Vintage Circus Wedding: Stacey + Josh

circus wedding

Today’s wedding is one that I would just LOVE to have attended! It looks like such a fun time and Stacey + Josh are just the cutest couple! They both LOVE the circus and all things vintage, so when it came to their wedding they wanted to have a 1940’s circus wedding. From Stacey, “We go to any type of circus, freak or burlesque show as often as we can because they are so much fun. We decided if we were going to have a big wedding we were going to do it the way we wanted. We wanted to look back at this day 50 years from now and know truly in our hearts that it was exactly the way we wanted it. Our goal was to throw the bash of the century and – SUCCESS!” Success indeed! Wait until you see the super rad big top tent they had for both the ceremony + reception! Big thanks to Cameron Ingalls for letting me share his stunning photos and to Saralee Franchi of XOXO Bride for helping Stacey + Josh design the wedding on their dreams!

big tent circus wedding

red flower bouquet

teal hairpiece

bride with green sparkly shoes


Stacey made her hair piece by hand and included pearls that were passed down to her from her father’s mother. She also wore her mother’s mother’s pearl necklace on her wrist. Stacey made her super rad green shoes by glittering a pair of shoes that she loved – my kind of girl!

bride with red bouquet

groom in front of old car

groomsmen in suits

flower girl and ring bearer circus

circus wedding

circus big tent wedding

Our Musical Choices

Processional: Israel Kamakawiwoʻole – Somewhere Over The Rainbow

Recessional: Bitter Sweet Symphony – The Verve

First Dance: At Last – Etta James

circus big tent wedding

circus big tent wedding

circus big tent wedding

circus big tent wedding

bridal party circus wedding

circus wedding portraits


Nathaniel + Daniel Cheli, friends of the couple and twins, were the stilted fire breathing circus performers. They also had friends who DJ’d the wedding play a special song during the ceremony, bake the cupcakes and cake, and even officiate the wedding.

bride with teal flower in hair

bride with teal flower in hair

Our Favorite Memory From The Wedding

Were not sure that we can pick a single moment of the day to stand out more than another because in reality the entire day was absolutely perfect, more than we could have ever imagined thanks to Saralee Franchi of XOXO brides who made this day possible for us.

circus wedding green shoes

circus wedding reception details

circus wedding reception details

circus wedding reception details

circus wedding cake

circus wedding first dance

circus wedding first dance

Our Advice To Those Planning Now

Our best advice would be to let the day be perfect for what is it. There will always be something to be unhappy about but if you just except the day for what it is and enjoy every second of it together it will truly be the best day of your lives.

As a special thank you to GWS readers for being so awesome, Cameron Ingalls (the amazing photographer of this wedding) is giving a special discount of 10% to readers who book by May 1st, 2012! Thanks Cameron!! Super rad! Just let Cameron know you found him on GWS :)

photography: Cameron Ingalls // venue: Bunny Hill Farm, Fillmore CA // event designer: Saralee Franchi of XOXO Bride // floral design: An Elegant Affaire // wedding dress: Allure // hairpieces: made by the bride // bridesmaid dresses: Alfred Sung // hair + makeup: Moxie Hair and Design Studio // cinematography: Nanea Miyata // Entertainment: Nathaniel + Daniel Cheli // cake: Jessie Dauria // music: STZ Entertainment // tent rental: LA Circus // rentals: Party Pleasers // lighting: Ideal Lighting and Sound // photo booth: In the Pix

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