Brimming with color, funky details, and tons of musical accents — we’re jumping in to an electric + eclectic two parter today! If you’ve been reading GWS for awhile, you might recognize Miss Mary Costa, photographer extraordinaire. Mary is known for her zealous style and love of bright hues, which you’ll definitely see in the surprise proposal Mike planned, here!
Mary shares: Mike and I knew we wanted our wedding to be full of personal details, colorful, and an awesome California party for all of our family and friends. Being a wedding photographer myself made planning our day a lot easier. I knew certain things to look for (and avoid!), and we already had a lot of vendors in mind.
We’re not kidding when we say Mary had ALL the details. So many unique decor items were brought in that were quintessentially M+M, that we had to split their wedding into two parts. Let’s take a peek at all the photos Alyssa Marie Photography snapped:
To kick off the celebration, each of the guests received this brilliant invitation suite, which was a true creative collaboration. How cute is the film strip of M+M?!
Mary shares: My bridesmaid and graphic designer, Jessica Kucinskas, came up with the idea of including my photography in our paper goods. Angelena of Shindig Chic created a variety of floral flatlays, I took photos of them, and Jess used the pictures in her designs. Our friend, Steph Rager of A Dapper Line, created our Mike & Mary logo and did our envelope calligraphy.
The Details
Mary’s style is colorful, and eclectic — so we weren’t surprised by the bold use of color throughout the wedding! Want to achieve a similar look? Here are a few of our faves:
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Doesn’t Mary look like an absolute dream? Her gown is the “Bernie” by Rivini, from The White Dress. Oh and that brilliant blue ring? You can read more about it here.
Mary tells us that she sent Angelena of Shindig Chic a pretty crazy color palette, with about nine different swatches… which Angelena embraced wholeheartedly! She also incorporated lots of peonies (Mary’s fave) into so many of the arrangements, too.
The Wedding Party
While the wedding party rocked shades of blue, guests were encouraged to have fun with their outfits and rock bright colors. Mary shares: It was awesome looking out and seeing so many bright, happy colors. We think it also helped people relax and cut loose!
All the groomsmen rocked colorful floral ties — LOVE! Want to get a similar look for your guys? Check out our GWS x Neck and Tie Co collab!
As soon as guests arrived, they were greeted with custom creations (based on M+M’s color palette) from California Donuts.
Mike also named our lemonade pitcher “Beyoncé” and the water “Not Vodka” – our relatives mostly got the joke. ;)
The Ceremony Space
Mike came up with most of the signage for the day. As the two of them are all about laughter and they wanted to create a whimsical feeling, they included a Willy Wonka quote (“A world of pure imagination”), and a tribute to The Beatles (“Magical Mystery Tour”).
Processional: Montezuma by Fleet Foxes
Recessional: Wouldn’t It Be Nice by The Beach Boys
First Dance: Looking Forward by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
That aisle!!
Our close friend, Jennie Palluzzi, officiated our ceremony. She was a major driving force behind Mike and I meeting, so it only made sense that she should be the one to marry us! We didn’t want our ceremony to be stuffy, so we included some crowd participation. Jennie kicked things off with a call-and-response (“When I say Mike, you say Mary!”) and she did a quick roll call of our guests.
Our ceremony included readings from Mr. Rogers, Dr. Seuss, Anne of Green Gables, and we wrote our own vows. There were a LOT of happy tears. We tried to make a point of looking out at everyone to take in the moment. We also got a lot of laughter when we had to stop the ceremony multiple times due to a tractor next door, trains going by, and planes flying overhead. It was unplanned but provided comic relief!
We concluded with Jennie saying, “Mary, you may now kiss the groom!”
This is a little cliché, but it’s your wedding – so you should do whatever is best for you and your partner! Mike and I really wanted to enjoy ourselves and dance the night away, so that’s exactly what we did. We had a gathering the evening beforehand at a local bar and also had an after party. These extra events gave us a better opportunity to visit with our guests.
We had an “unplugged” ceremony without any cameras or phones, and I can’t recommend it highly enough. People were incredibly present and there aren’t any devices in our professional photos/video! We also think it was awesome having our good friend as our officiant – she was very invested in the day, and we love that she’s in all of the photos!
Lastly, it definitely helps to have a detailed website. Almost all of our family was traveling from across the country, so we put as much info as possible online to help guide them. We made ours on Squarespace (www.marydtomike.com) and it definitely set the tone of our day!
THE CUTEST! Just wait ’til you see all the funky + colorful details from Part 2 which we’ll be sharing in a few hours!
photography: Alyssa Marie Photography // venue name: McCormick Home Ranch, Camarillo, California, USA // event design: Shindig Chic // planning: Samantha Dapper // florals: Shindig Chic // wedding dress: "Bernie" by Rivini // wedding dress boutique: The White Dress // bride's ring: Suzanne Kalan // bridesmaid dresses: Jenny Yoo "Annabelle" Dress, Show Me Your Mumu "Hacienda" dress and BHLDN "Fleur" Dress // hair stylist: Nicol Artistry // makeup artist: Nicol Artistry // videography: Shark Pig // paper goods: Jessica Kucinskas // calligraphy: A Dapper Line // catering: Rasta Tacos // cake: Half Baked Co // desserts: California Donuts // furniture rentals: Red Door Events // music: Dart Collective // officiant: Jennie Palluzzi // photo booth: Porty The Foto Booth Bus // photo editing: Mary Costa Photography // balloon installation: Wild Child Party // groomsmen suits: The Black Tux // groomsmen ties: Neck and Tie Co // table cards + diner mug illustrations: Megan Roy // diner mugs: The Created Co // catering staff: Night & Day Productions // yarn hanging, paper flowers + pinata: Erin Elyse Long // magician: Jon Armstrong
wow those colours !
Love it ♥♥