Whimsical Romantic Wedding: Marissa + Michael

bride and groom

Marissa + Michael wanted a casual, whimsical wedding day. Their romantic color palette incorporated calm blush tones + neutrals with layers of burlap + lace. And their wedding was a true DIY affair. Their friends + family built and painted wooden signs, made burlap bunting, wrote music for the ceremony, created floral headbands, and baked treats for the dessert table. Marissa designed the invitations + programs and spent many nights with Michael working on other projects for the day. And not to forget their amazing planner, Veronica from Ambiance Events
, who went above and beyond for them in every way. From Marissa, “It was truly magical seeing everything come to life.” Big thanks to Bryan N. Miller Photography for the photos and congrats to Marissa + Michael!

lace wedding dress

dusty miller bouquet

bridal party in robes


Pretty robes by Plum Pretty Sugar – and love their sweet First Look captured below. :)

first look

bride and groom


Michael proposed on our 7th year together, on my 27th birthday. We chose to marry on July 7th because it just felt lucky. Interestingly enough, this “lucky theme” has always played a part in our relationship. (When we first started dating, Michael used to separate the marshmallows from my Lucky Charms cereal because he knew they were my favorite. His grooms’ gift to me, oddly enough, was none other than a bag of Lucky Charms marshmallows!) We decided to go with a vintage rustic theme, tying in horseshoes and all things lucky.

ribbon wall ceremony decor

outdoor ceremony

ribbon wall ceremony

Our Favorite Memory From The Wedding

One of our favorite things about our wedding was having our friend Doug marry us. Doug knew us before we started dating, and has always served as a mentor for us, so it was extra special to have him pronounce us man and wife. We couldn’t have asked for a more intimate ceremony. Instead of turning to our altar with our backs to our guests, we were asked to turn around and embrace everyone who came to celebrate with us. Doug spent time telling our story. The most special part for us was saying our own vows. We laughed, we cried, and we laughed some more. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house. It was the happiest moment of our lives.

What brought the most joy was seeing our event adorned with all of the hand-selected treasures that Michael and I found throughout our engagement. We spent months before the wedding piecing together a collection of antiques and treasures to serve as décor. For the past two years, we worked incredibly hard to handcraft and personalize our event, and seeing it all come to life was the greatest pay off. Knowing that we worked together as a team to accomplish it was icing on the cake.

ribbon wall ceremony

bridal party


Our bridesmaids and flower girls were given two criteria when searching for their
 attire: 1) choose a dress that they absolutely loved and would wear again, and 2) choose a color in the blush-tone, neutral color family. It couldn’t have been more perfect! Our groomsmen wore gray vests and slacks, paired with a crisp white shirt. We loved how everything came together to create a unique, mismatched collection of textures and colors.

bridesmaids in mismatched dresses

vintage table decor

vintage table decor


We wanted everything to be comfortable and free flowing, so we ditched the seating chart and went with belly bars, a few tables and multiple vintage lounge areas. Guests were free to mix and mingle throughout the night. We purchased pint-sized mason jars for each guest, serving as wedding favors and drink cups for the night. We personalized them by handwriting guests’ names on every jar. It was an unexpected element of surprise, and our friends had a lot of fun with them.

vintage table dessert bar

vintage table dessert bar

mason jar drinks

first dance

bride and groom

bride and groom


Years from now, when we think back on our wedding, what we will cherish most is all of the love and support that surrounded us. As soon as the planning began, so did the many wonderful offers from friends and family to help us prepare for the big day. Our nearest and dearest rolled up their sleeves, helping any way they could, and our celebration of love truly became a labor of love. Our weekends were spent scouring antique stores all over Southern California for the most unique collection of mason jars, vintage tablecloths, floral teacups and wooden crates. We found a vintage suitcase that became our cake stand, an rustic barn door that became our altar, an old-fashioned typewriter that greeted guests as they entered the ceremony, and old watering cans that became the main focal point of our dessert table. We spent our nights crafting fabric flowers, wrapping twine around mason jars, and painting various treasures found. These impromptu craft-nights became some of our most cherished moments with friends.

photography: Bryan N. Miller Photography // makeup artist: Evelyn Aguon // desserts: Maria Baldi of Sugarcoated // music: Aaron Turner, DJ Legend // officiant: Doug Matter // 
planner: Veronica Gomez Navarro of Ambiance Events
 // floral design: Ashley Elizabeth Floral Design and Styling // guitarist: Darryl Mendoza, Serendipity Wedding Services // signs: Nicole Jordan // 
food: San Diego Taco Company // flower girl headbands: Jessica Russell, The Button Jar // 
printing: Dave Marlow of Whitmar Electronic Press; Brandon Stapper, 858 Graphics // 
hair: Jaylin Youm, Juli Youm, Sokphavy Seng

Explore: