Vintage Springtime Northern California Wedding: Jessica + Jeffrey

spring vintage wedding

Whether or not it’s exactly your cup of tea, we can likely all appreciate a well-done vintage wedding, right? Jessica + Jeffrey’s day was filled with the very best vintage has to offer: a soft, romantic color story, a beautiful vintage-inspired dress, and lots of pretty design elements + details that feel like they were plucked right from another era. With the planning help of Wedding Connection + pretty florals by Seascape Flowers, we think their day will inspire so many of you who love this very same aesthetic. And if we’re talking to you, get ready to do some serious pinning! Below Jessica shares how they fused their ideas for a vintage celebration with their desire to have bring in rustic-glam, nature-filled touches, too:

Both Jeffrey and I grew up surrounded by nature, so it was really important to us that our wedding take place in a setting that had a rustic natural beauty and that didn’t feel manicured or cookie cutter. We also wanted to find a space where we could let our imaginations and creative vision run wild with no boundaries. I am a creative director and Jeffrey is a musician and we knew that we wanted our creative sides to shine through in everything we did. We wanted our big day to be full of music and loads of little unexpected design details. When we found a music retreat with a grand piano and a theatre that was nestled amongst Carmel Valley’s gorgeous velvety green mountains, wildflowers and dramatic oak trees, we knew we had found the perfect spot for our vintage boho glam vision to come alive.

Thanks so much to Edyta Szyszlo for the beautiful images and big congrats to Jessica + Jeffrey!

embellished heels

Carmel Valley first look

Carmel Valley first look

We’re totally enamored with Jessica’s stunning wedding dress by Hayley Paige – those sleeves!

Hayley Paige wedding dress

spring juliet rose bouquet

Carmel Valley wedding

Hayley Paige wedding dress

poppy and juliet rose spring bouquet

pale blue bridesmaid dresses

And the bridesmaid’s bright bouquets – made up of poppies, roses, ranunculus and tulips – looked so great with their mismatched pale blue dresses!

orange poppy bridesmaid bouquets

pale blue bridesmaid dresses

flower crown flower girl

groomsmen

hanging floral vases

hanging floral vases

What a sweet, spring-y ceremony site!

hanging floral vases

hanging floral vases

floral and ribbon aisle decor

Our Favorite Memory From The Wedding

Ah, so difficult to chose just one! Just thinking about this now brings so many amazing memories flooding back to my mind. But truly one of my favorite moments was standing at the alter and soaking in each word as Jeff read his vows to me. We each wrote our own and didn't share even a hint of what we were going to say in advance. So hearing his heartfelt, humorous and profound promises to me was such a wonderful surprise. I was glued to each word and this was truly one of the few moments in the midst of all of the celebration and frenzy of the day that felt like it was just between the two of us. Everything else just drops away in that moment and it's as if just the 2 of you are all alone together. I highly recommend keeping some things a surprise for each other on your wedding day.

Carmel Valley wedding

Carmel Valley wedding

rose boutonniere

poppy and juliet rose spring bouquet

oval engagement ring

And isn’t Jessica’s gold + diamond ring so perfect?!

Carmel Valley wedding

tissue ball decor

Carmel Valley wedding

spring colored reception

wooden table numbers

pink tissue ball ceiling decor

peony centerpieces

dinner menus

amber colored vases

cake table

ruffle yellow cake

Our Musical Choices

Processional: Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space – Spiritualized

Recessional: Do You Realize – The Flaming Lips

First Dance: Landslide – Fleetwood Mac

first dance

Our Advice To Those Planning Now

It's funny, so many people told me to not worry about all the details. But for me, the details have always meant everything. I'm a designer and an artist after all! From finding the perfect vintage cut crystal decanters to making our own handmade bitters for wedding favors to creating the DIY petal toss cups and flower poms for our reception- it was all about the details. My advice is to be true to what's important to you and your guy. If you absolutely adore flowers like I do, then find a way to do the flowers exactly as you've envisioned. Or if you're a foodie then take the time to find locally sourced ingredients or create the menu along with your caterer and design your menus like we did. Find interesting ways to bring your personalities into your big day rather than letting the professionals do all of the work. It will make your wedding day feel so much more special and you'll both look back and be happy you did. There's so much to think about as you plan and you can get overwhelmed by all of the choices. So just keep the things in mind that will truly matter to both of you on your special day and take care to make that vision come alive to it's fullest!

photography: Edyta Szyszlo Photography // venue name: Hidden Valley Music Retreat, Carmel Valley, California // event design: Bride // florals: Seascape Flowers // wedding dress: Hayley Paige // hairpiece: A mixture of Sara Gabriel // bride's shoes: Badgley Mischka // bridesmaid dresses: Weddington Way // hair stylist: Kala Ketchum // makeup artist: Kala Ketchum // groom attire: Hugo Boss // videography: Stephen Spaulding of Isomer Productions // paper goods: Bride designed save the dates, invites, menus and all other signage and labels for handmade bitters // catering: Jeffrey's Catering // cake: Patisserie Bechler // music: DJ Michael Libby // event planner: Denise at Wedding Connection // rentals: Alexis Party Rental

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