What’s it like to plan your own wedding when your love story started at somebody else’s??
Sally + Calvin, both talented musicians, met performing together in a wedding band! Sally’s a singer, and Calvin plays the trombone, and together they have witnessed lots of wedding, so when they started planning their own they faced an exciting challenge.
“We’ve worked many weddings as have our friends,” says the couple, “so it was important that our wedding feel fresh and distinctive.” To achieve a celebration that felt unique to them and different from all the weddings they’ve played, Sally + Calvin prioritized immaculate culinary and musical vibes with oranges and citrus tones at the forefront of the decor color palette.
But instead of hand-curating the design experience themselves, Sally + Calvin gave full creative license to their planner and event designer Jenni of Jenni Grubba Events who filled The Ruth Bancroft Garden and Nursery (a stunning succulent garden just east of San Francisco) with bright florals and sophisticated, funky details.
Luckily photographer Jenn Emerling was there snapping amazing photos so we get to see how it all turned out!
How lovely is this light periwinkle ruffle collar dress?? Check out our collection of the 29 best mother of the bride dresses if the special ladies in your family are still hunting for their look.
Sally’s never considered herself a gown type of bride, and when she imagined the garden wedding she and Calvin were planning, something tea length made the most sense. She scoured the internet for something that spoke to her until she came across this absolutely charming bow-back cap sleeve dress by Alexia Maria. She was really into how structured the dress was and so are we!! Loving this sophisticated silhouette! And those blue ball heel Cult Gaia shoes!!
Explore our list of the 31 best short and tea length dresses if you’re liking the idea of bridal look with a shorter hem like Sally’s!
Ampersand is the floral design mind behind the day’s vibrant florals, including this bright boutonnière that looks absolutely perfect with Calvin’s marigold bowtie.
Paper parasols are such a cute and thoughtful way to keep your guests out of the sun at an outdoor wedding. And they make great photo props for your goofy groomsmen!
The Ceremony
This is your sign not to shy away from color when you’re planning!!
How fun are these yellow lucite chairs?! They give the whole ceremony seating setup a cheerful glow!
Including tomatoes and oranges with these radiant, golden florals made the arrangements feel so abundant. SO into this combo of marigolds, orchids, and roses!
Musician Justin Nash Fisher, there to serenade the couple down the aisle, was killing the guest attire game!! LOVE the boots and bolo tie!
Our Musical Choices Processional: "Our House" by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (performed by Justin Nash Fisher)
Recessional: "I Was Made to Love Him" by Chaka Khan
First Dance: "Penthouse Serenade" by Errol Garner
Our Favorite Memory From The Wedding Too many to count! But if we had to pick just one, we’d probably say our whole ceremony, from processional to recessional. One of our best friends, Justin Nash Fisher, sang and played us down the aisle and the lead singer of Calvin’s band who is also a dear friend, Robbie Wulfsohn, officiated. It was so special to have them involved. Once Robbie married us, being able to turn to our friends and family and feel all of the love and support emanating from them was like nothing else!
“We really loved our venue!” says the couple about The Ruth Bancroft Garden and Nursery. “It’s special to be able to go back, walk around, and see all of the natural beauty and reminisce about our wedding day together.”
Sally’s chic low bun was created by Sophia Adler, and her soft neutral glam makeup look was the work of Jason Alex Yapching.
The Reception
All these rich colors!!! Take a look through our guide to how to determine the best dress code for your wedding day to help guide your guests toward their best looks.
Definitely look through this list of 36 unique wedding seating chart ideas we’re obsessed with if you’re inspired by Sally + Calvin’s inventive and colorful fresh-fruit-adorned signage.
The warm neutral place settings and glassware from Theoni Collection balanced the bright marigold florals so beautifully.
Mix and match table shapes from Standard Event Rentals gave an eclectic feel to this outdoor reception setup.
Potliquor provided a feast for Sally + Calvin’s guests. “We love eating good food, hosting dinner parties and curating the vibe with our record collection,” says the couple, “so we wanted our wedding to feel like one of our dinner parties, music taste to match, just elevated and for a bigger crowd.”
Check out our list of 17 creative ways to make your signature wedding cocktails stand out if you and your partner are still brainstorming the perfect beverage.
Our Advice To Those Planning Now Definitely plan for you and what you want! At the end of the day, we ended up forgoing some of the more traditional parts of the day to do things our way. We sourced special drinks we love to drink, boogied to the types of music we like, made sure the food was something special (and it really was), and went with beautiful bold, bright, florals and detailing. Looking back, we can say we did it for us, and that feels really nice. Oh and also, trust your planner! We loved being able to see Jenni’s vision come to life and letting her work her magic. I don’t think our wedding would have been as spectacular if we didn’t get out of her way and let her do her thing.
These drapey, romantic string lights from D’Angelo Lighting made Sally + Calvin’s reception so dreamy after dark!!
Dig into our collection of rad bridal jackets to complete your look if Sally’s colorful print look has you thinking adding another layer towards the end of the night might be the move.
Congrats, Sally + Calvin, on your vibrant wedding day! Hope you enjoyed the full-circle moment of getting to dance at your own wedding after performing at so many together!! All the very best from GWS!
photography: Jenn Emerling // venue name: Ruth Bancroft Gardens, Walnut Creek, California, USA // event design: Jenni Grubba Events // planning: Jenni Grubba Events // florals: Ampersand // wedding dress: Alexia Maria // hair stylist: Sophia Adler // makeup artist: Jason Alex Yapching // videography: Shark Pig Weddings // catering: Potliquor // tabletop rentals: Theoni Collection // furniture rentals: Standard Event Rentals // music: Dart Collective // lighting: D'Angelo Lighting // cocktails: Potliquor // hair for moms and sisters: Beauty on Set
