WEDDING BLOG

Northern California Brunch Wedding at an Olive Grove

September 2, 2018 | Junebug Weddings

Sarah and Miles’ brunch wedding combined three of our favorite wedding trends: breakfast foods, DIY decor, and garden party vibes. This wedding, which took place on a relative’s private farm, was almost entirely handmade by this creative couple and their tribe of loving friends and family. Because Sarah and Miles wanted the natural beauty of the venue to speak for itself, they made sure every detail, from the wildflowers to the honey favors to the bride’s romantic Tara Lauren gown, complemented the natural elements, soft color palette, and laid-back feel. If that wasn’t enough, the couple also provided some of the most delicious looking pastries, coffee, breakfast staples, and Chik-Fil-A mini biscuits for their reception meal! Photographer Britt Crowe truly outdid herself in capturing every single moment of this one-of-a-kind wedding.

The Couple:

Sarah and Miles

The Wedding:

Private Venue, Geyserville, California

We made every effort to keep at the front of our minds why we were doing this: to express our love for each other in front of our dearest friends and family, everything else is second to that. It’s hard to keep a level head when you mess up your manicure and why hasn’t that Etsy shipment arrived yet?! But, at the end of the day, all the planning was just for one day and we would get to be together after that day, no matter what happened. Lucky for us, the day turned out absolutely perfect!

The venue was on the farmhouse property of one of my husband’s relatives. When we saw it, I knew it had to be the place. They have beautiful flowers everywhere with an olive tree grove and horse pasture and gorgeous views of vineyards and hills. It needed no help looking the part of a wedding venue!

Get a wedding planner! Seriously, you might think, “I’m having a small wedding, I don’t need one.” We only had 80 guests at a mostly DIY wedding, and the wedding coordinator was 100% the best decision we made. The day of the wedding is supposed to be wonderful and relaxing and fun for the bride and groom and their families! Let someone else run around and do the last minute stuff!

Because of the nature of the venue, the entire setup and decor were DIY. My favorite projects include our honey jar wedding favors, the floral backdrop, the embossed bags holding the lavender for our exit, and the cornhole games. The biggest DIY was the garlands for the tables; the base garlands, ordered from Costco were greenery only, so my awesome wedding coordinator was up in the early morning on the day of the wedding setting up the tables and adding all the flowers to the garlands! We have an amazing family and incredible people that helped us set up the day before. Seeing everything that we had spent months working on come together made the day so much more exciting!

I wanted the property where we got married to be the main focal point (besides us!) – It’s so beautiful it didn’t need any help! All other decor decisions we made, even my dress, complemented the venue. I also knew I wanted a morning brunch wedding; breakfast food is my absolute favorite and I love the intimacy and comfort that comes with drinking coffee with a friend. Everything else, from the table decor to the signs to the wedding favors, came from these two starting points. The result was a cohesive, intimate setting with a lot of natural elements and, of course, breakfast food.

The whole day was incredible! Thinking back, I really loved our exit. We were leaving the most perfect day to start our new life together and we were surrounded by all of our loved ones – it was just such a joyful moment. Looking back at the pictures, everyone is laughing and happy for us and it felt so good to have the love and support of our friends and family at that moment!

The Wedding Team:

Photography – Britt Crowe
Floral Design – Stem Floral Design
Catering – Criminal Baking Co.
Cake – Forget-Me-Not Cakes
Stationery – Printable Press
Hair and Makeup Artist – Devotion Studio
Wedding Dress – Tara Lauren via Marry Me Bridal
Bridesmaids’ Apparel – Calvin Klein
Groom’s Apparel – Men’s Wearhouse
Rings – E.R. Sawyer
Signage – Charlotte Rose Creative

Congratulations to Sarah and Miles, and a big thanks to Britt Crowe for sharing this beautiful brunch wedding with Junebug! Never considered a brunch wedding? These brunch wedding ideas for the early birds & breakfast lovers just might change your mind!

This La Fonda on the Plaza Wedding is the Epitome of Santa Fe Glam

September 1, 2018 | Junebug Weddings

aqua bright red champagne light pink orange

Between the glamorous fashion and the classic New Mexico architecture, we’re blown away by the sophistication and elegance of this La Fonda On the Plaza wedding! Brigitte and Derek’s winter wedding was nothing short of magical and highlighted the very best of Sante Fe’s art, culture, colors, and style. The couple opted for glamorous attire, with Brigitte wearing a stunning Maggie Sottero, which created a beautiful juxtaposition between the southwestern vibes of the venue and the surrounding landscape. Renegade Floral also incorporated some local foliage with pampas grass, poppies, and roses in neutral shades. We also love that the couple added a personal touch for their guests with unique postcards and handmade wire cactus escort cards. Alicia Lucia Photography did a phenomenal job capturing every moment of this gorgeous wedding!

The Couple:

Brigitte and Derek

The Wedding:

La Fonda On the Plaza, Santa Fe, New Mexico

Instead of the normal robes, my bridal party and I wore matching heart shaped PJ’s! It was winter, so I wanted everyone to warm, comfortable, cute and have something they could actually wear again.

Because we got married in winter, we needed an indoor venue and we wanted it to have a classic New Mexican feel. La Fonda is the most historic hotel on the Santa Fe Plaza and has a spectacular collection of New Mexican art throughout the hotel.

Our 13th-month-old son was the ring bearer, he didn’t exactly follow a straight path to the altar, but he got a lot of laughs and briefly stole the show in the most adorable fashion.

Sneaking away between the ceremony and reception to take newlywed photos together. It was such a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the ceremony, our commitment, and enjoy a personal moment. We jumped in the backseat of our photographer’s vehicle and she drove us to a spot we had picked out just down the road from our venue. The sun was just starting to set, there was a tiny bit of snow on the ground, the air was cool and crisp and we got to enjoy the magical high desert glow. It was a very romantic moment for us in the midst of a celebration with all our closest friends and family.

We gave each guest a unique vintage postcard and handmade wire cacti that Brigitte personally made. Brigitte is a collector of postcards and she found a bunch (100!) of them with beautiful scenes of New Mexico on them.

Processional – “Cadiz” by Isaac Albeniz
Bride’s Entrance – “La Paloma” by Sebastian Yradier
Recessional – “Sevilla” by Isaac Albeniz
First Dance – “Poison Cup” by M. Ward

The Wedding Team:

Photography – Alicia Lucia Photography
Venue – La Fonda On the Plaza
Floral Design – Renegade Floral
Cake – B&B Bakery
Officiant – Bishop Daniel Dangaran
Live Music – Roberto Capocchi
DJ – Absolute Entertainment Santa Fe
Stationery – Minted
Hair and Makeup Artist – Genica Lee
Wedding Dress – Maggie Sottero
Bridesmaids’ Apparel – BHLDN
Groom and Groomsmen’s Apparel – The Black Tux
Rings – Brilliant Earth

Our biggest congratulations to Brigitte and Derek, and a special thanks to Alicia Lucia Photography for sharing this glamorous La Fonda On the Plaza wedding with Junebug! Planning a southwestern-inspired wedding? You have to see this enchanting southwestern-inspired Abiquiu, New Mexico wedding on Rio Chama!

This Golden Vintage Villas Wedding is a Classic Boho Dream

September 1, 2018 | Junebug Weddings

gold gray light pink sage green

Boho chic looked oh-so-good on Allie and Tyler and made their Austin wedding at Vintage Villas one to remember! The indoor/outdoor space set atop a hill overlooking the lake made for a stunning backdrop and allowed them to have a waterfront wedding without having to travel to the beach. For a distinctly bohemian feel, they filled the space with dreamcatchers, lanterns, vintage rugs, and even parked a VW bus near the reception for guests to take photos. The entire theme of the day was actually centered around the image of a bus and how it symbolized their journey as a couple, so they integrated cute bus drawings into their seating chart, table numbers, paper goods, and other signage. We absolutely adore every detail of this boho chic wedding and how Rebecca Taylor Photography captured it all in the dreamiest and most romantic way possible!

The Couple:

Allie and Tyler

The Wedding:

Vintage Villas, Austin, Texas

Like most would imagine, I wanted a day that would reflect us as a couple. I wanted our love for God and for one another to be evident as we took this vow in front of our family and friends. For me, it wasn’t about having some over the top wedding, but about celebrating this new journey joining together as husband and wife.

It meant so much to me to have my bridesmaids gather around me in prayer before the ceremony began. We all had an absolute blast on the dance floor with everyone, and Ty even performed one of his original songs that everyone sang along to. Nothing compares, though, to seeing my husband’s reaction to me walking down the aisle. I am glad that we didn’t do a first look, because seeing the joy and the tears in his eyes were absolutely priceless as my dad gave me away. I always laugh thinking about us laying in bed afterward eating pizza and leftover wedding cake saying, “Can you believe we are married?!”

Being near water was an absolute must for me. I had always thought I would get married on the beach, but after seeing this venue in person I changed my mind. The rolling hills overlooking Lake Travis provided the most beautiful backdrop and magical sunset. I overheard many amazed people saying they couldn’t believe we were in Texas with the view!

I also have a fascination with anything retro. We made a theme out of the vintage VW bus to sort of signify our “journey” as a couple. Our sign in for guests was a custom wooden VW campervan and our seating chart included guests seated at different numbered and patterned “vans” as table numbers.

Pinterest-pressure is a real thing! While it was super helpful and allowed me to develop a vision of what I really wanted at my wedding, it can be vastly overwhelming. I’d often find myself getting upset the more I scrolled through, feeling hopeless that my wedding would never measure up to these picture-perfect pins. I suggest looking for inspiration but don’t freak if every detail doesn’t resemble your fairytale-esque boards.

Also, don’t feel like you have to spend every last dime of your savings. Like it’s been said before, it’s only one day. Sure you want your big day to be beautiful and special, but keep in mind that doesn’t mean you have to take out a loan or go into your marriage with wedding debt. Figure out what is most important to you and your fiance, then try to cut corners in other areas. Being the big bargain shopper I am, I actually ended up scoring my wedding shoes for only $14 on clearance and all of my jewelry for less than $50!