the delightful outdoor setting and the stunning bride with her Greek influence outfit. The groom’s suave yet casual outfit totally fits the theme as does the decision for the bridesmaids to be dressed as individuals rather than clones – bravo!! As a wedding caterers, we’d have loved to see more photos of the food :)
Looks like a perfect day! Congrats to the couple.
Love everything about this from the dress (love miss Tashina!) to the venue! Beautiful!
I adore the dress! I immediately looked up Miss Tashina to learn more about it – http://www.misstashina.com/.
I love everything about this wedding. The brides attention to details is impeccable. It’s great when a couple decides to do what makes them happy as opposed to being traditional!
Absolutely beautiful photos. Those photos will become more precious to you as time goes by.
Where did you get your dress?
I can’t find it on the site you stated, Miss Tashina
What a really beautiful wedding. Love the bride’s shoes and all the DIY touches.
so beautiful….so natural and full of love, love the flower girl’s dresses, just what im looking for. Where did you get them from? x
Incredible photos. They are extremely sharp. Great job by the photographer!
Love this wedding and love love love Katie’s amazing photos!
so love this!! the boots are so very cute and still really feminine. love the flowers, love the photography.. so fun!
What a beautifully captured wedding day! Darling, sweet details and stunning photos.
Oh my goodness! I LOVE this wedding and the imagery! The shot of the bride before she gets to the altar is so gorgeous! And the whole entire event just looks so together! Great work!
What a gorgeous, happy couple! Simply beautiful photography.
This is so sweet! The florals are all so amazing! Always love your content :)
So pretty! Question: Does anyone know where those adorable flower girl dresses are from? Would love to know!
Hi Emily,
They are from GAP (about a year ago!) Good luck on your search!
<3 Jess (Bride)
where did you have your reception at?! its so lovely!
Hi! I found the girls dresses at Gap about a year ago! Good luck on your search :)
Great photos! I always love it when a couple’s personality comes through in the photos!
Hi Rachel,
Here is Miss Tashina’s blog
http://www.misstashina.com/
I don’t believe my dress has been featured on her website, but all of her dresses are individually handmade. We discussed the design and after several fittings we ended with this final dress!! I would HIGHLY recommend Tashina if you are interested in a different, individually-designed dress that fits you best! Plus – she is the sweetest! Goodluck!
Lovely pics, and the concept of the wedding is great
Hi Jessica.I absolutely adore your wedding! Where did you have your reception? I went on the Oak Canyon Nature Center website and it says ceremony only. Please let me know. Thanks!!
Hi Adina,
I actually had my reception at Oak Canyon Nature Center, but believe I was the last one allowed to do so! Unfortunately they no longer allow receptions – it is just too much work for both sides and not enough benefit on their behalf….so I was definitely lucky to have had my wedding ceremony and reception there! Good luck!!
Beautiful wedding and the his and hers table is a great idea.
Stunning – everything, is stunning.
I read above that you found your flower girl dresses at the GAP quite a while ago. Is there any chance you would be interested in selling them?
I know the little blonde loves her dress and wouldn’t give it up – I can check about the other three: we paid $55 for each of them and have only worn them once. I will see if they are interested.
Thanks!
That would be amazing! If by chance you could part with one of each – I have 3 flower girls, and I could scrounge up one more if you’d be willing to sell two.
thanks so much, you have no idea. :)
Hey there !
..so is there any chance those dresses are available? :)
What an adorable couple & absolutely beautiful wedding. Love it!
Gorgeous, gorgeous wedding! Jessica do you know where your bridesmaid in the cream short sleeved dress (in the photo with the bridesmaid in the purple, of their bodies and bouquets) got her dress from? They’re exactly what I’m looking for!
Thanks Jacqui!
My bridesmaid in the cream shortsleeve got her dress at Nordstrom B.P. last Spring. Good luck on your search :)
Thanks Jessica! I love them! Your wedding was gorgeous!
Hi Jessica,
So I love the bridesmaid dress and Nordstrom BP don’t stock it anymore. However, I contacted them and they said if I could obtain the item number, brand, style name, color, price, etc – she’d see what she could do. So I was wondering if you’re be able to ask your bridesmaid for those details. If it’s not too much of a pain, I’ll post my email so she can just shoot me an email instead. Whatever’s easiest!
Thank you!!!!!
Hi Jacqui,
Here are some details about my bridesmaid dress. It is from BP, “Lush” brand, Style#: DR91509-001, RN#: 115602, color is yogurt, and material is 100% polyester. I know I didn’t pay more than $40 for it and I bought it about a year ago. Hope those details help you and Nordstrom find the dress!
I see the venue is only available from 2-6pm? Is this true? Did you feel like your wedding was cut short? Also I really wanted a afternoon to night wedding because with the strung lighting the park, it would be so pretty. Thoughts? Seriously considering this venue besides those 2 drawbacks. It is beautiful! Thanks so much.
I love your wedding. Looking at your images and reading your statements has calmed me and helped to remember the relaxed wedding I had orginally wanted before the hustle and bustle got out of hand. Thanks so much for sharing. Now I am looking forward to my wedding in Sept again.
Really pretty colours in this wedding and her dress is amazing!
Hi Jessica! If ever you are still active on this blog please answer my questions. How many months did it take you to prepare for this wonderful wedding? How much did it cost you for all the DIY projects including catering services etc. etc.? I really love the table arrangement, it’s so organized! Simple yet so elegant! If ever you have a video of your wedding please post it in here. I am a wedding organizer/planner/designer at villa marcello but it feels like I still need to learn a lot of things especially from you. Keep in touch Jessica! xoxo
Eco green weddings are my passion, just love them! The flowers are so delicate and natural they are perfect for the occasion and setting. Fab!!!
Hi Jess,
I love the flour sac idea for napkins, can you please direct me where to find them? I searched amazon but not getting anything. Maybe you could suggest words for the search bar?
Thanks so much, your wedding was beautiful!
Monique.
Hi Monique,
I did a quick search on amazon and unfortunately did not see then either. But I found these just trough a google search and they are the exact ones I used: https://www.towelsandhome.com/eco-friendly-flour-sacks.html
Hope that helps!
I currently have a couple planing a green wedding and I came here for inspiration. Just amazing. I am a Wedding Photographer from Germany and having your wedding as a “big thing” is pretty new here.
I definatly found some usefull tipps I can give my couple! Thank yoU!
Your wedding looked absolutely beautiful. One question.. According the the Oak Canyon Nature Center website, Its a ceremony only site.. How were you able to serve food? I absolutely love the site.
If you don’t want to say on here you can email me.
[email protected].
Thanks
I adore her dress…. and what a beautiful setting! i am wondering what kind of my wedding will be? hahahah….http://www.lightupshoe.sale/
Absolutely Beautiful Photos. And Thank You Very Much For This Posting.
And I am also a Photographer and album designer from Pakistan country you can visit my official my site. https://www.luckystudio4u.com/
Wow – super inspiration. Great work – many thanks!