Wedding, Part 5: The Details + Special Moments

Alas, I've reached the final part of my wedding series!  I decided to combine these final two subjects, as my family teased that I was going on too long about the wedding.  Guilty as charged, but I couldn't leave any part out, as everything seemed important, in my opinion at least :)  This last part, in particular, is worth sharing, as it covers all the little details (many DIY!) that made our wedding special, as well as those standout moments that are now very dear to my heart.  The wedding now feels very far away and as I post this last and final segment of the series, I dream of our honeymoon, which will commence in just a few hours!  Our trip was stalled for a few months due to a lack of planning on our parts (oops!).  Is it just me or is it an incredibly unreasonable expectation that a couple is to plan an entire wedding while simultaneously worrying about plane tickets, hotel rooms, packing, itineraries, etc??  Lots of unneeded stress that was consequently and conveniently avoided due to our inherent disorganization!  Go, us!  While I was a bit disappointed at first that my groom was not whisking me off to our honeymoon immediately after the wedding, I've come to realize what a nice relief it was to get all our post-wedding things in order and take our time to organize a nice trip without the distraction of planning a wedding.  It's certainly been well worth the wait.  We will be visiting family in Paris for a few days before traveling to three different cities in Italy and I couldn't be more excited!  The itinerary includes lots of sight-seeing, plenty of pasta, pizza, and gelato, and some down time to simply relax and enjoy each other's company.  I can't wait to share our experience with you.  In the mean time, here are the final glimpses of our fairy-tale wedding.

Special time with my mom moments before the ceremony as she helped me dress and I dealt with my nerves :)

Lots and lots of fluffy pink, peach, and blush florals via Primary Petals

DIY escort cards

Having a little chat with Kole :)

Hand-painted signs + honey favors

02.02.13

Sweets at the candy bar + some sweet signage

The cake (!!!) + champagne

The best parents in the world ♥

Did I mention we lack in the Planning Department? - Writing our vows to each other minutes before the ceremony

♥
photos: onelove photography
hair/makeup: yuri sinata
floral: primary petals

Wedding, Part 4: The Reception

Our first dance as husband and wife

Just after the ceremony, guests were invited to enjoy cocktail hour.  It was during this time that Daniel and I snuck away for a few quiet moments to ourselves to reflect, snack on some hors d'oeuvres, and embrace each other as a newly married couple.  As much as I couldn't wait to continue the celebration with our guests, it was a nice opportunity to be in the comfort of my new husband and slow the pace of our special day, if only for a few minutes.  I talked about how nervous I had been that entire morning and he gushed about of how surprised he was that I had set up this private little makeshift retreat upstairs in the bridal suite made complete with chilled champagne, crabcakes and stuffed mushrooms.  And we both agreed on just how beautiful the day was turning out.

Shortly after, we rejoined the rest of the party and dined at dusk on the terrace under the bistro lights.  Everything was romantic and perfect.  And between greeting guests, smiling for lots of photographs, and plenty of champagne toasts, we managed to fit in a few bites of what seemed to be a tasty dinner.  Just before dark, we shared our first dance to Ho Hey by the Lumineers.  We didn't want our first dance song to be stuffy, but instead preferred something fun, lighthearted, and upbeat.  It was the perfect start to a fun night ahead full of more dancing and more celebrating.


Cocktails + fresh flowers in the library

Peeking down on our guests from our private retreat up on the balcony

Listening to my dad give the most marvelous opening speech a little girl could ever ask for

Twirling with my prince charming

Dancing with my dad

A pretty view of the reception

Fun on the dance floor with my girlfriends

The view from above

Cutting the cake!

♥
photos: onelove photography
hair/makeup: yuri sinata
floral: primary petals

Wedding, Part 3: The Ceremony

Our first kiss!

Our ceremony took place out on the lawn in front of those beautiful Cypress trees. Every moment leading up to the ceremony was filled with nervousness. From my trecherous journey down that tall flight of stairs to the walk out to the garden, clutching firmly to my dad's arm, I couldn't seem to shake the anticipation that had built up over the last several months into this one day. Tears of happiness flooded my eyes as I took in every sight, smell, and sound of that moment waiting with my dad to start our procession. And as we slowly made our way down the aisle, I couldn't help but succumb to the overwhelming emotions of all that was around me.

When I finally saw my groom, all the nerves seemed to dissipate, but I couldn't stop crying for the life of me!  Surrounded by loved ones in the most wonderful setting, tears flowed for the majority of the ceremony and most certainly when he delivered his vows.  Having written and memorized them only minutes before the ceremony, Daniel's vows were so amazingly heartfelt and beautiful.  To hear him speak was truly one of the highlights of my day and since the wedding I've made him retell them to me maybe 5 or 6 times. :)  

Ceremony programs

Our heart-lined aisle

Our little nephew/ring bearer, Kole, holding up my hand-painted sign

Ready to walk down the aisle with my daddy + niece, Kiani

My parents giving me away

With my groom, Daniel

Professing his love ;)

♥

Finally after 10 years, just married!

Our lovely little bridal party

Love him.

♥

photos: onelove photography

hair/makeup: yuri sinata

floral: primary petals

Wedding, Part 2: The Venue

Choosing the venue quite possibly was the most difficult decision of the planning process.  We wanted something unique, intimate, and beautiful of course.  After all it is the venue that sets the stage for the most romantic day of your life so it should indeed be something magical and enchanting.  I found all of that and more with the private villa we selected.  Set in the mountains, just east of Los Angeles, this mansion was certainly the most romantic setting I encountered during my venue search.  I guess you could say it was love at first sight--from the moment we arrived, we fell in love with the property.  With a combination of the beautiful outdoor terrace, bistro lighting, divine historic architecture, and the rows of tall Cypress trees, the venue has an inherant quality that immediately takes you to a grand villa somewhere in the heart of Italy.

My bridal suite was on the second floor, meaning I would have to carefully make my way down this grand staircase in my big pouffy gown.  Terrified I would trip and tumble and careful not to catch the dress in the flickering candles lining the steps, I'm proud to say that I made it but, boy, was it challenging!  How incredibly beautiful are the details of that staircase?!

The venue also had a magnificent library, which served as the perfect setting for cocktails.  This photo is just a small glimpse of one of my favorite rooms of the property, where we hosted the bar.  I love how it added so much charm and elegance to our event.   

Our reception took place out on the terrace.  Since our wedding was in early February, I was hoping and praying like crazy that it would not rain!  This outdoor patio was the number one factor in my choice of this venue.  The arches, stone floor, and bistro lights all combined into the most lovely setting for our early-evening dinner.  It's not apparent from this photograph, but all of the guests had a view of the beautiful Cypress trees (shown above) from this terrace.  It was truly the most dreamy setting as we dined and celebrated.   

Even at night, the venue sparkled like the gem it is.  It was so magical!  

♥
photos: onelove photography
floral: primary petals

Wedding, Part 1: Our Look

Our wedding photos arrived nearly two weeks ago from the wonderful folks at onelove photography and despite my joy and excitement upon receiving them, it's taken me too long to get around to sharing them with all of you!  A number of things have been keeping me busy lately including diligently finishing the remainder of our thank you notes, spending time with family and friends, working on an overdue furniture makeover project, and leaving just enough time to enjoy the longer afternoons brought on by the change in season.  My delay in sharing the photos was also perhaps my way of cherishing and savoring those last bits of wedding bliss before relinquishing it to the rest of the world.  Kinda funny, I guess, but our photos have almost been like a nice little secret we've been keeping that we're now ready to release to the world, if that makes any sense!  Every little minute of our wedding day seemed like a fairytale. All of the planning, nerves, and anticipation going into the big day certainly paid off and I simply could not have asked for a more perfect day.  My husband, Daniel, and I had the time of our lives on our wedding day and we're thrilled to finally give you some glimpses of our big celebration!

Since there were so many photos (over 800!!), I decided to break up my wedding posts into different parts, each part sharing a different aspect of our wedding.  Today's post focuses on Our Look for the day.

I wanted my dress to have lots and lots of lace, and that it did.  That's one of the reasons I fell in love when I put it on for the first time.  It's hard to tell, but my gown was hardly white and more of a champagne cream color.  This was my one hesitation and to tell you the truth, I was really quite nervous that my gown was not white white.  Looking back, though, I'm really happy about my choice.  A true white would not have complemented my skin tone the same way and I love how the color of my gown blends nicely with the colors of the venue.  It's a lot softer and pleasing to the eye (in my humble opinion, at least!).

The veil I wore was extra special.  Weeks leading up to the wedding, my mom spent hours and hours sewing the most precious cathedral-length veil.  Adorned with lots of lace, my veil was certainly made with love and became an instant family heirloom I hope to pass on to my own daughter one day.  I made the decision to wear a statement necklace as part of my look.  This one I found on Etsy.  As for my shoes--my hubby and I are the same height, meaning heels were out of the question.  These sparkly flats from Vera Wang worked out perfectly, which also meant no sore feet after dancing all night!

For my groom, we chose a classic black tuxedo with an off-white vest and bow-tie that had the slightest bit of detail, hinting to the elaborate detail of my dress.  My Daniel, as always, looked studly in his bow-tie and tux.

♥

photos: onelove photography

hair/makeup: yuri sinata

floral: primary petals