A Playful “Western Elegance” Wedding at The Madonna Inn

Calling all fun + funky couples! (Bonus points if you love the playful, cowboy-chic twang of a Western-wear moment.)

Nicole + Andrew tied the knot in San Luis Obispo, California at the iconic Madonna Inn in a colorful, sparkly, eclectic, campy, embroidered celebration that we simply cannot get enough of. And you’ve got to see the brilliant photos that Vanessa Todd took throughout the day.

“We really just wanted to celebrate our love with our friends & family in a creative, very “us” way,” says the couple. “We love the Madonna Inn’s kitsch, and knew we wanted to lean into that. And when we were touring the inn, we saw these fun western photos of its founder (Alex Madonna) so we decided to go with the theme “Western Elegance,” which was intentionally vague so our guests could interpret it however they wanted. The result was hilarious—we had some people show up dressed like 1800s saloon owners, others in full denim suits, and everything in between.”

With the help of coordinator Mandy from Lace and Bow Events, this wedding took shape as a perfect example of lots of thoughtful choices working together to make a truly special occasion. “We included a lot of personal touches from the start,” Nicole + Andrew remember. “As part of our invite, we made a video featuring one of our comedian friends to give guests a ‘taste’ of the tone of the wedding (and that we weren’t taking things too seriously).”

These two were radiating silliness, joy, and love every step of the way on their colorful wedding day. And they looked amazing doing it. Yee haw, y’all! Let’s take a look!

We spy Andrew’s killer pair of wedding boots from Heritage Boot Co.!

Inspired by tailor Nudie Cohn’s embellished “Nudie suits” that 20th century country western music icons made famous, dazzling wedding looks for grooms like the custom Addicted Bespoken suit that Andrew wore are one of our FAVE wedding trends of the moment.

Love this look as well? Use code GREEN25 to save 25% off a custom suit from Addicted Bespoken.

Check out our new write-up covering all the different embroidered wedding suit options to find a glorious embellished groom look of your own.

Nicole looked beautiful + classically bridal in this lacy Watters wedding gown from Anthropologie Weddings.

“Once we had our theme, Andrew started looking around for the classic old rhinestone western suit that Nudie Cohn made famous back in the 60s and 70s, and he found one with no less than 5 golden eagles on it,” remembers the couple. “It must have been fate because Nicole showed a picture of his suit to one of the bridal salons she went to & the woman working there said they had a Rue de Seine veil with an embroidered golden eagle that matched almost perfectly.”

“We also handmade a lot of elements ourselves,” say Nicole + Andrew. “Nicole made disco ball centerpieces with dried floral arrangements for the reception, and she hand-painted tambourines for her & her bridesmaids in lieu of traditional bouquets.”

“We also gave all our guests little cards with their faces photoshopped onto old-timey Western photos as mementos. Overall, all the touches felt like they reflected our personalities–weird and a little different, but fun”

Definitely dive into Dani Dazey’s print-filled maximalist wedding (also held at the Madonna Inn 💖) if you’re as in love with all the dreamy pink details of this venue as we are.

Nicole’s glam wedding waves were created by the stylists at NV Glam Artistry who also took care of her shimmery rosy bridal makeup look.

Even the groomsmen suits were unique, embroidered, retro Western looks!

There really is no other spot like the Madonna Inn. This dazzling, kitschy wedding is yet another example of the romanitc retro magic that can happen tying the knot in this famously pink place.

Look through our lists of the best rose gold bridesmaid dresses, the best sage green bridesmaid dresses, and the best sequin bridesmaid dresses to create a dazzling, dreamy mismatched bridal party palette like this one.

The Ceremony

“Between the tambourines and the cowbell that Nicole’s stepdad rang when he walked her down the aisle, the result was a pretty musical processional to kick things off.“

Our Favorite Memory
Our guests all really loved that our flower girl handed out five dollar bills instead of flowers. For us, our officiant (a friend of ours) really set the perfect tone for the day with his opening words, and both Best Man speeches were the perfect mix of poignant and funny. People came expecting a silly, themed wedding, but the speeches really moved us all to tears, so it was nice to have that mix of heartfelt and fun.

Our Musical Choices
Processional
"Come On Eileen" by Dexys Midnight Runners
Recessional
"Man! I Feel Like A Woman!" by Shania Twain
First Dance
"Clean Elvis" by Dan Reeder

Searching for a tune worthy of this joyful, “just married” moment? Check out our collections of all the best recessional songs.

You can catch this same glorious, embroidered wedding veil styled totally differently in this rustic Western mountain wedding!

Nicole + Andrew’s guests really did make the most of the fun “western elegance” dress code. That funky rubber chicken handbag totally completes the look!

The Reception

Our Advice
--People told us that the day would go by in a blur (and it did), so if you're like us, we highly recommend spreading things out over a full weekend so you have time with all your guests. It helped us really be present and soak up every second

--Book the Venue & DJ as late as they go. It's one day of your lives, so go til midnight if they let you!

--Don’t be pressured by other people to do things just because that’s what they always do. It’s your day, so do make it yours and that’s what will make it special.

Pretty in Pink

“I panic-bought a back-up dress last minute and made a cape with embroidered flowers and rhinestones to match Andrew’s Nudie suit which I ended up wearing to the impromptu after party,” Nicole says of this lacy + vibrant pink after party look.

“For the reception, though, I wore a pink dress with a matching pink marabou-cuffed “dressing gown” over it and a cowboy hat,” Nicole remembers. Can you say cowgirl Barbie glam!?

Check our our list of the best pink wedding dresses to add some rosy bridal vibes to your own wedding day look. 💕

Congrats, Nicole + Andrew! Your elegant Western wedding at the Madonna Inn was pure kitschy + creative magic. Wishing you both all the very best!