A California Old West Wedding: Danielle + Phil

I absolutely love the whole feel of today’s wedding! It was full of lots of help from family + friends and planned in under 3 months! Yes, it is totally possibly to have a short engagement. :)

Danielle + Phil are a bit obsessed with early California history. They love looking up historical maps, studying about old pioneers and dream of black coffee cooked over a campfire. This is what they live and they wanted their affinity for this period – along with their love of the outdoors – to be reflected in the theme + decor for their day. Danielle bought her vintage dress on etsy for under $100, they built the deck over the pool and they asked all their guests to come in western wear! So super fun. :) Thanks so much to Ken Kienow for the gorgeous photos!

Most memorable moment of your wedding day?
Dale Bowman (longtime family friend, artist, cowboy….the LEGEND), singing a song he wrote for us as our first dance song. The guy sounds like Jerry Jeff Walker and the accompaniment of Monte Mills was perfect.

Any advice for those planning now?
You don’t need a year to plan a wedding…..with good family and friends you can make it happen in half that time if you don’t over-think it. We were only engaged and planning our wedding for 3 months…any longer and it would have been stressful!

We had a ton of help. Family and friends showed up days before, ready to make pies, iron clothes, decorate and add good company. By not conforming to the standard wedding mold we were able to enjoy the day as it happened. We didn’t have to sit at a designated head table. We moved around, everyone did. It was a buffet dinner and no seating assignments. There was no timeline, simply to dance until we could dance no more. No cake cutting, no flower toss, no cliche formulaic speeches or toasts. It was just organic, raw, and real. Also, our wedding was on a THURSDAY which totally rocked! Friends and family spent the long New Year’s weekend together continuing the party.

vendors:

photography: Ken Kienow // venue name: private residence // wedding dress: Vintage Edwardian Tea Dress found on etsy. Slip made by Kate White of Scissor Clothing // bride's shoes: chie mahara // bridesmaid dresses: Anthropologie // groom attire: Club Monaco // groom's shoes: Clarks boots he has had for years // paper goods: Bride designed with help from Kara of WE3 Designs // catering: Thomas Hill Organics // music: Monte Mills and the Lucky Horseshoe Band // Rental Company: Classic Party Rentals // floral design: Panacea Flowers // invitations: Bride designed with help from Kara of WE3 Designs // Beer: Alex Cegelski, SLOProvisions // margaritas: Uncle Rodney // pies: Frozen from Avila Valley Barn and baked by all my aunts