Alicyn + Jason didn’t have a wedding. No. They had a LOVE BALL. A fun festival type affair, celebrating love and their marriage! They found inspiration in Cirque De Soilel and the Beatles – it was a melding of generations with stilt walkers, food trucks, and a rotating stage for their ceremony! Ali + Jason, along with their wedding planner Hallie of La Bohéme Events, created such a unique, exciting and FUN wedding. Every detail was carefully thought out and reflected the couple’s love and unique personalities! A bit more about the day from Ali:
We really wanted our wedding to be a celebration of love in ALL forms so we decided instead of a traditional wedding we would have a “Love Ball.” We wanted to bring as much heart and as much of ourselves to the wedding as possible. We approached the ceremony like producing a play. We found inspiration in Cirque De Soilel and the Beatles. We definitely didn’t take ourselves too seriously! We focused on bringing a sense of play, fun and magic to the event. Because we wanted a participatory wedding where everyone at the event was in the “wedding party” we didn’t feel the need to have a bridal party. We wanted every guest to feel special. We have such an amazing community of friends and family so we encouraged creative attire and this gave our guests the chance to let their personalities shine.
Big thanks to Ashleigh Taylor Photography for sharing the photos and congrats to Alicyn + Jason!
Prior to our wedding, we hosted a pool party at the Cree Estate. This was a great opportunity to introduce friends that hadn’t met yet. We called it the “Sgt. Pepper Pool Party.” The Cree Estate has an AMAZING 17-foot deep pool and we knew we needed to make use of it! Several of our friends spent hours making these elaborate costumes out of felt that looked just like the Sgt. Pepper Lonely Hearts Club band. We couldn’t stop laughing when “Lovely Rita” made an appearance and started writing out tickets!
On our wedding day we started with a pre-cocktail hour while our guests munched on popcorn. (Let’s get this party started!) Initially we were going to get a valet to assist in parking cars, but it wasn’t really our style, so instead we had stilt walkers dressed in costume up the road showing our guests where to park. They even interacted with people, asking for “tickets” (our invitations) and telling them to come up with a title for the wedding party (i.e. “Bling Bearor”).
Just before the ceremony began, our friend (dressed in a Sgt. Pepper costume) stood up on a rock announced that the procession would begin… only everyone at the wedding was part of it. He had an amazing speech incorporating lyrics from Beatles songs and really got everyone on board. He even handmade a megaphone using a tuba! Our family and the stilt walkers handed out kazoos, ribbon wands and tambourines and everyone paraded over to a different section of the grounds where the groom and officiant where waiting on a 6 ft. rotating stage surrounded by a spiral of red rose petals. To our surprise the festive group even marched in between the rows of petals.
Processional: Imagine – John Lennon, sung by Accapella group
Recessional: All You Need is Love – the Beatles, sung by Accapella group
First Dance: Time Machine – Alicyn Packard & Jason Friedman
After the kiss, people spontaneously started throwing the rose petals in the air and they showered down around us as the group cheered. That was probably the most memorable moment.
Our first dance was to a song that Jason and I co-wrote called “Time Machine” that I had recorded a few weeks earlier. It was very meaningful to us and a surprise to our family and friends.
And their video by Sam Friedman Storyteller
I didn't expect the emotional roller-coaster of getting married. So many personal and societal expectations are attached to that one, important day of your life. If you feel anxious about your wedding then you are in exactly the right place! Yes, being engaged can be the happiest time of your life, but it's also a huge transition. Make time to journal, meditate and connect with friends and be kind to yourself. You are definitely not alone.
BONUS: Being married is amazing! It's also great to have a professional there that has a sense of how it's "supposed" to go. Our coordinator Hallie Slade saved my sanity just by letting me know everything was going to be okay. And it was!
photography: Ashleigh Taylor Photography // venue name: Historic Cree Estate, Palm Springs, California // event design: Alicyn Packard // florals: Stella Bloom Designs // wedding dress: Maggie Sottero // hair stylist: Aaron Mellinger // makeup artist: Kymber Blake // groom attire: Elevee // paper goods: Prim & Pixie // cake: Over the Rainbow Cupcakes and Desserts // music: DJ Eva
Alicyn & Jason were such an amazing couple! Everything turned out perfectly!!!! What a fun & creative wedding to be a part of!
LOVE that they called the wedding a Love Ball – perfect fit! What a gorgeous, fun wedding!
This PERFECT inspiration for the modern version of DIY Wedding Flowers! The saturated colors and mix and match bottle vases are so amazing! Great inspiration for my budget brides! Thank you! Pinned almost this whole post!
thank you for featuring this fantastic and fun wedding! i was so honored to be a part of the LOVE BALL! the feature turned out lovely!! xoxo
wow!!! that is the best thing i have seen all day!!! i can just feel the love and happiness you share. i watched the video twice- what a treasure to have that kind of love. many years of happiness!
The couple look so happy! Great wedding photography by Ashleigh! :-)
Love this wedding with a lot of fun details!
http://www.fotoestudio.es
Wow, such a beautiful, creative, inspiring wedding. Loved that they did their own thing. This is what life is about, finding the perfect one and the perfect moment. The video brought tears to my eyes :)
did they make the heart cork board themselves? If they did… do they have directions on how to do it?
we did make the heart ourselves. We cut out a heart shape in some plywood and then glued corks onto it. the corks were all from bottles of wine that we have been saving.
This wedding has so many amazing elements. So unique and fantastic!
What an awesome idea! How fun to just have a huge party for your wedding!
This wedding was such a beautiful expression of personality and love. It was perfect! Her dress is so feminine and beautiful and the piece in her hair is so unique. Is it hand made?
Thank you for your kind words:-)
The headdress was made by the amazing designers: BOHOBO COLLECTIVE
They have the cutest pieces and I got quite a few things from them for the wedding weekend. http://www.bohobocollective.com is there site. <3
Absolutely love everything about this wedding!! Gorgeous and fun!!