Bride Alejandra and groom Jordan had a few priorities when it came to their wedding day: firstly, to represent the bride’s Latin/Spanish culture, and secondly, to make it a fun, non-traditional day filled with happiness that depicted the entirety of the couple! What we especially love about this wedding is how the bride wanted to fill a void she experienced when planning her big day. When looking for wedding inspiration, she found there to be a lack of plus-size and Latin representation in the wedding industry.
“The wedding industry caters to “thin” brides. It was an extremely difficult process to find a wedding dress. So difficult that I had to have a custom dress made and didn’t even try it on until a week before my wedding. Additionally, when I was searching through Pinterest, it was extremely difficult to find inspiration for a Latin wedding. And if I did find something, everything looked the same. It was very dated and nothing had a modern vibe to it. So I had to create my own aesthetic. I ended up pulling inspiration from weddings in tropical places of Mexico, like Cabo and Tulum, however many were done for white brides.”
More than anything, Alejandra + Jordan wanted their big day to feel like a celebration. The Penny was the perfect Californian venue located in San Luis Obispo. Aleways a Bride helped plan and craft the most beautiful event design and the couple trusted the florist behind Heidi Hearts Flowers to dress the day in the most beautiful bright florals. Photographer Katie Iredale expertly nailed these wedding photos that we can’t wait for you guys to see!
We asked Alejandra to tell us about her GORGEOUS dress!
“I had fallen in love with a dress called “Chase” by Lovers Society but unfortunately it was discontinued, and it also didn’t come in extended sizing. I searched for months for something else but I kept running back to this dress and just couldn’t get it out of my mind. For one, because I wanted a crepe dress that looked more classic than my elopement dress. And second, it had a specific lace on the dress that was inspired by a leaf that is found on many Mexican textiles and I wanted my dress to be a representation of my culture. I knew I wanted a fitted crepe gown because historically, the expectation is that plus-size women should wear “A” line dresses or dresses with lots of fabric to cover their bodies. That was the opposite of what I wanted. I wanted to show off my body. I didn’t want anyone to tell me because of my size I couldn’t wear a fitted wedding dress. I had fallen in love with a dress and I didn’t want to feel like I couldn’t wear it because I looked a certain way.
And so I thought about looking on Etsy to see if there was a wedding boutique that could make a custom crepe dress. I was able to find Big Rock Bridal who had several simple crepe gowns that could be customized. I walked her through the design and exactly what I was looking for and she was able to bring my vision to life. I felt so beautiful in that dress. Even if society tells me I shouldn’t.”
How beautiful is this bouquet?!
The bride sprinkled bits of her culture throughout her wedding day, such as equipping these beautiful bridesmaids with tassel earrings and hand fans! And we are SO loving their mismatched dresses in the same color family from Baltic Born!
Looking good gentlemen! This stylish groom is dressed head to toe in DXL Big + Tall.
Ditch the heels and go for a comfy and stylish pair of sneakers on your wedding day! The bonuses are: your feet will likely not hurt, AND you can easily dance all night long!
The Event Aesthetic
This couple both loves spending time with family and friends, and obviously loves having a good time. This was the one day where they could have it all together! A traditional wedding just didn’t feel like them so they were very intentional with each decision they made related to our wedding.
“If it didn’t feel like “us” then we didn’t do it. I also really wanted to celebrate my culture through aesthetics and design. It was quite difficult to find a modern take on a Latin wedding. A lot of the images you find on Pinterest are quite dated so I pulled a lot of my designs from weddings in tropical places like Tulum and Cabo. I started following a few Mexican designers for inspiration as well.”
Maracas, hanging fringe, tropical flowers, and dried palms as the backdrop also helped incorporate culture into the couple’s event design!
Processional: Banks by NeedToBreathe
Recessional: I Love You Always Forever by Betty Who
First Dance: Stand By Me by Florence and the Machine
“Since we had eloped during the pandemic, we decided to dance into the ceremony from opposite sides to “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley. We really wanted to set the tone from the very beginning that we were ready to party!” Ok, we LOVE LOVE this!!
What is incredibly unique about this ceremony is that the couple stood in the center of their guests with amphitheater-like seating! We love when couples get creative with their ceremony seating.
Congratulations to A + J! They did the damn thing!
The Industrial Venue
The couple specifically chose The Penny because the aesthetic felt like it combined both of them, with some industrial for the groom but a bit of boho and modern vibes for the bride.
“It was a smaller space which we loved because we wanted it to feel more intimate and like a special gathering of all of our favorite people.”
“We had 3 signature cocktails that represented us. A “pain killer” because that’s my husband’s favorite. A “cuba libre” which I turned into a Diet Coke with lime because I have a true obsession with Diet Coke, which all my friends know about me. And then a “mojito” which is a drink that my friends absolutely love when my husband makes it for them. It’s known within our friend group. My friends gave it the nickname “jojojito” after my husband. The drinks really felt like a nod to us as a couple and to our friends who we love hosting.”
“My husband and I love shopping at farmer’s markets and local farms. We’re big foodies and love it when we know where our food is coming from. We went with our caterer (Trumpet Vine Catering) specifically because they sourced locally and supported local farms.”
Groom Jordan is a home brewer and one of the key factors in choosing a venue was that they would allow the couple to serve Jordan’s beer. The couple felt it would be a really cool personal touch, especially since everyone always raves about the groom’s beer. Not only that, the couple provided hot sauce favors for their guests which were also homemade by Jordan!
“We specifically chose our DJ (Modern Symphony) because he had a good understanding of Latin music as well as some favorite Bay Area artists. My husband and I love Latin music, so it was a must. And I wanted my parents to enjoy the music as well.”
Entering onto the dance floor in our matching tracksuits was definitely a highlight! We had already done an outfit change so no one was expecting a third. So many people were pleasantly surprised and we loved everyone's reactions. We wanted to be comfortable while we were celebrating.
“We absolutely love Mexican food and dessert. When I found the Paleta Cart and The Churro Cart were local to San Luis Obispo I knew we had to book them. It just tied everything together nicely as another way to honor my culture. And I loved that we were supporting minority-owned businesses as well.”
Take the word "wedding" out of the planning process and design your day around you and your partner and what you represent. What do you want your day to feel, look, taste like, etc? The wedding day should be a representation of the two of you instead of what you think a wedding should "look like".
A huge congrats to this couple! We wish you nothing but the best on all the years to come!
photography: Katie Iredale Photography // venue name: The Penny, San Luis Obispo, California, USA // event design: Aleways A Bride // planning: Aleways A Bride // florals: Heidi Hearts Flowers // wedding dress: Big Rock Bridal // hairpiece: Ofrenda Studio, "Solstice Fringe Veil" // bride's shoes: Salo Madrid // bridesmaid dresses: Baltic Born Clothing (Kristina Maxi Dress Saffron), Baltic Born Clothing (Meghan Velvet Wrap Maxi Dress Shell), Baltic Born Clothing (Andi Ribbed Velvet Wrap Dress Dark Rose) and Baltic Born Clothing (Sicily Satin Maxi Dress Blush) // getting ready robes: To the Happily Ever After // hair stylist: Aleways A Bride // makeup artist: Aleways A Bride // groom attire: DXL Big + Tall and DXL Big + Tall // groom's shoes: DXL Big + Tall // paper goods: Swell Press Paper Co. // calligraphy: Precision Graphics // handmade details: Glitz and Gather (Fringe) // catering: Trumpet Vine Catering // cake: Madonna Inn Pink Champagne Cake // desserts: The Churro Cart // tabletop rentals: All About Events // furniture rentals: The Penny SLO // linen rentals: Puras Cosas Bonitas LLC // music: Modern Symphony // cocktails: Sidecar Cocktail Co. // Day of Coordinators: Rooted Hearts Events // Paleta Cart: Paleta and Co // Bride's Earrings: David Aubrey Jewelry // Accommodations: SLO Brew Lofts
What a beautiful day! I love how you were able to pair the best things about the two of you and it came out so beautifully!!!