Joanna and Packy have never done anything by the books, so when it came time to plan their wedding their imaginations went wild. Because of Packy’s career in event planning and Joanna works as a wardrobe + prop stylist as well as a visual designer, they knew what kind of event they wanted to have and were determined to pull it off no matter the obstacle! They both knew they wanted to get married outside somewhere and living in the Bay Area they had a lot of options, but picking the right one was important. They settled on a private redwood grove in Monte Rio…the big challenge was bringing their bold + playful sense of style to the day, without taking away from the surrounding environment. With the help of Ashley Smith Events, they made it all come to fruition.
Joanna used to create the window displays for Anthropologie and loves fabricating things + making everything by hand. For some reason, Joanna could not get tassels out of her head and started making large tassels in their color palette (rust, emerald, sapphire, blush, white and metallics). She made hundreds of tassels over the next couple of months, without knowing what she was going to do with them. Finally, she settled on making large hanging tassel pieces that were designed to frame the enclosed ceremony space (unintentionally the pieces ended up spelling XOXO!).
Sounds wild, right? Just wait until you see the photos Kelly Brown snapped!
The Bridesmaids
Slinky in silk, we adore this nature-inspired palette for the ladies!
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The Floral Hoops
How adorable is this floral hoop in lieu of a bouquet?!
Want to adopt a similar idea for your ladies? We made this DIY floral hoop tutorial, just for you!
Sweethearts + First Look
Oh my goodness, these two!!
All the designs started with this incredible Obelia gown by Temperley Bridal.
Hello, fishtail!! Amy Lawson crafted the perfect updo to be framed by the Lelet NY hairpiece.
The Wild Ceremony Space
Joanna invested a ton of time into creating tassels, so she kept the theme going throughout the whole day and it truly tied everything together!
How much fun is this? Kind of funky, ultra cool, and it fits the natural setting!
The most magical and memorable moment was walking down the aisle with both of my parents. Every single person I know and love was there cheering me on as I walked towards all of my best friends…and my soon-to-be husband!
Wondering about that epic teal suit? It’s from Samuel Sohn + his kicks are from To Boot New York.
The Travel-Inspired Lounge
On top of designing and fabricating all of the decor elements throughout their wedding, J+P spent the year gathering furniture pieces to build their two lounges…and they even created the two outdoor bars out of vintage wallpaper + wood planks they found. This project ended up turning into their new event/prop rental business: The Wild Ones.
Isn’t this window pane seating chart such a creative idea?
Kelly Brown, the photographer shares: A fun, but beast of a project that Joanna decided on was making a huge hanging fabric wall that separated the cocktail space from the dining area. She made this 65-foot hanging piece out of stripes of various white fabrics tied onto a rope…and of course added tassels in the mix! This piece really had the wow effect that she was hoping for and was a fun way for their guests to enter into dinner.
The One-With-Nature Tablescapes
Wild Club made sure the centerpieces meshed with the natural environment…et voilá!
Those luxe menus from Paper Tie Affair were the perfect *pop* on the otherwise natural tablescape.
We’d like a seat at this family-style table!
The Newlyweds
Have fun with it and don’t sweat the small stuff. As much as you may want to control everything, there are some things that are out of your control. In the end, it will be the best day of your life and those little things you were stressing about will no longer be in your head. Live in the moment and take a deep breath.
In terms of designing, pick something as a starting point and go from there. I picked my dress as the place to start and built out everything else from there so that everything complemented each other.
To top of their epic wedding day, the two hosted an after party at the Rio theater, where the guests welcomed J+P in costume with hundreds of sparklers. A friend of theirs made a movie using all of their home videos and favorite movies and it played on the big screen for everyone to enjoy and after the guests danced the night away.
How much fun was that?! Congratulations, you two!!
photography: Kelly Brown // venue name: Private Space, Monte Rio, California, USA // planning: Ashley Smith Events // florals: Wild Club // wedding dress: Obelia by Temperley Bridal // wedding dress boutique: Wild Bride // hairpiece: Lelet NY // bride's shoes: BNKR // hair stylist: Amy Lawson // makeup artist: Amy Lawson // groom's shoes: To Boot New York // paper goods: Paper Tie Affair // catering: LRE Catering // desserts: LRE Catering // furniture rentals: The Wild Ones // linen rentals: Bright Event Rentals // music: The Reed Fromer Band // lighting: AM Party Rentals // photo booth: Bosco // decals: Dynamite Digital // after party bride jumpsuit + groom bomber jacket: Rosa Bloom // groomsmen suits: Generation Tux
Hey!!!! I have a question about your amazing seating chart on the window – I’m getting married this sept and I want to do something similar. Can you email me? [email protected]